Category Archives: T-Mobile

Nov 23 0 comments
Andriod, Google, Internet, Joe, Operating Systems, T-Mobile, reviews, technology

Google Maps Navigate, now available for Android 1.6

The writing was on the wall for the likes of Tom-Tom and Garman when Google announced they would offer the next logical progression of their Google Maps software: Navigation.

Take a look!

The stock of both Tom-Tom and Garman saw a very notable drop when Google mentioned it would begin offering turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance. Up until this announcement Google Maps’ directions had been just that, directions superimposed on a map that couldn’t even rotate to follow your heading (North was always “up”).

With Android 2.0 phones coming to market (like the Motorola Droid) Google upped the ante and released a beta version of their Maps software with Navigation built in. What’s especially cool is Google’s solution uses actual imagery of your route, including “Street View” at turns (or so it’s been reported, I have yet to see this in action).

The bad news for the majority of Android users was that the Navigation features were only available to those with the 2.0 version of the OS; most of us only have version 1.5 or 1.6.

The more techie among us (myself and Mike Dopp included) were able to find the new maps installation file and figure out and apply a hack a system file that tricked the software into thinking it was running on a supported device. What this proved is that our hardware (a G1 in this scenario) were able to run the software without issue (well, pretty much without issue). More importantly, it told us that our hardware was capable of running the new software, and that the software was simply locking out all but a certain set of phones.

Today (November 23rd, 2009) Google released an updated version of Google Maps (3.2.1) which should work with all 1.6+ devices (my G1 included). Read all about it straight from the horses mouth Official Google Mobile blog.

Some things are conspicuously absent, such as the ability to speak “Navigate to (some place or address)” via voice command, but on the whole, it’s an impressive first leap into the GPS navigation arena.

All the others should be afraid. Very afraid.

Nov 03 1 comments
Internet, Joe, T-Mobile, activism, technology

T-Mobile Users World-Wide Reporting Service Outages

T-Mobile callers around the world are being met with various problems relating to their services. Problems began around 4:30pm MST and have reportedly been getting worse since that time.

Most users we surveyed cannot make out-going calls, nor receive incoming calls to either Cellular or VoIP lines. Callers from other carriers or landlines are being told via recorded message that “The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and dial again, or Dial 611 for customer assistance. Message NV83753.”

Persons attempting to call Customer Assistance, “611”, from a T-Mobile phone, are being met with a recorded message that “All circuits are busy now. Please try your call again later. Message CO93655”.

SMS Text messaging appears to be working for some, but not others.

Generally, those with data plans are not reporting problems with T-Mobile’s EDGE or 3G networks.

“T-Mobile” is a trending topic on twitter, presently.

@TMobile_USA on Twitter is reporting that they “aware of the current service disruption. Our rapid response teams have been mobilized to restore service as quickly as possible.” and “will provide further updates as more information is available.”

It is suggested that you message @TMobile_USA requesting that they issue a credit for the lost service.

In unrelated news, recently T-Mobile customers using the company’s popular Side-Kick handheld device experience a service and data loss caused by problems with the Danger/Microsoft datacenters responsible for storing SideKick data.

More information to follow as the story breaks.

Update 17:50 MST

Users attempting to access various parts of T-Mobile‘s website are being met with the following error. Perhaps this “scheduled maintenance” was the cause of the problems?

We’re sorry. My T-Mobile’s Account Permissions feature is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance to improve the site for you. Please try again later.

Update 18:16 MST

From the T-Mobile forums:

Hi everybody, please see this official statement from T-Mobile:

Some T-Mobile customers may be experiencing intermittent service disruptions impacting voice and some data services. Our rapid response teams have been mobilized to restore service as quickly as possible. We will provide updates as more information is available.
Message Edited by Dominic on 11-03-2009 05:52 PM

Dominic
Moderator, T-Mobile Forums

Update 18:20 MST

People from the forums are reporting that the following areas have had service restored:

  • Utah
  • Miami & Tampa, Florida
  • Hawaii
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Oregon (voice only, no sms text)

Update 18:40 MST

People from the forums are reporting that the following areas have had service restored:

  • The Woodlands & Lobbock, Texas
  • Detroit, Michigan (voice only, no sms txt)

The Customer Support line is still unreachable by dialing 611 from the handset.

Update 18:50 MST

People from the forums are reporting that the following areas have had service restored:

  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Altamonte Springs, Florida (outside Orlando)
  • Fort Worth, Texas
  • Norman, Oklahoma
  • Seattle, Washington

The Customer Support line is still unreachable by dialing 611 from the handset.

Update 19:00 MST

People from the forums are reporting that the following areas have had service restored:

  • Colorado Springs & Denver, Colorado
  • central, New Jersey
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • Logansport, Indiana
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Staten Island, New York
  • Atlanta, Georgia

The Customer Support line is still unreachable by dialing 611 from the handset.

Update 19:10 MST

People from the forums are reporting that the following areas have had service restored:

  • Kentucky
  • Queens & Nassau County, New York

Update from T-Mobile:

Hi everybody, please see this official statement from T-Mobile:

We’re making good progress restoring voice and messaging service to affected customers.
At this time, approximately 5 percent of T-Mobile customers are experiencing service disruptions.

Issues began at approximately 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. Our rapid response team is working continuously to fully resolve this disruption.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused our customers.
Message Edited by Dominic on 11-03-2009 07:05 PM

The Customer Support line is still unreachable by dialing 611 from the handset.

Update 19:20 MST

People from the forums are reporting that the following areas have had service restored:

  • Wichita, Kansas

The outage hits the mainstream media (hours after I broke the story):

The Customer Support line is still unreachable by dialing 611 from the handset.

Update 19:25 MST

The Customer Support line now has a pre-recorded message that states the company is aware of a “wide-spread outage” and that their “system engineers” are working on the issue, then hangs up.

Update 19:30 MST

I was able to get through to the Customer Support line and ask for a “representative” but after being transferred I was hung up on after several rings.

Update 11:30MST

UPDATE 11/03/2009 10:25 PM PST:

T-Mobile confirms it has fully restored voice and text/picture messaging services for customers affected by intermittent service disruptions on Tuesday. About five percent of our customers across various geographies were affected for much of Tuesday evening, and by late Tuesday PST their service was restored. Our sole focus has been restoring full services for all customers; we are now investigating the root cause of the incident. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused our customers.

Message Edited by Will on 11-03-2009 11:27 PM

Dominic
Moderator, T-Mobile Forums

Aug 28 0 comments
Internet, Joe, T-Mobile, Web Development, activism, politics, technology

Bill would give President power to “turn off” the internet, dispatch troops to civilian “threats”

First the Obama administration asked us to report report each other for sending emails about his Health Care Reform project – emails they referred to as “fishy”.

If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

Now, apparently, Obama wants to be able to “turn off” the internet, or limit the content available on it to only government endorsed propaganda (dare I say “misinformation”).

“The [bill] would allow the president to ‘declare a cybersecurity emergency’ relating to ‘non-governmental’ computer networks and do what’s necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for ‘cybersecurity professionals’, and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.”

On the surface, this would allow the President to unilaterally “turn off” civilian access to the internet to respond to a cyber-attack against the government, military, or even Wall Street.

But the bill doesn’t define what a “cybersecurity emergency” is. Perhaps it’s people sending “fishy” emails that expose the truths buried in bills that Obama wants to pass? Maybe it’s people posting Tea Party pictures and agenda’s on Facebook?

Oh, and it’s not just the internet, “’Cyber’ is defined as anything having to do with the Internet, telecommunications, computers, or computer networks”, which includes your telephones, too .

“Probably the most controversial language begins in Section 201, which permits the president to ‘direct the national response to the cyber threat’ if necessary for ‘the national defense and security.’ The White House is supposed to engage in ‘periodic mapping’ of private networks deemed to be critical, and those companies ‘shall share’ requested information with the federal government.”

So, your ISP and their backbone provider(s) MUST share the details of their networks and connectivity, maybe even requiring them to give up subscriber information and IP/MAC addresses, no warrant needed.

And, if the President decides to do so (no oversight) he can “direct national response” which is to say that he can deploy the military to come and “neutralize the threat” if it’s necessary for “the national defense and security”.

Contact your Senators and Representative NOW and tell them you oppose Sen Rockefeller’s bill, S.773 Cybersecurity Act of 2009.

Aug 26 0 comments
Andriod, Google, Internet, Joe, Operating Systems, T-Mobile, technology

New Android TV Ad

Aug 24 0 comments
Joe, T-Mobile, activism, education, finances, reviews, scam, technology

Frugal Tip: How to save $1.50/month by switching to Paperless Billing on T-Mobile

I just got my T-Mobile bill and was surprised to see an insert noting “Important Changes to your T-Mobile® bill.” Upon closer inspection, this note says that “Starting in September [2009], T-Mobile will begin charging $1.50 per month” if you receive a paper bill. “This fee will show on your bill as a “Paper Bill Charge”.

They supply a link to answer your questions about Paper Bill charges. I won’t list the link here because at the time of this writing it doesn’t tell you HOW to opt out of Paper Bills. Lame.

imageSo, if you want to save $1.50/month on your T-Mobile bill (that’s a little less than $20/year), here’s how you do it:

  1. Head over to https://my.t-mobile.com/profile/profileLanding.aspx,
  2. Log in to your T-Mobile account (or create one if yoimageu don’t already have one set up),
  3. Go to Manage and Your Profile,
  4. Check your Billing statement format, if it’s “paper bill” then click on the Edit link,
  5. Here’s where you’d think you could click a checkbox to enable paperless billing (or disable paper billing, or something like that), but no, T-Mobile (apparently) imagedoesn’t want to make it that easy for you (maybe they want to bilk their customers out of another $1.50/month), instead, under the “How Green is your account?” header, click the Green Account status link,
  6. imageYour Paperless Billing Status should say “not registered”, click the Sign up button,
  7. If you are not logged on using the “Primary Account Holder” account you’ll get a message telling you that only they can make the change, so make sure you’re logged in with the right privileges,
  8. image If you do have the right privileges check the Paperless Billing radio button,
  9. Supply the email address (twice) where you want the e-bill to be sent
  1. They DO NOT accept standard + addressing, so you’ll have to supply your raw email address. Lame.,
  • Read and check the Terms & Conditions (if you agree to them),
  • Then click Save Changes.

    • And now for the bad news

    The Terms and Conditions are a bit “interesting” to say the least…

    2. Payment.. I will pay my Bill (including any late fees) timely, whether or not I receive a Bill notice or am able to access my paperless Bill.

    That’s right, even if T-Mobile’s site and servers are down and you can’t find out how much you owe, you still have to pay your Bill (including any late fees that you probably don’t even know about) in a timely manner. Lame.

    Of course they’ll try to email you a copy of your paperless bill… ah, but there is another gotcha!

    3. Not receiving a Bill notice.. T-Mobile will attempt to send me a Bill notice to my current e-mail address in T-Mobile’s records. It is my sole responsibility to contact T-Mobile directly if I do not receive my Bill notice. I agree to hold T-Mobile harmless for any delay or failure to deliver notice.

    So, if T-Mobile doesn’t send you that email it’s your responsibility to contact them “directly”. Oh, and you hold them “harmless” for any delay or failure to deliver your bill. Lame.

    When will it start? Apparently it might take “several months” after you ask T-Mobile to stop paper billing before they start. No word on whether or not they’ll charge you for the “several months” that it takes them to switch you over though.

    6. Commencement.. If I choose this Paperless Billing service, I understand that it may take several months before I stop receiving a paper Bill and start receiving notices for my paperless Bill.

    What’s worse, T-Mobile reserves the right to continue billing you for a paper bill. Of course the way they word this is that they “may accept or deny [your] request for Paperless Billing” at their sole discretion. “Sorry, we want to keep raking in $1.50/month to $3.49/month, so we’ll keep sending you a paper bill, it’s our ‘sole discretion’.”

    T-Mobile may accept or deny my request for Paperless Billing in its sole discretion. While my paperless Bill service is being activated, it is my responsibility to keep my accounts current.

    Of course, you can switch back to paper billing, and T-Mobile will be happy to charge you $1.50/month to $3.49/month for the privilege… oh, and they get to charge you an “administrative fee” for the privilege of switching back, too.

    7. CANCELLATION.. I MAY CANCEL PAPERLESS BILLING AT ANY TIME AND REVERT TO RECEIVING A PAPER BILL BY GOING TO THE BILLING TAB OF THE PROFILE SECTION IN MY T-MOBILE OR BY CONTACTING CUSTOMER CARE. T-MOBILE MAY CHARGE ME AN ADMINISTRATIVE FEE FOR CANCELING PAPERLESS BILLING AND REVERTING TO PAPER BILLING.

    Oh, and you can’t do this if you have applied to work for the City of Bozeman, Montana (or any other place that makes you give up your usernames & passwords).

    8. Password.. Access to My T-Mobile is password protected, I understand that it is my responsibility to maintain and safeguard all user names and passwords for Paperless Billing. I will not give or make available my password or other means to access my account to any unauthorized individuals. If I permit another person to access my paperless
    Bill or my password I am responsible for any transactions they authorize.

    Also, you can’t use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Opera to view your Paperless Bill.

    12. System compatibility and blocking.. The ability to receive Bill notices is system and Internet Service Provider dependent. To accurately view your paperless Bill, your system must be running either Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, Netscape Navigator 6.1 or higher, or AOL 5.0 or higher.

    And you should add T-Mobile to your email client’s address book (whitelist), allowing them to send you all the spam they want and bypass your spam filters.

    Some ISPs may block e-mail from senders who are not on a "contacts" list, so I may not receive my notification unless I specifically add T-Mobile to my contacts or "people I know".

    And to add insult to injury, the information that you get on your Paperless bill doesn’t even have to be “accurate, complete, useful, FUNCTIONAL, or bug-or error-free”!

    image And to that end, hopefully you’ll get through with the process, rather than getting an error message EVERY SINGLE TIME (like I did) when I tried to make the switch. Oh well, T-Mobile does not warrant that it will be useful, complete, or functional.

    T-MOBILE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE INFORMATION, PROCESSES, OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ACCURATE, COMPLETE, USEFUL, FUNCTIONAL, BUG- OR ERROR-FREE.

    Lame. Lame. Lame.