Earlier quoted context omitted.
In certain Ethiopic languages, sarcasm and unreal phrases are indicated at the end of a sentence with a sarcasm mark called temherte slaqî or temherte slaq (U+00A1) (¡), a character that looks like the inverted exclamation point. [1] Make the check out to my name. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony_punctuation#Temherte_slaq...
"Make the check out to my name." I was being sarcastic.
AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
161–170 of 211 posts
Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
Smartphones are only getting cheaper. My smartphone is an LG Optimus V, which was $150 without a contract (but it's bound to Virgin Mobile, a prepaid carrier). By my estimation the phone is all-around better than a 3G iPhone. Obviously I probably got the phone somewhere near at-cost (considering how hard the RadioShack employees push you against buying it) but smartphones will be dirt cheap soon enough.
I've been having problems with my Optimus V through Virgin Mobile. It crashes in call (total power off); data availability hasn't been stable (I would say about once a week I have significant issues where I won't be able to use email, a browser, etc. for the entire day); maps/GPS is iffy; I think there are some interface design flaws.* I used to have an iPhone 3G. I thought it was great. I switched to VM for the plan…
Search #vmdd (Virgin Mobile Data Down) on Twitter and follow the fun.
Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#163Bravo!
Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#164Ugh. This might finally get me to leave T-mobile. I left ATT after a horrible experience and vowed to never go back. I am not happy.
I just moved to Verizon from T-mobile yesterday after frustration with T-mobile's service. And I loathe AT&T. The nice thing about T-mobile is it is/was the only company which charges less if you didn't have a contract.
Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#165It's a natural fit for AT&T to buy T-Mobile. They both 3G GSM (UMTS) technology. T-Mobile is probably better in some key markets than AT&T, most notably New York (City). The one issue with T-Mobile is it uses the fairly nonstandard 1870 MHz frequency. I don't know of any other carrier that does (anywhere). I assume this is because AT&T has the rights to the more common frequencies in the relevant markets? I wonder wh…
> Wireless really is a mess in the US. Europe and Australia have really benefited from choosing one technology (GSM). How are pricing plans in the US when you are roaming beyond your state? I live in Sweden, where I have a decently priced data and call plan. However, as soon as I go outside of Sweden, which is a small country (9M people), I have to pay roaming charges. I don't mind so much the call charges, but they…
Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#166Are there any chipsets out there that could support both AT&T (1900) and T-mobile 3G (1700) frequencies? Since one of the main reasons for the merger is for spectrum, it seems that AT&T must be planning on utilizing T-mobile's spectrum in the future to improve reach and reliability, so it would make sense for them to provide phones that support both frequencies.
Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Wireless really is a mess in the US. Europe and Australia have really benefited from choosing one technology (GSM). How are pricing plans in the US when you are roaming beyond your state? I live in Sweden, where I have a decently priced data and call plan. However, as soon as I go outside of Sweden, which is a small country (9M people), I have to pay roaming charges. I don't mind so much the call charges, but they…
Roaming beyond ones state doesn't change anything. So long as you are on your carriers network you are still fine. I moved from New Jersey to Arizona to Colorado and have had no extra fees. However when I leave the country they want $10 per MB of data, and $1.29 per minute for calls, and $0.99 for text messages. (This is T-Mobile). I've heard that AT&T is even worse though :-/
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/roaming/affo...
It's 20MB for $25/mo, 50MB for $60/mo, 100MB for $120, and 200MB for $200/mo.
I usually sign up for 200mb plan if I am going somewhere for a week, and don't worry too much about data usage (email, web, yelp app). Turn it few days after I am back, and all roaming charges had chance to post.
Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#168Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#169I don't think this is a good idea for customers. Even Sprint acquiring T-mobile is a bad idea, but this is much worse. At least with Sprint buying T-mobile you'd have 3 equal sized companies, but in this case, I wouldn't be surprised if Sprint eventually gets bought by Verizon, and then Americans will really be in trouble.
Re: AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
#170imo AT&T's exclusive iPhone deal was one of the reasons for T-Mobile's gradual decline. So it probably wouldn't be a stretch to say that Apple played a role (albeit unintentional) in this acquisition.