Database Info

Explanation for the Delays from Engadget

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/25/htc-thunderbolt-said-to-have-terrible-battery-life-might-explai/
Apparently a few sources that "are familiar with these things" have said the reason for the delays (the reason the release date has been pushed back) is because horrible battery issues and signal problems. Most likely interconnected (much like the Evo at launch). Apparently (it's in the article) people that are using the internet connection at all are draining their batteries from full to dead in only 2-3 hours.
The update says the release date has actually been pushed back 6 times already because of this issue. That means the phone probably would have launched in late December or January if it were working the way it was intended.

Lies, the phone is shipped out already. There is no delay
Just was originally going to be released in march
Sent from my Incredible using XDA Premium App

I've mentioned before that it was a huge battery hog, but it's nothing that was described by those sources "in the know." It went gold in early January.

superchilpil said:
Lies, the phone is shipped out already. There is no delay
Just was originally going to be released in march
Sent from my Incredible using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
Yeah you sure? I have $20 that your source is just as reliable and workign on conjecture just like everyone else out there right now.

newalker91 said:
The phones are locked in a cage under the counter at my local Best Buy. I watched the manager open the cage to count how many were set aside for preorders so he could tell me how many are up for sale as soon as the ball drops.
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Yep.
The local Best Buy manager let me look at a box, although I was not allowed to open it and play wth the phone. He said he has no idea when he can sell them, but he has them. A couple of dozen is what I saw.
I saw them Monday or Tuesday. So they could have gone on sale this week it seems.
That said, Engadget mentioned a new firmware may be coming, as a day 1 patch or what? Would the sales people have to do the update before letting customers walk out with it? Supposedly to fix a radio/battery issue.

Its always "People familiar with the matter" how about those people grow a pair and come out on the record, simple because its easier to spread rumor than go on record without proof.

RaptorMD said:
Its always "People familiar with the matter" how about those people grow a pair and come out on the record, simple because its easier to spread rumor than go on record without proof.
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Can't speak for everyone, but that's not happening when you are under an NDA. The companies actually strategically leak out info themselves, so why the **** am I signing this again? Regardless, I've witnessed people getting into serious trouble with their jobs, just so they could be another internet sensation. This is why I'm amazed when BMX, and other "insiders" are publicly known for it, yet still have their jobs.

popular nobody said:
Can't speak for everyone, but that's not happening when you are under an NDA. The companies actually strategically leak out info themselves, so why the **** am I signing this again? Regardless, I've witnessed people getting into serious trouble with their jobs, just so they could be another internet sensation. This is why I'm amazed when BMX, and other "insiders" are publicly known for it, yet still have their jobs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you haven't heard of astroturfing? Just because they claim to be insiders and "leaks" doesn't mean the company doesn't secretly condone or support it. What better way to get easy publicity than to have an employee claim to be acting on their own releasing rumors or "inside information" instead of a stuffy corporate press release.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing

andydumi said:
Yep.
The local Best Buy manager let me look at a box, although I was not allowed to open it and play wth the phone. He said he has no idea when he can sell them, but he has them. A couple of dozen is what I saw.
I saw them Monday or Tuesday. So they could have gone on sale this week it seems.
That said, Engadget mentioned a new firmware may be coming, as a day 1 patch or what? Would the sales people have to do the update before letting customers walk out with it? Supposedly to fix a radio/battery issue.
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So, I work at a BB. Neither my store nor any other of the 15 or so stores in our district has these things in stock yet. This isn't the first I've seen of people saying that stores are sitting on them, but knowing for a fact that a good chunk of stores really DON'T have them has me wondering about the legitimacy of people claiming to have seen them...

AMDman18 said:
So, I work at a BB. Neither my store nor any other of the 15 or so stores in our district has these things in stock yet. This isn't the first I've seen of people saying that stores are sitting on them, but knowing for a fact that a good chunk of stores really DON'T have them has me wondering about the legitimacy of people claiming to have seen them...
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One fellow employee to another, same thing here. System says 0 for all the districts in my area which includes most of the east coast.

can i have a job at BB? please? i know stuff

newalker91 said:
You don't want to work there. They pay you about $0.25/hour over minimum wage with no commission or bonuses, then expect you to meet metrics similar to a commission sales job with no incentive. There's a reason why only morons work for BB.
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dude my cousin is pretty smart,, works at bb and another job while he goes to school so thats pretty ****ty to say about people

newalker91 said:
He wouldn't have to work two jobs if he didn't pick minimum wage employment. Either way there are always exceptions to everything. There are intelligent people working at Walmart as well, but put that in the spectrum of all the employees. If someone wants a real career in electronics, then they need to seek out a management position or get into an actual company for a rep position.
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there isnt alot of well payin jobs where he is at right now ,, so he took up two jobs to make up the difference ,, til he is done

newalker91 said:
You don't want to work there. They pay you about $0.25/hour over minimum wage with no commission or bonuses, then expect you to meet metrics similar to a commission sales job with no incentive. There's a reason why only morons work for BB.
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Click to collapse
Ermm, when I worked at Best Buy Mobile I got $11/hour plus bonuses (BBM department gets monthly bonuses). My monthly average worked out to about $12.50-14.00 an hour. Considering all the benefits (discounts from manufacturers and $20/month cell phone plans) it's not a bad racket.
Your last sentence makes you seem unnecessarily bitter.

exactly where i knew it was going
best buy (as alluded to above) is good for one thing; going to see the product in person (if they carry the actual matching model, and not an exclusive model) then go to buy it on the internets.
i have held seminars (as a walk-in customer) with their PC and HT departments explaining technologies (the manager just gathers everyone around so he didnt have to be held accountable for not remembering what HDMI stood for, or the contrast between an analog and digital signal, or actually didnt have the sophistication to do so).
yes there are always outliers, but majority reigns @ bb "here is an average boy, see this line just under that, that is your boy, mrs. gump"
if there were no evil in this world, would we want any good?

newalker91 said:
You don't want to work there. They pay you about $0.25/hour over minimum wage with no commission or bonuses, then expect you to meet metrics similar to a commission sales job with no incentive. There's a reason why only morons work for BB.
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Click to collapse
Couldn't be any further from the truth.
There's a difference between someone getting paid .25 over minimum and someone who knows how to negotiate pay.
I was hired by Best Buy in September 2007 at a starting pay of $10.25 an hour. That was $2.25 above minimum wage that year in California. Maybe you missed the 2 in your figure? After my 90 day evaluation, I was making $11.00. Basically, I outsold everyone on the sales floor, sold PSP's (they're called Black Tie Protection now), counter service, on-site service, accessories and built relationships with local shoppers. When they offered me a 25 cent raise at my 90 day, I said "I want $11 or I walk..." they didn't want to make up the numbers they'd lose from me.
By the time I quit in February 2009, I was making $12.00 an hour. If I stayed, I would've been promoted to a senior and been above $15-18 an hour at least.
I'm also a UCSD undergraduate studying Chemical Engineering in my sophomore/junior year. I wasn't the highest paying lower level employee I knew either. My friend is a comp sci major working at Best Buy and his starting wage was $2.50 higher per hour than some of the seniors in his department. They don't know about it.
Managers want the ignorant employees to think wages are equal and everyone gets paid garbage. The truth is, NBA isn't the only place some people make more money than their coworkers.
SO let's not jump to conclusions about what type of people work at Best Buy. I agree with people who dislike BB's practices, but let's not insult the employees.

newalker91 said:
You don't want to work there. They pay you about $0.25/hour over minimum wage with no commission or bonuses, then expect you to meet metrics similar to a commission sales job with no incentive. There's a reason why only morons work for BB.
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This forum would be a much better place if there wasn't people like this that think they are smarter than everyone else and like to put people down for absolutely no reason.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Whoever that guy is saying people at bestbuy make minimum wage is a moron, I work for mobile myself and make in the teens for hourly rate, aswell as being bonus eligible, its not a bad setup for a fulltime college student
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

I worked for best buy ( once upon a very dark time ).... and it is correct that they do lie to their employees about pay... it didn't used to be this way.. back in '05 -'06 best buy was an ok place to work... morals were high... and they had competition ( circuit city, comp usa ).. and they paid their employed well.
For example I was a DCI ( geek squad sup ) making $22hr.
But once circut closed and they had no more major competition ( I wont state frys ele as a competition bcuz they are not national ) they changed their policies... downsized their staff and everyone took a pay cut or got laid off.
So now bby thinks they are untouchable ( which they allmost are ) and can get away with low pay beacuse the economy sucks and people are willing to do anything to get by.
And yes.... not everyone who works for best buy is an idiot... just most of them.
Now.... im an I.T. admin / web developer making 3x what I did at bby...
So the moral of the story is... if you want to get ahead in life... don't work retail.... get a degree and use it!
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

The FCC wants public opinion on ATT acquisition of Tmobile!

The FCC is opening its ears to public opinions on this whole takeover going down. Check out this article!
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...-on-the-attt-mobile-deal-grab-your-pitchfork/
and here is the link where you can speak your mind, it is also linked in the article above!
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/upload/display?z=24j63
While the article states some more phone technical difficulties and how poorly ATT treats the android community, they also need to realize some equally bigger and some effects that will be instantly impacting everyone. The acquisition will leave ATT with too many stores and they will and have already stated that they will have to cut back the work force, I would speculate a good percentage, around 15-20% of the total workforce after they acquire Tmobile. This is going to be an instant loss in THOUSANDS of jobs across the US. Great, lets lay smore people off in this already ****ty economy, **** you ATT.
Imagine if ATT did not find a way to immediately integrate the current tmobile network into the current ATT network. This would mean all sorts of issues starting with new phones, many of the 34 million customers tmobile has will be forced to buy new phones. ATT just spent 39 billion dollars on a new company do you really think they are going to give everyone new phones of equal value to the ones they currently have? I would guess maybe similar deals to what are currently on the market if you sign a new contract and maybe an additional 50-100 dollars if you sign a new contract coming from tmobile. Not only that but how is the new network going to handle the instant surge of traffic into their network, an almost 40% instant increase in traffic! They can hardly handle their own traffic currently!
ATT is ultimately buying what they cannot earn or achieve on its own and a more liberal and customer friendly business model is threatening to what ATT wants. ATT continuously gets horrible reviews on their customer service where as Tmobile is continuously receiving outstanding reviews on theirs, again tmobile buying a model to maybe improve their own or just ultimately stomp out the competition so they don't look as bad. People cannot hate them if after 5 years of no tmobile they dont remember how the good days were.
ATT has slower and poorer network coverage than Tmobile, especially when it comes to "4g" and I use 4g loosely because it is not true 4g, however it is vastly further along than ATT's equivalent model for growth. Again, ATT cannot keep up so they are buying up.
Tmobile caters to android and the development of google's open OS model. Google has released all of their officially branded phones to work with tmobile's network because tmobile continues to support google, it has been a great mutual relationship. I owned a nexus one phone for tmobile and I remember the release of an ATT radio banded nexus one and it was like a whole other world for ATT users to be on a stock android device that was not locked down by the carrier at all.
These were just the first points that popped into my head... people rarely look past anything other than the phone and network incompatibility because that will effect them personally.
"The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the media, public safety and homeland security, and modernizing the FCC." The FCC does have to take into account large scale effects on the country such as tens of thousands of jobs going away as a result of the merger. Competition is a big factor in this because if ultimately this turns into a monopoly setting for ATT then the FCC looks like assholes in letting this go through and they will be in the middle of a huge judicial matter down the road. If the FCC feels that millions of customers will face a headache or extra financial burden by the merger than this falls under the public safety, protecting us from damages.
I encourage that if you do say something about the merger, be academic about it. 10 million people chiming in about ATT's ****ty customer service will not get anything done, the FCC does not give a rats ass about quality customer service or high dropped call rates, they are going to be focused on business model, economical impact in the present and future and ultimately the immediate effect on customers and any unnecessary financial burdens. This is a selfish act by ATT and they are covering it up with their bull**** about how they want to expand their network for the benefit of everyone.

147 comment/complaints!
i have made mine lets take advantage of our rights and tell the FCC how we REALLY FEEL!
THANKS FOR THE LINKS OP!

nate420 said:
147 comment/complaints!
i have made mine lets take advantage of our rights and tell the FCC how we REALLY FEEL!
THANKS FOR THE LINKS OP!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no problem man! this issue is bigger than, omg i dont want to deal with ATT, their ****ty customer service and ****ty phones...

What is the "proceeding number" and "filing number"?

What does my Front Facing Camera care about AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile?

v8dreaming said:
What is the "proceeding number" and "filing number"?
Click to expand...
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11-65 is the proceeding number
read the andriodpolice link and then go to the fcc link!
MWBehr said:
What does my Front Facing Camera care about AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile?
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Click to collapse
LOL @ the topic name
@ op can you edit the topic tittle to FCC not FFC lol

Thank you for this thread! I've posted my misgivings and although I'm sure it doesn't meet their request for it to be 'brief', it certainly outlined my biggest issues w/this travesty!
I also liked both this page and the article itself in Stumbleupon. I had thought about like the FCC page, but w/o an explanation, I know ppl wouldn't know what it was about.
If this unholy union takes place, all I can say is I hope they send me some lipstick, because as Cartman said, "... I like to look pretty before I get*bleeped*!"

nate420 said:
11-65 is the proceeding number
read the andriodpolice link and then go to the fcc link!
LOL @ the topic name
@ op can you edit the topic tittle to FCC not FFC lol
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LOL wow i totally did not even notice this either... proofreadfail

Voiced my disapproval of the deal.

I think I agree with the OP's statements on this matter. Especially his last paragraph. They want to get an idea of what their getting into before they make a final choice. If everyone just tells them how much they hate Att and how crappy their CS is, then your just wasting your time. They will prolly make it through the first sentence and discard your message. I would suggest being mature, direct - and by direct I do not mean demanding. Focus on the big picture rather than just how it effects yourself. They wanna make sure that they arent going to regret this, they dont want to be the ones that hurt thousands of hard working americans in such a wounded economy. With gas prices, real estate and tons of material costs and not to mention food prices raising more and more, the last thing they want is to screw the cellular economy also. I would suggest reading the whole original post and thinking before you hit the send button. Because I think these emails will have an impact on their decision, I would send one, but I am not a true t-mobile customer, although I will be shortly. I honestly hope this doesnt go through, I really dont like Att either, but also dont know t-mobile enough to give an honest, informed opinion. Good luck to us all. . .

Simple, simply don't believe the hype

Unlimited data! Unlimited calling and text. Not really, after only 3 weeks with Simple Mobile, I find myself in a position with no wifi and having to rely on Simple's 4G. Not even 24 hours later, I have been throttled to a useless crawl. I asked on numerous occasions if in fact high speed data was unlimited and every time the answer was yes. So, I call customer support and the the only answer I get is a reading from the terms and conditions of the contract, which remember, doesn't exist either. So in a nutshell, unlike the larger carriers that at least tell you in fine print how much high speed data you can use, Simple simply decides when you've had enough. Is there ANY truth in advertising anymore?
[email protected]

mustangtim49 said:
Unlimited data! Unlimited calling and text. Not really, after only 3 weeks with Simple Mobile, I find myself in a position with no wifi and having to rely on Simple's 4G. Not even 24 hours later, I have been throttled to a useless crawl.
[email protected]
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Click to collapse
well t-mobile says the same thing, its unlimited in the amount of data i can download but once i go past the 5gb on my plan i get throttled. i still get unlimited data, its just slow now and not at 4g speed, i pay no overages
still sucks though

That's what I'm saying, at least you know what you payed for. I'm sorry, my battery died mid post and I couldn't finish. Op is finished now
[email protected]

ahhh makes more sense now, i see what you mean
so you pay the $60 unlimited plan and they cut you off? yeah i call BS on that one, it says right on their page you get unlimited data, says nothing about throttling or data limits

Exactly, and when I said that the only answer I got was from the crickets. Only because I had an increase in data usage, they throttled me within hours. I explained I work over the Internet and had no access to wifi, they're not really concerned with it. I'm so pissed I could scream!
[email protected]

http://www.mysimplemobile.com/plans-60-unlimited.aspx
Read:
Unlimited Internet at up to 4G speeds
There's no false advertising here.

Unlimited does not mean unrestricted.
I have unlimited data. If I go past 5 GB, I get throttled, but it's still unlimited.

check out Simple's Terms & Conditions, paragraphs 15 (Misuse of Service or Device) and 16 (Our Rights to Limit or End Service or the Agreement), specifically the line that says (from para 16):
"We may impose credit, usage or other limits to your Service, suspend your Service, or block certain types of calls, messages or sessions (such as international, 900 or 976 calls), in our sole discretion and without notice."
http://www.mysimplemobile.com/Simple-Mobile-Terms-Conditions.aspx

dodgefan67 said:
check out Simple's Terms & Conditions, paragraphs 15 (Misuse of Service or Device) and 16 (Our Rights to Limit or End Service or the Agreement), specifically the line that says (from para 16):
"We may impose credit, usage or other limits to your Service, suspend your Service, or block certain types of calls, messages or sessions (such as international, 900 or 976 calls), in our sole discretion and without notice."
http://www.mysimplemobile.com/Simple-Mobile-Terms-Conditions.aspx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rarely ever see anything positive written about Simple on these forums or anywhere else. I'm a data hog and bump up against my throttle limits at T-Mobile and Comcast. I've considered making the switch to Simple, but this thread pretty much offers confirmation that I should not even consider it. I can see myself getting throttled because I stream a lot of music or tether my tab more than usual.

Until I posted here there was no talk about throttling, if anything, I have brought it to the surface.
[email protected]

Term and conditions. They reserve the right to make ANY changes to your service.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

Jeez people, is everyone a simple employee or fanboy? I'm just saying I got throttled way before even 2gigs of data. Just throwing it out there, don't think they won't throttle you.
[email protected]

mustangtim49 said:
Jeez people, is everyone a simple employee or fanboy? I'm just saying I got throttled way before even 2gigs of data. Just throwing it out there, don't think they won't throttle you.
[email protected]
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I agree with you. Even if its not false advertising, its obviously intended to be vague and misleading. Seems other people have fallen backward and landed butt-first on a stick, for whatever reason.

userno69 said:
I agree with you. Even if its not false advertising, its obviously intended to be vague and misleading. Seems other people have fallen backward and landed butt-first on a stick, for whatever reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANK YOU!
[email protected]

mustangtim49 said:
Jeez people, is everyone a simple employee or fanboy? I'm just saying I got throttled way before even 2gigs of data. Just throwing it out there, don't think they won't throttle you.
[email protected]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, everyone is just competent enough to actually read the terms of service they are signing.
So, I call customer support and the the only answer I get is a reading from the terms and conditions of the contract, which remember, doesn't exist either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't exist right?
http://www.mysimplemobile.com/Simple-Mobile-Terms-Conditions.aspx
Is there ANY truth in advertising anymore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just noticed? Welcome to corporate America.

iArtisan said:
No, everyone is just competent enough to actually read the terms of service they are signing.
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Really? I'm pretty confident that MOST people do NOT read TOS for most things they sign up for.

partylikeaninjastar said:
Really? I'm pretty confident that MOST people do NOT read TOS for most things they sign up for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone in the business of saving money lol
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app

iArtisan said:
No, everyone is just competent enough to actually read the terms of service they are signing.
It doesn't exist right?
http://www.mysimplemobile.com/Simple-Mobile-Terms-Conditions.aspx
You just noticed? Welcome to corporate America.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, you're one of those tight asses that really reads the fine print. I spent 4 years reading fine print to get my bachelors Degree in literature and stare at fine print writing for this website. No, I don't read fine print, fine print is a way to get away with screwing the customer with no legal repercussions. There's enough know it alls and smart assess on this site, great, now we have another. Hey everyone, iArtisan is a Simple Mobile fanboy and believes we should all suffer from deceitful business practices because we don't have time in our busy lives to sit and spend hours going over fine print with our attorneys on retainer before signing a lousy $60 NO CONTRACT contract. Oh, did I mention I didn't get a CONTRACT smart ass? One more thing, I didn't sign anything either. Go be a smartass in your own thread, do you have any? If you do they weren't important enough to read. Really, you didn't pay attention to the fine print either, never verbally challenge a writer in their own thread, you will lose every time. Thanks.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

Cant we all just get along? on topic tho, op you have a fair point. Just because one month you use 1gb more of data doesn't mean they should throttle you. Plus you said you didn't even hit 2gb!
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app

chrisram88 said:
Cant we all just get along? on topic tho, op you have a fair point. Just because one month you use 1gb more of data doesn't mean they should throttle you. Plus you said you didn't even hit 2gb!
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!
[email protected]

[Petition] Keep Unlocking Phones Legal

Since unlocking phones (for carrier use) becomes illegal starting tomorrow, we have made a petition to fight back.
Please sign!
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium

RBarnett09 said:
Since unlocking phones (for carrier use) becomes illegal starting tomorrow, we have made a petition to fight back.
Please sign!
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do nothing with a petition like this now, this is scheduled to be looked at every 3 years, in 3 years you will have a chance to be heard and get this changed, however, we are stuck with this for at least 3 years.

Milimbar said:
You can do nothing with a petition like this now, this is scheduled to be looked at every 3 years, in 3 years you will have a chance to be heard and get this changed, however, we are stuck with this for at least 3 years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. I'm sure the White House is getting a nice chuckle from this petition.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda app-developers app

Here's the thing about what people may see as a pointless petition.
They are all pointless until created. No matter if this will make any difference or not.
Petitions aren't meant to go by guidelines or by what the current law or cycle of voting represents.
In fact, if we all just sat idly by while things happen around us and shrug our shoulders because well, that's what the law is and it doesn't come back up for discussion for 10 years, so let's just leave it as is, even though the majority of us are against it.
I guess my point is, no matter how small of a change or difference one person may think they will be or make, unless they start somewhere, they may as well roll over like everyone else.
Change starts with YOU!
(or you can accept things for the way they are dealt to you)

Santod is right. If enough people sign it will get attention and maybe it will be enough that it doesn't have to wait for three years before it is brought up again. If we keep allowing the cell companies to control how we use our property then eventually we won't have any control of it. This kind of crap needs to stop somewhere. This idea of not allowing us to decide if we want to stay with a specific carrier is bs. Would you like it if a bank said you had to remain in the same property, exactly the way it was originally purchased for the duration of the contract? Probably not.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

Nexus 4, 7, 10 ... ++ More Nexus is the way to go now. Besides, I font see the point in an ithing or win8.
A reason to get one now and get away from VZW, I say.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

Why is this crap being posted in forums for Verizon phones? It simply doesn't apply - VZW has never carrier locked their phones.

mike.s said:
Why is this crap being posted in forums for Verizon phones? It simply doesn't apply - VZW has never carrier locked their phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently you don't understand.
It will be illegal for us to unlock our phones to use them how we want to... HTC or not.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium

This law affects all carriers. The only way around it is to get your carrier to unlock the phone for you or buy an unlocked phone from the start. They are only making it illegal to unlock your phone without their knowledge or permission.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

disconnecktie said:
This law affects all carriers. The only way around it is to get your carrier to unlock the phone for you or buy an unlocked phone from the start. They are only making it illegal to unlock your phone without their knowledge or permission.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This definitely won't stop most people.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium

RBarnett09 said:
This definitely won't stop most people.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A $500,000 fine and 5 years in prison sounds like a pretty good deterrent to keep most people from doing though. I think they are mostly targeting the businesses that are capitalizing on something that the carrier will do for people most of the time. I think part of the problem is that people get a phone on contract and since the phone is subsidized when they don't pay their bill the phone company eats the cost of the phone. If they are able to unlock the phone and use it somewhere else they basically get a free phone.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

Plus from what I heard on the radio if you own a phone already then you can unlock it and flash it to whatever carrier. Online petitions are a joke. As you can't prove the people existence because of of no signatures. I could type out ten thousand names names easily. You want change? You want action? Then call your congressmen or woman and voice your dislikes. Have your family,friends,coworkers, and so on to call. Tell them you are not happy and unless you see action you will vote for the other guy. Keep calling and if enough people calls something might be done.
Or you could go the easier route and just buy a google branded phone and not have to worry about the stupid law lol. It is funny people don't seem to care about stuff till its to late.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

disconnecktie said:
A $500,000 fine and 5 years in prison sounds like a pretty good deterrent to keep most people from doing though. I think they are mostly targeting the businesses that are capitalizing on something that the carrier will do for people most of the time. I think part of the problem is that people get a phone on contract and since the phone is subsidized when they don't pay their bill the phone company eats the cost of the phone. If they are able to unlock the phone and use it somewhere else they basically get a free phone.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holy....
I was unaware of that kind of punishment. That's insane.
How would someone get caught unlocking a phone though?
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium

I'm pretty sure that the esn will tell the new carrier where the phone came from. Plus you would have to know because unlocking it is probably different depending on which carrier you are coming from. There was a law passed recently that makes it illegal to take a phone with a bad esn and unlock it to use with a different carrier as well. The major carriers also have the ability to make a bad esn phone no good across most of the other carriers too.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

Milimbar said:
You can do nothing with a petition like this now, this is scheduled to be looked at every 3 years, in 3 years you will have a chance to be heard and get this changed, however, we are stuck with this for at least 3 years.
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tm24fan8 said:
Indeed. I'm sure the White House is getting a nice chuckle from this petition.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda app-developers app
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Who's laughing now!!!??
As I said before, it all starts with us guys.... :good:
Official White House Response to Make Unlocking Cell Phones Legal.
(NOTE: This is in regards to carrier unlocking, not bootloader unlocking)
Source: LINK
It's Time to Legalize Cell Phone Unlocking
By R. David Edelman
Thank you for sharing your views on cell phone unlocking with us through your petition on our We the People platform.
Last week the White House brought together experts from across government who work on telecommunications, technology, and copyright policy, and we're pleased to offer our response.
The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties.
In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren't bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network.
It's common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers' needs.
This is particularly important for secondhand or other mobile devices that you might buy or receive as a gift, and want to activate on the wireless network that meets your needs -- even if it isn't the one on which the device was first activated.
All consumers deserve that flexibility.
The White House's position detailed in this response builds on some critical thinking done by the President's chief advisory Agency on these matters:
the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
For more context and information on the technical aspects of the issue, you can review the NTIA's letter to the Library of Congress' Register of Copyrights (.pdf),
voicing strong support for maintaining the previous exception to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) for cell phone carrier unlocking.
Contrary to the NTIA's recommendation, the Librarian of Congress ruled that phones purchased after January of this year would no longer be exempted from the DMCA.
The law gives the Librarian the authority to establish or eliminate exceptions -- and we respect that process.
But it is also worth noting the statement the Library of Congress released today on the broader public policy concerns of the issue.
Clearly the White House and Library of Congress agree that the DMCA exception process is a rigid and imperfect fit for this telecommunications issue, and we want to ensure this particular challenge for mobile competition is solved.
So where do we go from here?
The Obama Administration would support a range of approaches to addressing this issue, including narrow legislative fixes in the telecommunications space that make it clear:
neither criminal law nor technological locks should prevent consumers from switching carriers when they are no longer bound by a service agreement or other obligation.
We also believe the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), with its responsibility for promoting mobile competition and innovation, has an important role to play here.
FCC Chairman Genachowski today voiced his concern about mobile phone unlocking (.pdf), and to complement his efforts, NTIA will be formally engaging with the FCC as it addresses this urgent issue.
Finally, we would encourage mobile providers to consider what steps they as businesses can take to ensure that their customers can fully reap the benefits and features they expect when purchasing their devices.
We look forward to continuing to work with Congress, the wireless and mobile phone industries, and most importantly you -- the everyday consumers who stand to benefit from this greater flexibility -- to ensure our laws keep pace with changing technology, protect the economic competitiveness that has led to such innovation in this space, and offer consumers the flexibility and freedoms they deserve.
R. David Edelman is Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation, & Privacy
Tell us what you think about this response and We the People.

Alright fair enough, good job guys!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Translation they agree but not really going to do much about it lol.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

santod040 said:
Who's laughing now!!!??
As I said before, it all starts with us guys.... :good:
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I signed it also, and just got my e-mail like 35min ago.
I don't know if it will change anything short term, but if nothing else.... at least next time it comes up for review it should turn out more favorably. Hopefully they will step in and push through some intermediate legislation before the next scheduled review though.

Milimbar said:
I signed it also, and just got my e-mail like 35min ago.
I don't know if it will change anything short term, but if nothing else.... at least next time it comes up for review it should turn out more favorably. Hopefully they will step in and push through some intermediate legislation before the next scheduled review though.
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That would be nice, but would require Congress to stop bickering for more than a minute...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

I saw this and thought the same, what's this really going to accomplish? And then the posted article where it apparently did accomplish something. Seems like that's not always the case... But in general, I guess it's not a ton of effort to click in and sign an online petition, so if my one vote does almost-nothing-but-still-something, I guess the return on investment is slightly higher than what I get for typing a single forum post.
Although, if the law is meant to keep people from ditching their carrier and not paying their bill and having the phone "for free", there is the spot they're going to get on their credit when it goes to collections. Getting denied for credit or getting a worse rate for the next 7 years doesn't seem completely devoid of consequence.

Verizon refuses to publish my reviews of the GS5

I've submitted two reviews on the Verizon website giving my honest opinion of the device. They have denied posting both times due to what they say violates the guidelines. Admittedly, my first review was rather harsh. After the first denial, I went back and read the guidelines and posted a very toned down version. I didn't post anything that was specifically prohibited in the second review. They did not see it that way and denied posting the second version for the same given reason. Apparently, Verizon will not tolerate ANY criticism of their company by reviewers.
Here are their guidelines:
Verizon values your feedback!
When writing your review, please consider the following guidelines:
Focus on the product and your individual experience using it
Provide details about why you liked or disliked a product
All submitted reviews are subject to the terms set forth in our Terms of Use
We reserve the right not to post your review if it contains any of the following types of content or violates other guidelines:
Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other language not suitable for a public forum
Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers, or websites
Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other forms of contact information
Critical or spiteful comments on other reviews posted on the page or their authors
In addition, if you wish to share feedback with us about product selection, pricing, ordering, delivery or other customer service issues, please do not submit this feedback through a product review. Instead, contact us directly.
Enjoy writing your review!

What is the text of your review?

KarlStyles said:
What is the text of your review?
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I didn't keep my exact text, but this is pretty close to what I said in my edited review:
Samsung did a great job designing this device. Why isn't this device sold with an unlockable bootloader as the manufacturer intended? Power users should be able to use their own property as they see fit as long as it doesn't break any laws.
I'm disappointed that Verizon chose not to offer the 32gb version of this phone. Because of the way that Android manages memory, many apps can't be moved to the Micro SD card. For users that need a lot of apps, memory will quickly become an issue.
I'm not happy that the phone is sold loaded down with software that is designed to promote sales and marketing of other products and I'm not allowed to disable or uninstall it.

They own the site so they're entitled to filter content as they see fit.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using xda app-developers app

mike163 said:
I didn't keep my exact text, but this is pretty close to what I said in my edited review:
Samsung did a great job designing this device. Why isn't this device sold with an unlockable bootloader as the manufacturer intended? Power users should be able to use their own property as they see fit as long as it doesn't break any laws.
I'm disappointed that Verizon chose not to offer the 32gb version of this phone. Because of the way that Android manages memory, many apps can't be moved to the Micro SD card. For users that need a lot of apps, memory will quickly become an issue.
I'm not happy that the phone is sold loaded down with software that is designed to promote sales and marketing of other products and I'm not allowed to disable or uninstall it.
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Click to collapse
I don't disagree with anything you said, but it does fall out of their guidelines. It is more a complaint against Verizon than a review of the phone. Maybe the way to go about it is to rephrase it more like a product review. For example, instead of generalizing on limited apps to card, phrase it as your experience. Something like "unlike previous phones, the new android system didn't let me move as many apps to the external card. As a result, I find the 16 gb storage is filling up quickly." Then move to disappointed that Verizon doesn't have 32gb version.
Similarly you can mention that the device runs ok, and Samsung added a feature to turn off system apps in order to conserve battery and reduce clutter. But then move to however there is a lot of bloat that can't be turned off.
I'm not sure what to do with the rooting portion, maybe keep it as a final note rather than making that your main point. I would also add a starting statement of "I've used the phone for x days and here's my impression so far". That may be enough to qualify it to their standard.
Btw, you didn't mention the fact that Verizon disabled two of the main advertised features of the phone - download boost and finger print payments.

You must be maintain guidelines.. All time..

I'm considering going back to T-Mobile over the S5 root issues. It gets worse and worse each year with them. I've been a loyal customer for 10 years and they took my unlimited away, bloated my phone with apps, raised rates and now they pretty much don't allow the truth to be told on their site. I've been due for an upgrade for a LONG time and I think I might take up t-mo's buy out your contract thing just to stick it to them.

1timer said:
I'm considering going back to T-Mobile over the S5 root issues. It gets worse and worse each year with them. I've been a loyal customer for 10 years and they took my unlimited away, bloated my phone with apps, raised rates and now they pretty much don't allow the truth to be told on their site. I've been due for an upgrade for a LONG time and I think I might take up t-mo's buy out your contract thing just to stick it to them.
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I'm debating going with you to be honest.

thewebsiteisdown said:
I'm debating going with you to be honest.
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Me too. Another Cincinnatian here as well. Shame T-Mo coverage isn't that great here. Neither is Sprint...only good ones are VZW and ATT and C-Bell (now VZW! I think I am gonna puke).

SOCOM-HERO said:
Me too. Another Cincinnatian here as well. Shame T-Mo coverage isn't that great here. Neither is Sprint...only good ones are VZW and ATT and C-Bell (now VZW! I think I am gonna puke).
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Look what I just read.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/te...s-browsing-to-advertisers-20140426-zqzzq.html

thewebsiteisdown said:
Look what I just read.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/te...s-browsing-to-advertisers-20140426-zqzzq.html
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Do you know that every other provider DOESN'T do this? Doubt it's just VZW.

jmill75 said:
Do you know that every other provider DOESN'T do this? Doubt it's just VZW.
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Verizon has their phones locked down completely and T-mobile doesn't. There for I can rid the problem with T-mobile pretty easily, not so much with Verizon. That's my point what's yours?

thewebsiteisdown said:
Verizon has their phones locked down completely and T-mobile doesn't. There for I can rid the problem with T-mobile pretty easily, not so much with Verizon. That's my point what's yours?
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LOL, yes you may be able to get rid of carrier IQ type programs running on your phone. Not sure what this has to do with TMOBILE seeing what websites you are visiting using there network and selling this to advertising companies etc....
Ex 2: Just because I run Chrome in incognito mode doesn't mean Time Warner doesn't monitor my traffic.
Back to you, whats your point, you said it like "OMG LOOK AT WHAT I JUST READ" "BAD VERIZON"
LOLOLOLOLOL

jmill75 said:
LOL, yes you may be able to get rid of carrier IQ type programs running on your phone. Not sure what this has to do with TMOBILE seeing what websites you are visiting using there network and selling this to advertising companies etc....
Ex 2: Just because I run Chrome in incognito mode doesn't mean Time Warner doesn't monitor my traffic.
Back to you, whats your point, you said it like "OMG LOOK AT WHAT I JUST READ" "BAD VERIZON"
LOLOLOLOLOL
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Almost all mega-corps data mine like crazy. Fine. Discover that I like rooting on XDA, have a facebook account, play video games...I don't care.
What I do care about is being able to do what I want, when I want with my device. VZW doesn't seem to care about the customer at all anymore.

SOCOM-HERO said:
Almost all mega-corps data mine like crazy. Fine. Discover that I like rooting on XDA, have a facebook account, play video games...I don't care.
What I do care about is being able to do what I want, when I want with my device. VZW doesn't seem to care about the customer at all anymore.
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Exactly thank you for summing it up for me.

VZW, and ATT, are required by law to allow you to network unlock the device, not boot loader unlock. The carrier covers warranty claims on the device, therefore it is in their interest to minimize the amount of damage "power users" can do to their devices
in my opinion, this trend of carriers locking bootloaders is the direct result of unscrupulous "modders" sending in for warranty or insurance claims after bricking their devices.
finally, we are by far the minority of smartphone users. a very very small percentage of Samsung, or the carriers, customer base and we DO have other options. the Nexus line, HTC with their unlockable bootloaders, GPE, and Dev edition devices.

/rant sorry
Russ77 said:
great input, thanks.
call it whatever you want, companies are in business to make money. if they're giving up profit margin due to fraudulent warranty claims on modified devices, they're well within their rights to sell locked devices.
was anyone here really surprised that the s5 is locked? really?
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How much profit has been lost on this? $10k? $1 million? If you took the entire user base of XDA or any other tech forum and had all of them return broken phones, then you'd attention of a company like VZW. Otherwise, they don't care. They just want to pick a fight they can win easily and make the "modding" community look bad because 1% have not followed directions or are just plain dumb.
A) if you bring in a rooted device that is bricked, they won't even offer you a claim
B) How many people are dumb enough to spend hours on XDA and other sites following instructions and asking questions, only to just give up and go back to VZW/ATT with their bricked phone and say "Idk how this happened?"
Please. These companies aren't in business to make money, they are in business to advance an agenda for shareholders while raking in the money from consumers who have a rapidly disappearing range of options to consider. Cincinnati is a great recent example. Our local provider just got bought out by VZW and at the same time, laid off a decent chunk of staff to make way for the corporate shift. All the while, these same companies lie to the customer with their marketing fluff.
I am not an advocate for one carrier over another, as I have no vested interest in any one of them over another. However, I will say that T-Mo's "in your face" approach to their new marketing is quite polarizing to the rest of the status quo in the industry of "corporate bs doublespeak" where one day you have a contract for $99/mo unlimited everything, and the next, you are paying $130 with a data cap. (Which happens to be what happened to me).
If the PC industry was this way, we wouldn't have half the progress we have seen in the last 20 years. Instead, the PC industry (mac included) embraced unique user created content (hackers included) and actually employed some of those who were great at it to work for them. But, NO, not in the telecom industry. It is the most ridiculous double standard.
So yes, these companies can go shove it. I'm done here. I won't be getting an S5 or and HTC M8 at this point. I have analyzed the phones and neither one is getting the "ok" from me anyhow. I just think it is very interesting how much a company is willing to combat what the "android community," if you can even call it one, has become.
A bunch of polarizing, angry tech loving people who never agree on anything, myself included. Get me out of here. I'm done.

Make it easy on yourself. Don't buy Samsung-Verizon ****. I got an m8. Sharp looking phone, rooted and unlocked in days. Even if you rock stock, there is far less bloat. Sense isn't the steaming pile that touchwiz is. And they sell 32 GB for the same price as this unholy garbage.

SOCOM-HERO said:
Me too. Another Cincinnatian here as well. Shame T-Mo coverage isn't that great here. Neither is Sprint...only good ones are VZW and ATT and C-Bell (now VZW! I think I am gonna puke).
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I'm from NKY and just switched from sprint to T-Mobile. I don't get LTE in NKY, and I haven't been to Cinci yet since the switch. That being said, my coverage has been pretty good and so long as I'm in anything resembling civilization I pretty much always get 4g (5-10Mbps). It's not all bad, and hopefully LTE is on the way, Unlimited data is nice, and I have JUMP, so being able to upgrade yearly is awesome as well.

1timer said:
I'm considering going back to T-Mobile over the S5 root issues. It gets worse and worse each year with them. I've been a loyal customer for 10 years and they took my unlimited away, bloated my phone with apps, raised rates and now they pretty much don't allow the truth to be told on their site. I've been due for an upgrade for a LONG time and I think I might take up t-mo's buy out your contract thing just to stick it to them.
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They didn't take away unlimited, they basically forced you to opt out of that option in order to pay for contract price phones when you upgrade. I've never had the unlimited, so it's nothing I really bothered to complain about. I did however, end up doubling my coverage for the same price one day 2 years ago when I was on the My Verizon app, and noticed they were offering it. Of course they didn't bother to advertise it anywhere else though.
I will never lose Verizon. I know it sucks how freaking crazy they are locking everything, but there are Devs out there who always find a way. I can not simply give up the best coverage just for root. As much as it might suck one day, not being able to actually use your phone due to **** service would be even worse.
---------- Post added at 12:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 AM ----------
k.electron said:
Make it easy on yourself. Don't buy Samsung-Verizon ****. I got an m8. Sharp looking phone, rooted and unlocked in days. Even if you rock stock, there is far less bloat. Sense isn't the steaming pile that touchwiz is. And they sell 32 GB for the same price as this unholy garbage.
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Samsung phones are superior to HTC. Not just my opinion, but basically backed up by facts. S5 has the best display on the market, hands down. Faster processor, better camera, better layout, better extras. The only thing the HTC has over the S5 is exterior speakers, but honestly, who even uses them that much? You're either listening to music on your headphones, or plugging the phone into better speakers anyways