With all of the official information finally coming down from AT&T, many of our questions have been answered. Of course, every answer seems to bring up more questions. Thankfully we’ve been in touch with AT&T PR Representative Brad Mays who has happily answered a few of our burning questions. Hit the jump for a transcript of our Q&A.
iPhoneBuzz: What are the estimated units per store?
AT&T: We’re not providing the number of units available per store
iPhoneBuzz: When will you allow customers to purchase the iPhone at the no-contract price?
AT&T: We haven’t announced when we will offer the no-contract option.
iPhoneBuzz: What is the official policy for customers who purchased new service (did not purchase an iPhone) within the last 30 days?
AT&T: If you buy your new iPhone 3G within 30 days after joining AT&T, you would simply return your current device and then get iPhone 3G for the $199/$299 price.
iPhoneBuzz: Additionally, if the iPhone 3G is out of stock and my 30 days are coming up, what will I need to do?
AT&T: If it’s out of stock, you’ll be able to pay for the device, and then will be notified when it is available to pick up
If you guys still have questions shoot them our way. We can’t make any promises, but we’ll do our best to get them answered for you!
Written by Scott Barr on July 1st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on 3G iPhone and ATT and Featured and Featured Stories and iphone 3g.
I had an interesting chat with an AT&T customer service rep yesterday that I thought I would share with you, as you might find the information useful. See, my old phone contract expired shortly after the announcement of the iPhone 3G, so naturally I decided to make the switch to AT&T. However, there is still some dispute as to whether or not you’ll be able to snag one for $199 if you are already a customer who isn’t eligible for an upgrade.
Initially I posed this question to the person I bought my service off of, however, they seemed to have less knowledge on the subject than I did (they were still claiming that the old 2.5G iPhone plan would work for the 3G phone) so I wasn’t exactly trusting. However, I really didn’t want to be without a phone until July 11th. So since AT&T still hasn’t said exactly what they’re doing for customers that aren’t eligible for upgrades, I thought I’d give their customer service line a call.
When I got a rep on the line, I explained my situation to him, and he replied that I was the fourth or fifth person today he’d spoken to with a similar situation. Fortunately, the higher-ups had sent down an email with simple instructions for those of us that had recently purchased service with them. The solution? Just go back to the store and exchange my cheap-o phone for a 2.5G iPhone, and they’ll just exchange it (minus 10% restocking, of course). That seems simple enough, right?
I don’t now if any of you have attempted to purchase a 2.5G iPhone in the last few weeks, but it’s becoming nearly impossible to find one in stock. I explained this to the rep who seemed a bit surprised. He then read off the email which stated that the 2.5G iPhone had been discounted for this exact reason, and that customers should be directed to the store where they purchased service so that they can purchase one, and thus ensure that they won’t have to pay an unsubsidized price (it was also noted that they weren’t yet sure if they were going to be selling it unsubsidized, and they were still working out the details).
I decided to try a different route with the rep and asked exactly what the new discounted price was for the 2.5G iPhone. He spent roughly 10 minutes searching for this information and came up dry. I suggested that I could simply call my local branch and inquire, and he said he’d be kind enough to do that himself. I was put on hold for a few minutes, after which time he came back on the line and sounded rather surprised. Apparently my local branch had no 2.5G iPhones, and the manager had informed him that almost none of the stores nationwide would have stock on them due to the new version.
We already knew that AT&T was caught a big off guard with this whole iPhone 3G situation, but this shows just how bad it really is. It has been known that the iPhone has been out of stock nearly everywhere for a good while now, yet AT&T is telling new customers that they need to purchase one in order to be eligible for a 3G iPhone at the subsidized price. That’s terrible.
I don’t blame the rep which I was talking to, he was simply passing on what he had been told to say. He was kind enough to make a special note on my account that explicitly stated that I was to be given a 3G iPhone at the proper subsidized price, and the manager on duty was to override the upgrade eligibility requirement.
Here’s my suggestion to anyone who has recently purchased service (or plans on purchasing it before July 11th) and wishes to get an iPhone. Call the AT&T customer service line and have a conversation similar to the one I had. It may seem like a lot of trouble, but at least you should be ensured an iPhone for the proper price. If you don’t call, there’s a chance that you’ll be presented with a much higher price at the checkout. Hopefully AT&T will have a solution to this before launch day.
Written by Scott Barr on June 18th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on ATT and Apple iPhone and Featured and Featured Stories and iphone 3g.
Technically speaking, the WildCharge adapter for the iPhone and iPod touch is actually integrated into a high-quality gel case called “Skins”, a gel covered product made of Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) material. WildCharge wire-free charging technology is located on the back of the case and all you have to do is slip your iPhone or iPod touch into the case and then drop it anywhere on the WildCharger charging pad. It’s that easy. A blue light on the left hand side of the pad lights up notifying you that the juice is pumping through your device.
The silver placemat-like WildCharger pad can charge up to five devices simultaneously (with a maximum power output of 15 Watts), once these are outfitted with the WildCharge adapters. WildCharge hinted that it’s possible for manufacturer to integrate their adapters directly in the devices during manufacture - I’d sure love to see Apple embrace this technology in future iPhone and iPod models! There are half a dozen of phones on my desk at any give time, so you can imagine the clutter from all the wires. They get tangled up, cause my desk to look messy and, worse of all, I’ve got multiple wall-bricks all over the floor underneath my desk. So what’s included? The WildCharger is composed of the charger itself and an AC power adapter, priced at $59.95. I can definitely see myself bringing this on a long road trip to use in hotel rooms. It’s either this or an extension cord because there is hardly ever enough electrical outlets near the nightstand.
As I mentioned earlier, the technology that cuts the power cord on your iPhone or iPod touch is integrated into the back of a gel case, doubling as a protective case for your investment. I personally love the feel of the case or “skin” as Izhar referred to it in the demo video below. The adapter on the back is hardly noticeable. WildCharge plan on releasing a rainbow of colors for you to choose from, starting with black, shiny black, blue, pink, clear and many, many other colors to pick from. If you go with the clear case, you have the option of purchasing one that shows off the guts of the adapter. If that’s your thing, go for it. I prefer the traditional all around black case. Make sure to drop a comment and let me know your favorite color! Ship date is still officially undetermined, but Izhar did mention the iPhone and iPod touch cases “are ready to go, and should launch next month.” The cases will cost $34.95 each. That’s not a bad deal considering most cases on the market average between $15 and $40+.
Slipping the iPhone or iPod touch into the case is pretty simple, taking just seconds to apply. The only suggestion I have for WildCharge is to figure out a way to open up the dock port so that I can sync via my sync cable.
So how does it work? The way I understand it, electrical current is delivered to the shiny metal stripes on the pad from the AC adapter, which is then passed to the little metal bumps (aka the adapter) and then on to the iPhone or iPod touch. Yes I’m aware this technology has been around for ages, but heck, the folks at WildCharge figured out an ingenious way to put it into practice. All I care about is charging takes the same amount of time with WildCharge as it would plug in.
In conclusion, I love the technology and I love that it finally cuts the (almost) last cord attached to my iPhone! Is WildCharge right for you? Well, only you can answer that. Before making the purchase, factor in the price of $60 for the WildCharger pad and an additional $35 per adapter for your iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry 8800, Pearl or a third-gen iPod. At the end of the day, if you have the cash and find the product convenient to have, then make the purchase.
WildCharge road map…
Yes, I’d mentioned the BlackBerry 8800, Pearl, and third-gen iPod adapters earlier and yes, they are coming soon. In the case of the BlackBerry 8800, the version I saw didn’t have a pass through for a USB plug. Izhar briefly mentioned they’re looking into the “possibility” of making the mod to accommodate it. And you’re probably wondering what if you have a Samsung, Motorola or Nokia handset? Well, rest assured that WildCharge is planning to release a universal adapter with exchangeable tips. While I’m not allowed to say too much, what I’m permitted to share is that the adapter has a magnet that’ll attach to the back of your handset with an arm-like extension outwards towards the power adapter, whether it be a USB, miroUSB or even a proprietary plug such as on Samsung handsets.
Reference design for the iPod nano.
In theory…this is how I’d like for things to look in the future…
BEFORE
AFTER
Written by Vincent Nguyen on April 24th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Apple iPhone and Featured and Featured Stories and iPhone Accessories and iPhone archive and iPod Touch.
The iPhone Dev Team strikes at Apple’s core with the Pwnage tool. The PWN, which is publicaly available later today, Sunday March 30th, allows you to flash custom unsigned firmware onto the iPhone or iPod touch. Not only will PWN properly hack the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPhone Dev Team claims, “any subsequent firmware releases will also be vulnerable to “Pwnage”…like 1.2 (2.0) beta.” Is the iPhone Dev Team getting too arrogant for their own good or is it possible they’re that good to believe they’ve developed a tool that’s Jobs proof? Apple, I believe the ball is now in your court. Click over to watch the video and view screen shots of PWN in action.
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Written by Vincent Nguyen on March 30th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Apple iPhone Hacks and Featured and Featured Stories and iPhone 2.0 and iPhone archive and jailbreak and pwnage tool and pwned.
So, some of you read the article that I wrote not to long ago about the PED3 pedestal for the iPhone. In that article I stated that it didn’t look like it was worth the $40 price tag, well, since then I have gotten my hands on one.
My opinion has changed significantly, first, its made in America, second, it looks amazing, it holds the iPhone sturdily, but it holds it far enough away from the back of the pedestal that the speaker still works. Due to the placement of the little peg things that hold the iPhone in place, all the buttons are accessible, as is the dock connector and the headphone jack.
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Written by James Allan Brady on October 16th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Accessories and Apple iPhone and Featured Stories and iPhone and iPhone Accessories.
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