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Sunday, July 3, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
AT&T might make more money on the capped plans due to iPhone glitch
It seems as the iPhone would generate significant data usage even when a preferred wi-fi network is available. How significant? Well, at least based on personal experience and on some scarce reports on forums, it could be as big as 20-30 MB at a time. Some other times it is only 2-3 MB or less, but it is always traffic occurring in the early morning hours, like between 2 and 4 AM, when I am pretty sure I would not use the phone (well, except for posting some drunk photos on Facebook Saturday night), and when I am sure as well that the home wi-fi connection would be available. The hypothesis is that the iPhone will not activate the wi-fi chip while in stand by (the screen is off), and would use the cellular chip instead, as that one is always on. This might have been designed by Apple with the unlimited data plan in mind and in order to increase the battery life. However, when we compare those phantom usages of sometimes 30 MB at a time to the 200 MB monthly limit on the new AT&T Data Plus plan, it sure looks like a lot.
You can check your own data usage by logging in to AT&T wireless and checking the past data usage by clicking on the "View past data usage" on the main page. (if you do not have an account, now it is time to set up one, as it will give you control over your usage and your bills including paying options)
What to do for now?
If you have the unlimited plan already, don't jump the bandwagon of the new plans... just yet. There is no going back to the unlimited plan once you do so. New features and applications (Netflix for iPhone anyone) might be data intensive and you might enjoy them better on an unlimited data plan. In all fairness though, if you only browse the web and do regular email on the iPhone, you might get by with the 200 MB plan... if your phantom night usage I have been talking about is not too high that is.
If you are becoming an iPhone/AT&T customer now, then you have no other choice but the tiered plans. You could start with the 200 MB plan, and watch your usage as you progress through your billing cycle, and switch to the 2GB plan in case you think you will be over 200 MB. AT&T confirmed through at least one of the customer service representatives that you can do that before your billing cycle is over, and you will not be charged for "overage" basically. In this way you could save $5 to $15 as compared to the $30 unlimited data plan, depending on your usage. You will probably have a different, more concerned attitude though towards your iPhone, which will become an other thing to worry about. And you probably should worry, as if you are not careful you could end up paying even more than $30 for relatively little monthly data usage. That is because while on the 200 MB plan, although you could pay as little as $15/month, you will pay an other $15 for going over your 200MB, and yet an other $15 if you consume an other 200 MB on top of the first 200 MB. You could pay $45 for a usage of anywhere between 401 and 499 MB. Similar story just higher limits with the 2GB plan. It is $10 for each 1GB increment on that one, so let's say you use 2.5 GB, you will pay $35 for data. Use 3.1 GB and you will pay $45.
Let's hope the iPhone glitch I mentioned here will be fixed in the latest and greatest iOS4. If not, let's make a big fuss until they will fix it.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Google maps ditches TeleAtlas for own mapping data
Haven't been watching the matter that closely, but I had to laugh at how blind the media seems to be at Google's transition from one set of mapping data to an other, at least for the US. First Google has started with Navteq. At that time it was what the competitor Mapquest used and what many GPS manufacturers used (including Garmin and Magellan), and considered by many the superior mapping data. Then we assisted to a slow rise of TeleAtlas, and for a reason or an other (like maybe the Navteq acquisition by Nokia) Google transitioned to the TeleAtlas mapping system. That was September 2008, and at that time TeleAtlas was owned by the GPS maker Tomtom.
Today, in the flurry of news about Google's navigation software I just thought to take one more look at the maps in my PC browser. And surprise surprise, the starting map piece with my home location looked different. More detailed I should say and in a slightly different , more crisp layout. I live near a state university, and the maps now reflect lots of details about campus buildings. Even doctors' offices are shown on the map.
I checked quickly the right bottom corner where Google notes the map data source, and you can read now "Google - Map data" where we could read before "TeleAtlas". So Google is relying now on its own mapping data. Checking the news again, there is a scarcity of information about it, but nevertheless there seems to be a statement from a TeleAtlas spokeperson confirming the cessation of the deal for the US maps.
I think in the light of the new Google navigation software this is an important piece of news. For better or for worse Google ditched Teleatlas (owned by Tomtom) while offering its own breakthrough navigation solution. That means Google will not only compete with Tomtom with its navigation solution but also as a provider of mapping data.
What is everybody thinking about the new Google Maps? Better or worse in your area?
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Puzzled by how people can be fooled
Yesterday I saw an ad in my Gmail account, about some gadget sold at an incredibly low price on some new auction website. Although the price seemed "too small to be true", and the general advice is not to believe an offer that does not seem credible, I went on to check on the website. Being referred by Google it should be no surprise to anybody that I searched google for this "magnificent" new website called Swoopo. I read some rather beningn articles, and I started to learn about their business model.
My biggest surprises: not only that Swoopo makes $1 for every 15 cents that are bid on an item, but the "winning prices" of the items are nowhere near that low as Swoopo advertises. One of my "favorites" is an auction for a Sony Vaio, that is about to end "in a few seconds".. from yesterday. This is because each bid pushes the auction ending by 15 seconds. The poor suckers keep bidding, paying $1 for each $0.15 increment, and the price of the thing got already to $2,866 as of this writing, although the MSRP is only $1,399. (please click on the picture to see it better for yourself). The "happy winner" is going to pay more than double the price suggested (which is generally high anyway), plus a hefty premium for bidding: what swoopo makes is over 6 times the "winning price" (they make $1 for every$0.15), so on this item alone Swoopo made already a whooping $19,000!!!!.. from auctioning 1 piece of a Sony Vaio notebook, and without selling it yet.
A word of wisdom says that is not stupid the one who asks, but the one who gives. In this case however, I think stupid is all of us if we let this website and this business model function like they want. Authorities, lawyers, please show these "europeans" why America is different! Europeans, please don't take it personally, but this scam functioned and still functions at its leisure in countries like Germany and UK. Although people complain, the website is still on.
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