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Buzz Out Loud 1252: News flash: AT&T is greedy (podcast)

On today's show, we counted up all the times AT&T is making you pay them to deliver various bits, and frankly, we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. Then again, it's not like Verizon's not headed in the same direction, and it's not like our shareholder-dependent capitalist society would have it any other way. (Don't worry, we don't do that for long.) Also, iPhone 4's display may be "gorgeous," but it's the reason for all the production shortages.

Molly Wood Former Executive Editor
Molly Wood was an executive editor at CNET, author of the Molly Rants blog, and host of the tech show, Always On. When she's not enraging fanboys of all stripes, she can be found offering tech opinions on CBS and elsewhere, and offering opinions on everything else to anyone who will listen.
Molly Wood
3 min read

On today's show, we counted up all the times AT&T is making you pay them to deliver various bits, and frankly, we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. Then again, it's not like Verizon's not headed in the same direction, and it's not like our shareholder-dependent capitalist society would have it any other way. (Don't worry, we don't do that for long.) Also, iPhone 4's display may be "gorgeous," but it's the reason for all the production shortages.

Watch this: BOL 1252: News flash: AT&T is greedy

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EPISODE 1252

AT&T Microcell 3G Use Will Count Against Your Cap
http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/ATT-Microcell-3G-Use-Will-Count-Against-Your-Cap-108935
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-the-latest-way-att-is-screwing-its-wireless-customers-2010-6
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=193292

Verizon May Follow AT&T's IPhone to Tiered Pricing (Update1)
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-17/verizon-may-follow-at-t-s-iphone-to-tiered-pricing-update1-.html

iPhone 4 debut nipped by display screen shortages
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10787237/1/apple-iphone-debut-nipped-by-shortages.html

iPhone 4 Confirmed to Have 512MB of RAM (Twice the iPad and 3GS)
http://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/17/iphone-4-confirmed-to-have-512mb-of-ram-twice-the-ipad-and-3gs/

first iPhone 4 camper shows up at Dallas Apple store on Knox St.
http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/06/first-iphone-4-camper-shows-up.html

White HTC Evo coming exclusively to Best Buy July 11
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/18/white-htc-evo-4g-coming-exclusively-to-best-buy-on-july-11th/

Microsoft floating cash to iPhone devs for Windows Phone app portages
http://9to5mac.com/win_apple_app

Google Chrome Gets Extension Sync
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_chrome_gets_extension_sync.php

OnLive gaming service now available for Mac
http://www.macworld.com/article/151254/2010/06/onlive.html

Facebook ’09 revenue neared $800 million
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65H01W20100618

An iPhone-Controlled Drone Will Cost You $300
http://gizmodo.com/5564676/

video here:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-10429248-250.html

Texting and driving: Molly sets a bad example
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/06/adults-on-texting-and-driving-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do.ars

Japan’s Space-Surfing Solar Sail Photographed For First Time
http://gizmodo.com/5566060/japans-space+surfing-solar-sail-photographed-for-first-time

New Xbox Slim won’t EVER red-ring of death …
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-21539_7-20008087-10391702.html

Voicemail (800-616-2638)
Chris and the iPhone 4 pre-order, part 2

Email (buzz@cnet.com)
Just wanted to pass along that my wife and I pre-ordered our iPhone 4s on the 15th by visiting our local AT&T store. The process was fairly smooth despite their ordering system reverting to pen and paper. Then today I received a phone call from an AT&T rep to confirm our orders, which I thought was nice. I asked him if should expect our phones to arrive on the 24th but all he would say was that they were trying to get them out as soon as possible.

Jeremy Teran

**********

Hey Buzz Crew–

I find the story about the Incredible’s picture saving to be a bit ridiculous. AFAIK, the pictures get saved in the internal 8GB memory that’s available on the phone and is effectively treated as an internal SD card. I don’t think it makes sense for a factory reset to overwrite this area. (Besides, you can format this memory by going to Settings -> SD card & phone storage -> Format phone storage).

–Ryan the programmer from Indianapolis

**********

Hey Buzz crew, I suspect you don’t even read the emails I send, but I’m trying again, anyway.

In episode 1251, you talked about the Sense UI capturing a screenshot randomly and sticking it in an inaccessible place on the phone and how terrible this was for security. You then commented that Steve Jobs would say that the iPhone just works (and you don’t have this problem).

Well actually, Apple’s glorious iPhone has had this problem for some time. The device takes a screen capture every time you press the Home button (that’s how they make their transition effects) and stores that in some vague area on the phone. It’s been doing this since inception, and it’s a well-known issue.

Reference:
“The handset snaps a cached screenshot of your most recent action whenever the Home button is pressed. A tech-savvy thief could potentially access a pilfered iPhone's cache and see previously written text messages, password entries and so forth.”"
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/06/iphonesecurity/

Thanks for all your hard work.

Tim from Nashville