AT&T...Largest Network? Best Service? Really?

I say BullS***!!

I took off with my wife this weekend. We live in Arizona and decided to run up into the Mountains to see the sights. I was hoping while we were up there to be able to upload pictures to facebook, my web gallery, etc to chronicle our trip. Well I was in for a big surprise. Little did I know that the largest network with the fastest service, was not working...or was it, but just not up there?

AT&T your service in Arizona really leaves a lot to be desired. Now, if you want proof, bring a camera here and interview me live and I will prove my points to you on camera. Oh!! Better yet, I will be posting my findings on YouTube shortly so that people can see how this really works! No editing required.

In advance of that, here's a snapshot of my screen from Saturday when we were up in HEBER, AZ at 7,500 feet. My screen says NO SERVICE and when you tried to get messages, it said "Cannot Activate Cellular Data Network". What you can't see or hear is my wife laughing while she was telling me how many voicemails and emails she was getting and did using the SPRINT network with her TREO 700P!!

That's pretty sad. Apple, you guys really need to run AT&T through the ringer on this and create your own CELL network that will wipe these losers off the map. Am I mad...no, just sadly disappointed that AT&T is getting away with murder on TV through their ads and Apple's not doing anything to protect its name.

Oh, here's that screenshot. Also, the 2 calls and 56 emails were received prior to our leaving Scottsdale, AZ and driving up.

It's HERE! Well some of it that is.

Okay Apple fans, some of the news is good, some not so good. There's a new phone!! YAYYYYY

But those of you (and me) who were hoping today would be App download day from the App store...Not to be until sometime next month (July).

Oh well, so that's the bad news, but that new phone...SEXY. No iChatAV camera as had be purported, and a pricetag....$199!!! DAMN!!!! I can't wait to get my mitts on one. Oh and it's going to be here next month as well. Just in time for the software!

Specifications
Screen size
3.5 inches (diagonal)
Screen resolution
480 by 320 pixels (163 ppi)
Input method
Multi-Touch
Storage
8GB and 16GB1
CellularUMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wireless data
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDRGPS
Assisted-GPS
Camera
2.0 megapixels
Battery2
Talk time: Up to 5 hours on 3G;
up to 10 hours on 2G
Standby time: Up to 300 hours
Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G;
up to 6 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: Up to 7 hours
Audio playback: Up to 24 hoursDimensions
4.5 by 2.4 by 0.48 inches
(115.5 by 62.1 by 12.3 mm)Weight3
4.7 ounces (133 grams)

And there's some new apps coming too!

Below you'll see the MobileMe addition. A great replacement for .Mac, Ebay Auctions, and of course Google Maps integrated with the NEW GPS!!!

We'll Be Back Soon...

The ever familiar mantra has been posted on the Apple Store. If you're like me, you know that means there's a product intro happening today. Whether it's iPhone 2, AppleTablet, a new iMac or MacBook...we'll see in about an Hour and a Half!

24 hours...

plus or minus a couple of hours and the rumor mill is flying over what will happen when...WWDC opens.

It made me feel all warm and fuzzy to see the pictures of Moscone West on the web today. The sad part is I used to drive there and watch the setup and even participate in it for MacWorld. Now sitting in Arizona in 101 degree heat, it makes me long for the fog drifiting in over the BAY.

Any company reading this blog, I am available for work in the Bay Area, so don't be bashful. Just email me at ceo@docmurdock.com and let's chat about a nice yearly salary of $100K and up, and a nice home in Sausalito over looking the Bay (preferably 129 Prospect Ave) and my wife and I will pack up and come back to live in TechLand.

On the side of the iPhone...we're excited to see what's coming tomorrow. The launch of the app store would be a nice thing. Having the ability to synch what apps you want onto the iphone would be cool. Say you don't want some things, leaving them off would be nice, but something tells me that most things will need to be in firmware to be speedy enough to run. Otherwise you're at the mercy of the processor and how fast it can do things.

Multi-tasking would be handy as well, and why can't I get EDGE data for GoogleMaps while I am on the phone? That would be nice...so a pseudo-GPS for the current phone would be cool. What about the ability to bring your current phone in and trade it for a new one for a nominal fee...say $50.00? Then the old phones could be refreshed and sold to others for a low price. Sort of a phone-recylcing program.

Apps-wise...small improvements in Mail...the ability to delete more than one message...the ability to sort your email accounts in preferences...contact sorting and/or/searching would be cool...Hmmm...let me think on this for a bit and perhaps I will drop something in here later on today.

-Mike

Okay, been outta touch for a bit

but now with WWDC coming our way on Monday there's a lot of excitement in the air.

What do you think is going to come out of it? Personally I think there's going to be some sweet announcements. Although the one that I am not so sure about is OSX v10.6 being "intel-only".

But we'll wait and see what the unveilings are and what the additional great splashes are from the keynote. Will be good to see what Steve has been up to and who he brings to the stage there.

I miss the developer's conference. At some point when we do get back to the Bay Area I am going to extend my Apple Developer License and get back into coding some things. I know it's a bit late in life, but what the heck and who set those rules into place anyway!

Being one to go against the grain, I'll get the big dev kit and do something wonderful with it just for grins :)

Okay...so what about the iPhone. I was on the verge of jumping onto the jailbreak train when I downloaded the SDK and found out there were some really cool things inside. Now will I discuss what I found...hell no! But I can tell you that there's some exciting things on the horizon and it's worth waiting for and that's it.

I was impressed though with the videos of people playing Guitar Hero III on the iphone and there was a video of a guy strumming a guitar neck with strings on the iphone and the sound that came from it was amazing. So...with all that people are doing out there, one would hope that the platform has become more open in the development area.

But it's Saturday morning early and time to hit the hay. Big things happening this weekend and the countdown to Monday has begun.

Have fun out there!

Mike