[vinny jr]

Tell me this is complete bull . Being a T-Mobile customer with my last two blackberries I was hoping that the new slider would be available with T-Mobile. How can Rim give AT&T exclusive rights to that phone? Bad business IMO. I want that phone. I don't believe Rim would put out a new phone and give it to just one carrier, doesn't make any sense to me.

[312]

Wrong forum, and it's "RIM" not "Rim". Just sayin'.

[MobileMadness002]

This makes me laf. Do you honestly RIM just pulled ATTs name out of a hat. ATT made RIM an offer for exclusivity, an offer that the other carriers could not match. Don't be mad at RIM or ATT. You should whining to your carrier. Not on a public forum with a membership that could probably care less that your upset about something so minor.

[vanesserstation]

Doesn't make sense to you but it makes business sense to RIM and at&t. If you want the 9800 so badly then get one when it comes out and unlock it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[dLo GSR]

Verizon exclusively has the Storm. Its's nothing new. Get over it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[vinny jr]

Doesn't make sense to you but it makes business sense to RIM and at&t. If you want the 9800 so badly then get one when it comes out and unlock it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

If I buy one I sure as **** won't unlock it just to be able to use it on EDGE. I will just stick with AT&T and use the 3G. I can not believe all the talk that has been going around about their first slider and Rim wants to give it to one carrier.

[pilsbury]

Like it or not AT&T and Verizon are the two heavy hitters in the US, subsequently, they get the pick of the liiter. It's just plain old business sense.

[vanesserstation]

If I buy one I sure as **** won't unlock it just to be able to use it on EDGE. I will just stick with AT&T and use the 3G. I can not believe all the talk that has been going around about their first slider and Rim wants to give it to one carrier.

Tmo will have their day one day unfortunately it won't be with the 9800. Lol

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Garyberry]

Wow! Some people are so antsy. Who said AT&T will be the only carrier? All I have heard is that it shows it's coming to Them, but not just them. When the 9700 came out, I first heard it was going to TMO, and a few weeks later there was some proof that surfaced that AT&T would get it. All that said and done, I wouldn't doubt ATT to get it on exclusive.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[rdyoung]

Why is everyone so upset about this? RIM is not apple, att is getting first dibs, but it will only be for the summer, TMO will get it this fall/winter.

[phonegeek#AC]

Why is everyone so upset about this? RIM is not apple, att is getting first dibs, but it will only be for the summer, TMO will get it this fall/winter.

To clarify "if" at&t has a 3 or 6 month exclusive it begins from when it is released by at&t and that won't be this summer...

TMO just doesn't have enough network to be a major player and get the best devices before everyone else... Not meaning to slap our TMO friends its just a smaller customer base, a much smaller 3G network...

PG

[rdyoung]

To clarify "if" at&t has a 3 or 6 month exclusive it begins from when it is released by at&t and that won't be this summer...

TMO just doesn't have enough network to be a major player and get the best devices before everyone else... Not meaning to slap our TMO friends its just a smaller customer base, a much smaller 3G network...

PG

The latest rumors are that the 9800 will launch with att in june, I wouldn't doubt a summer release, and I doubt that ATT will get exclusive for more than 3months. So everyone should just chill out and stop fretting about a phone that isn't even available for purchase yet.

A couple of things. I was with ATT for years on a family plan, and while they had decent coverage where I am, North of Charlotte NC. Their network was slow as molasses, when I moved over to tmo with an ATT branded 8900, edge was much faster than on ATT, and my sister who is still with ATT has virtually no coverage at her house, I have coverage, not 3g but a decent edge connection.

TMO Overall is a MUCH bigger network, with more customers in total than ATT will ever be. TMO is owned by one of the worlds largest wireless companies. And in the usa, they do cover almost everyone, they don't have towers in the middle of nowhere where it would cost them more to install than they have potential income, but if your in or near a mid to large city, your more than likely covered with a better connection than ATT overall.

AND, TMO has cut att off at the knees with pricing.

[phonegeek#AC]

The latest rumors are that the 9800 will launch with att in june, I wouldn't doubt a summer release, and I doubt that ATT will get exclusive for more than 3months. So everyone should just chill out and stop fretting about a phone that isn't even available for purchase yet.

A couple of things. I was with ATT for years on a family plan, and while they had decent coverage where I am, North of Charlotte NC. Their network was slow as molasses, when I moved over to tmo with an ATT branded 8900, edge was much faster than on ATT, and my sister who is still with ATT has virtually no coverage at her house, I have coverage, not 3g but a decent edge connection.

TMO Overall is a MUCH bigger network, with more customers in total than ATT will ever be. TMO is owned by one of the worlds largest wireless companies. And in the usa, they do cover almost everyone, they don't have towers in the middle of nowhere where it would cost them more to install than they have potential income, but if your in or near a mid to large city, your more than likely covered with a better connection than ATT overall.

AND, TMO has cut att off at the knees with pricing.

Ok a couple of things. First I am a field tester as a network employee of at&t so for a US release I get mine 2 1/2 to 3 months before release. I agree world wide TMO has a larger presence however we're speaking of the US market and I am sorry but TMO doesn't have the network presence in the US that at&t and Verizon have.

Now for a European release TMO may very well get it first but it will not be the same device for TMO in Europe as at&t, or TMO in the US because they operate on different frequencies.


PG

[dLo GSR]

TMO Overall is a MUCH bigger network, with more customers in total than ATT will ever be. TMO is owned by one of the worlds largest wireless companies.

Dude, don't even try to claim international T-Mo networks as part of that. They have absolutely nothing to do with our network in the US nor with T-Mo's presence, quality or popularity in the US.

[TheOne01]

I don't believe Rim would put out a new phone and give it to just one carrier, doesn't make any sense to me.

Uh, the Storm?

[JasW]

Ok a couple of things. First I am a field tester as a network employee of at&t so for a US release I get mine 2 1/2 to 3 months before release. I agree world wide TMO has a larger presence however we're speaking of the US market and I am sorry but TMO doesn't have the network presence in the US that at&t and Verizon have.

Now for a European release TMO may very well get it first but it will not be the same device for TMO in Europe as at&t, or TMO in the US because they operate on different frequencies.


PG

Since you're a field tester, you must have the phone, right? It's already in AT&T's hands, as the photo below demonstrates:

[phonegeek#AC]

Just because we have a screen shot showing the AT&T splash screen doesn't mean it has been released to AT&T for field trial.

So in short, no I don't have it yet...


PG

[JasW]

Just because we have a screen shot showing the AT&T splash screen doesn't mean it has been released to AT&T for field trial.

So in short, no I don't have it yet...


PG

What about the comment in the other thread that field testers in NYC already have the phone? People say a lot of things on this forum and it's hard to know who is credible and who isn't. Mightn't it be possible that some field testers (such as those in bigger urban areas) have them and some (like you) don't yet?

[Duvi]

Thanks for the info PG. Always good to hear from a reliable member

JasW... PG's is a very reliable and trustworthy person. Not sure if you were doubting what he was saying, but there is never a need to IMHO. PG has been around almost as long as me on CB and I have yet once ever had a doubt in anything that he has said on the boards.

[mi_canuck]

I'll be quite sad if AT&T is the only carrier to have the 9800... they always some to be able to monopolize certain handsets, despite being the most unreliable (in my area)...

T-Mo was reliable, just slower than chit for data speeds... so dumped them and rocking Sprint now - running great, FAST and no issues with voice calls being dropped or poor signal...

I really do hope the rumors of the 9800 coming to Sprint at the end of 2010 are true... I'm stoked with my 9650 so far, so by the end of 2010, that would be good timing

[andyahs]

Once it comes out GSM I do not care who gets it first as I will need it unlocked anyway and branding has never bothered me. Just excited to see it released.

[phonegeek#AC]

What about the comment in the other thread that field testers in NYC already have the phone? People say a lot of things on this forum and it's hard to know who is credible and who isn't. Mightn't it be possible that some field testers (such as those in bigger urban areas) have them and some (like you) don't yet?

If I recall the other post correctly it stated that RIM is testing it in NYC. Which is great don't get me wrong but it has no affect on the field test schedule when RIM sends it to AT&T other than perhaps they have worked out many of larger bugs that we sometimes see.

As for other parts of the country getting this in the field first I am sure that's possible but the field test groups are highly organized at a national level and they manage these devices and roll them out to the regions all at the same time...

PG

[Duvi]

People don't understand that AT&T is the largest carrier in terms of smartphone subscribers. They have the majority of business users and that's what matters to AT&T most.

People say T-mobile & Sprint have better service, but even without the iPhone, AT&T always posted positive subscriber gains. Sprint, has yet to do it since the merger? T-mobile posted a not so good quarter recently. There is a reason for that and it's not just the iPhone for AT&T or Verizon with Storm/Android devices.

[Duvi]

Once it comes out GSM I do not care who gets it first as I will need it unlocked anyway and branding has never bothered me. Just excited to see it released.

Only thing with that is the loss of 3G may happen, depending on which carrier's device you get it from and what carrier you're going to use it on. I will never go back to a non 3G device... heck, I won't make a non-UMTS device my primary either.

[andyahs]

Only thing with that is the loss of 3G may happen, depending on which carrier's device you get it from and what carrier you're going to use it on. I will never go back to a non 3G device... heck, I won't make a non-UMTS device my primary either.

Still on Edge (2g) where I live anyway. Yes my carrier is still far behind but what can I do?............