by If you have an iPhone, you know the new Verizon advertising push humiliating at&t for their lousy 3G coverage is well-earned and deserved.
Yesterday, at&t released a fascinating app for the iPhone — Mark the Spot — that lets every iPhone user on their network precisely report problem network areas and spotting cellular coverage. Thank you, Verizon, for pressing at&t into finally doing the right thing… even if it’s three years too late.
at&t is smart to use the flocking notion to help improve their network.
We are desperate for proper at&t service and Mark The Spot is just the means we need to help provide an on site remedy in real time.
You can even check the accuracy of the map to help at&t pinpoint the location of your trouble. The app will save your trouble report and deliver it when you’re back in a service area if you can’t connect from the trouble spot.
at&t limits the choices for creating a trouble ticket:
You can always click on the “Additional Info” link at the bottom of the screen to type in more specifics about the trouble.
In an hour or so, at&t will send a no-cost SMS message to your iPhone confirming successful receipt of your trouble report.
Mark The Spot is a necessary tool to get your iPhone working right at all times.
Right now if it is raining — I guarantee you at&t will drop an iPhone call.
If it is rush hour in Manhattan or Queens — I guarantee you at&t will drop an iPhone call.
If you’re inside a building — near a window but not pressed against it — I guarantee you at&t data will not be active or robust.
I guarantee at&t we will faithfully report all these problem areas in an ongoing basis and then we will hold thumbs — but never our breath — that at&t actually, finally, steps up and delivers fixes for these ongoing and niggly network problems.
The other night I was at Madison Square Garden for a Phish show. When I was one of a few dozen people there, the service was fine. When the place was packed and therefore full of iPhone users, the service was nearly non-existent. I wonder if they could have done anything about that.
They can anticipate a need and actually bring portable antennas to the arena — just as they do for the national political conventions and other events sponsored by at&t — but if there isn’t anything in it for them to up the capacity for a few hours, it doesn’t happen.
Sorta strange thing to have so late in the game. Guess att is worried about losing its hold on the iPhone and this is one way to look like they care. I don’t believe att don’t already know where all the problems are. They process all the dropped calls and data loss. All those failures are already in their system.
Hmmm. Good point, Anne. So you think this app is more placebo than anything, eh? That makes sense. I’m certain, as you say, at&t know precisely everything that is and isn’t working on their network. If Verizon knows the at&t dead spots, at&t better know, too…