AT&T yanks BlackBerry Bold visual voicemail software update
By Nilay Patel 
posted September 5th 2009 5:20PM
posted September 5th 2009 5:20PM
Update: AT&T just sent us their official word on the matter -- and they also told us it has nothing to do with MMS or 850. Check it out after the break.
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This week, AT&T and RIM discovered an issue in the most recent software update for the BlackBerry Bold, only affecting a small number of customers in a handful of markets. The issue may create call performance problems that can be corrected. We encourage any customer who believes they are experiencing this problem after installing the most recent update to call customer care for help.
We are working to fix this problem as soon as possible. In the meantime, if a customer encounters issues with the software, they should contact customer care.
Customers who have the b508 Bold Maintenance Release who already have Visual Voicemail can continue to enjoy its benefits. Other interested customers will be able to get Visual Voicemail once the new software build becomes available.
Is anyone really that surprised?
Not at all considering Blackberry Storm was release with beta quality software.
BB software quality is just as bad as Windows Mobile, IMO.
Priceless! Just along with the poor Nokia 6650. Sad really that the phone has to be compromised for the lack of network....
OH WAIT YOU SAID A$T&T?
THAT EXPLAINS IT.
Just when you thought AT&T couldn't suck any harder..
Companies should boycott exclusivity deals with them until they get their shit together.
So how is iPhone MMS any different from MMS on another phone at network level?
It's not. AT&T fear that iPhone customers are going to swamp the network with their MMS. Hmmm, says a lot about their network eh
I read an article few days back. "the hummer of cellphones"
All iphone accounts do not have MMS provisioning in the network systems. AT&T has to update their billing packages for iphone to include MMS provisioning in the network systems. That sounds really simple, but considering how many projects AT&T has going on right now... it's not so simple. Especially considering they are trying to get tethering figured out as well (yes you can do it when jail broken) but they are likely debating on the plan allotments and working on something that will get apple's stamp of approval.
why don't people blame RIM for this? at&t doesn't make the software...
Yeah, but it was AT&T who pulled it. The software was fine.
The Boy Genius Report had this in the morning. Sheesh. Talk about slow.
Give the Engadget bloggers a break, they are running on AT&T's network after all.
Lucky I'm in the Now Network then the Late Network.
lol, i see what you did there
LMAO great one liner! LOLOLOLOL
It's getting to the point where ATT is a waste of space for anyone other than IPhone users. Nothing worth having save maybe a Nokia E71x. I was ready to jump ship to sprint for the Hero,until I say how cheezy the Sprint version looks.
man can at&t get anything right? they suck
They overcharge pretty accurately, actually.
AT&T is dropping the ball lately. Or should I say "dropping the call"?
I was thinking of buying an IPhone 3GS with the expensive plan and all, but knowing that I couldn't even use the phone to it's full potential...
I'm going to switch companies and go to Verison. It sucks that Apple's image is affected due to AT&T's network.
At first we were thinking..."yuck, AT&T okay I'll stay on it, just be the iPhone is on it"... but now... you'd be sorry to be on the network since you can't even get your calls.
I have AT&T now, and I have full reception if I'm outside. The calls keep failing saying that the network is busy. If I'm inside my house, it seems I don't get any bars anymore. Horrible, just horrible. AT&T, you need to compensate your customers for the downtime on your network!!!!
I will stick with BigRed.
///Day In Future///
Engadget News: After one month of the iPhone's premiere on the Verizon network, AT&T has lost 99% of users who had iPhone's on it's network. The remaining 1% still can't tether and MMS errors still plague them. iPhone 4g handsets released on AT&T are being recalled because the phones have a pop-up message that tells the user that if they were on Verizon, they could be using all the new features that AT&T's network can't handle.
Verizon commented on the rumor of a purchase of the AT&T network saying: "If we wanted a bad network, we would have bought them out years ago. Tell them to pound sand."
1) There's a difference between IT'S (it and is) and ITS (possessive(
2) Contrary to popular belief, unless VZW suddenly has LTE up and running and ready for iPhone, the iPhone will not be called 4G.
3) If all ATT iPhone users leave for say, like VZW, VZW's network will be raped and be the equivalent of the ATT network
4) VZW hates SIM cards unless they're World Phones, so we're about to see a whole lot of scrutiny on that end; you can't please everyone
5) VZW rates are about the same
I bet you're a lot of fun at parties.
what a tool...
I have had AT&T for years now (still do) and have never had any problems with dropped calls, late or delayed text messages, or any of the commonly mentioned problems. Is this just an iPhone issue (I don't have an iPhone)?
Beats me. People at Engadget love to hate on AT&T, but I've had nothing but great service from them, including only one dropped call ever (in a car on the highway somewhere), and I rarely see my Bold dip below four bars. Perhaps they're bad in other markets, or perhaps a good many of the commenters here are simply riding the joke train and have never actually had service through AT&T, or perhaps both...but I have no complaints whatsoever.
I agree, really the only thing I can say against AT&T is that their 3G deployment has been laughably slow. VZW has had EV-DO Rev.A in my area for at least 2 years now and I'm still having to put up with EDGE on my ATT Tilt.
I can't wait until all the VZW fanboys get slammed when their network is overwhelmed with iChit traffic whenever the day comes. My Bold blows away any POS vzw phone. My vzw work phone can't hold a call for more than 5 minutes when I'm on the road...my Bold just keeps going and going and going and...
I've had AT&T for years. Up until I bought an iPhone, I had excellent coverage with never an issue. The iPhone is the problem. My Blackberrys were fantastic. My wife's Blackberry will have full bars and my iPhone will have none. She never drops a call and that is the norm for me. I don't fault AT&T. Apple seems to have missed the point that it's a phone first and an iPod or gaming device or whatever, second.
Well,
I'm gonna be one in a million and say I have an iPhone 3G and I love At&t.
I've grown to live without MMS and I use my phone constantly. The reception is great usually(I live in Western Florida).
I've experienced a couple dropped calls, but nothing to make me complain constantly about how horrible AT&T is.
But I do see where some people get it from, but it does get quite tiresome hearing the same thing over and over.
Contrary to the comments many users have posted, I am an ATT customer using a BB Bold. The network SUCKS. ATT completely oversold its capacity. I live in Chicago, and good luck maintaining calls for any length of time. They FREQUENTLY drop. And I've had two SIM cards and a phone swapped out. Trust me, its the network (or lack thereof).
Add to this that you cannot get signal in crowded places (street festivals, Cubs games, the Wisconsin Badgers game in Madison last night [which, ironically, ATT is the wireless sponsor of] and it all adds up to consumer fraud.
I'm not taking RIM off the hook here. Its software often comes out in what would be known by other companies as "beta" and it takes several updates to get it working properly. But the major issue here is ATT. If class actions suits on its overselling of its network haven't been filed yet, they REALLY ought to be.
Ever since I updated my bold it's been dropping calls and sucking the life out of my batteries.