[jthep]

Not sure why some on here are defending this business practice? If you are a consumer, this is bad news on so many levels. Its ensuring consumers pay for the ability to share data they already paid for?

If you have no interest in smartphones and sharing their data with other devices, I am not sure why you would bother to weigh in on this thread?

If you are a shareholder in Att, then I get it, but as a consumer this is just another way to get fleeced. As a consumer you are getting ripped off and lied to, I think you have a right to be angry.

As for being naive? I have the bridge workaround, so I am set. But this hurts the Playbook's chances at grabbing a larger market share since the bridge feature was a unique free service that no other tablet could boast. Att is really screwing the consumer and RIM.

Please someone explain to me how intentionally blocking the Bridge browser is good for consumers?

[lawguyman]

Count me as someone that AT&T pushed into a tethering plan.

I surrendered my unlimited data plan for a 4GB tethering plan. The difference was $15.

I don't like it but it is what it is. When my contract comes due, all things being equal, I would be inclined to ditch AT&T and go with another carrier. I hope that Verizon gets a good QNX phone when the time comes.

[offthahorseceo]

As for being naive? I have the bridge workaround, so I am set.

Every AT&T+Playbook customer on this board should be able to repeat this statement. For this reason alone I don't understand why this is currently such a big deal.

Any new playbook customer should be doing his or her research anyway. If they are an at&t customer they still have a choice of not buying it OR switching from AT&T to a carrier that doesn't charge for the bridge browser. They also have a choice of just using it as a wifi device.

[jthep]

Well those that are not as well informed will get ripped off or continue to feed the greed buying tablets with data plans. This move by Att is just plain shady.

Also it hurts Playbook's chances as a successful tablet, since RIM really cannot advertise the tablet's most practical and unique feature, when its being relegated to being some lesser known feature only known to tech geeks or crackberry regulars...

[offthahorseceo]

its not at&t OR RIM's fault if customers choose not to inform themselves

[jthep]

Well RIM has done a poor job so far promoting the Playbook. So far lame commercials showing multitasking and flash videos. But really the biggest sell for me was the bridge functionality with BB existing data plan.

I will still be able to do this for free with a workaround, but most won't know about it.

Also why hasn't RIM gotten on the ball about Netflix and Hulu being blocked? Don't get me wrong, luv my Playbook, but it seems like mistakes by RIM and greed by Att, Netflix, and Hulu are sabatoging the potential success of this tablet....

[kbz1960]

not defending anything. im saying everyone is making a big deal of nothing. AT&T is a for profit company and as such they are going to do things to maximize profit. For every one person complaining on here there are 10 who will just pay it and use it instead of wasting time complaining. AT&T will be ok.

On top of that, the OTA links have been and still are available. I am using the bridge software from the OTA link, so is my gf. we both have at&t. It works just fine even after the announcement of the "official" bridge app. Everyone asserts that browsing from bridge is no different than browsing from your torch bold etc. If thats the case, there will be no way for at&t to tell that youre using a playbook over bridge. We will continue to be able to "stick it to them" just the way we have been. Once again, its only a big deal if you choose to make it a big deal.

Also, I dont own any AT&T stock, but, I do sell at&t products. If at&t isnt turning a profit, i'll eventually be out of a job. Unless your life is based on charity thats gotta be something you can understand

Gotcha and do understand. Maybe they could understand that they can sell more product and acquire more customers the other way around.

I guess my problem isn't with AT&T (just this thread is about them) it's all carriers and every other company in this country that are getting more greedy all the time and all they care about is more profit and screw the consumer.

Just watching the rich get richer and poor get poorer. That is not how this country was founded, almost exactly the opposite. What the fore founders of our country had a tea party over...........yeah that wasn't against companies but I do include our government in the equation.

Bah it just gets so frustrating. I'll stop now.

Oh and yeah the workaround works for now....................................

[kbz1960]

Not sure why some on here are defending this business practice? If you are a consumer, this is bad news on so many levels. Its ensuring consumers pay for the ability to share data they already paid for?

If you have no interest in smartphones and sharing their data with other devices, I am not sure why you would bother to weigh in on this thread?

If you are a shareholder in Att, then I get it, but as a consumer this is just another way to get fleeced. As a consumer you are getting ripped off and lied to, I think you have a right to be angry.

As for being naive? I have the bridge workaround, so I am set. But this hurts the Playbook's chances at grabbing a larger market share since the bridge feature was a unique free service that no other tablet could boast. Att is really screwing the consumer and RIM.

Please someone explain to me how intentionally blocking the Bridge browser is good for consumers?

Sorry can't..........

[kbz1960]

Well RIM has done a poor job so far promoting the Playbook. So far lame commercials showing multitasking and flash videos. But really the biggest sell for me was the bridge functionality with BB existing data plan.

I will still be able to do this for free with a workaround, but most won't know about it.

Also why hasn't RIM gotten on the ball about Netflix and Hulu being blocked? Don't get me wrong, luv my Playbook, but it seems like mistakes by RIM and greed by Att, Netflix, and Hulu are sabatoging the potential success of this tablet....

They just need to bribe them like Jobs did.

[offthahorseceo]

Gotcha and do understand. Maybe they could understand that they can sell more product and acquire more customers the other way around.

I guess my problem isn't with AT&T (just this thread is about them) it's all carriers and every other company in this country that are getting more greedy all the time and all they care about is more profit and screw the consumer.

Just watching the rich get richer and poor get poorer. That is not how this country was founded, almost exactly the opposite. What the fore founders of our country had a tea party over...........yeah that wasn't against companies but I do include our government in the equation.

Bah it just gets so frustrating. I'll stop now.

Oh and yeah the workaround works for now....................................

I hate to say it but the rich getting richer and poor getting porrer isnt a result of corporations doing their thing. Its due to people being people. Most of my customers come in in beater cars, and live in the hood. But they gladly pay the big deposit and the "high" price of a smartphone just so they can have a smartphone and be cool. You would be surprised how many people will put off a cell phone bill payment so they can upgrade to the new smartphone...

A guy i knew let one of his uncles stay with him for a bit. Apparently the uncle was shuffled between relatives because he couldnt afford a place to stay. I brought over my new to me xbox and while we hooked it up the uncle asked "does it play blurays?" i said no but i dont have any blurays anyway i have a bunch of dvds. He said, "pfft dvd has nothing on bluray check out all these bluray movies and my bluray player." This from the man who couldnt afford his own place to stay. As i was packing up my stuff, he stepped outside "for a smoke". When i stepped out to the car he asked if he could borrow 20 bucks...


Thats an extreme case but for the most part i noticed the poor keep themselves poor based on not so smart decisions they make.

[kbz1960]

I hate to say it but the rich getting richer and poor getting porrer isnt a result of corporations doing their thing. Its due to people being people. Most of my customers come in in beater cars, and live in the hood. But they gladly pay the big deposit and the "high" price of a smartphone just so they can have a smartphone and be cool. You would be surprised how many people will put off a cell phone bill payment so they can upgrade to the new smartphone...

A guy i knew let one of his uncles stay with him for a bit. Apparently the uncle was shuffled between relatives because he couldnt afford a place to stay. I brought over my new to me xbox and while we hooked it up the uncle asked "does it play blurays?" i said no but i dont have any blurays anyway i have a bunch of dvds. He said, "pfft dvd has nothing on bluray check out all these bluray movies and my bluray player." This from the man who couldnt afford his own place to stay. As i was packing up my stuff, he stepped outside "for a smoke". When i stepped out to the car he asked if he could borrow 20 bucks...


Thats an extreme case but for the most part i noticed the poor keep themselves poor based on not so smart decisions they make.

Totally agree with you there too. There are too many here that think they deserve everything everyone else has but they shouldn't have to work for it or pay their bills if that's what it takes to get it. If I can't afford it I don't get it (probably in the minority here) but I don't want to be ripped off either. Sorry getting this way off topic and I could go on and on, I'll keep my fingers still in this thread now as I've all ready fingered too much.

Have a good one.

[offthahorseceo]

ill go ahead and admit i used to be one of those people, i was 19 years old and had a $65k Cadillac that i obviously couldnt afford.

Its crazy that a lesson so simple is so hard to grasp or learn. But i have learned it. This video/book really helped:
Hulu - Saturday Night Live: Don't Buy Stuff

I now have 0 debt.

back on topic: "those at&t scumbags really did it this time!!!"

[rjkolo]

AT&T I hope you read these forums, I am leaving you as soon as my contract is up. This is F**king BS!!!

[papped]

Yep if you want them to learn a lesson people will have to leave en masse. Kinda doubt they will though....

[southlander]

Yep if you want them to learn a lesson people will have to leave en masse. Kinda doubt they will though....

Even worse if that if the AT&T/TMO merger happens (looking like it will), we'll have a duopoly here in the US. Sprint will not be a viable option for best in class service. So there really will be no choice other than the big two.

[kbz1960]

Even worse if that if the AT&T/TMO merger happens (looking like it will), we'll have a duopoly here in the US. Sprint will not be a viable option for best in class service. So there really will be no choice other than the big two.

Depends on where you live. USCellular is great where I live but I don't travel much so I don't know about other areas.

[Venichie]

Great... AT&T took my only reason for; suggesting, staying, and enjoying my BB products... Luckily there's that unofficial download able Bridge app, although it won't keep me from buying another product or keep me buying more RIM products.

It's really a let down to learn this news. As someone else said, I could of simply bought an Ipad2 for the same price, but been able to do so much more! I only got this dam thing cause of the free access to mirror the full web onto this tablet, and now it's nothing more then a bigger screened BB device (that I have to pay extra for) that can do things that a $100-200 netbook could possibly do for me.
... I feel like such a sucker! It was the only thing that stopped me from thinking/feeling, "What can I do, from what should I do? That's it, from What next?", and so on and what not...

All other BB fans are lucky I suppose, and I mean those on other carriers who have not yet or decided to keep it without extra charge. Once mt contracts up though, i'll be off to Window's or HP brands.

[offthahorseceo]

Great... AT&T took my only reason for; suggesting, staying, and enjoying my BB products... Luckily there's that unofficial download able Bridge app, although it won't keep me from buying another product or keep me buying more RIM products.

It's really a let down to learn this news. As someone else said, I could of simply bought an Ipad2 for the same price, but been able to do so much more! I only got this dam thing cause of the free access to mirror the full web onto this tablet, and now it's nothing more then a bigger screened BB device (that I have to pay extra for) that can do things that a $100-200 netbook could possibly do for me.
... I feel like such a sucker! It was the only thing that stopped me from thinking/feeling, "What can I do, from what should I do? That's it, from What next?", and so on and what not...

All other BB fans are lucky I suppose, and I mean those on other carriers who have not yet or decided to keep it without extra charge. Once mt contracts up though, i'll be off to Window's or HP brands.

really.....?

[trsbbs]

its not at&t OR RIM's fault if customers choose not to inform themselves

Wrong in so many ways.

They just announced it. So being informed isnt an issue as you can tell
with all the post.

Tim

[trsbbs]

i dont defend gas prices, but i dont complain about them either. i KNOW the gas giants are in it for the profit. I CHOOSE to drive the car i drive which gets the mileage it gets. I could just not drive, not go to work, not make any money and not worry about any of it.

This is a prime reason of what is wrong with the world today.


Complacency and inaction. Not standing up for whats right and going after what is wrong.

Gee, It was my fault that guy robbed my at gun point. I should of never went out of my house.

Geesh..

Tim

[offthahorseceo]

This is a prime reason of what is wrong with the world today.


Complacency and inaction. Not standing up for whats right and going after what is wrong.

Gee, It was my fault that guy robbed my at gun point. I should of never went out of my house.

Geesh..

Tim

right, they just announced it. anybody who has a playbook until the announcement, should have known about the workaround. anybody who gets it after the announcement should know what theyre getting into before they get it instead of blindly buying. thats what i mean by being informed.

your example is ********.

its not your fault gas prices are the way they are. you dont have to buy gas though.

its not your fault you got robbed. you dont have to give the guy your money or stuff either.

the gas companies arent going to shoot you if you dont get gas though

also, you make a conscious decision to buy gas/have a cellphone/pay for tethering or not. you dont say to yourself,"hm, i think ill go get robbed tonight."

[rroyy]

In Turkey our biggest opertor promote it self as it include all internet activities w/ BIS pack, tethering from PC, PlayBook etc. all included to BIS price and other operators charge for these. Seems AT&T trying to be different w/ reverse strategy. All operators has tethering including w/ BIS packs and It blocks to charge more Good strategy AT&T... not!

[kbz1960]

Great... AT&T took my only reason for; suggesting, staying, and enjoying my BB products... Luckily there's that unofficial download able Bridge app, although it won't keep me from buying another product or keep me buying more RIM products.

It's really a let down to learn this news. As someone else said, I could of simply bought an Ipad2 for the same price, but been able to do so much more! I only got this dam thing cause of the free access to mirror the full web onto this tablet, and now it's nothing more then a bigger screened BB device (that I have to pay extra for) that can do things that a $100-200 netbook could possibly do for me.
... I feel like such a sucker! It was the only thing that stopped me from thinking/feeling, "What can I do, from what should I do? That's it, from What next?", and so on and what not...

All other BB fans are lucky I suppose, and I mean those on other carriers who have not yet or decided to keep it without extra charge. Once mt contracts up though, i'll be off to Window's or HP brands.

And your going to get the equivalent bridge function with those at no extra charge........................not.

[storm_fan2009]

Finally if you are on AT&T the BlackBerry Bridge will be made available today in App World. The catch is, like everything AT&T, you will not be able to use the Bridge Browser unless you have a tethering data plan. But all your other PIM goodness can now be on your PlayBook!

BB Bridge works great and so does browsing (of course I had the 4GB plan with Tethering plan for BIS already).

[rgordon44]

Have Bold 9000 v5.0.0.1067 with unlimited data plan.
Would love Playbook but additional $ for tethering seems unfair!
Is workaround still possible and reliable? If so where can I learn how to do it?

Many thanks for help