RSSUp Front: Congress asks about AT&T iPhone exclusivity
By Angela Gunn and the Betanews Staff | Published June 16, 2009, 8:54 AM
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Tuesday's tech headlines
Government Computer News
• The Center for Internet Security, which produces consensus security benchmarks for commonly used hardware and software, has released a set of security benchmarks for the iPhone -- the first smartphone thus honored. William Jackson has the details.
• Gimme a M-E-H: A new survey of federal information technology managers reveals that while 79% of managers work in an agencies that's implemented some form of virtualization (server, client or storage), only 50% say the implementation has been a success and four-fifths say the tech isn't being used to its full potential. Server virtualization is most commonly deployed according to David Hubler, with 59% of agencies doing so.
• Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is still mulling the prospect of establishing a new major command to handle cyber-defense, William Jackson says. [Smart move, since it's not clear yet what the Commander-in-Chief has in mind for the broader picture. -- AG.] Whatever happens, Defense will stick with focusing on the .mil sphere, leaving .gov to the happy campers at DHS.
Wired
• As previously announced, Pirate Bay has launched the iPREDATOR Global Anonymity Service, a VPN. The crew of the Pirate Bay -- still facing those fines and that prison time after their trial -- say that 180,000 so far have signed up for the service, though the invitations for the first 3,000 to sign in only went out yesterday.
• Charlie Sorrel lists five 2009 gadget that have triggered massive buyer's remorse -- or should, anyway. We note that he's beating the rush by adding the iPhone 3GS to that list and suggest that he take a pass on reading his article's comments, which are full of wheezing and fail, not to mention people complaining about the political correctness of the word "hillbilly."
Los Angeles Times
• Jon Healey, taking his customary stroll over from the Times' Opinion Manufacturing Division, is excited about what yesterday's UK announcements from Virgin and Universal mean in the long retreat from DRM: "Although it's still vaporware and confined to the U.K., the new service strikes me as a big deal, with some equally large caveats." He throws a nice nod to history in there, mentioning that Shawn Fanning was trying to get the major labels to embrace the flat-fee model about eight years too early.
• To the surprise of no one over 15, Facebook has officially passed MySpace in the number of US users per month -- 70.28 million to MySpace's 70.26, according to comScore. Social networking use grew in the US by 12% last month, compared to 2% overall growth in Net users.
PhoneScoop
• RIM made its Tour announcement Tuesday, but Samsung and Nokia both beat the Canadians to press with a slew of announcements. PhoneScoop yesterday posted bulletins on the upcoming Jet (Samsung), the Omnia II for Verizon (also Samsung), and the Nokias E72, 5530 XpressMusic, and 3710 Fold.
• Samsung also announced a 2.0 versions of its Touchwiz interface. The new edition, which is accelerometer-aware, uses the visual metaphor of a six-sided cube.
AT&T has coverage in Vermont. What they are lacking is 3G in Vermont, but that doesn't mean an iphone won't work.
http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/
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|Texting prices are going up???
I can get unlimited for $60 a month on Verizon. That includes picture, text, video, etc.. In network or out of network.
Include mobile email and unlimited data for another $20.
Anyone who actually uses the messaging features of their phones should already have an unlimited plan....anything less and yeah...you're going to get charged a huge amount.
...and you know what? The companies will charge whatever the majority of their customers are willing to pay for it. We're not implying that texting is now a necessity now, are we? That would be laughable...
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|$60 is outrageous for something which should be free with your data access. Texting = IM after all.
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|My wife & I share a 500 minute-per-month plan from Verizon and have never exceeded our monthly allotment. We don't text, email or surf the web with our phones...we just use them to make phone calls.
Also, here in NY State, we pay some of the highest taxes in the country, 17% - 20 %, because the wonderfully dysfunctional NY State Legislature still views a cell phone as a "luxury item" and taxes them accordingly; so my basic $59.95 monthly plan actually transaltes into a bill of around $78.00.
And speaking of text messages - perhaps you should try texting Scott about our prizes for the "Rename That Bing" contest because they seem to be ignoring us.
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|Hi Straspey -- let me drop a note to the parties in charge of sending those prizes out and see where things stand. There *was* a plan in place, but I'm clear over here so I don't know how that all worked out.
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|Hi Angela -
Thank you VERY much for your reply. I can't speak for the others, but I believe it's really more about the fact that we have not received any communication from Betanews since the contest has ended and it was a little frustrating.
As I said in another post, I can be patient and wait for the process to work,
so please don't think I am in a "Where's My Prize?" mode because it's not that at all; so your response here goes a very long way and I thank you. ;)
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|"$60 is outrageous for something which should be free with your data access. Texting = IM after all."
The $60 plan does not include a data plan, imbecile. That's the second plan I mentioned...something about "unlimited data"...
Pay attention there, sparky. If you can't keep up, take notes.
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|"Ask the state of Vermont, where you can't buy an iPhone...because AT&T doesn't cover Vermont except for roaming."
Wow, great research. Being that I live in Vermont and the aforementioned statement is a blatant falsehood it makes me wonder why I should believe anything else in this "report"...
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|"Imagine, the nation's second largest carrier doesn't sign up customers in an entire state represented by Patrick Leahy. That might not be a good thing."
That made me giggle...
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|"Oh... boo hoo hoo... I can't use an iPhone because they don't have service here! I better call my Senator!"
Get over it. Wait a few years and your carrier will have the iPhone. *I* don't have an iPhone, and I don't have ATT as a carrier either, yet I'm able to survive! This is crazy. We need our government working on important issues, not catering to some crybabies who can't get the same toy "everyone else" has... You've got to be kidding me!
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|"pay a premium price for the handset because the market is void of any competition for the particular handset"
How is this good for consumers? Are there not laws in place to guard against this sort monopolistic practice?
I wonder what law makers were paid off to make this happen in the first place? Why aren't the folks we elect to represent the people doing their job!!!
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|I agree! Bunch of damn cry babies!
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|Well, it's not so much monopolistic as it is a division of technologies. iPhone could run on T-Mobile's network, but they're even further back adding 3G data access than AT&T is. Sprint and Verizon could share the same phones, but they're incompatible with the other two.
I see Qualcomm getting some traction again with their multi-voice, multi-data chips.
Maybe, the government could work on the contracts and early termination fees instead.
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