iPhone rants, raves and the Google Voice problem

If I could. 

I am mildly obsessed with it and can't seem to put it down. I Tweet, check my Facebook... my 8 month old watches Baby Einstein videos ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn9WicuXSco&fea... ) on You Tube if we're out on the town and she's being hard to deal with.Like you, I don't talk much on it. Shoot, no one hardly ever calls me, but darn it I use those applications and so it's worth the almost $200 per month that my husband and I spend... Well, not really. I HATE that we have to have AT & T, we live in the desert in California and service is HORRIBLE!!! (gag) No service, dropped calls... it's a joke. And, Apple has too many holds and who can make an app & what kind of app we can use. As long as everyone is getting paid (because that's what it's about) what's their deal? That's why so many people are "jailbreaking" their iPhones and stuff like that.... 

I can't stand the monopoly...

Dawana
www.abittersweetexistence.com ( http://www.abittersweetexistence.com )

I love, Love, LOVE, my iPhone. I'm not much of a phone person, but I love having internet access.  And games, and my music, and a camera, and a calander, and GPS, and all the cool aps...and did I mention the internet?

It did bother me that we had to use AT&T, especially since we didn't have AT&T service in our area when the iPhone first came out so we couldn't get iPhones until about a year and half ago.  But, then AT&T bought out a regional carrier and made upgrades, and I've got to say, we get such better service with AT&T than we've had with our other carriers, that it turned out to be a win-win. 

Since my company blocks all sorts of sites like webmail and IM, my iPhone is the only thing that keeps me connected to the outside world. And since I got my first iPhone 2 years ago and since upgraded to the 3GS, I still haven't gotten used to the new features like voice command.

Like you, I hardly use it as a phone, and I've got the Skype app installed and never used it. I think Apple has the right to allow or disallow apps on its device and people who absolutely need Google Voice can get themselves an Android. When you buy Apple, you are buying into their whole corporate philosophy, like it or not. Exclusivity is what the brand is all about. Wouldn't be Apple otherwise.

Angela at mommy bytes ( http://www.mommybytes.com )
BlogHer Contributing Editor in Mommy & Family Cribsheet

Hi Denise,

The metaphor I like to use for the mobile carriers/operators like AT&T/Verizon/Sprint/T-Mo/Etc is that of a gas station.

I bought my car at Toyota, but I can choose to go wherever I want for its weekly fuel up and for its services.  I can go back to Toyota for a maintanence or I can go to Oil Can Henrys or to the 16th St. Garage if I want.  

I wish the FCC would break the non-competitive grip that the carriers have on the wireless market in all ways to make it so that all consumers can buy their device/handsets from which ever manufacturer or 'used' mobile lot that they want to and then buy the wirless 'gas' at whatever suits their fancy.  Consumers could get in contracts to buy the wireless services from a carrier if they so choose, but they should not be forced into consuming the service from one carrier or not be able to consume the service if the carrier says no.

I bought my most recent mobile device, a Nokia N95, from Amazon.com.  My sim chip is from AT&T and I have a voice plan and an unlimited data plan.  And that is where AT&T's involvement in my mobile life ends.  I also have a Spin Vox and a Google Voice services to handle my messages (Spin Vox does a better job at translating, but has become unreliable in delivering the texts recently in the US).  I also can choose if I want to use a Google Maps application or the built in Nokia Maps.

So on and so forth.  AT&T can't tell me what services and apps I can use on my phone, because I spent the extra money to get an unlocked phone from another source. But I think the FCC needs to make sure that all consumers have the choice and are not locked into AT&T or Verzon or  [insertnamehere]'s bizarre sandboxes.

Shell & Chevron don't dictate to me how I use my car, nor should AT&T dictate to you how you use your mobile.

Black Phoebe :: Ms. Jen ( http://www.blackphoebe.com/msjen )

I get pretty good coverage as well and was kind of surprised to hear some Chicago bloggers saying AT&T service is bad in Chicago. I don't find that to be the case - unless I'm in a basement or something like that.

I've never really had a cell service provider that I loved. Maybe if I had, I'd be more unhappy about AT&T? I would prefer it if we weren't required to use one carrier, I like choices. ;-)

I don't love the idea of forcing all apps and functions to be available to all customers. But I also don't like preventing access to apps, either.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings ( http://www.flamingohouse.net/ )

too. But I get pretty decent AT&T coverage where I am. That makes a big difference in how you feel about it.

The Google Voice issue reminds me a bit of the browser wars from 10 years ago. Maybe we need to start a movement for standards in phone apps and function so consumers could use everything on every phone.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer CE ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/virginia-debolt )
Web Teacher ( http://www.webteacher.ws/ )
First 50 Words ( http://first50.wordpress.com/ )