[apple007]

I would have posted in the other thread but there are already so many questions/issues being discussed I figured another thread wouldn't be a bad idea.

1. As a 12-year customer of Verizon Wireless (from Bell Atlantic Mobile to Frontier to Bell Atlantic Mobile again and now VZW), I'm looking for feedback on Cingular from current customers and particularly from others who've made the switch from VZW to Cingular. (BTW, how long does the actual switch take when moving the same cell number from Carrier #1 to Carrier #2? I've heard there can be long downtimes.)

2. I've been holding out for years for an Apple smartphone and love that I might have full mobile email capability starting in June. However, how hassle-free should I expect the experience to be? Ideally, I still want my PowerBook to be my main place for email but it seems like having both the PB and the iPhone pulling email from the same account could become problematic. Any recommendations for the two-devices-for-one-email-account conundrum? Will I need to get in the habit of turning off/sleeping my PB (or, at minimum, quitting Mail) every time I leave the house? Or, when I'm at home, how do I make sure emails are downloaded to the PB rather than to the iPhone? (I'm wondering if the iPhone Mail app can be quit individually or if it's an all-on or all-off proposition.)

3. I love the idea of finally being able to sync my Address Book with my cell phone. (I have 1,500 contacts, most of them for work, in Address Book.) However, I don't necessarily want or need a lot of phone numbers I've stored on my cell phone -- e.g., my local Domino's, cab co.'s, etc. -- to end up in my Address Book. I guess I can live with it, but I'm wondering if it will be a one-way sync or a true two-way sync (?). (Given my huge Address Book, I'm also leery of anything that could corrupt my main AB file. I back it up regularly, but the iPhone will obviously be a new, largely untested product, and I don't want my AB to be a possible victim of an iPhone sync glitch, etc.)

4. I have concerns about iPhone's security, on a couple levels. First, how secure will it be for the iPhone to be sending my email passwords over the air every 2 minutes? Second, the "swipe" unlock feature looks cool, but what about password protection? If I'm going to have all of my contacts, email, etc., on my iPhone, seems like I'm going to want more than a little swipe across the screen to secure my data. I'm curious if a password option will be present.

5. Somewhat related to #4, I've never had a candybar cell phone and have never had to deal with locking/unlocking the screen. Am I correct to assume the iPhone's screen will lock automatically after "x" amount of minutes of idle time?

Thanks for all feedback.

[infinitespecter]

I'll answer as best as I can.

1. Cingular sucks. As several others have mentioned in other threads, they only have the lowest dropped calls because most calls don't go through in the first place. That said, it all depends on where you live. Cingular service is passable to good in certain parts of LA (where I live) and totally unusable in others. When I switched my number from them to Sprint a year ago, the switch took all of four hours, at which point both phones rang when you called the number, and then another four for it to be entirely ported.

2. The email thing isn't a huge deal. My ISP, Earthlink, uses POP3, with no IMAP support. All I do is tell my mobile devices (a Nokia 770 internet tablet and a Treo 650) to download messages but leave them on the server. My main computer is the only one that downloads and deletes messages. If you do have IMAP support, you are fine.

3.I believe it is possible to check off which contacts you want transferred in Address Book (kind of like you can in iTunes).

4. If you are using the Cingular network, security shouldn't be a huge deal. If you are that concerned, check to see if your email service provider support SSL encryption for email passwords. Also, given that a password screen is available on an iPod, it is virtually a given here.

5. On every candy bar phone I've ever had (over a dozen since 2000), there was an option to have it lock when I turn the phone off, or lock after a certain amount of time. This should be similar.

[apple007]

Thanks for the response.

One more thing just hit me: Apparently there's no vibrate mode on the iPhone. I've used that feature a lot over the years on my Motorola and Samsung phones.

[torifile]

How do you know there's no vibrate mode? The phone's NOT DONE YET. As for the rest, infinitespecter answered them, albeit incompletely.

1. Cingular's service, as with all providers, is dependent on where you live. Everyone has their own story, but mine's been pretty good with cingular. No complaints about coverage and even customer service has been above average.

2. It's not that complicated. If you've got IMAP you don't need to worry about anything. If you don't, you should switch to a service that provides IMAP.

3. This is speculation, but if the iPhone syncs like every other device on my Mac, you can select to sync all or a group of contacts. It's very easy.

The others, no one knows the answers definitively. I sense a lot of anxiety on this. Just chill out. June is a long way away.

[infinitespecter]

Originally Posted by apple007 Thanks for the response. One more thing just hit me: Apparently there's no vibrate mode on the iPhone. I've used that feature a lot over the years on my Motorola and Samsung phones.

Whoa, whoa... are you serious? That's a must have feature. I've returned several phones over the years because they couldn't vibrate and ring at the same time, let alone not vibrate at all. I hope that you are wrong about this... I'd hate to miss out on a great phone because of something this trifling.

[ronmexico]

with all the new technology, i bet the phone does more than vibrate. perhaps a subtle reach around?

[apple007]

One of the articles I read said the two options were "ringer on" and "ringer off," with no mention at all about a vibrate or combo ringer/vibrate mode.

Believe me, I hope I'm wrong, too.

[torifile]

Vibrate mode is generally a distinct option from the ringer volume.

[psmith2.0]

Do we really think Steve covered everything about this device yesterday morning?

a) It's six months away...lots can happen. Lots probably will happen (see b). Relax.
b) Leopard is on the horizon, and I'm betting a few little tidbits went undiscussed because they probably tie in with Leopard in some cool-ass way we can't even imagine. Again, relax.
c) If you go Apple's front page right now and look at the icons on the iPhone, do you see that one toward the bottom that reads "Settings", and has the gears? Probably in there is where things like this will reside.

And because it's Apple - and this thing has music on it - it wouldn't surprise me if Apple goes and "reinvents" vibrate...instead of just a straight, level "bzzzzzz", it'll pulse and throb to a preset song (and will double as a neck - or whatever else - massage).



Vibrate - as we know it - is so 2005.

[tomoe]

With Cingular, I've had decent reception in Austin (TX), Minneapolis (MN), and currently, Manhattan (all places I've lived with the service). However, I had *terrible* reception when I lived in Washington DC. It was profoundly frusterating. My signal would go from 5 bars to dropped completely randomly. I've also found their customer service lacking, to say the least. For example, one time they subscribed me to some daily horoscope text message service that I had to call about and get cancelled 4 times before they fixed it, and then they refused to reimburse me for the texts. Another time I was subscribed to a monthly ringtone service, even though my phone doesn't (to my knowledge) support ringtones. They did reimburse for this one, but I did have to call multiple times before they correctly removed the service. The one thing I do appreciate is rollover minutes. And also, I noticed they recently dropped Free night/weekends from their $40 per month plan, which is a bummer. If anyone wants to get out of their Cingular contract, they can try thisthis. There's something similar for Sprint right now as well.

[eye.surgeon]

I've used AT&T wireless/cingular for 15 years running. They are fine. Yes they have areas of bad reception and have some poor customer support at times. Newsflash-- all the carriers have similar problems.

As for syncing email between your phone and other computers, it's not difficult with cingular phones and soon the iphone. Use yahoo mail beta. My email is pushed to my smartphone automatically, and my inbox and all other folders stay synced no matter where or with what I check my mail. The mail beta when used with the $19.95/year yahoo plus service is state of the art. I fail to see why people see the need to use IMAP or POP accounts anymore when the web email services have basically duplicated outlook online.

[Robo]

Personally, I think pretty much any carrier is better than Verizon. They're above Microsoft on my shitlist, even. And that takes some doing.

[infinitespecter]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 And because it's Apple - and this thing has music on it - it wouldn't surprise me if Apple goes and "reinvents" vibrate...instead of just a straight, level "bzzzzzz", it'll pulse and throb to a preset song (and will double as a neck - or whatever else - massage). Vibrate - as we know it - is so 2005.

Cool, just like my mom's free Motorola flip did four years ago!

Originally Posted by ronmexico with all the new technology, i bet the phone does more than vibrate. perhaps a subtle reach around?

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by infinitespecter Cool, just like my mom's free Motorola flip did four years ago.

Oops. Sorry (I don't follow this stuff).

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by ronmexico with all the new technology, i bet the phone does more than vibrate. perhaps a subtle reach around?

Oh my god...

[apple007]

Not a major issue but did anyone notice if Address Book photos are sync'd to the iPhone's Address Book? I can't recall if I saw this in any of the screenshots. Thanks.

EDIT: Just re-watched the demo at apple.com and the answer is yes.

[apple007]

Couple more questions:

-- I have no smartphone experience; does outgoing email go thru one's existing smtp server for each email account or thru a Cingular-specific smtp server?

-- I also have no experience with the global roaming that a GSM carrier like Cingular offers. Do I need to start storing numbers in the 1+ area code format (e.g., 1-202-555-1212) or is it o.k. to leave off the 1? (I know the 1 isn't necessary in the U.S., but if I'm roaming in Cancun and want to call the U.S., is the 1 necessary or not? I hope I don't need to edit 500-plus stored phone numbers.)

Thanks very much.

[faust]

Originally Posted by Roboman Personally, I think pretty much any carrier is better than Verizon. They're above Microsoft on my shitlist, even. And that takes some doing.

So true, so true.

And I say this with a month who works for Verizon.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by apple007 Couple more questions: -- I have no smartphone experience; does outgoing email go thru one's existing smtp server for each email account or thru a Cingular-specific smtp server? -- I also have no experience with the global roaming that a GSM carrier like Cingular offers. Do I need to start storing numbers in the 1+ area code format (e.g., 1-202-555-1212) or is it o.k. to leave off the 1? (I know the 1 isn't necessary in the U.S., but if I'm roaming in Cancun and want to call the U.S., is the 1 necessary or not? I hope I don't need to edit 500-plus stored phone numbers.) Thanks very much.

In the keynote, the iPhone only formatted numbers in the US format. Once there were >10 numbers, there were no separators of any type, just a string of continuous numbers. This could make quick number recognition problematic, as it's easier to comprehend numbers broken into groups of 3 or 4 when compared to a string of unbroken numbers (i.e. (213) 555-1212 is easier to read than 2135551212).

[apple007]

One more feature I've used every day for years but seems undisclosed for iPhone: the ability to store passwords in the phone and auto-login to voicemail. (E.g., dial into v.m., then there's a pause until the connection is made, then the phone auto-dials the password string.)

I know the new Cingular v.m. will apparently end the need to dial in for v.m., but a lot of people still use home, work and other 3rd-party voice messaging systems for which this auto-dial feature is useful.


Also, if anyone else has any additional feedback re: my 08:40 post on Jan. 12 (above), it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[BarracksSi]

Originally Posted by apple007 -- I have no smartphone experience; does outgoing email go thru one's existing smtp server for each email account or thru a Cingular-specific smtp server?

On my T-Mobile Blackberry, outgoing mail does indeed go through my existing server. The phone itself (a Pearl) has no sync-ability worth mentioning, though, so it doesn't sync my sent-from-phone emails with Mail on the computer if I plug it in. If I feel that the response I'm email from my phone is important enough for me to keep, I add myself to the CC: field and get it on the computer later.

-- I also have no experience with the global roaming that a GSM carrier like Cingular offers. Do I need to start storing numbers in the 1+ area code format (e.g., 1-202-555-1212) or is it o.k. to leave off the 1? (I know the 1 isn't necessary in the U.S., but if I'm roaming in Cancun and want to call the U.S., is the 1 necessary or not? I hope I don't need to edit 500-plus stored phone numbers.)

I've already mostly forgotten what happened when I went to Germany over Christmas. I called up T-Mobile a couple weeks earlier to tell them when & where I was going, and the phone found the network and was usable when I arrived. I did need to dial a + before a number, but I honestly can't remember if it happened automatically at times or if I had to do it myself even for existing numbers. Part of the sloppiness of the BB/T-Mo experience, I say.

[kplus]

Does anyone know if apple will offer a student discount on the iPhone like they currently do with other apple products? I ask as i am a college student and the iPhone is just a wee bit too pricy for me at the moment. However if they don't i suppose ill just start saving my money now.

[infinitespecter]

Originally Posted by kplus Does anyone know if apple will offer a student discount on the iPhone like they currently do with other apple products? I ask as i am a college student and the iPhone is just a wee bit too pricy for me at the moment. However if they don't i suppose ill just start saving my money now.

No one knows as we don't even have an idea of what the phone costs without a contract. I'd start saving.

[Kraetos]

On Cellular Providers:

Steven Frank of Panic said it best: "I've used all four of the major cellular carriers in the US and they're all scum-sucking spawn of Satan. None of them are cheap enough. None of them have clueful support agents. None of them have flawless networks. None of them are particularly interested in making your life better. It's like trying to pick which of four fists you want to punch you in the face -- at the end of the day, you're still paying for a beating."

Couldn't have said it better myself. I live north of Albany 2/3rds of the year and west of Boston 1/3rd of the year, and while AT&T (nee Cingular) is extremely spotty around Boston, its crystal clear north of Albany. The point is, it depends hugely on where you live.

However, in the long haul, I would bank on GSM and AT&T winning out. On a global scale, it already has. Need a phone that works in Europe? Cingular and T-Mobile are your options, Verizon and Sprint are out of the picture. AT&T will continue to fill the holes in their network until, at some point in time in the not-too-distant future (but not tomorrow, either) coverage is spotless. On the other hand, Verizon will just die out or switch to GSM.

Anyways, I think that Apple absolutely made the right choice by making a GSM phone. If they had made it CDMA, I would have seriously questioned its long term viability.

On global roaming: you need to dial a + before dialing a US number if you're on a European network.

[BarracksSi]

Originally Posted by Kraetos On Cellular Providers: Steven Frank of Panic said it best: "I've used all four of the major cellular carriers in the US and they're all scum-sucking spawn of Satan. None of them are cheap enough. None of them have clueful support agents. None of them have flawless networks. None of them are particularly interested in making your life better. It's like trying to pick which of four fists you want to punch you in the face -- at the end of the day, you're still paying for a beating." Couldn't have said it better myself.

Me neither. I've remarked with friends that I want to start a new cell company with easy, cheap plans, good solid phones (and no more than, say, five models... keep it simple), and great coverage, and with the goal of running existing carriers into the dirt.

I wish that people didn't expect me to have a cell phone. I hate every provider.

[apple007]

Originally Posted by Kraetos On global roaming: you need to dial a + before dialing a US number if you're on a European network.

Okay; thanks.

Does that basically mean I should go ahead and add a "1" to all of my Address Book phone numbers pre-iPhone? I don't know about Europe, but I'm in Latin America often enough that Cingular's roaming capabilities will be useful.

(As much as I want to be prepared, as someone noted here a few days ago, the iPhone seems to mash any phone number longer than 10 digits into one unseparated string of numbers, so I guess I need to decide between functionality and readability/aesthetics.)

[BarracksSi]

I look at names more often than phone numbers; mashing them into one long string isn't as much of an issue as I thought it would be.

But, it would still be nice to keep the separations, particularly since the screen rendering isn't limited to a specific grid of text.

[ronmexico]

I posted this on another thread:

I am disappointed that Apple chose Cingular. Here is an exact quote from Consumer Reports Jan 07, "In fact, our own surveys have found Cingular to be only about average when it comes to dropped calls and one of the poorer performers in terms of overall satisfaction." This is despite their claims that according to a leading independent research company they have the fewest dropped calls. Consumer Reports made it clear they were NOT that company.

In fact, if you look at the rankings of the best service plans by city, Cingular is consistently near the bottom of the reviews based on customer satisifacation, dropped calls, no service, circuits full, and static.

For all the Verizon haters out there. They may be more expensive, but if you look at Consumer Reports reviews, they were consistenly at the top in every one of the cities they tested in all the categories mentioned. I don't see them going away any time soon.

[Kraetos]

You're missing the point. Verizon is on CDMA. There was no way in hell that Apple was going to go with CDMA. First and foremost, the rest of the world is on GSM. Only South Korea has any substantial CDMA network outside the US. For Apple to create a premium phone (read: a phone targeted at customers who may travel internationally frequently) on CDMA technology, which therefore would be incapable of international roaming, would be insane.

Now consider this: CDMA technology is bulkier than GSM technology (which is technically TDMA technology, but thats another topic entirely), and more power-hungry. People are already griping about about the iPhones battery life, can you imagine if it was only 3 or 4 hours? And there is no way that a CDMA iPhone could be only .46 inches thick.

Now, the drawback to GSM is that the theoretical maximum range of the towers is signifigantly less than that of CDMA. That is why, here in the US where GSM was late to the game, coverage is spotty. But AT&T is building towers every day, and when the network here catches up to the network in Europe, Verizon and Sprint are in trouble.

[evan]

i've used cingular for the past couple years and haven't had any significant problems with them. depending on where you are, EVERY phone service gets shitty reception and EVERY phone service has the occasional bad egg customer service employee. I'd venture to say that most of the people bitching about the cingular choice are just bitter cuz they're not cingular customers...