Hello Bob Wallace,
I have come to the same conclusion as you when you opened up the June edition on using Features on your new phone. Cellular providers are selling features but no support is available to encourage usage. From discussion groups (TELECOM Digest and Telephony On-Line) for Industry Leaders and Veterans, many are coming to the same conclusion.
Cellular Operators and in particular the marketing groups are selling features without any consideration of ability to implement. At first I though I just needed better training when handed the phone. That is true for some features but not all.
After being with AT&T wireless (Cellular One) for over 14 years (and designing many different systems for that network from inception), I was in Australia on Roaming that was quoted to me incorrectly. My second bill, instead of $140.00 was $2,300.00. The trouble, no web-site, store personnel, CSR or technical people could correctly quote which Edge card to take and what the rate would be. I was extremely lucky to have the incorrect rates verified by three sources in writing.
After being off-line for one month (when I arrived there), I was told the only way I could get the correct device was to transfer to Cingular. What I was not told and did not even consider is that Cingular put me on a new plan (no-signatures or any pamphlet). I was happy to get a new phone (I like Motorola V551) but the DATA card is simply a firmware change. I found out three months later Cingular does not have any of the AT&T plans nor will it honor any of those plans when converting consumers. One comment though, the Cingular International Roaming Plan certainly is a deterrent to Global Commerce.
I was off-line another 2 months while trying to get the rates straightened out. New rule in conversion from AT&T to Cingular -- AT&T let you suspend the account when service would not work, Cingular says tough, you still have to pay so I did for the two months that I had to suspend service because they could not quote the rates and re-rate the errant bill. They would re-rate the bill, they just could not re-rate the bill.
Now we get to the features.
1) Cingular Web site could not be updated with my account information or bill review or pay-online for the first four months. I could access the web site only if I am Microsoft IE user.2) E-mail or Web site support contact not allowed for first six-months "we do not support e-mail correspondence". I did not argue this because I knew they would get a few hundred thousand complaints to cause them to change.
3) International Support assistance Free with AT&T, Not with Cingular. 11 hours of charges for conversations on bill and support while I had turned off service yet had to pay for monthly service.4) Motorola Phone, USB cable, PhoneTools. Absolutely will not work, is not going to work and no refunds allowed on the cable or the software application. 17 hours of troubleshooting excluding leaving it with the Cingular Staff. The source of the trouble, Cingular Connection Manager Software for my Edge Card AND an integration problem on selecting the USB port instead of the Modem for Windows 98 users. I cannot move my contacts, retrieve my pictures or set my alerts.
5) My personal E-mails on the phone -- Motorola Phone supports it but Cingular discontinued the capability. Cingular advertises it, support is on the web site but it has been discontinued. I am forced to used their e-mail which, amazingly, will not accept Microsoft Messenger. I now have four subscription products for DATA services (MMS, MediaNet, PhoneTools, Edge Card) of which only the edge card works on a dedicated PC (phone integration capable but not allowed).6) Pictures available for MMS will not send pictures to e-mails recipients.
7) E-mailing pictures was allowed (and still works if you use the service outside the USA) and is allowed but will not work because Cingular E-mail is limited in size. It would work if I used my external e-mail service but I am no longer allowed to.8) Cingular Web site is required to set-up e-mail and Medianet. Media net requires I use Microsoft Internet Explorer. Since I only use IE for OS upgrades and patches, I decided I could use IE for Cingular. All of the personalization you do on Media net is only for your browser on your PC the changes do not go to the phone set, there is no correlation between Medianet and your phone. I have absolutely no idea what MediaNet is for after registering and browsing. It appears only if I use a PC to make my Cingular account my home page. There is absolutely no interaction with the phone or edge card.
9) Web Browsing, like external e-mail and phonetools is advertised and the Cingular Web site support pages support it but the service has been turned off. You cannot set links to WML enabled web sites. You can only use the Web sites Cingular provided on the pre-loaded application in the phone.What a complete mess. It is true I have plenty of features on the phone, one I really like, is taking pictures but I must use it only when outside the USA because all of the send support features have been removed in the Cingular network. I cannot think of anyone who would want to receive picture of my work on their MMS enabled phone. Like I said it cannot be moved to a PC because MobilePhone tools will not work and external e-mail has been discontinued and internal e-mail restricts size.
The phone is simply a phone and appears it will only be a phone. I have not adopted text messaging but in light of the above, I do not expect it to work.
Kelly