Does AT&T U-verse make my AT&T landlines more unreliable?

During Hurricane Wilma in South Florida in October 2005, most South Florida residents lost electricity for almost a week or more. Those that had digital phones that didn't have generator were simply without phone service. For me, the most reliable or only piece of technology that worked was my AT&T POTS telephone line. In fact in past five years, I think the phone service has been up more than 99% or more. Since that time, I vowed never to move to a digital phone service.

For those living in South Florida, AT&T has recently expanded their U-verse offering as is blatantly obvious from the plethora of U-verse Television ads. Earlier this week, AT&T came to install U-verse to my residence. Unfortunately, because of my desire to keep my landline and not switch to the U-verse Digital Phone Service as well as some wiring in my building, they were not able to install it. In concept, it sounded great and I couldn't believe it when I saw 32MB Internet Speed on the Repairman's meter. AT&T U-verse uses one clean pair of twisted pair wires and if you want to keep your landline, they will need to find another clean pair in your walls, one for U-verse TV / U-verse Internet and the other for your landline. I was even more impressed when I found out that I could keep my AT&T DSL IP Address. In addition, I would have been even more excited to have them lay CAT5 wire through my house like they have been doing for some customers rather than use the existing coax cables.

Well, after aborting the U-verse installation, the not so cooperative AT&T installer kept telling me how he had to leave and call his manager. During the installation attempt, he kept reconfiguring the phone jacks in my residence and after many attempts he finally got my landlines working again. He left without fixing my DSL line and told me I had to call. I did and it took several calls to get it working again. Eventually, after a few more calls to AT&T, they sent a line repairmen who increased the speed of my DSL - I was back to being a loyal AT&T customer.

5 days later, after 4p.m. in the afternoon on a Saturday, I discovered that my landline was down and my Internet was 3X slower. When I checked around in my building, I found out that the AT&T Installation guys had been there all day installing U-verse for others in my building. Of course, it happens on a Saturday.....

Apparently, this experience is common for AT&T U-verse customers. After it is installed, their landline goes down but their Internet line and U-verse Television is up and running. You get the error message on your phone that the line is in use.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r24534128-UVERSE-up-while-landline-down

So I've seen some early adopter U-verse chatter that maybe the AT&T telephone installer might have done this on purpose because they want to deprecate my landline. They want me to use their U-verse Digital Phone Service. It appears that the "Extension in Use" is a common landline error message once U-verse is installed.

I've always been a loyal AT&T customer with iPhones, IPads, 3G laptop cards, DSL and my landline. Although I would like to see AT&T be kinder to their loyal customer though discounts, there have really few alternatives, especially with the iPhone. That was until the Verizon announcement this week and after my experience with my landline, maybe it is time to free myself from the AT&T Repairman.

Finally, I can only surmise from this experience that the expansion of AT&T U-verse will ultimately make its AT&T flagship landline service including it's 911 service less reliable. Maybe it's time to consider a another solution...

Do you think AT&T will have my landline running on Sunday? Do you think my AT&T repairman does Sundays?

iPad Screen Rotation Lock Changes with iPad OS 4 Update

With the IPad OS 4 Update, here are instructions to lock your iPad Screen Rotation. After this update, The Screen Lock Button is now the Mute button

1. Press [home] [home]

2. When the iPad Multitasking Bar appears at the very bottom of the screen, swipe with your finger left to right until you see the new Screen Lock Setting.

3. Press the Rotation Lock Icon (a Circular Arrow with a Padlock) in the bottom left corner of the screen. See below...

People Celebrity News Tracker iPhone App Removed from Apple App Store? Does it still work?

In the spirit of the Holidays I decided to research a current Family IT crisis. Apparently according to My W, My Mother-in-Law and My Sister-in-Law - People Magazine has removed their blockbuster People.com Celebrity News Tracker iPhone App from the Apple App Store. In the past several weeks the App has stopped sending updates to these customers that paid $1.99 for this Advertising Supported Paid App. This App was lauched in May 2009 and appears to be possibly replaced by their new model requiring a yearly print subscription or individual issue downloads for $3.99. Unfortunately, the Apple iTunes App Store does not provide its customers with an redirected link explaining this except a blank web page and my thorough search of the People.com website or other Internet "News" sources did not uncover any notification to its loyal and fanatical customers. A search of the Apple App Comments archived found a number of very angry and frustrated users of this App that thought their App was corrupted on their phone because it would't post the updates.

One of the above upset users of the People Celebrity News Tracker comnented, "You would expect this from other companies but not People!" In addition, two emails were also sent to People but no response was received.

That said, right after I posted this blog I received a family update that the People.com Celebrity News App, Version 1.5 is now working again. I asked how she knew and heard who won last night's Dancing with the Stars Competition - so I can now close this Ticket...at least for now.

BTW, I ended up restoring Version 1.5 of the People.com Celebrity News iPhone App to enable one of the iPhones to work. I would recommend not upgrading to Version 1.6.

John Tyner Blog - San Diego TSA Incident

Here's the blog and YouTube videos of Software Engineer John Tyner, the San Diego man that refused TSA's new full body scan.

http://johnnyedge.blogspot.com/

Pittsburgh vs Miami - NFL Referee Gene Steratore stole game?

With all the technology involved with the NFL Instant Replay System, when NFL Referee Gene Steratore made the call at yesterday's Dolphin vs Steeler game yesterday, I could'nt believe how Mr Steratore said they couldn't tell which team recovered the ball in the end zone. Even as his call was being announced, the Miami Dolphin Fan Vision Screen and thousands of Fan Vision Portable Devices given to Dolphin Season Ticket Holders was clearly showing the Dolphins had recovered the football. Why would Referee Gene Steratore not trust the technology - yikes it ends up he resides in Washington, Pennsylvania (Source: NFL Referee News). The Miami Herald is also reporting that he is a Pittsburgh native.

AT&T Wireless A-List - Reduce Your AnyTime Minutes On Your Bill

If you have an AT&T phone or iPhone with an AT&T Individual plan 900+ minutes ($59.99 and over) per month or Current FamilyTalk plans 1400+ minutes ($89.99 and over) per month, you will qualify for the AT&T A-List feature.

Here is how you access this feature:

1. Go to https://www.att.com/olam/dashboardAction.olamexecute

2. Login with your Wireless Phone number and password.

3. Click Account Overview.

4. In the right column, under Quick Links, click Manage My A-List.

5. Follow the screen prompts to Add the Numbers to your list.

6. In my case, under My Account, I clicked on Usage and Current Activity for my phone(s). I sorted the phone listing by Minutes, added Contacts for the Non-AT&T mobile numbers/landlines that I thought would be used the most in the future.

7. To monitor the usage, I also downloaded the AT&T iPhone App.

This was not a highly advertised new AT&T feature, but is now available for selected plans. In other words, if you get an AT&T iPhone bill that drained your rollover minutes, this will be the feature recommended by AT&T.



Click for More info on AT&T A-List Wireless Phone Savings

Dade and Broward County Voter Guide Links - August 24 Primary Election

Here are some voting guides for the upcoming Florida Primary Election on August 24, 2010. In the past, I have relied on the Newspapers for their recommendations, but this year, I found the Daily Business Review Guide much more informative for selecting the judges on my ballot. They appear to provide a more in-depth analysis of each race by using some of data from polls and the ratings of judges by the local attorneys.

Judicial Election Voter Guide Links - For Miami-Dade and Broward County

Dade County Daily Business Review Voter Guide - For August 24, 2010 Election
http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/Judicial_Elections_2010/Miami-Dade/Races.html

Broward County Daily Business Review Voter Guide - For August 24, 2010 Election
http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/Judicial_Elections_2010/Broward/Races.html

Primary Election Voter Guide Links - For Miami-Dade and Broward

Sun Sentinel Voter Guide
http://elections.sun-sentinel.com/

Miami Herald Voter Guide
http://www.miamiherald.com/voters-guide/index.html

D-Wade's Flip Video Camera

Here is the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade using his Flip video camera to record a YouTube.com video thanking his fans for supporting him during the grueling NBA 2010 Free Agency process.



BTW, welcome to South Beach Chris Bosh!

KingJames Twitter Account - LeBron James

LeBron James Twitter Account(@KingJames)

Wow, LeBron James posts first Twitter message with 90K followers.

LeBron James Twitter Account?

Is this @KingJames, LeBron's New Twitter Account?

The current buzz on Twitter is that the number of followers on the Twitter account http://twitter.com/KingJames has grown to nearly 30K in several hours. This Twitter profile links to LeBron James' new website http://www.lebronjames.com Associated Press is reporting that Chris Paul's Twitter contained the post:

"**Couldn't convince him to tell me which team he's goin to but convinced hi to join twitter lol...my brother from another mother @KINGJAMES"












With LeBron James' pending decision in the NBA 2010 Free Agency, there are other unverified rumors that LeBron's selection will be posted on his new website: www.lebronjames.com. This website was linked on this unverified Twitter page.

Hulu Plus $9.95 per month on the IPhone - iPad

Huh, Hulu launched their $9.95 per month service this month for watching their TV and Movies on your iPhone or IPad. Currently, you can view their content for free on your computer. It looks like Hulu is looking more like Netfix these days!

A Bad Miami Driver - Almost Killed Me Today

This morning it's not about new technology like the iPhone 4 but this
driver in the red car that drove through the orange poles into the
Express Lane heading South on the I-95 in Miami and appeared 40 yards
or less in front of my car. It happened so quickly all I could do is
hit the brakes, glance in my rear view mirror to see how close the car
in the left lane was to my bumper as my car locked into a 55 mph to 0
stop. For a brief moment I thought, prepare yourself because we're
raming straight into the side of this red car. Then as my right foot
pressed on my brake pedal as hard as possible, my Infiniti G37 brakes
came to a near stop just inches from this car and the astute driver in
the of the vehicle in the left lane behind me unbelievebly swearved
left to miss my 2 seat coupe by inches. Wow, the family member riding
in my passenger seat and I were alive and spared a trip to the
Hospital or even worse the Cemmetary. Well, after an incident like
that my emotions got the better of me as the red car driver with
tinted windows and the damaged right bumper passed me, I rolled down
my window to give him the bird. Then I pulled out my iPhone 3GS and
took a picture of car and license plate. Then I realized that after 60
or less seconds, this morning I am just happy to be alive. Any stress
I had was now gone after this life threatening moment. Any previous
important decision like upgrading to the iPhone 4 was now meaningless.

Finally when starting this mornings blog entry I whipped out my iPhone
3GS take a look at the photo below I took. As I used the reverse pinch
to zoom in on the license plate of this bad Miami Driver's license
plate, i realized that because of the quality of the camera on the 3GS
I got nothing - you can't see any of the letters or numbers. Huh, a
better camera on the iPhone 4, maybe that is a nice feature?

Skype 3G now supported for iPhone and iPad

Now I know why they didn't add a phone to the iPad. Skype has just
added 3G support for both the iPhone and iPad.

Dwyane Wade 46 points vs Boston NBA 2010 Playoffs Game 4 - He has another Gear!

I wanted to test copying embedded videos into Blogger so here is my test. What better content than some highlights from the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade's 46 points against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Playoffs as well as NBA Coach Erik Spoelstra's comments after the game on Dwyane's performance!



Coach Erik Spoelstra on Dwyane Wade's 46 points against the Boston Celtics, Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

"Obviously Dwyane Wade was sensational."

"Dwyane...led the way by revealing... you see the inside of his character what he is made."

"We don't take Dwayne for granted, that greatness...we don't..."

"He has another gear and another depth to go into in his soul to be able to dig it out and really carry a team on his back with his will."

AT&T Landline Dispute Resolved

This morning I tried the AT&T landline and it finally works! Last night when I tried it, even after the status was changed to Order Completed, there was still no dial tone. However, now that the status had changed, I was now able to call AT&T Repairs 24/7 phone number. They were able to tell it wasn't working and said that we would be billed for any inside changes, but before 8AM this morning, the phone line was active.

This seems like a very complex process when you can activate a new cell phone within minutes. That said, I did want to thank Molly at @twitter/ATTCustomerCare, AT&T's Social Media Customer Care Guru. Molly you rock! And of course AT&T Executive Services (Thanks Eric!) Using Twitter for Customer Service, I had much better luck at finding an escalation path at AT&T then when calling the AT&T Customer Service Department!

This matter is now resolved!

A Dispute with AT&T Work Management Scheduling in Aventura, FL

An AT&T Installer arrived on Thursday, March 25, 2010 to install a land line. He left without the phone being activated. Through my attempts to escalate this issue, someone at the AT&T Work Management Department in Aventura, Florida must have made this issue personal because the phone is still not active. The new install date is Thursday, April 1, 2010. I guess when it comes to an AT&T landline, the old copper wire technology, these AT&T phone guys will install it when they want to.

That's not the level of service that AT&T's customers expect and rightfully deserve!

What Camera Do I Use? - An car in the bay on NE 35th ST in Miami.

In the early morning on NE 35th ST in Miami, Florida, a car went in to Biscayne Bay. I grabbed for the first digital camera I could find. The first thing I noticed was that it was very difficult taking photos in low light. Even with the night light setting with my Sony, the pictures were still blurry. It was also very difficult to find the night setting on some of the cameras because this isn't a feature I use that often. As you can see, as soon as the Sun came out, the pictures are much better.
















xx

ATTCustomerCare on Twitter.com

Interesting, I just heard from Molly at http://twitter.com/ATTCustomerCare She is the lead in AT&T Customer Care team focusing on Social Media.

AT&T Award Winning Customer Service?

I am a very loyal AT&T Customer but after this experience, I feel I need to start looking at alternate vendors. The Customer Service was horrible.

This week I tried to get a simple land line installed for a family member and had to experience AT&T's proclaimed Award Winning Customer Service. After placing the order, the Rep told me that the phone line would be activated on Monday of this week. On Friday of this week, the phone line is still not activated.

This morning, I spoke to 5 different representatives from their Awarding Winning Customer Service Department:

Answer 1: The appointment was logged as a missed appointment, the customer needs to reschedule (The AT&T guy was at the location twice yesterday and left without activating the service).
Answer 2: Due Today - the service is due to be activated today.
Answer 3: The service should have been activated yesterday.
Answer 4: I will contact the work management department and find out why it was coded as a missed appointment.

I asked to speak to a supervisor several times and received several different outcomes:

1) I was placed on hold for 20 minutes and no one came on.
2) I was transferred to the repair service, who told me the status but said I would have to call Customer Service on a Pending Order.
3) I had to give me my phone number and a supervisor would call me back.
4) I was transferred back into the Customer Service phone queue.
5) I successfully reached a Supervisor who was able to reschedule the appointment.

Finally, as a loyal AT&T customer Why not get it all from one company? The answer is that unlike companies like American Express, AT&T does not give you any extra service for being a loyal customer. They treat all customers with the same way regardless of their level of loyalty...Maybe that's the new definition of AWARD WINNING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Notes: Reps I spoke to: James, Judy, Mrs. Freeman - refused to transfer call to a Supervisor.

2010 Oscar Movies On Netflix, OnDemand, on DVD, on Comcast

With the number of On Demand movies from cable services, airplane flights, hotels, Netflix, Blockbuster and the Amazon Video on Demand Service, there are so many ways to view the 2010 Oscar Winner Movies. Here's my list as of March 2010 of where to watch the 2010 Oscar Winner Movies including those movies on Netflix. Also, I think Netflix is a great deal for $8.99 per month + tax (1 DVD at a time). Here are the reasons:

• You can currently rent 5 2010 Oscar Winners on DVDs including the 2010 Best Picture, The Hurt Locker
• 20 Oscar Nominees including Precious, Up in the Air, The Cove, Inglorious Bastards and Up.
• You can even watch 3 Oscar Nominees instantly on your PC or on your TV if you have a Roku box or other Netflix device. These movies include Food Inc, Paris and Il Divo.

See the below list of the Oscar movies you can watch on Netflix as well as other services including Comcast, Dish and Amazon Video. I have also included the estimated DVD release date which gives you a general idea of when you can expect to see these movies on the various On Demand services.

Where to Watch The Oscar Winners and Nominees

Netflix DVD Rental Service (includes Watch Instantly Service)

• The Hurt Locker* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Ajami (n/a - July 2010)
  
• A Serious Man (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Avatar* (Netflix DVD: n/a - April 2010)
• The Blindside* (DVD: n/a 3/23/10)
  
• Brightstar Netflix (DVD: Now Available)
  
• Burma VJ (n/a June 2010)
• China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (n/a)
  
• Coco Before Chanel (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Coraline (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
  
• The Cove* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Crazyheart* (n/a - April 2010)
• District 9 (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• The Door (n/a)
  
• El Secreto de Sus Ojos* (n/a)
  
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (n/a - 3/23/10)
• Food Inc. (Netflix Watch Instantly, DVD: Now Available)
• French Roast (n/a)
• Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (n/a)
  
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
  
• Il Divo (Netflix Watch Instantly, Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus (n/a - 4/27/10)
• Instead of Abracadabra (n/a)
  
• In The Loop (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Invictus (n/a - June 2010)
• Ingloroius Bastards* (Netflix DVD Now Available)
• The Lady and the Reaper (La Darma y la Muerte) (n/a)
  
• The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (n/a)
  
• The Last Station (n/a - June 2010)
• The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (n/a)
  
• Logorama* (n/a)
  
• The Lovely Bones (n/a/ - 4/20/10)
• A Matter of Loaf and Death* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• The Messenger (n/a 5/18/10)
  
• The Milk of Sorry (n/a)
• Miracle Fish (n/a)
  
• The Most Dangerous Man in America (n/a Sep 2010)
• Music by Prudence* (n/a)
• The New Tenants* (n/a)
  
• Nine (n/a DVD: May 2010)
• Paris 36 (Netflix Watch Instantly, Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Precious* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
  
• The Princess and the Frog (n/a - 3/16/2010)
  
• Rabbit a la Berlin (n/a)
• The Secret of the Kells (n/a - Aug 2010)
• A Serious Man (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
  
• Sherlock Holmes (n/a - 3/30/2010)
• A Single Man (n/a - May 2010)
  
• Startrek* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Transformers: Revenge of the fallen (Now Available)
  
• Up* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
• Up in the Air (Netflix - DVD Now Available)
• Un Prophete (n/a July 2010)
• Which Way Home (n/a - May 2010)
  
• The White Ribbon (n/a Jule 2010)
  
• The Young Victorian* (DVD: n/a - 4/22/2010)

*Oscar Winner

Best Picture

• Winner: The Hurt Locker
• Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - Now Available)
• Comcast on Demand

Other Best Picture Nominees:

• Avatar (April 2010)
• Up (DVD Now Available)
• A Serious Man (DVD Now Available)
• Ingloroius Bastards (DVD Now Available)
• An Education (3/30/10)
• District 9 (Now Available)
• The Blind Side (3/23/10)
• Up in the Air (DVD Now Available)
  

Actor in a Leading Role

• Winner: Jeff Bridges
• Crazy Heart
• Where to watch:
• DVD Release Date: April 2010
  
• Netflix (DVD - not yet available)
• Comcast on Demand (not availabe)

Other Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:

• George Clooney, Up in the Air (DVD Now Available)
• Colin Firth, A Single Man (DVD ETA: May 2010)
• Morgan Freeman, Invictus (DVD ETA: June 2010)
• Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker (DVD Now Availalble)
  

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Winner: Christoph Waltz
• Inglourious Basterds
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Comcast on Demand

Other Nominees:

• Matt Damon, Invictus (DVD: June 2010)
• Woody Harrelson, The Messenger (DVD: May 18, 2010)
• Christopher Plummer, The Last Station (DVD: June 2010)
• Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones (DVD: April 20, 2010)
  

Actress in a Leading Role

• Winner: Sandra Bullock
• Movie Title: The Blind Side
• Where to Watch:
  
• DVD ETA: 3/23/10
  
• Netflix (DVD - Not available)
• Comcast on Demand (Not available)
  

Other Nominees:

• Helen Mirren, The Last Station (DVD: June 2010)
• Carey Mulligan, An Education (DVD: 3/30/10)
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious (DVD Now Available)
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia (DVD Now Available)
  

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Winner: Mo'Nique
• Movie Title: Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
• Where to watch Precious:
  
• Netflix (DVD - Now Shipping)
• Comcast on Demand (now available)
  
• Dish Network ($4.99 3/10)
• Amazon Video on Demand ($4.99 HD, $3.99 SD)

Other Nominees:

• Mo"Nique, Precious (DVD: Now Available)
• Penelope Cruz, Nine (DVD: May 2010)
• Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air (Now Available)
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart (DVD: April 2010)
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air (DVD: Now Available)
  

Animated Feature Film

• Winner: Up
• Pete Docter
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Comcast on Demand (now available)
  

Art Direction

• Winner: Avatar
• Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg (Art Direction); Kim Sinclair (Set Decoration)
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (Not Available)
• Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
  

Cinematography

• Winner: Avatar
• Mauro Fiore
• Netflix (Not Available)
• Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
  

Costume Design

• Winner: The Young Victoria
• Sandy Powell
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (Not Available)
• Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
  

Directing

• Winner: The Hurt Locker
• Kathryn Bigelow
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Comcast on Demand (Available)

Other Nominees:

• James Cameron, Avatar (DVD: April 2010)
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Bastards (DVD: Now Available)
• Lee Daniels, Precious (DVD: Now Available)
• Jason Reitman, Up in the Air (DVD: Now Available)
  

Documentary Feature

• Winner: The Cove
• Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens
• Where to Watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Comcast on Demand (Available)
  

Documentary Short

• Winner: Music by Prudence
• Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
• Where to Watch: (selected movie theaters in selected cities only)
  

Film Editing

• Winner: The Hurt Locker
• Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
• Where to Watch:
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
  

Foreign Language Film

• Winner: The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)
• Argentina
• Directed by Juan José Campanella
• Where to Watch
• In selected Theaters.
  

Makeup

• Star Trek
• Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
• Where to watch:
  
• Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
• Amazon ($4.99 HD)
• Comcast on Demand (Now Available)
  

Reference:
Videoeta.com