AT&T Year-End Report Card: C

AT&T , the supermassive telecom and largest wireless carrier in the US , is dearly roll in the hay by Giz reader as the Death Star . Why ? Its compass is Empire - worthy and well , just look at that damn logotype . 2007 was an appropriately grownup twelvemonth that set out off with a double - barrelled blast : AT&T snagged exclusive rights to the iPhone in the States andkilled off the Cingular brand . But was it strong with the Force for the rest of the year ?

https://gizmodo.com/steven-colbert-explains-the-cingular-at-t-deal-229321

The iPhone is undoubtedly the hottest story in tech this year , whether you wanna lick it , spit on it or do something downright unseemly to it . AndAT&T shut away up the undivided right , make a huge , huge winnings . Of course , it rearrange AT&T intomore like an ATMfor Apple , butby and by , it ’s gettingwhat it paid is give for , despitepesky , dour little cyber-terrorist . A

Last Of Us 7 Ellie Crash

https://gizmodo.com/the-iphone-on-cingular-227388

But ! The major job everyone has with the iPhone ( before we trench the subject , honest ) isactually AT&T. I mean , Apple eventried to take it to Verizon first . Burn , no ? AT&T has got acrummy - prat meshwork , and EDGE is only part of the problem , even after “ Operation Fine Edge . ” Twue , its 3 G internet’sa little betterthan before , but still way behind Verizon’s — not that it matters for iDrones anyway . ‘ Tilnext yr . D+

https://gizmodo.com/the-at-t-iphone-moral-quandary-270765

Mission Impossible 8 Underwater

In gain to the iPhone , the rest of its ironware ispretty decenttoo , and even if you are n’t bonkers over its lineup , it still beat Verizon on two nominal head . One , there is no standardized Lifesaver - red interface gunking your phone up . Two , AT&T is a GSM carrier , so if you do n’t like what it ’s got , just bring your own sleeker product from Europe or Asia , pop in an AT&T SIM batting order and you ’re good to go , as long as your notecase can take the whacking an unlocked phone will credibly give it . ( OMG , clear access!Wait a second … ) B

https://gizmodo.com/usa-today-falls-for-at-t-openness-spin-331028

tuner is always the most pop , but let ’s not blank out that AT&T has a blotto grip on landline data and interpreter , too . Take its fiber help , for representative , part of the U - Verse IP service of process . Like Verizon , AT&T is getting it out there as tight it can despite somekinks , but Verizon is smoke it speed - wise , offering20Mbps down and upstreamon its integral FiOS electronic internet , plus a killer 50Mbps down/20 up in some blank space . AT&T ’s U - rhyme ’s top package is a hardly competitory - with - cable television 6Mbps down . “ Elite ” package , my ass — bad , that ’s only getting promote to 10Mbps in Q1 2008 . The problem is that AT&T has been mostly push a cheaper “ fiber to the neighborhood , ” atomic number 29 - to - your - door approach , rather than a “ fiber to the premises ” one , so Verizon has bandwidth to spare that AT&T just do n’t , though it ’s starting to see the fat - piping light with more FTTP deployment . But , congratulations on the recently juicedBritney - sized backbone connection . degree centigrade

Lesdilley

https://gizmodo.com/at-t-cuts-u-verse-fiber-optic-rollout-schedule-estimate-319595

Hey , guess what?Seriously shady government collusionearns you no point in our rule book , even if theFCC is willing to lookthe other elbow room , and Congress ( almost ) allow youtotally slew . Passing Uncle Sam intensely personal conversations about my toenail - nip habits is so rude , specially without a warrant . While we ’re on the subject , anetwork - wide contentedness filterwould be a dick move , too . Fail

https://gizmodo.com/video-the-at-t-wiretapping-dealio-explained-in-two-min-320277

Mission Impossible 8 Tom Cruise Hang

Sorry AT&T , we hump we ’re being a little harsh but it ’s only because we desire you to be better . And you have been unspoilt to us , at least to our brass . After that wholethin - skin Terms of Service debacle , you take on the magic attorney eraser pen andmade it less evil . And now you’repro - rating early termination feeslike a nice guy . Like a champ , you ’re offering adata - only architectural plan for the deaf . Though if you did n’t mistreat up on that one , everyone would ’ve called you an asshole for hat the deaf . You even find out time to get allBFF with us , and your fairness is appreciated . B+

https://gizmodo.com/at-t-lets-you-talk-but-limits-what-you-say-305583

Odds and ends : AT&T madea big 700MHz movethat it ’ll likely plug the holes in with the700MHz spectrum auctionfor countrywide reportage . Even though it followed Google and Verizon into the vendue , itdid not follow theminto the Open Handset Alliance , the only major carrier to abstaincompletely . Whynot join up ? Even Verizon did , and the word “ open ” used to make Verizon cower under a desk . It ’s like a country club , only with a lot more money . B-

Daredevil Born Again Episode 1 Matt Murdock

https://gizmodo.com/at-t-buys-2-5-billion-in-700mhz-spectrum-licenses-308808

AT&T ’s dizzying ups and breathtaking Sir David Low really average out to a pretty , well , average score . Even the tiptop of its class , the iPhone , was n’t completely Libyan Islamic Fighting Group pud , though by no means did all of its mishap fall on AT&T ’s heading . ( Just a lot . ) Some of the lows were jolly low , like Anakin hollo “ NooOOOooOo ” at the terminal of Revenge of the Sith . But with a 3 G iPhone , quicker and large radiocommunication and fibre internet ( minus gov’t backdoors and right of first publication trawl net ) , the door is very much open for AT&T to Strike Back next year .

Final Grade : C

M101 Pinwheel Galaxy