Upon getting the money from Gazelle.com for selling my own gadgets, I used a portion to get the Samsung Epix from AT&T.
The Treo Pro was an utter disappointment due to a QWERTY keypad that was too small, but the Samsung was somewhat a different story.
The Epix was not bad at all in regards to the form factor and especially the QWERTY, but the OS was a different story. NO Internet Sharing was to be found on the Epix from what I could see, and the GPS was LOCKED down for use with only AT&T Navigator!!! What made the situation worse was that when I downloaded the Google Maps app to the device, it was only a measly JAVA app instead of the full featured version I was accustomed to on my Nokia E71!!! The locating feature was not enabled and GPS was a no go, so this pitiful and bare bones manifestation of Google Maps was immediately removed from the phone and I was done. Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional performed as it always did with usual latency here and there and I had lost all hope in that model, so I returned it back to the AT&T Store.
What happened at that point is what brought on a slight irritation that eventually festered into anger. When the reps had asked me why I didn't take to the Epix, I was honest with them about the lack of Internet Sharing and GPS. A rep then verified that the GPS was indeed locked down to work with only the AT&T Navigator and then proceeded to SELL me on the 30 day trial for it! WHAT?! Even after I told her that I preferred Google Maps, she had the audacity to declare how inaccurate Google Maps performed on her own phone...which happened to be an UNLOCKED and UNBRANDED Nokia N95 8GB!!
I said nothing and kept my words to myself as I began to get infuriated at the thought of AT&T turning into another Verizon by limiting the features of their network phones. The crippling of bluetooth was one main factor behind my leaving Verizon many years ago, but AT&T has a very good network and is GSM after all. My solution for right now is to basically forsake EVERY network device from the carrier and remain devoted to my E71 devices. A cellular service carrier should be more concerned about pleasing customers with FULL functionality on their phones, not making more money at the expense of those who don't know any better! I had been using Google Maps just perfectly for a long time without any problems, and this rep was trying to convince me that PAYING a monthly fee for an app from her employer is the best thing for me?! Doesn't make any sense from a practical standpoint, but it does from a capitalist one. She was only doing her best to solidify her own value in the workplace, but there was no way she was going to meet a sales quota with my help! Turned off by this experience I walked out of the AT&T Store and made the choice to focus on only unlocked devices from now on.
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TRENT
Sent from my 13" Aluminum MacBook
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