Adam Frucci at Gizmodo has created this oppositional AT&T ad that makes the original, well, all the more truthful. It’s a hoot.
[Via Gizmodo]
Tag Archives: AT&T
AT&T and Verizon drop all lawsuits…for now
Last we heard in this AT&T vs. Verizon Wireless “There’s a Map for That” commercials debacle, AT&T had lost in court against VZ when they tried to force VZ to pull all of their Map-related advertisements from the air. The judge had marked a date later this month where the two companies would battle again over this silly issue.
Now, however, AT&T has decided to drop all its lawsuits against Verizon. Finally.
Instead of putting their money towards upgrading their 3G network, AT&T has decided to spew anti-Verizon ads featuring the quirky Luke Wilson. Let’s take a step back for a moment. This whole thing started when Verizon aired a commercial comparing their widespread US 3G coverage (on a map) to AT&T’s dismal coverage. AT&T sued them because they stipulated that mass audiences would read their sad 3G coverage for their vastly more widespread voice coverage. (AT&T, I doubt anyone made this blunder in the first place.) After losing in court they’ve decided to create these Luke Wilson ads that fight back against Verizon in a nonsensical way; these ads don’t focus on AT&T’s 3G coverage, they are all about 3G speed. Hey AT&T–Verizon’s got the SPEED, too; plus, they cover much more of the US than you do. I’ve said this twice now, and I’ll say it one more time–AT&T, stop the lawsuits and advertisements and start actually expanding your 3G coverage!
Oh, and not only do Verizon’s ads make sense they are far superior than yours. See for yourself. Look after the break for the latest “headless Luke Wilson” AT&T and Verizon “misfit toys” spots. (True this ad and other recent VZ ads have poked at the iPhone, but what they are really hitting hard is AT&T’s dismal 3G coverage. Let ’em have it.)
AT&T brings Verizon to court, loses
It has been reported that a federal judge has ruled against AT&T’s request to pull the Verizon “There’s a Map for That” advertisements from the airwaves. No surprise here.
What’s interesting, though, is that the judge has deemed it necessary for the two celluar carriers to meet again in court to discuss the matter further. Apparently the judge called the ads “sneaky” and said that it is possible that viewers may mistunderstand the ads intent becuase “most people who are watching TV are semi-catatonic.” Ha! The court meets again on December 16.
For now, Verizon has all the freedom in the world to continue pumping out these advertisements for the holiday season without any scruff from AT&T. Unless you count this sad, terrible ad featuring one of the Wilson brothers:
Verizon to AT&T: “the truth hurts” BIATCH!
So we all know the story thus far: AT&T has sued Verizon for their “There’s a Map for That” ad campaign. AT&T claims that Verizon’s beautiful 3G map compared to their dismal 3G map is misleading in more ways than one. Without going into further detail (because I have already done so here), let’s take a look at VZ’s long-awaited rebuttal:
AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon’s “There’s A Map For That” advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon’s ads are true and the truth hurts.
DAAAAAMN! But there’s more:
In the final analysis, AT&T seeks emergency relief because Verizon’s side-by-side, apples-to-apples comparison of its own 3G coverage with AT&T’s confirms what the marketplace has been saying for months: AT&T failed to invest adequately in the necessary infrastructure to expand its 3G coverage to support its growth in smartphone business, and the usefulness of its service to smartphone users has suffered accordingly.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. AT&T, stop with the unneccesary lawsuits and start making your cell service better. If you had created a superior 3G coverage zone in the first place, this discussion would not be taking place.
[Via Engadget]
Verizon takes another jab at AT&T with slew of new “maps” adverts
What happens when you have a great 3G phone (ie. the iPhone) but a poor cell phone carrier that lacks proper 3G coverage (read: AT&T)? You get plopped onto the Island of Misfit Toys, that’s what. Look after the break for two more anti-AT&T ads from Verizon Wireless. Oh, it’s on.
[Via Engadget]
Continue reading Verizon takes another jab at AT&T with slew of new “maps” adverts
AT&T hatin’ on Verizon over an ad that speaks the truth
Remember the “there’s a map for that” commercial created by Verizon? It’s been playing on the airwaves for some time now. So if you haven’t seen it here I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Anyway..AT&T has gone ahead and sued Verizon for showcasing their lack of 3G against VZ’s 3G-filled map. In their own words:
In essence, we believe the ads mislead consumers into believing that AT&T doesn’t offer ANY wireless service in the vast majority of the country. In fact, AT&T’s wireless network blankets the US, reaching approximately 296M people. Additionally, our 3G service is available in over 9,600 cities and towns. Verizon’s misleading advertising tactics appear to be a response to AT&T’s strong leadership in smartphones. We have twice the number of smartphone customers… and we’ve beaten them two quarters in a row on net post-paid subscribers. We also had lower churn — a sign that customers are quite happy with the service they receive.
After further investigation Engadget has made further revelations about the matter: “AT&T thinks Verizon is trying to fool viewers into thinking that they can’t use any AT&T phone services outside of 3G coverage areas by showing two essentially different maps. Since Verizon’s entire network is 3G, the gaps in the red map are actual service gaps — but Verizon doesn’t show that the gaps on the AT&T map might be covered by AT&T’s huge 2G network. We can see how that could be misleading, but at some point you’ve got to compare apples to apples, and AT&T even says it has “no quarrel with Verizon advertising its larger 3G network” in its complaint, so we’ll see how the court reacts.”
Apparently VZ has changed the ads, removing the phrase “out of touch” and replacing it with “Voice and data services available outside of 3G areas” disclaimer. Still AT&T remains on guard and Engadget reports that they think “the ads still confuse non-technical viewers into thinking AT&T provides no service at all outside of its 3G coverage.”
All in all, I find this quarell between AT&T and Verizon quite insignificant. I am forced to favor Verion for the mere fact that their ad simply carries the truth; Verizon Wireless graces much more land with 3G coverage and AT&T’s 3G coverage, well, sucks. (Take this from personal experience.) Instead of battling for the removal of a competitive ad campaign (as slightly misleading as it may be), AT&T should be focused on their 3G services and coverage.
[Via Engadget]
Verizon: “There’s a map for that”
Looks like Verizon is about to play some hardball with AT&T. Yeah, the iPhone may have thousands of cool apps, but Verizon can boast its vastly superior 3G expansion. The question is, which is more important to you: thousands of games or better data reception?
[Via Engadget]
AT&T gives in, MMS on the iPhone for all!
The day has finally come, people. AT&T has enabled MMS, the ability to send and receive pictures and video, on the iPhone. (iPhone 3G & 3GS customers only, sorry original iPhone owners.)
The steps to getting MMS running on your iPhone are simple. First open up iTunes and make sure you are running iTunes 8.2 or later. Next, connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac. The update window should pop up automatically after iTunes recognizes the connection. If it does not, go to the iPhone device tab and select “Check for Update.” If you have not updated your iPhone to version 3.1 you must do this first. The actual MMS update is installed via a “carrier settings” update; this means that it is not an iPhone software update, and it should install on the phone within seconds.
![[Update Settings Screenshot]](http://km.support.apple.com/library/APPLE/SECRET_PRODUCTS/S_PROJECT_13/HT3880/HT3880_1.png)
Once you’ve completed the update, disconnect the phone from your computer and RESTART the phone. The MMS feature will not show up until the phone has been restarted by holding down the power button. After the phone turns back on, check that the update installed by opening the Messages application and looking for the small camera button next to the text input bar. It looks like this:
![[Text Field Screenshot]](http://km.support.apple.com/library/APPLE/SECRET_PRODUCTS/S_PROJECT_13/HT3880/HT3880_3.png){kind=small}
And there you have it. MMS on the iPhone. One small step into the 21st century, one giant leap for AT&T.
[Via Apple]
MMS feature coming to iPhone in 12 days
The long hoped for feature for the iPhone finally gets a date of arrival: the Multimedia Messaging Service feature will be enabled on all iPhone 3G and 3GS devices (sorry, original iPhone users) on September 15. For those of you not in the know, MMS is the feature that allows you to send and receive picture/video messages to other cell phone users. Up until now, iPhone users have been stuck in the dark ages, only able to send and receive texts (and more recently audio and contact files). MSS will be enabled through a required software update via iTunes.
What took so long, you ask? Put simply, AT&T’s service is sucky and they believed that their cell tower structure was not ready to handle the heavy traffic of iPhone users sending pictures to each other. After having plently of time to fix and upgrade things (and breaking a promise of a Summer MMS release), AT&T is confident in saying:
“We know that iPhone users will embrace MMS. The unique capabilities and high usage of the iPhone’s multimedia capabilities required us to work on our network MMS architecture to carry the expected record volumes of MMS traffic and ensure an excellent experience from Day One. We appreciate your patience as we work toward that end. … We want you to know that we’re working relentlessly to innovate and invest in our network to anticipate this growth in usage and to stay ahead of the anticipated growth in data demand, new devices and applications for years to come.”
Note that there was no new information divulged about tethering. It was only mentioned that it will be supported “in the future.”
97% of iPhone users love their device; 55% say AT&T/carrier lock-in is lame
iPhone 3GS Hardware + iPhone 3.0 Software Out Now
As of June 17 and June 19, Apple released the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3.0 software update, respectively. There are just a few differences between the older iPhone 3G and the new 3GS. The 3GS has the following updates: speed (about 2x faster), a 3.0 megapixel camera with video capability (with editing features), voice control (for contacts and music), and an internal compass. The exterior of the phone is exactly the same (except for the updated “oilphobic” screen that repels finger smudges). It comes in two models, 16GB ($199) and 32GB ($299), available in black and white. The 3G sells for $99 now in a 8GB model (black), only. Just make sure you are eligible for an upgrade if you really want one!
It is the iPhone 3.0 software update where most of the new changes can be found. Some new features include: cut, copy, and paste, landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes, and Safari, MMS (sending pictures, audio, and contact info), Spotlight search (universal search of the phones contents from the home screen), voice memos, improved calender, an updated iTunes store (you can now purchase videos from TV and Movies; audiobooks), an enhanced Stocks app, stereo Bluetooth, and tethering (connecting your phone to a computer providing you internet on the go). The MMS and tethering features will not be available until late summer due to AT&T sucking big time. The 3.0 update is available to download in iTunes right now, free for iPhone, 3G, and 3GS users; $9.99 for iPod touch users.
[Via Apple]