How crippled are BlackBerrys from AT&T?
- I want to get a Bold 9700, which I could get from either AT&T or T-Mobile. I have pretty much the same ammount of love+hate feelings for both carriers so the decision will be based on which carrier has a more usable 9700. I already have an idea of what can be done with a T-Mobile 'berry but I've never had one from AT&T.
Other than the proverbial Manual Network Selection, and the ability to set the device to 3G-only mode, what other features does AT&T cripple on their BlackBerrys?03-19-10 09:25 AMLike 0 -
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Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com03-19-10 09:43 AMLike 0 -
I'm interested in what other things AT&T has crippled.
- Tethering via Desktop Manager.
- Preventing users from uninstalling or hiding bloatware.
- Locking GPS out of BB Maps or Google Maps to force users to pay for their TeleNav subscription.
- Preventing installations of unsigned apps.
- Preventing the use of ringtones larger than 300KB.
All this is stuff they have crippled to a lesser-or-not degree in their dumbphones, Symbian, WinMo and now even the Android Backflip, so it's worth checking what they could've crippled on BlackBerry.Last edited by CeluGeek; 03-19-10 at 10:15 AM.
03-19-10 10:13 AMLike 0 -
the only carriers that i know that support [3G] only is HSPA only companies.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com03-19-10 10:13 AMLike 0 -
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com03-19-10 10:25 AMLike 0 - You are missing a point. Neither AT&T not T-Mobile have solid 3G coverage. It is not that rare to find supposedly 3G-covered spots where the phone keeps jumping back and forth between 2G and 3G, so frequently that it makes data connections unusable. The only remedy in this case is to set the phone to 2G-only or 3G-only - whichever has the strongest signal. It seems both T-Mobile and AT&T will allow you to set the phone to 2G-only, but not to 3G-only so in this particular example, if you live in an area with poor coverage, yet better 3G signal, you are out of luck.03-19-10 10:30 AMLike 0
- [QUOTE=CeluGeek;4856144]
...Locking GPS out of BB Maps or Google Maps to force users to pay for their TeleNav subscription...
[QUOTE]
GPS works fine with Google Maps, Poynt, Where, etc... And it is possible to get it to work with BB Maps. Used all 3 in recent rips across country.Last edited by rgorman; 03-19-10 at 11:51 AM.
03-19-10 11:46 AMLike 0 - That's the point. I don't know if T-Mobile has done the same, but AT&T did cripple by leaving out the '3G-only' option.
I'm interested in what other things AT&T has crippled.
- Tethering via Desktop Manager.
- Preventing users from uninstalling or hiding bloatware.
- Locking GPS out of BB Maps or Google Maps to force users to pay for their TeleNav subscription.
- Preventing installations of unsigned apps.
- Preventing the use of ringtones larger than 300KB.
All this is stuff they have crippled to a lesser-or-not degree in their dumbphones, Symbian, WinMo and now even the Android Backflip, so it's worth checking what they could've crippled on BlackBerry.03-19-10 12:06 PMLike 0 - You are missing a point. Neither AT&T not T-Mobile have solid 3G coverage. It is not that rare to find supposedly 3G-covered spots where the phone keeps jumping back and forth between 2G and 3G, so frequently that it makes data connections unusable. The only remedy in this case is to set the phone to 2G-only or 3G-only - whichever has the strongest signal. It seems both T-Mobile and AT&T will allow you to set the phone to 2G-only, but not to 3G-only so in this particular example, if you live in an area with poor coverage, yet better 3G signal, you are out of luck.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com03-19-10 12:53 PMLike 0 - Actually, from all the ranting against AT&T you can read on the web, the device crippling is the only thing I hate about AT&T. They are very good around here otherwise. The problem is, they don't cripple all devices the same. For example, the HTC Tilt2 can install unsigned apps and use MP3 ringtones > 300K, yet the Samsung Jack have these features crippled and won't even let you switch to 2G-only mode unlike the iPhones and Bolds. The Nokia E71x and Surge are crippled to the point you can't rearrange the menus and hide AT&T's bloatware, which can be done freely on the Tilt2 and, with some hacking, on the Jack too.
So yes, it's worth finding out how crippled an AT&T device is, because not all of them are crippled the same.03-19-10 12:56 PMLike 0 -
- Tethering via Desktop Manager. - Not sure on this since I have no need for tethering.
- Preventing users from uninstalling or hiding bloatware. - They can easily be hidden, but not uninstalled. They are just small launchers pushed to the phone and don't take up much space, so they're just more annoying than anything.
- Locking GPS out of BB Maps or Google Maps to force users to pay for their TeleNav subscription. - BB Maps had previously been blocked by AT&T but now is installable and useable. You do NOT have to use the AT&T Navigator application, GPS will work with any 3rd party app.
- Preventing installations of unsigned apps. - Have never run into this before, have never had a problem installing anything either.
- Preventing the use of ringtones larger than 300KB. - Have not seen any limit as to ringtone size, you can use a full song if you want AFAIK.03-19-10 01:08 PMLike 0 -
- Tethering via Desktop Manager. - Not sure on this since I have no need for tethering.
- Preventing users from uninstalling or hiding bloatware. - They can easily be hidden, but not uninstalled. They are just small launchers pushed to the phone and don't take up much space, so they're just more annoying than anything.
- Locking GPS out of BB Maps or Google Maps to force users to pay for their TeleNav subscription. - BB Maps had previously been blocked by AT&T but now is installable and useable. You do NOT have to use the AT&T Navigator application, GPS will work with any 3rd party app.
- Preventing installations of unsigned apps. - Have never run into this before, have never had a problem installing anything either.
- Preventing the use of ringtones larger than 300KB. - Have not seen any limit as to ringtone size, you can use a full song if you want AFAIK.03-19-10 01:16 PMLike 0 - You can use a third-party software like tether with your computer, but since I don't have AT&T I don't know the specifics of if you use that heavily and bypass any service they might have if they charge you per MB.
This is what is on AT&T's website about tethering. Get Started - Wireless from AT&T03-19-10 03:48 PMLike 0 - quick question - how is the coverage on at&t and tmo where you need it? Is that part of the hate from love-hate?03-19-10 04:49 PMLike 0
- ATT tethering is expensive.
Suggesting someone 'bypass' legal monetary charges is ludicrous.
OP, do more research before you act.03-19-10 11:53 PMLike 0 - OP, I dont know where you got this bias that ATT cripples their devices. None of the things you listed are issued on an ATT Blackberry- you need to do some more research before insinuating anyone did anything to the phones. The only one guilty of cripples was VZW in the past with the GPS.
GSM carriers are normally more "open" about not locking features of their phones.03-20-10 12:54 AMLike 0 -
None of the things you listed are issued on an ATT Blackberry- you need to do some more research before insinuating anyone did anything to the phones...Last edited by CeluGeek; 03-21-10 at 03:41 PM.
03-21-10 10:09 AMLike 0 - As far as GSM goes, AT&T has more coverage though UMA can compensate for some of T-Mobile's smaller coverage. As for WCDMA, I have not had a 3G device from T-Mobile so I don't know how usable is their 3G. AT&T's 3G is very usable, though it gets temperamental some days.03-21-10 10:12 AMLike 0
- Read post #13 for examples of how AT&T cripples devices, and ask AT&T users why the Backflip is being called the Backflop.
Doing the research was precisely the point of this thread. And again, post #13 gives enough reasons to be wary of what AT&T could do to a device, so for someone who hasn't had a BlackBerry with AT&T yet, I think the question was warranted.
And no one knows who did what to the Backflip, to say otherwise is merely an assumption at best.
General hatred and fist pounding at ATT is a separate topic from this one about Blackberries and ATT.03-21-10 10:41 AMLike 0 - I agree op was doing his research. He knows AT&T cripples dumbphones. He is not familiar with BB's on AT&T & is trying to find out is the same kind of things happens to BBs. Man, people complain because people come in all pissed about things and say "you should have done your research". Here we have a guy doing his research and is being degraded because of it.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com03-21-10 10:50 AMLike 0
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How crippled are BlackBerrys from AT&T?
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