Apple Doesn’t Know How To Handle The MobileMe Crisis
November 19, 2008
br pimg src=http://consumerist.com/assets/images/consumerist/2008/07/072408-002-mobilemess494.jpg align=left hspace=4 vspace=2 style=display:block; /Apple excels in product design and user interface, and their operating system is pretty sweet, too. What Apple has a much rockier history with is customer service—in individual instances it can be great, but historically when there’s a problem with one of their products, Apple clams up like a sullen teen and refuses to talk. Their new MobileMe service has had problems since it launched two weeks ago, and even now there are thousands of users who can’t sync, or whose email has been deleted (oops, should’ve set up Time Machine). David Pogue points out that a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/technology/personaltech/24pogue-email.html?ex=1374638400en=b71d2888e73f2140ei=5124partner=permalinkexprod=permalinkApple’s lack of an sufficient response/a is completely unacceptable—or would be for any other company:br/p blockquoteIt’s breathtaking that Apple doesn’t recognize this situation. This is an airplane that’s stuck on the runway for hours with no food or working restroom. And the pilot doesn’t come on the P.A. system to tell the customers what the problem is, what’s being done to mend it, how much longer they might be stuck, and how he empathizes with their plight. Instead, he comes on once every three hours to repeat the same thing: We apologize for the inconvenience./blockquote pIt’s true, Apple idid/i address these problems early on, even going so far as to offer a free 1-month extension to current subscribers. But Pogue points out that whatever problems were plagueing MobileMe haven’t been entirely eradicated, because a note appeared on the MobileMe support site that read, 1% of MobileMe members cannot access MobileMe Mail. We apologize for this service interruption and are working hard to resolve the problem./p pSo how is Apple trying to help out this subset of customers? By hiding behind a broken customer service system, Pogue writes:br/p blockquoteMobileMe tech support, my correspondents tell me, is nearly impossible to reach; the recording says that the support team is unavailable due to the overwhelming interest in MobileMe. (Somehow I doubt that overwhelming interest is the problem.) When you do reach them, they’re apologetic but can do nothing to help./blockquote pBy contrast—and even I can’t believe I’m about to compare T-Mobile’s customer service to Apple’s, but here goes—yesterday I couldn’t get on the internet using T-Mobile’s HotSpot service at a Starbucks in NYC. I called the customer support line at the bottom of the error message screen fully anticipating to get nowhere—really it was just a masochistic impulse to test how incompetent they’d be. What I got instead was a live, helpful person after three rings, and when I was escalated up to a support tech, she answered in less than 60 seconds and gave me advice on how to repair the problem. I assume T-Mobile is dumping extra resources into HotSpot support right now, especially with Starbucks since they’re having to deal with ATT taking over the system and causing who knows what kinds of customer service snafus, but you’d think Apple would try a similar approach with its first huge push into a new service.img src=http://consumerist.com/assets/images/consumerist/2008/07/072408-002-mobilemesupportwaittime494.jpg class=left/p pa target=_blank rel=nofollow href=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/technology/personaltech/24pogue-email.html?ex=1374638400en=b71d2888e73f2140ei=5124partner=permalinkexprod=permalinkApple’s MobileMess/a [New York Times]br (Screen cap of customer service wait time: Hayden)/p a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://consumerist.com/5028794/apple-doesnt-know-how-to-handle-the-mobileme-crisis ‘Source[consumerist]/abr
BlackBerry Bold up for pre-order at Best Buy: $680 smackers
November 19, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/ rel=tagCellphones/a/pdiv align=centera href=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9062382amp;st=blackberry%20boldamp;lp=1amp;type=productamp;cp=1amp;id=1218014206238img vspace=4 hspace=4 border=0 alt= src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/10/10-27-08-blackberry_bold.jpg //abr //div span style=float: right; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 4px;script digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/BlackBerry_Bold_up_for_pre_order_at_Best_Buy_680_smackers’; /scriptscript src=http://digg.com/api/diggthis.js/script/spanWe already knew RIM’s a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/tag/Bold/BlackBerry Bold/a would a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/10/22/its-official-blackberry-bold-hits-atandt-on-november-4/sell for a stiff $299.99 on contract/a with ATamp;T, but if you’re one of the many ATamp;T users who’d rather not sign a new agreement (or renew your current one), you’ve probably been patiently waiting to hear an unsubsidized price. Here’s it, but we’re warning you, you might want to sit down. The contract-free Bold is listed at $679.99 at Ideal Purchase, and fittingly enough, the product page offers a convenient link for seeking financing. At any rate, it also tells us that pre-orders will typically ship out within one to two weeks, though we’d be hesitant to bet the farm on that. After waiting for, like, a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/06/12/atandt-launches-blackberry-bold-promotional-site/ever/a, for this handset to finally hit shelves, are you still so anxious to drop nearly seven bills to claim one as your own?br /br /[Thanks, Christen]p style=padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;a href=http://www.engadget.comimg src=http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif alt=Engadget style=float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0; //aa href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/27/blackberry-bold-up-for-pre-order-at-best-buy-680-smackers/BlackBerry Bold up for pre-order at Best Buy: $680 smackers/a originally appeared on a href=http://www.engadget.comEngadget/a on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:14:00 EST. Please see our a href=http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/terms for use of feeds/a.br style=clear:both;/ph6 style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;/h6a href=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9062382amp;st=blackberry%20boldamp;lp=1amp;type=productamp;cp=1amp;id=1218014206238Read/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/27/blackberry-bold-up-for-pre-order-at-best-buy-680-smackers/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/forward/1354564/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/27/blackberry-bold-up-for-pre-order-at-best-buy-680-smackers/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a pa href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/weblogsinc/engadget?a=6v75i3img src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/weblogsinc/engadget?i=6v75i3 border=0/img/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?a=1zfcmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?i=1zfcm border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?a=Lhuwmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?i=Lhuwm border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~4/434137219 height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/434137219/’Source[engadget]/abr
ATT Won’t Honor iPhone Price Announced In Its Own Press Release
November 19, 2008
br pimg src=http://consumerist.com/assets/images/consumerist/2008/08/attstardestroyer_01.jpg width=155 height=112 /Reader Rom is angry with ATT because they won’t sell him an iPhone 3G for the price listed in their press release. ATT states the promotional pricing ($199 for an 8GB, $299 for a 16GB) is only available to, among others, existing iPhone customers. Rom is an existing iPhone customer./p pThe relevant a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800cdvn=newsnewsarticleid=25883press release/a reads, in part:br / blockquoteiPhone 3G will be… Continue reading
T-Mobile G1 coming to Walmart for $148.88
November 18, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/ rel=tagCellphones/a/pdiv align=centera href=http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200810272037DOWJONESDJONLINE000579_FORTUNE5.htmimg vspace=4 hspace=4 border=1 alt= src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/10/g1-walmart.jpg //abr //div Well, now isn’t this something? Best Buy a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/08/12/best-buy-to-sell-iphone-3g-starting-next-month/has its fancy little iPhone 3G/a, but it’ll be Wally World offering up the G1 outside of official T-Mobile outlets. As we’d a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/10/27/t-mobile-g1-coming-to-walmart-at-a-slashed-price/heard yesterday/a, 550 Walmart stores across the country will start selling the Android-powered handset beginning tomorrow, and folks who opt to pick one up here… Continue reading
G1s said to be pouring into China, selling for big bucks
November 18, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/ rel=tagCellphones/a/pdiv align=centera href=http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories?id=P134437img vspace=4 hspace=4 border=1 alt= src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/10/10-26-08-g1_open.jpg //abr / div align=leftGoogle may still only be the number two search engine in China, but it looks like it’s starting to make some serious inroads into the sketchy cellphone market in the country, with the Android-based a href=http://www.engadget.com/tag/g1G1/a reportedly now pouring into China though some dubious channels, and demanding some pretty hefty prices. According to China’s DoNews… Continue reading
Reach ATT Wireless Executive Customer Service
November 18, 2008
br pimg src=http://consumerist.com/assets/images/consumerist/2008/07/attpewpew.jpg/Here are the phone numbers to reach the ATT Wireless Offices Of The Presidentbr / Eastern States: 877-707-6220br / Western States: 800-498-1912/p p(Photo: a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/18978639@N03/2613744245/jetsetpress/a)/p a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://consumerist.com/5024553/reach-att-wireless-executive-customer-service ‘Source[consumerist]/abr… Continue reading
T-Mobile G1 coming to Walmart for $148.88
November 18, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/ rel=tagCellphones/a/pdiv align=centera href=http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200810272037DOWJONESDJONLINE000579_FORTUNE5.htmimg vspace=4 hspace=4 border=1 alt= src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/10/g1-walmart.jpg //abr //div Well, now isn’t this something? Ideal Buy a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/08/12/best-buy-to-sell-iphone-3g-starting-next-month/has its fancy tiny iPhone 3G/a, but it’ll be Wally World offering up the G1 outside of official T-Mobile outlets. As we’d a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/10/27/t-mobile-g1-coming-to-walmart-at-a-slashed-price/heard yesterday/a, 550 Walmart stores across the country will start selling the Android-powered handset beginning tomorrow, and folks who opt to pick one up here versus a traditional T-Mob store will save $31.11. Yep — according to company spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien, the new / upgrade-eligible customer price for a Walmart-sourced a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/tag/G1/G1/a will be just $148.88 with a 2-year agreement. Wait, what? You already purchased your G1 a href=http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/10/22/t-mobile-g1-now-available/at the full price/a? They always said the early bird pays the premium… or something along those lines.p style=padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;a href=http://www.engadget.comimg src=http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif alt=Engadget style=float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0; //aa href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/t-mobile-g1-coming-to-walmart-for-148-88/T-Mobile G1 coming to Walmart for $148.88/a originally appeared on a href=http://www.engadget.comEngadget/a on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our a href=http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/terms for use of feeds/a.br style=clear:both;/ph6 style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;/h6a href=http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200810272037DOWJONESDJONLINE000579_FORTUNE5.htmRead/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/t-mobile-g1-coming-to-walmart-for-148-88/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/forward/1355231/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/28/t-mobile-g1-coming-to-walmart-for-148-88/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a pa href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/weblogsinc/engadget?a=EuuJFdimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/weblogsinc/engadget?i=EuuJFd border=0/img/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?a=5tuQmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?i=5tuQm border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?a=nP8tmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?i=nP8tm border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~4/434849667 height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/434849667/’Source[engadget]/abr
Don’t Live Near A Big City? Here’s Something You Should Know Before Upgrading Your iPhone
November 18, 2008
br pimg src=http://consumerist.com/assets/images/consumerist/2008/07/3gcoveragemap.jpg style=display:block; /The new iPhone is 3Gmdash;but ATT’s 3G network isn’t exactly nationwide, so you might want to check the coverage map to make sure that there’s a 3G network in your area./p pFor example, Des Moines, Iowa is large enough to have an Apple store mdash; but there’s no 3G coverage yet. (If you’re wondering what 3G is, a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3Gyou can click here./a) Without 3G… Continue reading
What You Missed This Weekend [Roundup]
November 18, 2008
brpimg src=http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/11/TVGlow.jpg width=494 height=117 style=display:block; /So you watch Television a href=http://gizmodo.com/5089429/the-worlds-most-depressed-people-watch-the-most-tvto feel whole again?/a That’s why you missed the crème de la crème of weekend gadget and tech news? Trust me, when you read this, you’ll feel superior again:br bull; The Black Friday ads are coming! This weekend it was a href=http://gizmodo.com/5088428/officemax-black-friday-ad-leakedall about OfficeMax./abr bull; Not to be outdone, Target hit us up with a href=http://gizmodo.com/5088933/targets-black-friday-ad-leakeda leaked Black Friday ad too./a Remember when this info was a surprise?br bull; Talking of leaks, did you see the a href=http://gizmodo.com/5088285/new-star-trek-trailer-bootleggedbootleg Star Trek trailer?/a Spock. Angry!/p pbull; Broken MacBook Pro is reborn as a sweet mini tower a href=http://gizmodo.com/5088632/the-diy-mac-pro-mini-turn-that-broken-macbook-into-a-teeny-desktopMac Pro Mini/abr bull; No lawsuit too small: a href=http://gizmodo.com/5088648/dogpile-on-apple-new-lawsuit-adds-hairline-cracks-to-list-of-iphone-3g-problemsiPhone 3G case cracks/a added to the class action list./p pbull; a href=http://gizmodo.com/5089936/nasa-scales-up-1966s-moon-image-to-amazing-ultra+high-resolutionOriginal NASA moons images/a made beautiful with ultra HD.br bull; Even a href=http://gizmodo.com/5089845/even-google-gets-shafted-by-apples-ridiculous-app+approval-processGoogle gets the shaft from Apple/a and the App Store approval process.br bull; Forget the iPhone, Verizon pits a href=http://gizmodo.com/5089604/verizon-blackberry-storm-comparison-page-creates-smart-phone-civil-warBlackBerry against BlackBerry/a in a pit of death!br bull; Assault with a deadly weapon now includes a href=http://gizmodo.com/5088937/woman-stabs-rapist-in-the-neck-with-an-ipod-chargerApple iPhone rechargers./abr bull; Mr. President-Elect, we’re going to need to have you a href=http://gizmodo.com/5089393/obamas-blackberry-could-be-banned-from-oval-officesurrender your Blackberry at the door./a/p pNow, chin up, and read more great gadget news and views at the homepage./p br style=clear: both;/ img alt= style=border: 0; height:1px; width:1px; border=0 src=http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=190e0775cd05e46f452c62a4ef4cc632 height=1 width=1/ img src=http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=190e0775cd05e46f452c62a4ef4cc632 style=display: none; border=0 height=1 width=1 alt=/div class=feedflare a href=http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/gizmodo/full?a=e6RrMagdimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/gizmodo/full?d=120 border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/gizmodo/full?a=z7Q8Ew0aimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/gizmodo/full?d=41 border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/gizmodo/full?a=fDcUpbCOimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/gizmodo/full?i=fDcUpbCO border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.gawker.com/~f/gizmodo/full?a=YxJ2Z3xFimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/gizmodo/full?i=YxJ2Z3xF border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~4/8_ZInL-Jjxs height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/8_ZInL-Jjxs/what-you-missed-this-weekend ‘Source[consumerist]/abr
Incase Power Slider for iPhone 3G doubles the juice, lets you sync
November 18, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/ rel=tagCellphones/a/pdiv align=centera href=http://goincase.com/products/detail/EC20003img hspace=4 border=0 vspace=4 src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/11/iphonecase.jpg alt= //abr / div align=leftBeen cursing your a href=http://www.engadget.com/tag/iphone+3giPhone 3G/a’s disappointing battery life? Don’t have the heart to saddle the thing with that huge ol’ a href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/15/mophies-iphone-3g-juice-pack-ships-today-not-a-moment-too-soon/Juice Pack/a? The Power Slider by Incase promises to double your phone’s power for up to 5 hours talk time on the 3G network (10 hours on 2G), increase your audio playback time to 26 hours, and increase your video playback time to 7 hours. If that wasn’t enough, the iPhone can be left in the case while you sync it — saving wear and tear on the case and on your phone. While the Slider isn’t as svelte as your raw, naked iPhone, at the very least it manages to keep roughly the same shape (even if it does fatten it up quite a bit). No pricing yet, should be available starting November 28./div /divp style=padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;a href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/incase-power-slider-for-iphone-3g-doubles-the-juice-lets-you-sy/Incase Power Slider for iPhone 3G doubles the juice, lets you sync/a originally appeared on a href=http://www.engadget.comEngadget/a on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:27:00 EST. Please see our a href=http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/terms for use of feeds/a./ph6 style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;/h6a href=http://goincase.com/products/detail/EC20003Read/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/incase-power-slider-for-iphone-3g-doubles-the-juice-lets-you-sy/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/forward/1374797/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/incase-power-slider-for-iphone-3g-doubles-the-juice-lets-you-sy/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a pa href=http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/HRRGmMMVZr_4eZk1Gyn19vDJqvI/aimg src=http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/HRRGmMMVZr_4eZk1Gyn19vDJqvI/i border=0 ismap=true/img/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?a=ovCwIVA8img src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?i=ovCwIVA8 border=0/img/a a href=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?a=OCZUCHObimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?i=OCZUCHOb border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~4/_Ci2hyF7Qj4 height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_Ci2hyF7Qj4/’Source[engadget]/abr
