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ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



TraderStav posted:

The throttled down speed is still usable for basic stuff, right? I rarely go over 1.5gb let alone 2.5 and my wife hardly cracks 300mb but I'd like to know the full extent of the downside.

I don't know the full extent, but YouTube (SD, not HD) still works as well as web browsing, MMS, Awful app. Those are the only things I tried when I was over.

Oh, since you have a Moto X, call AIO and let em know you want a nanoSIM or just find an AIO store if you can.

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ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



TLG James posted:

The weird thing is my plan says I have 4.5 gigs of high speed this month. I checked the statement, its for the 2 gig plan + 15 dollar reconnect fee.

That is kind of strange...I'd probably call before you hit 2GB to make sure that this is temporary or they might charge you $60 next month or something.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



The Entire Universe posted:

Yeah, it's pretty baller to see $55 on the site and know it isn't actually like $68 (Nebraska taxes the fuuuuck out of mobile carriers for some reason) after the poo poo.

Nebraska has the highest mobile tax in the country at 24.5%. :v: Probably that loving stadium cost and other bs.

Sprint cost me nearly $90 for a bill that was supposed to be $60.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



The Entire Universe posted:

Probably the cost of trying to give tax breaks away to everything they can.

That too. :v: Also probably because the sky is blue, the wind is blowing, and there's snow on the ground. All perfectly acceptable reasons to spend more money that we don't really have.

Anyway:

AIO Wireless just got the Moto G and the ZTE Sonata 4G to use on its network.

The Moto G (which isn't on their site yet) will be $149.99 and the ZTE Sonata 4G is $79.99. The ZTE is exclusive to AIO in the US.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Geoj posted:

Or a backwards/technophobic state whose legislature is stuck in the 80s and still thinks that mobile phones are a luxury item only enjoyed by the top 5%.

Well it's that and the fact they put a new baseball stadium that no one wanted and tore down the old one which was still fine. Tax payers are still kind of paying for that. They also tacked on a "restaurant tax" just to get more money that way too.

Either way, NE is backwards and lovely. I could literally walk across the border into Iowa (since I live right next to it), the most boring state in the country, and get cheaper bills.

In cheap phone news, US Cellular (are they a prepaid carrier now?) has the Moto G for $99 after instant rebate.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



T-Mobile just won the lawsuit they filed against AT&T for the color of AIO Wireless' logo.

So, I guess AIO will have a different logo color or something now? That or AT&T will appeal because it's seriously nothing close to T-Mobile's color but I guess it's cool for companies to own colors now. :v:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/02/08/t-mobile-wins-lawsuit-against-atts-aio-wireless-for-magenta-trademark-infringement/

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Geoj posted:

Maybe they figured since Apple owns geometric shapes why not get in on the crazy vague trademark/paten bandwagon?

Ah well.

It seems the general public is cool with this considering all of the comments on the article I posted saying how it "makes sense" that T-Mobile can do this and it's ok.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



sublyme posted:

Do you know if the autopay requires being pulled from a checking account, or can be done with a credit card? It sounds stupid, but I hate companies that require autopays from checking accounts, since once they take your money it's gone, but a credit card can at least issue a chargeback if there's a discrepancy.

When you sign up, you need to enter a card to buy a plan and SIM card. Autopay will come out of that card.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Lblitzer posted:

It needs to be a Straight Talk sim card, either from WalMart or from their website.

AIO is owned underneath AT&T and has a few different roaming privileges IIRC but otherwise is a similar service.

AIO doesn't have roaming, but it does have higher priority than Straight Talk. America Movil, the company that owns TracFone, paid AT&T to allow people to roam on T-Mobile if you need to. GoPhone and AIO, owned by AT&T, don't roam.

The other difference is customer service is a LOT better on AIO than ST. It's not completely outsourced like ST's is.

Also, data on ST is still monitored and you can be throttled for the littlest things. People say that YMMV on this, but officially, ST does not allow for streaming of any kind. You MAY be able to get away with some of it, but not much. AIO doesn't care how much you stream or what you use to do it.

Neither AIO or ST allows tethering. Again, people will claim YMMV on this but I wouldn't risk it. Especially not with ST.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



blargle posted:

Tethering is fine on any provider as long as the app you're using changes the TTL, I do this often on ST with no issues. This is generally trivial on Android, not sure about other phones.

As of Android 4.4, the OS itself will let the carrier know that you're tethering so you can't easily get away with it.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



BonoMan posted:

By the way, AIO just reduced it's price. The Smart plan is now $50 and the tier above that is $60. Also you data allotment went up. It's now 2.5 with the Smart plan.

You have to manually change it in your account though. It won't automatically switch over.

Looking at a comparison here's what my plan (the original $55 "Smart" plan) is compared to the new Smart plan.

My original:


The new Smart Plan:


Looks like the only thing added is "Anytime Minutes National Only."

Not sure what that is.

Read the last few pages. :v:

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



SB35 posted:

Just activated my new AIO sim. Enabled auto pay. How does the $5 off thing happen? You just see a $5 credit when you pay or what?

The $5 off is automatic and 5 days before your bill is due.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



On vacation in Dallas and found some new info on aio at one of the standalone stores here since a friend had to go set up his account for his Moto X.

*Compared to Straight Talk, since AIO is a subsidiary of AT&T directly, they have their own towers so there's no sharing with others. ST and other MVNOs not directly associated with AT&T have to share with postpaid. This would explain the outages AIO had but AT&T and others didn't.

*AIOs official colors have changed to a teal color from purple thanks to both the Cricket merger and T-Mobile suing them. I'll add a picture later since I'm on my phone.

* When you buy a phone straight from AIO, the SIM card will disable tethering. However, if you root that phone you can turn it back on. At this time, it seems only the iPhone will have it's tethering disabled permanently. If you bring your own device, however, it will not be disabled.

* Since AIO is no contract, you CAN technically tether without much consequence as long as you're careful. The associate said that he tethers on AIO using his Lumia and that was the specific reason he bought it.

He noted that there are those in sketchy parts of South Dallas that buy burner phones just to tether. They'll buy them, use them until they break, buy another phone, put it on the plan, tether again, etc.

Usually, AT&T won't do anything unless you use tons of data (over the alotted bucket + more). He actually said that AT&T can't tell but that's probably due to those phones not having Android 4.4 which does tell the carrier. :v:

* Cricket refused the merge unless they'd keep the name Cricket afterwards.

* In about one month, AIO will be renamed to Cricket. All plans, numbers, and otherwise will remain the same. It'll be either renamed to Cricket Leap or just Cricket, apparently.

* I can 100% confirm that AIO does have nanoSIM at their stores. However, they have no adapters for for them so you'd have to buy one from somewhere else of you wanted to use it as a microSIM.

* According to the associate, after you use up your data bucket, you'll be throttled down to 2-4Mbps from up to 9Mbps.

ThermoPhysical fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Feb 24, 2014

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



IuniusBrutus posted:

goddammit. I already have my primary number on GV, and enough people use my throwaway for picture messaging that I'd rather not get another one of those, as well.

If Google just got MMS working with GV (or if peopler just stopped using the stupid poo poo) this wouldn't be a problem.

That'll be happening soon as they'll be merging Hangouts with Voice this year

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Photex posted:

hasn't this been like..coming soon for a really long time?

They confirmed it last year, actually. :v: Not a rumor anymore. In fact, Voice will cease to work for 3rd parties in May 2014.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Watommi posted:

I take it AIO doesn't do company discounts like ATT does? I had a 15% discount when I was an ATT customer, and my wife works for the post office which gets a 25% discount.

Activated my AIO sim a few days ago and it's great so far. Data is plenty fast enough and coverage is the same as ATT was. Hoping nothing changes when they change to Cricket.

The plans, prices, and service won't, only the name.

Cricket is CDMA (for now) and AIO is GSM, there shouldn't be any major congestion.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



poxin posted:

So if I wanted to look for a tethering app that isn't reported to the carrier like the built-in stock one, where would one look?

Edit: probably better asked in the app thread, I'll head there.

There's no way to stop that with 4.4+ unless you root.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Bobulus posted:

I've been doing the $30/100/Unlimited/Unlimited T-mobile plan for a while now, but the town I've moved to has terrible t-mobile coverage (2G at best, no data in some parts of town) so I've been meaning to switch to AT&T, the only other alternative without buying a new phone. And now, for the last two days, I haven't been able to get a data signal anywhere in town, so it's probably time to do something. Several questions:

1) Anyone know if the tmobile thing is some new policy change? I'm pretty sure the problem isn't on my end and there were some rumblings about changing the way that plan worked?

2) The Op hasn't been updated since 2012. Is my best bet just to go right with straight-talk, or has something better come along? I've already got my number on GV, so I don't give a gently caress about number transferring.

If you're going to go AT&T, AIO Wireless is pretty much your best bet.

They've updated their plans since the OP listed them:

Basic Plan is now Unlimited Talk/Text/Data (first 500MB full LTE speed) for $40/mo.

Smart Plan is now Unlimited Talk/Text/Data (first 2.5GB full LTE speed) for $50/mo.

Pro Plan is now Unlimited Talk/Text/Data (first 5GB full LTE speed) for $60/mo.

Currently, you're able to get $5 off your bill if you sign up for Auto Pay, bringing everything down to $35, $45, and $55 respectively. The $5 discount will show up on your account 5 days before your bill is due.

Your speeds are lowered to around 2-4Mbps (from up to 9Mbps) when you use your given data bucket. You can always add on more full LTE speed data as you need it ($10/1GB) as a one-time charge (you can also make it reoccuring on your bill).

AIO doesn't care how you use your data (as long as you're not tethering..officially). You can use YouTube, Pandora, Pocket Casts, whatever. ST doesn't allow any of this and will go after you to throttle your speeds down (you MAY be able to get away with it, but don't count on it as TracFone is notorious for pulling poo poo randomly). You may be able to get away with light tethering on AIO though, however, if your phone uses Android 4.4.x or above, the OS itself will tell the carrier that you're tethering.

AIO Wireless has nanoSIM if you need that, just call them or go into an AIO store.

Oh, also, around April or May, AIO will be renamed to Cricket but things will stay the same as far as plans, coverage, etc considering Cricket is CDMA and AIO is GSM. They'll slowly be turning Cricket into GSM as well as time goes on.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Bobulus posted:

Okay, so forgive my ignorance:

I have an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus, which means that the best I can get on AIO is HSPA+ and not LTE? My phone is too old? My whole area is marked as LTE, so I'm presuming it also has 'normal' 4G. I mean, anything's better than the 2G I'm getting now, but still.

I believe the Galaxy Nexus is HSPA+ only, the only LTE Nexus would be the Nexus 5. So, you'd be on HSPA+, which is faster than CDMA's 3G if that's any consolation. However, if you got an LTE phone, you could do LTE.

chocolateTHUNDER posted:

Does the AIO basic plan work on smartphones? A lot of the text on their website seems contradictory. For example, the Moto G says it requires a smart plan, but people in this thread make it sound like basic works just fine...

Yes, you should be able to considering AIO isn't forcing customers with smartphones off of the basic plan anymore like they used to before the plans changed.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



dentata posted:

:stare: Whoa, is this really accurate? Or documented somewhere on AIO's website? My GoogleFu is failing me. Everything I just saw on HowardForums and general Google results say the throttle speed is 256kbps. If it is really 2-4Mbps that is amazing and definitely want to give that a shot.

Got that info straight from a representative at one of their stores. No idea where HowardForums is getting their information.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



dentata posted:

Oh. :(

Users of AIO on HowardForums are saying based on their experience they are getting Edge speeds around 100-200kbps once they hit their "soft" data cap...however this was most recently as last month so maybe things have changed? Maybe someone here with AIO can hit their soft cap and then do a speed test? :shobon:

2-4Mbps after hitting the soft cap would make AIO a seriously killer deal.

I'm at 3.25GB so far on the $60 ($55 for me)/mo plan and I rarely actually go over 2GB, but I'll see what I can do! :v:

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Straight Talk and Net10 suffer from the same problem: TracFone.

TracFone doesn't give a poo poo if their services aren't working, they don't care if you're being throttled for something you didn't do, and they will gently caress you over eventually.

They do NOT like porting out ANY numbers. They are required to do so by federal law but they'll do their best to gently caress it up somehow or make the process slow. You could get lucky but this is doubtful. I worked for Virgin Mobile before and, to be honest, when a port-in or port-out is slow, it's not because of "our systems are going slow", it's because one side is loving around and it's usually the carrier you're moving away from. TracFone was notoriously bad at taking their sweet time and would regularly take the maximum of 72 hours.

I constantly had MMS issues on ST. I was told multiple times that it "must be your phone" and constantly told to "reboot your device" or "it is an app on your phone" or "what apps are you using"? Each time, they had to "fix" something. They fixed nothing but claimed they did.

Honestly, ST isn't really worth it. Everyone who jumped on ST when I did moved on not long after I switched to AIO. One is even going to Verizon Prepaid because ST was that bad. The other is moving to AIO as well.

Enough of my rant though. :v: I DID remember to post this:





These are apparently the new colors of AIO Wireless. No idea why the website still has the magenta-ish colors, but that color was no where to be seen in the AIO stores I went to.

Also, I find that map to be really tacky for some reason. It's literally a thick piece of plastic just in the shape of the USA and just stuck to the wall. It was the hugest display in the entire store so it'd draw your eye as soon as you walked in.

...Seriously, even the AT&Ts stores here in Omaha don't have this just...what.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Speaking of AIO, AT&T just got the ok from the FCC to buy Leap Wireless.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/13/5505798/fcc-approves-att-purchase-of-leap-wireless

Looks like it'll remain CDMA for a while as AT&T is required to honor all CDMA roaming that Leap had. They'll start deploying LTE using Leap's unused spectrum within 90 days or 12 months of closing, and they've agreed to offer the cheap plans that Cricket customers are used to.

As for AIO, this shouldn't change anything but the name. If anything, Cricket will become GSM and CDMA for a while (with BYOP GSM plans), and keep the same rates and whatnot.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



FAUXTON posted:

gently caress. I was liking the new Aio color too :smith:

Aio actually just put out this website answering questions for both Cricket users and Aio users.

http://merger-info.aiowireless.com/

If you are on Aio Wireless:

AioWireless.com posted:

Are Aio Wireless and Cricket Wireless one company now?
Not JUST yet. Although the financial transaction part of the merger is complete, it’s going to take some time to bring the two brands together. You can rest assured that everything we’re doing right now is to make sure everything remains simple and easy for you.

Do I need to do anything? Will I see any changes to my phone and features?
No, there's nothing you need to do to be part of the new Cricket. Your phone and phone number will continue to work and your rate plan will remain the same, so you can stay connected with friends and family.

Can I still make changes to my current rate plan, service and features?
You bet. You can still make changes to your current account plan and services.

Are there any changes to how I make my payments?
No. There are no changes to how you make payments or when your payment is due. Please continue to make payments as you do today.

Will I have to switch to a new phone to take advantage of the new Cricket service?
Again, no. There will be no need to change your phone.

With the new Cricket service, can I keep my rate plan?
Yes, there’s no need to switch your rate plan. But you can if you want. It's up to you.

Can I go to a Cricket store now for the new Cricket service?
We can't wait for you to start exploring all that our stores will have to offer; however, please be patient as it's going to take a little bit of time. We're working as fast as we can and will let you know as soon as your local Aio/new Cricket store is ready to roll out the red carpet for you and handle all of your service needs. Until then, stay close to your local Aio store for service. They’ll be able to help you now and as they become a new Cricket store in the future.

Will my current coverage change with the new Cricket service?
No, there will be no changes to your coverage with the new Cricket.

Who do I contact if I need help?
During the transition period, please continue to visit your local Aio (soon to be the new Cricket) location, or dial 611 from your wireless phone.

If you're on Cricket Wireless:

AioWireless.com posted:

The power of the new Cricket is coming soon. Here's what you need to know right now:

  • You can continue to use your phone, your current phone number and the rate plan you have to stay connected with family and friends. (Score!)
  • Down the road, we'll work with you to take advantage of the many benefits of the new Cricket – when you're ready.

Are Aio Wireless and Cricket now one?
Not JUST yet. Although the financial transaction part of the merger is complete, it's going to take some time to bring two brands together. You can rest assured that everything we're doing right now is to make sure it's simple and easy for you. We'll keep you updated and let you know when we have more to share.

Do I need to do anything at this time?
Right now, there is nothing you need to do. Your phone and phone number will continue to work and your rate plan will remain the same. In the not-so-distant future, you'll receive special communications that will invite you into a new Cricket store when you're ready to choose a new plan and phone to enjoy the new Cricket's reliable, nationwide 4G LTE network.

What changes will I see to my phone and features?
No need to make any changes to your plan at this time. Stay tuned because we'll be able to share more with you in the not-so-distant future. Then, you can decide what you want to do, when you’re ready. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time.

Will my phone number change when I migrate to the new service?
No, your phone number can stay the same.

Can I still make changes to my current rate plan, service and features?
Yes, you can still make changes to your current Cricket account plan and services.

Are there any changes how I make my payments?
There are no changes how you make payments or when your payment is due. Please continue to make payments to Cricket, as you do today.

When can I take advantage of the new Cricket rate plans? Will I need a new phone too?
Yes, but hold tight. We'll keep you updated on what you need to do – and when you need to do it, but there's nothing to do right now. In the not-so-distant future, however, we'll reach out to you and invite you to stop by one of our stores when you’re ready to choose a new plan and phone to enjoy the new Cricket's reliable, nationwide 4G LTE network.

When can I take advantage of new Cricket rate plans and phones?
We're working hard to integrate our systems and want to make your transition to the new Cricket as easy as possible. As soon as we've completed this work we'll send direct communication to let you know what to do and where to go to complete the move.

Can I go to an Aio (new Cricket) store for service?
We can't wait for you to start exploring all that our stores have to offer; however, please be patient as it's going to take a little bit of time. We're working as fast as we can and will let you know as soon as your local Aio/new Cricket store is ready to roll out the red carpet for you and handle all of your service needs. Until then, stay close to your local Cricket store for service. They'll be able to help you now and in the future.

Who do I contact if I need help?
As always, you can visit your local Cricket location or dial 611 from your wireless phone. We're more than happy to talk.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



FAUXTON posted:

How long til they're set up as a kiosk in Walmart and a little mini display in the goddamn grocery store?

Someone who works for Cricket posted on Droid Life's article saying he was worried that AT&T would go after the stores that don't sell well:

Ronald Lockwich posted:

Being a Sales Rep for a authorized premiere with service Cricket store, this has me worried. AT&T is a more strict company and I don't think they would hesitate to close down stores that don't do so well (Gross Ads / Upgrades / Etc.). I get this idea because around Pittsburgh where I work it's like a 10/1 ratio of Cricket to AT&T stores.

http://www.droid-life.com/2014/03/14/atts-aio-wireless-will-turn-into-cricket-wireless/#comment-1284610592

No one has done anything in response to his comment.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



hotsauce posted:

I don't know if I understand why they are using the Cricket name and not AIO. Cricket reeks of "WE FLASH AND JAILBREAK PHONEZ" type of sketchy run down strip mall stores. I picture people walking up with grocery bag full of change to pay their bill on the first of the month.

I guess it sounds cheap and affordable, which is the prepaid target market?

AIO branding seems better to me, but farewell I guess.

Mostly because they're probably trying for Cricket's customer base to merge into AIO's.

Cricket doesn't have the BEST coverage (it was about on par with Boost/Virgin Mobile/Sprint when I was on it back in early 2000s) but there's a LARGE amount of people on it. For a while, Cricket was on top of the prepaid pile around Nebraska then Virgin Mobile, Boost, and Straight Talk jumped in. AIO + Cricket would give them a pretty decently sized userbase but they'll have to do some major rebranding if they want to get rid of the "this carrier is for the poors" thing.

Going to GSM definitely will push some people off as, for all most of these people know, their phone just "works". No fiddling with SIM cards or APNs or anything. Yes, it's sad, but just the addition of SIM cards and APNs could force some people away from it. Not to mention they would have to buy a new phone too but AT&T might just swap them with a comparable phone anyway.

I just hope the network won't get all bogged down with bullshit from people thinking they can tether and torrent whatever they want just because "it's MY DATA!!!!". Seriously, Cricket is rampant with that poo poo and I hope AT&T finally starts putting their foot down before it's too late. As it stands, you can get away with some tethering on AIO but not a lot. I want that "some" to be "none" if that means stopping people from tethering their desktop or laptop to their loving phone (yes, this happens).

Huh. Weird, half awake rant aside, I found this: http://www.mycricket.com/support/faq/how-is-mobile-hotspot-cricket-tethering-used%3F

Apparently, Cricket now has tethering for their phones. Maybe AIO will allow this proper and we won't have people doing stupid poo poo. :v:

ThermoPhysical fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Mar 15, 2014

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Stick100 posted:

I don't think people will be put off by SIM cards and APNs because they'll get the phone setup in the store before they let them leave like they already do. The only people that end up doing self setup are people who buy prepaid phones from Walmart/Target/Best Buy anyway.

CDMA isn't easier for self setup anyway and now that we moved to LTE all CDMA phones have SIM cards also. Sprint tried to do "embedded" SIMs but that only lasted for the year of the GS3 as the OEMs revolted.

There are a lot of Cricket places that sell the phones second-hand like gas stations and tobacco stores. You'd have to set the phone up on your own there too as the cashiers are pretty much incompetent.

In all honesty though, the very idea of "I have to get a new phone" will turn people away more than self-setup will. Unless there's a voucher program to swap phones or an insane discount, they'll lose some Cricket customers.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Ugh. I don't know what the gently caress I was trying to say when I made that post last night...

Anyway...



FAUXTON posted:

I don't care so much about "for the poors" since "prepaid" is basically still the same thing.

I'm more pissed about it because of what that other guy said, about how Cricket is for stolen/blacklisted-due-to-unpaid-bills phones. Because it loving is. Look on craigslist sometime around 2-3 months after a flagship release on Sprint. You'll see tons of that flagship phone *BAD ESN FLASHED TO CRICKET*

I don't want to be like "oh I have Cricket" and immediately get the stink eye like I'm about to reach for their loving wallet. At least when I namedrop Aio people don't know what the gently caress it is.

To be perfectly honest, at least around Omaha, you wouldn't get this reaction. You'd mostly get the reaction of "Oh, that person's poor. They can't afford poo poo." Hell, I got this reaction from someone in the AT&T store near Staples because I had asked about a wireless charger and had casually mentioned I was on Straight Talk. It wasn't until I whipped out the Nexus 4 (which was the current Nexus at the time at a nice price-tag of $388 with tax and shipping) did they do a double-take and stop acting like I couldn't afford poo poo in the store.

When I was on Cricket, the worst I remember was having to go to their corporate store (which is, oddly enough, near that same AT&T store...) and having to wait in extremely long lines just to get service. It got so bad, they started giving out free cookies and allowing people to eat as much as they wanted as they'd most likely be there for a while.

Whatever I was trying to say last night, bah. What I'm mostly worrying about is the congestion on the network. Cricket has a LOT of people (at least in Omaha) and those people on top of Aio's current--albeit small--customer base...I don't know. Hopefully, it's not that bad. I don't really give a poo poo about people thinking I'm poor or whatever because usually when they realize your one phone is more than what they pay per month on-contract AND it's not some cheap piece of poo poo, they shut up. :v:

As for the whole "people will think I'll steal their phone and flash it to Cricket" thing, if AT&T rebrands it right, there'll be no way to do this and they need to let the public know via commercials and poo poo. I don't know how they could but I guess via word of mouth?

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



FAUXTON posted:

Sup flyover country buddy :stare::hf::stare:




They're not doing the CDMA -> LTE rollover overnight. It's going to take a year at the very least and even then it's still "BAD ESN FLASHED TO" Cricket. I'm no Don Draper but I can tell you ATT isn't going to roll out commercials saying "TOTALLY LEGIT NOW HONEST."

I'd prefer if they found a way to cross-check the ESN lists with their ESN activation history and just put the screws to anyone whose ESN was issued to a device not matching what was activated. Not sure if there's a way to find out the original device as issued, but if they find an ESN that was originally issued to some Huawei shitbox, but was activated on an account that is using an iPhone, advise them of the problem, turn that poo poo off, and send them a cheapo free phone as an olive branch. It isn't like they weren't aware of the circumstances behind their purchase - you don't buy a current-gen flagship phone for $150 on craigslist from a guy who tells you it can't be activated with the carrier whose logo is on the drat thing without realizing that poo poo's shady as gently caress.

How'd you make that GIF? :v

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



TLG James posted:

I saw that t-mobile's commercial advertises for Omaha in the ad. Lol

I went to a T-Mobile store in Topeka back in December, they claim Omaha should have 3G "at least". She even allowed me behind the counter to actually see where their computers claim T-Mobile exists in Omaha. :v:

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



PurpleJesus posted:

After a few months on Republic Wireless, I decided to pull the trigger on a Nexus 5 and use it on AIO. It should be arriving on Wednesday, I shouldn't have any problems taking it into the AIO store and getting it on the Basic plan, right? Or is it one of those things where it would be easier to do everything through the website?

You shouldn't have any issues, no.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



FAUXTON posted:

OK, that helps a little bit, but I was also having trouble loading pages and search results.

All of Google pretty much broke today. :v:

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



ShaneB posted:

The google voice SMS app, and Google Voice in general, is so loving terrible and unsupported by Google that after, I dunno, 3 years of Google Voice use I officially abandoned it this month.

I don't know how anyone can seriously recommend using it anymore.

It'll be merged into Hangouts in a few months (probably around Google I/O) so there IS support but it's not to better that app but to merge it.

It's better than playing the porting game with lovely carriers like Straight Talk/Net10. :v:

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Bolton Hairy-Bore posted:

I think I'm going to have to lose my number switching from Net10 to AIO. No combination of account numbers/PINs on AIO's online port form is working. I tried so many times they blocked my payment info. And AIO's customer service has been useless so far. I'm going to try calling the customer service once more in the morning in the hopes of getting somebody helpful and after that I'm giving up.

Why not just port it to Google Voice, take whatever number AIO gives you, and just point the new GV number at the AIO number?

I mean I like AIO and all, but if you're having THAT much trouble, I would just do the alternative. Yeah, you'd be dealing with Voice and it's shortcomings (until they're hopefully fixed or somewhat made less painful by merging into Hangouts in about 2 months) but at least you'd get to keep your number.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



ilkhan posted:

Speaking of Aio, do they allow tethering? At some point I may need more than 100 minutes a month and Aio looks to be a decent option.

Officially? No.

But they can't actually tell unless your device has Android 4.4.x or above. This is because the OS itself will alert your carrier if you're tethering.

With AIO merging into Cricket, we may get an option to officially add tethering to your plan as Cricket has had one for a while now.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



FAUXTON posted:

Is it just me or does cricket mandate all users to have speakerphone on at all times?

I haven't run into anyone on Cricket in a while...where are you at where Cricket is prevalent. hah

Most people around Omaha I know are on Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, or Boost Mobile. No one seems to use Straight Talk or AIO. Cricket might be in there somewhere, but I see Sprint and Verizon more than prepaid around here.

Also, why the name change? :v:

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



FAUXTON posted:

There used to be a half-decent Chinese restaurant over by the cricket store at like 85th/Dodge. Might still be but I haven't really been over in that area in a while because to be honest there isn't much in the way of meaningful civilization along Dodge West of 72nd or so. Dead mall, strip malls, live mall, beluga sprawl. Anyway, I'd occasionally be going to eat there or pick up some takeout and there was pretty reliably some random rear end in a top hat putting around outside the Cricket store there sharing his conversation, the reek of his cheap cigarettes, and the stench of his even cheaper cologne (When I am dry-heaving after catching a whiff of Curve or Gio or whatever other bottled catpiss from 20+ feet away you laid that poo poo on too drat heavy) to anyone within range. If I had to make a hard guess I'd say salesperson but it was always different individuals playing the same role.

The name change happened because I grew tired the old one. It was pretty cool but all cool things must be shelved.

Oh! Ok, I think I know that place. You mean the Cricket HQ store around there? I think the Chinese place is still there, never been though.

Hey, Crossroads might be dying but there's loving Five Guys, Smashburger, Noodles & Company, Gamers, and Barnes & Noble. I'm ok with this. :v: Also, Crossroads is supposed to get a redo later this year...but they've said that EVERY year so..yeah.

FAUXTON isn't as cool as being The Entire Universe, but I get the need for something new.

Anyway, I looked into H2O Wireless. It's sad that they're as crappy as ST is, but they do have a clear policy on no tethering. So...yeah.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



FAUXTON posted:

Sorry to burst your five guys and smashburger bubble, but there's Dinkers down in South O and their burgers loving own bones.

There's also Crave in Midtown Crossing and their burgers are incredible but I wouldn't compare them to straight burger joints. I wish Blanc was still open... :smith:

Dinkers, huh? Will have to check them out. Any recommendations?

Speaking of Midtown, that's what they want to turn Crossroads into...another Midtown. Target, B&N, and Sears will stick around though.

Poking around the AIO Facebook, it looks like things will really start changing for Cricket customers in March of 2015. According to their page, all Cricket CDMA phones (read: all of them) will cease to work after that date.

AIO is, hilariously and not unlike any other carrier, answering any real questions right now, preferably sending people to links rather than just straight up answering.

Some of these questions bring even MORE questions and realizations. Cricket has broadband that customers can buy for their laptops, desktops, whatever. I hope AIO keeps this. I don't use it, but it would suck if people were forced to go to a lovely ISP like Cox or Century Link just because AT&T decided to cut their internet.

As it stands, Cricket has MORE services than AIO has. It has broadband capability, tethering, a music service... While AIO users won't have changes, a GSM version of Cricket with BYOP, AT&T coverage + Cricket coverage, and all of those services would really be loving nice.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Sheep-Goats posted:

I looked into the Nexus 5 and what I read about it said that it's unlikely to work overseas. Was that incorrect?

The last thing I want is to land and have a brick. Also the better camera on the Galaxy S along with the removable/replaceable SD card and battery can be pretty important if you're traveling in areas without access to a data cloud or electricity at only certain times of the day.

The Nexus 5 works overseas, it just depends on what carrier you're going to be on.

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ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



So, remember when I said I'd try to get down to below my 5GB data bucket? Yeah...that didn't happen.

Apparently, the most I ever use, with streaming Google Play Music All Access every single time I leave the house, with playing YouTube in HD, and playing Puzzle and Dragons, I only use about 4GB. :v:

I shall try again!

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