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AT&T refunding iPhone activation charges for customers who experienced limbo?
If you were one of the unfortunate souls caught up in the AT&T activation limbo, some readers are reporting that you might be able to reclaim at least a few bucks for your pain and suffering. As the story goes, AT&T is apparently refunding the $36 activation fee to those who call and present their story of iPhone despair. Of course, it would probably help if you're cordial while explaining instead of reliving the memory entirely, but a refund of such a comparatively small amount of money doesn't sound like too much skin off AT&T's back to make up for doing such a dreadful job handling the iPhone Weekend.If you try this, let us know what your experience is like. There are no guarantees here, and I was fortunate to get activated right away so I don't have any personal gripes. Good luck with those calls.
iPhone activation program released
If you've been wanting to activate your iPhone without iTunes so you can use a non-iPhone AT&T/Cingular SIM, or you just want to use your iPhone as an iPhonePod, I have some good news for you. The guys over at ModMyiPhone have introduced a program that doesn't require you to work from the command line. Not everyone loves the command line. It's a basic fact. And, for those of you who have been waiting for a real application that avoids using Terminal commands, point your web browser at this page. iActivator wraps a GUI around iPhone activation, and makes it simple to use the jailbreak, iASign and iPhoneInterface tools. For those of you still worried about turning your iPhone into an iBrick, keep in mind that this is still early software. You may want to wait a few weeks for the software (and the hacking tools that underlie the application) to gain stability. Also, be aware that the public link seems to be down. You may have to sign up for a (free) account before being allowed to download the members-only version. A final note: it's unclear whether this is a Universal binary solution or (as I'm guessing) Intel-only.Thanks Kyle
Apple's iPhone functioning with Vodafone?
Here's an interesting one. While just about every citizen in Europe twiddles their thumbs and awaits an iPhone announcement for their side of the pond, more than a few impatient souls have been looking for ways to utilize the device in their homeland right away. Most recently, however, is an intriguing report that a US-sourced iPhone is functioning fine (save for the lack of visual voicemail) on Vodafone after a user swapped an AT&T SIM card into an O2 XDA, had the carrier add it to his current contract, and then stuffed the now-Vodafone-compliant AT&T SIM back into the iPhone. Interestingly, hordes of IRC participants are balking at the story, suggesting that SIM numbers are network specific and that Vodafone should not have been able to pull off the aforementioned feat of magic. Hmm, we wonder if Vodafone's bubbling excitement to get ahold of Apple's handset could have anything to do with it?Read - US iPhone works with VodafoneRead - Vodafone "looks forward" to 3G iPhone
iPhone + Disposable Cellphone + Prepaid Cards + New Activation Tool = Holy Cow
Holy cow. Those guys at fusion.osx86.hu/#iphone are geniuses. Late yesterday, I downloaded a copy of iASign, their new iPhone activation tool. Right now, at this second, my iPhone just made its first call using the SIM from my disposable Cingular phone with its $10 card. After, I dialed *777# and it told me I've got $9.25 left on my account. The phone number in Settings -> Phone shows the proper number for the disposable phone (versus the one I activated with the iPhone PickYourPlan).
Man's quest for $10 AT&T DSL ends in success... kind of
Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins' internet ordeal is over, and he has detailed all the painful, laborious, and clearly unnecessary steps needed to put yourself into Cashville with AT&T's cheap-o DSL service over on his website. In the end, the poor guy spoke with what appears to be hundreds of the company's employees, had to "pay" $79.99 for a router (although they offer a mail-in rebate reimbursement), and forked over $50 for AT&T's "activation fee", yet still technically doesn't have service. Regardless, when he's paying a measly $10 $18 a month for his phone and DSL service, and you're still Go-Go dancing on weekends just to cover your voicemail charge, who will really have the last laugh? Hit the read link for all the painful details....
AT&T says iPhone activation is improving
An AP report out today claims that AT&T has made "technical adjustments" to correct problems with its "overloaded servers", which have been making it hard or impossible for new iPhone owners to activate their device -- and as many of you know, a non-activated iPhone is essentially useless, save for emergency calls and showing off to your friends. A spokesman for the company said that while there have been problems with getting users up and running, nearly all customers have been able to activate their phones within five to eight minutes -- though we suspect that information will just be salt in the wound to people who are still having trouble. The rep also stated that the company is expecting new gears for its steam engines any day now, and that the laborers who shovel coal into its furnaces have doubled their efforts.
Prepaid iPhone in a Nutshell
After spending far too many hours trying to set up pre-paid iPhone directly with AT&T, I decided to take matters into my own hands this evening. Instead of trying to connect my newly provisioned AT&T account, I iSigned up using iTunes and entered 999-99-9999 as my social security number (as recommended by one of the more clueful AT&T people). Of course, this failed the credit check and I was offered the prepaid plan. I selected it, agreed to the terms, and pretty much 1-2-3, I was put into the activation queue. At this time, I'm getting the "Your activation requires additional time to complete"/"You will receive an email confirmation", but my iBrick has taken some major steps forward in its uselessness. %Gallery-4461%It LIVES! Update and advice here
Two possible fixes for iPhone activation problems
For those still stuck in iPhone activation limbo, we have a couple of tips and tricks might help you to get on your way. While these might not be sure-fire solutions for everyone, they sound general enough and have worked for at least two individuals, so they just might work for you as well. First up is a three-step process from Download Squad's Alex Hung which involves shuffling a couple of SIM cards around. After waiting far too long like so many others, Alex called AT&T who told him that the iPhone activation process involves two basic steps: the first is the SIM activation, while the second is some sort of iTunes verification process (if I had to guess, this is for Apple's records to keep track of who owns which phones and how many, since they get a cut of every AT&T iPhone contract). Like many others, Alex received the email that the SIM activation process had completed, but his iPhone still wasn't working. After a phone call and some clever deduction, here is Alex's trick that might help some of you get your iBricks to start working more like iPhones. Note, however, that this requires you to already be an AT&T customer with a Cingular or AT&T phone and SIM card separate from the iPhone: Assuming you've already gone through the initial activation process and are stuck somewhere in limbo like so many others, power down your iPhone and swap out the iPhone's SIM (outlined in this downloadable iPhone User Guide - your first search result in that document for "SIM" should do it) for the SIM from your old phone. Power the phone back on. Plug the iPhone back into iTunes to force a new activation process (every time you swap the iPhone's SIM, it will need to be plugged into iTunes and verified before your iPhone will work). Your activation might or might not work this second time around with your old SIM, but once you complete it, power the phone back down. Proceed to step 3. Swap out the SIM cards again and re-insert the SIM that originally came with your iPhone. For the heck of it, wait a minute or two before powering the iPhone back on. If all goes well, your new iPhone SIM and iTunes verification will have finally straightened out, allowing you to use your iPhone as Apple originally intended. You might have to power cycle the phone one more time (Alex did), as the iPhone might actually request you to do so, but this trick just might work for some of you. If it does, or if you have any modifications to the steps that ultimately get your iPhone up and running, please share in the comments. A catch with this method, however, is that we really aren't sure what will happen to your other activation requests if this trick actually succeeds. We also aren't sure whether this is a 'good' way to get your iPhone up and running, since you will technically be entering a second activation process into AT&T's (and possibly Apple's) systems, which could potentially cause more problems. If anyone knows something we don't about this trick, please share that in the comments as well and we'll be happy to update this post.The second method is detailed by Rogue Amoeba's Paul Kafasis on the company's blog. This one is a bit simpler, though potentially more time consuming: Paul essentially called a specific AT&T number (1-877-800-3701), selected the proper extension (#1) and waited 45 minutes until getting a representative who explained the situation. Turns out that Paul's activation was a manual process that wasn't fully completed by the original rep who handled it. After this new rep apparently fixed a small issue by adding a required feature and clicking the "Yes, Paul can use his iPhone now" button, he was up and running with his iPhone.Of course, these solutions might not work for everyone, but we sure hope they can bring a smile to at least some of you who have had a less-than-stellar experience getting their iPhones actually working like iPhones. Of course, if you have your own ideas or modifications to these solutions, please share them in the comments and we'll update this post.
Poll: got iPhone activation problems?
We heard yesterday that despite some issues over AT&T way, iPhone activations would (hopefully) be up and running smoothly by as early as this morning. Of course, evidenced by the flood of users continuing to tip us, we'd say a great deal of you are still experiencing activation problems. We've flipped the switch on a half dozen or so iPhones, and had no problems whatsoever. So to all you new iPhone owners out there, are you (still) having issues? %Poll-1701%
iPhone Second Impressions: On activation, UI, EDGE and answering questions
Another quick round of first impression stuff that covers some user problems with activation, EDGE speeds, Google Maps and Mail. We're working on some more focused, in-depth posts that explore individual features in their entirety, such as Safari, the keyboard, Mail, etc. For now, let's get started with trying to solve some of these activation pains and go from there. Activation Readers at TUAW and across the web are reporting all sorts of activation problems, and I'm truly sorry to hear about it, but I might have some tips that could help get your iPhone on its feet. As I recall, iTunes gave me an error message during the activation process, but the iPhone still kicked me back out to the home screen once it was done, and I received the standard 'your phone is activated' email a couple minutes later. I immediately was able to receive a phone call, and SMS and make an outbound call. I was also an existing AT&T customer, so all I had to do was add the $20 iPhone Data Plan during the process. I'm not trying to brag here, just provide context; by my rough calculations, existing AT&T customers seem to be having less problems than those who are first signing up or porting over service, as those operations probably entail a bit more work in the back-end on AT&T's part. There are a couple tricks that might help here: First, some owners are reporting that simply soft resetting the iPhone (hold the power button at the top of the phone for a few seconds to receive the power off slider) and then booting it back up fixes the issue. Just for the heck of it, why not wait a few seconds or even up to a minute? It couldn't hurt, and it might work some network voodoo to wake AT&T up and get your iPhone rollin'. I honestly don't know about this one as it is simply an idea I had, but: if you have a second Mac or PC lying around with the latest iTunes 7.3 installed, you could try plugging it in to see if the activation process begins again. However, remember: this is just an idea I had, and I have no idea whether that will illicit any results or get your activation process even more borked up on AT&T's books. I honestly don't believe it could do any damage, but I certainly am no AT&T activations engineer either. This is another theory that I haven't seen tested or mentioned anywhere, so take this one with a grain of salt as well: If you're an existing AT&T customer with a SIM card in your current (or - hopefully - soon to be replaced) phone, you could try swapping out the iPhone's SIM card as outlined in the iPhone User Guide (not included with the phone itself). Simply open that in Preview and search for SIM; your first result should be a guide for removing the SIM card and inserting a new one. Then plug your iPhone back into iTunes to see if a new activation process can begin. Again: this is just a theory; I haven't tested or heard anyone try this as a solution for activation problems. Update: More readers are reporting that turning off your old phone before activating the iPhone might help with activation issues. While this tip won't do you any good if you're already caught in the limbo of AT&T's activation system, it might help if my idea of re-trying activation with a different computer is worth anything. EDGE It's surprisingly fast. The best speed test I've found so far for Safari on the iPhone is dslreports.com/mspeed, offering a really scaled down page with a few download size options and no-nonsense results. I'm getting, on average, about 150 kbit/sec downloads on my phone. In light of the drawbacks of EDGE's (traditional) speed, the only reason that makes sense as to why Apple and AT&T didn't make some massive announcement of a network upgrade is that they're getting hammered this weekend with iPhone activations and people tinkering around with surfing via EDGE. If they're going to announce this at all, waiting until maybe sometime next week makes sense as the iPhone storm might be dissipating to more manageable levels where most users will see this increased speed across the country. Of course, this is just speculation on my part, but the tests don't lie: users across the nation are reporting that EDGE has upgraded from its previous 20 kbits/sec speed to anywhere from 100k - 200 kbits/sec. This is great (unofficial) news. Call me crazy, but I think YouTube is serving up different movies based on whether you are viewing via Wi-Fi or EDGE. I've watched three separate videos via both wireless methods, one of them user generated with crummy equipment to start with, and I swear I see a higher quality version over Wi-Fi than when watching with EDGE. Whether this means there are literally two separate files encoded at different qualities or if YouTube is working some streaming + compression magic I have no idea, but I would love to hear other iPhone users chime in on this one. Google Maps usually impresses me with its speed when viewing satellite images over EDGE. Simply viewing the standard map and searching for a location is almost always snappy over EDGE (sometimes there seems to be a delay, but not often), and even downloading satellite imagery is usable. Google Maps This was probably demoed and I just don't remember, but I'm talking to enough iPhone owners who didn't know this that I felt it warranted a mention: you can pinch to zoom in and out of either Google Maps views. This is fantastic. Traffic reports are usually pretty snappy, again even over EDGE. The Bookmarks feature of Google Maps (accessible by the blue book in the address bar) is a great way to save frequently used routes and quickly get at the addresses of contacts. At first I was slightly disappointed that I can't hook the iPhone's Google Maps up to my actual Google Account, but after exploring that Bookmarks feature, I deem it a non-issue, at least for me. Mail, selecting and deleting items Some readers are asking about doing operations like deleting more than one Mail message at a time. While you can slide your finger across any single message to invoke that red delete button for just that message, hitting the Edit button at the top of any message list will invoke red buttons to the left of every message in the list. While this isn't exactly the same as holding the Command key on a Mac, selecting a bunch of messages and hitting the delete key once to trash them all, this is the quickest way I can find to perform large deleting operations. This seems to be the UI for any situation where you have a list of items that can be deleted; there's no way to select a few of them at random and hit one delete key - instead, you enable a 'delete mode' which makes it easier to delete more than one message, but still one at a time. I'm slightly disappointed at the lack of the 'One Inbox to Rule Them All' like Mail in Mac OS X has; if you have more than one account synched to the iPhone, you have to drill down into each account's inbox to view any new messages, drill back out to the accounts list and then drill back into a new account and inbox to view that account's new messages. It's clunky, but it's also becoming inspiration for me to consolidate email accounts. That's about it for now. Like I said, stay tuned for those more in-depth posts on individual features, but in the meantime, I hope everyone's activation problems can get solved soon.
iPhone activations hosed until morning?
We've been hearing scattered reports some that newly-christened iPhone owners are having a heck of a time finalizing the activation process in iTunes. That sucks for a couple reasons: first, these puppies are darned near useless without being activated, and second, it seems the procedure is hanging after the point at which existing customers' current SIMs are deactivated. So yeah, long story short, there's a few people out there left phoneless while AT&T gets its act together, which it's been said may not be until morning. Burnin' the midnight oil over there, O Masters of Activation?
Activation Video reveals some interesting details and... an 80GB iPhone?
Oh Apple, you're so sly with the way you slip in the useful (and sometimes bizarre) details with your iPhone demo videos. In the activation video posted today, more intricacies of what and how the iPhone synchs have been revealed with a walk-through of how to get one's iPhone set up at home with iTunes. First, it appears as though Apple and AT&T have thought of just about everything: The setup asks whether you already have an AT&T account and you'd just like to add your iPhone to it, or if you're creating a brand new account. Users can also activate two or more phones all from the comforts of their pajamas and iTunes.
Apple posts iPhone activation video
We know what you're thinking, "This isn't 'The Unofficial iPhone Weblog,' man! Enough already!" If it's any consolation, you'll only have to deal with our iPhone fascination for a few more days. After that....well, after that it will be a full-blow obsession. We can't help it.Apple has released an iPhone setup and activation video that guides new users through the process of setting up their iPhones. The whole process is handled by iTunes, of course. In fact, you can activate your phone from home, and not while standing in the crowded and noisy mall. Very nice.The video also explains how to sync your data via iTunes (it works just like an iPod, of course) and features the same well groomed, well lit and hypnotic man - dressed just like Steve, mind you - from the previous video.
iPhone rate plans revealed, at-home activation announced
Even though they could probably charge $500 a month for service and still sign up a grip of Apple fanboys, AT&T has announced that it will be offering the iPhone for much more reasonable rates, starting at just $60 for 450 minutes and "unlimited" data; that's right, the data plan is wrapped up nice and tight with voice service in your obligatory two-year contract. Scoring 900 or 1,350 minutes will set you back $80 and $100 per month, respectively, although no matter what plan you choose, you're getting 200 text messages, unlimited mobile-to-mobile calls, and a ton of night and weekend minutes (5,000 for the starter plan, unlimited for the other two). If you're unfortunate lucky enough to be stocking up on iPhones for the whole family, shared bundles of 700, 1,400, and 2,100 minutes (all with 200 SMS messages and unlimited night and weekend calls) can be had for $80, $100, or $120 plus 30 bucks per line. Finally, to keep existing customers from going crazy waiting for their contracts to expire, AT&T is also offering its current subscribers a $20 option to tack on the iPhone data plan -- which goes up to $30 or $40 if you need to jack up your SMS limit to 1,500 or unlimited messages.In more good news -- well, depending on how you look at it -- Apple has announced that customers will be able to activate their new phones via an iTunes sync, saving them from spending even an extra minute in an AT&T store they will have surely have grown to despise. On the down side, if you do have problems with your activation -- remember those initial iTunes / Vista issues? -- it'll be just that much more difficult to troubleshoot as you and two million other frustrated users flood AT&T's customer service line simultaneously. Good times, folks, good times.Update: That's some, ah, good journalism there Lou. Apparently there are actually six packages each available for both of the individual and family plans, as reader Christopher K. noticed by simply clicking on the "More Minutes" button at the bottom of those plans' respective tabs here. Heavy users will be also be able to choose from 2,000, 4,000, or 6,000 minute bundles for $120, $170, and $220, respectively, with families getting 3,000, 4,000, or 6,000 minutes for $160, $210, and $310, also respectively.Read - iPhone rate plansRead - iTunes activation[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
AT&T and Apple announce service plans, iTunes activation for iPhone
Here we go again folks: this time it's a double-dose of PR announcements from Apple and AT&T that finally answer some of our biggest questions about service plans and activation for the iPhone. First up: the iPhone will work with any of AT&T's service plans, but they have put together three bundle plans that include unlimited data, Visual Voicemail (apparently not included if choosing a standard plan), 200 SMS and of course, roll-over minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. To quote Mr. Jobs, who clearly must have had some influence on this 'give them a simple package' approach: "We want to make choosing a service plan simple and easy, so every plan includes unlimited data with direct Internet access, along with Visual Voicemail and a host of other goodies." Yes, Steve Jobs is quoted as saying 'goodies.' These bundle plans - which all include the aforementioned features like unlimited data - work like so: $59.99 for 450 minutes $79.99 for 900 minutes $99.99 for 1,350 minutes Family plans are also available, though the press release makes no mention of what they are. Also, a $36 activation fee is required for all new plans. Speaking of activation, the second press release should offer some relief to those worried about being able to unbox their own iPhone or waiting for every phone to get activated in the store. Apple and AT&T have announced that iPhones users will be able to "activate their new iPhones using Apple's popular iTunes(R) software running on a PC or Mac in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office." iTunes will guide users through choosing a service plan, authorizing their credit and activating the iPhone, after which they will of course be able to manage the synching process of all their bookmarks, contacts and iTunes media.Considering unlimited data is included, these plans sound like pretty good deals. Top it all off with lines that should move pretty quickly in and out of Apple and AT&T stores, and we all might just make it through this weekend yet.
Top 5 Reasons the iPhone may not require in-store activation
Update: As announced, the iPhone is to be activated with iTunes, in the comfort of your own home/office/local Starbucks. The iPhone requires in-store activation, right? Right? No one knows, but that won't stop us from speculating about the alternatives. Here are our top 5 reasons you might be able to bring home your iPhone without all the hassles of an in-store sign-up: 5. Apple says you'll need an account with Apple's iTunes store. I have little knowledge about cell phone regulation and what it takes to get a cell phone up and running but I do know you can buy a Tracfone at Walmart and get it going without waiting for an hour or so at the cell phone store for a guy to fumble around with your iPhone packaging. 4. About a week ago, I posted about the new Web Object references to the iPhone in Apple's online securebag and storebag protocols. The iPhone Activation URL https://albert.apple.com/WebObjects/ALActivation.woa/wa/iPhoneRegistration suggests that it might be possible to activate an iPhone using nothing more than iTunes--as opposed to the normal and lengthy process of getting a cellphone up and running. 3. We're still waiting for any official plan details to emerge. If the recent GoPhone plans are expanded to the iPhone, the iPhone might prove to be a simple contract-free affair--although we're probably not talking about a new wi-fi enabled $499 or $599 widescreen iPod sans iPhone enablement. If that's a SIM card slot up-top (or maybe near the battery compartment), maybe you could just take it home, unwrap it yourself and drop in your SIM card and go. 2. Several Apple store employees have spoken about buying the iPhone at the Apple store and bringing them later to AT&T stores for number transfer. 1. No human being should be expected to wait in line as long as common sense would suggest it will take to process each iPhone buyer through account activation this Friday.
Vista activation "more an irritation to legit users than an antipiracy measure"
Those are the words of Brian Livingstone, a renowned expert on the inner working of Microsoft Windows: in a post on WindowsSecrets.com, he exposes a backdoor route around activation which effectively destroys activation as an antipiracy measure. That, in and of itself, isn't a particularly surprising development (we've already seen two exploits that skip or bypass activation); no, the real story is the fact that the exploit was created by Microsoft itself. The "SkipRearm" process involves some simple editing of Registry files that can "extend the activation deadline of Vista indefinitely." This backdoor around WGA was created to help corporations keep machines working whilst they work under the heavy burden of prepping systems for Vista activation. If they can't do it within Vista's 30 day grace period, they can postpone activation by 30 days up to three times using the "sysprep /generalize" command: SkipRearm can be executed indefinitely. Specifically, Microsoft documentation says "Microsoft recommends that you use the SkipRearm setting if you plan on running Sysprep multiple times on a computer." Now that Windows Activation could potentially help pirates as well as annoy legitimate Windows owners, it's hard to see how Microsoft will be able to continue to justify using this ineffective, draconian system.[Via ComputerWorld, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Vista activation crack #2 auto-renews the 30 day grace period
Strike three two for Vista's product activation system: the latest Vista activation workaround is called "Timerstop t2a" which works by automatically renewing the 30 day grace period before the user has to "activate" their presumably legit copy of Windows. Besides the obviously malicious undertone to these kind of utilities, we're certain that there are a whole lot of legitimate Vista owners out there that would prefer to go through this admittedly complex process rather than attempt the normal activation procedure. Just like with DRM, anti-piracy PSAs before movies, and heck, even excessive surveillance, innocent people tend not to like it when they're treated as suspects. The lesson for Microsoft is that when people want to pirate software, they will: even in the face of increasingly complex activation systems. A pity then that Redmond's fired up photocopiers technically can't copy a function that -- purposely -- doesn't exist in Mac OS X.
