It seems like every time I turn around someone is talking about cell phone reception problems. Either that, or they’re comparing one phone to another and the answer that usually comes out is that iPhone is amazing and nothing comes close (from the fans anyway).

However, there is one thing that the iPhone can’t seem to escape and that’s the shoddy reception and the dropped calls. Of course, you can always count on dropping some calls sometimes when you have a cell phone (when I was younger and first dealing with cell phones I had Voicestream, which is now T-Mobile, and I dropped calls so often I was convinced that the tower I was connecting to was on the back of a pickup truck driving down a bumpy road). But, how often should your phone be dropping calls?

Well, if you live in New York City and you have an iPhone, 30% is the norm according to an Apple Genius there. A post at Gizmodo told the story of how reader Manoj went to an Apple Store to try to figure out what was wrong with his iPhone and why it was dropping calls all the time.

It turned out that, after the Genius ran tests on the phone, his phone was dropping 22% of the calls it was making and receiving. This was after AT&T had told him that there was nothing wrong with his service; everything was ok on their end. The funny thing is, the Apple Genius told him that with his phone dropping 22% of its calls, it was still less than the average for the city. He said there was a dropped call rate of 30% on average. The Genius told the reader that his phone was fully functional and that, basically, it was AT&T’s fault that the calls continued to be dropped.

So, here’s my question. If other phones aren’t having a similar problem on the AT&T network in the city, then is it really an issue with the carrier or is it flaw with the phone. I’m leaning toward flaw with the phone personally. It also has seemed like the more advanced the technology is that the phone offers the worse the signal is. Prior to me purchasing the Palm Pre, I owned a Palm Centro and the service was always great. However, after getting the Pre, I barely got any signal in my house and Sprint had to send me an Airave.

Perhaps that’s what AT&T will have to start doing with its customers. AT&T has a new microcell thing out now; if they’re going to gouge their customers on plans and addons perhaps they should at least give them the thing that will actually help them get a signal in their home for free.

Gizmodo

The people who fly with British Airways will have to do something that people who fly on other airlines will NOT have to do: Pay for a particular seat on the plane. If they want to sit somewhere in particular they will have to pay some kind of fee according to the airline. The extra charges will only affect those who want to sit next to the window or the aisle (SO I suppose, if you want to be stuck in the middle of two people you don’t know, you should be alright?).

The change has already started; it took effect October 7th. The lowest fee that will be assessed will be 10 pounds for those who are booking their seats on an economy flight throughout Europe. The most expensive seats will cost the customer sixty pounds for long trips in the business class. Those who are expecting a seat somewhere near the emergency exit will have to pay an extra fifty pounds a flight.

British Airways says this measure will give customers more control over their seating. British Airways currently allows customers to select their seat for free 24 hours prior to their flight. If customers want to book ahead of time, they can do it before 10 and 4 days before take-off.

“Customers frequently request specific seats, but in the past we’ve only been able to confirm them 24 hours in advance or on the day. We know people want to secure them in advance and have real control over their flying experience. This will allow them to do that,” said a BA spokesman.

With this new fee and probably others that will follow, BA tries recover after £401m loss last year. Earlier this year, BA decided to no longer offer free meals on short flights and cut luggage allowances.

It is really annoying when any company decides to take advantage of a customer when there is some kind of demand for a product. In this case, the airlines are trying to squeeze money out of the consumer because they are paying rock bottom prices for airline tickets. It’s a funny thing though because these customers are still waiting in airports for delayed flights and sitting on tarmacs waiting for their planes to take off. I should know, I spent over an hour on a tarmac in North Carolina waiting in the past few months. I hate flying on airplanes.
Source

The people who fly with British Airways will have to do something that people who fly on other airlines will NOT have to do: Pay for a particular seat on the plane. If they want to sit somewhere in particular they will have to pay some kind of fee according to the airline. The extra charges will only affect those who want to sit next to the window or the aisle (SO I suppose, if you want to be stuck in the middle of two people you don’t know, you should be alright?).

The change will take place starting on October 7th. The lowest fee that will be assessed will be 10 pounds for those who are booking their seats on an economy flight throughout Europe. The most expensive seats will cost the customer sixty pounds for long trips in the business class. Those who are expecting a seat somewhere near the emergency exit will have to pay an extra fifty pounds a flight.

British Airways says this measure will give customers more control over their seating. British Airways currently allows customers to select their seat for free 24 hours prior to their flight. If customers want to book ahead of time, they can do it before 10 and 4 days before take-off.

“Customers frequently request specific seats, but in the past we’ve only been able to confirm them 24 hours in advance or on the day. We know people want to secure them in advance and have real control over their flying experience. This will allow them to do that,” said a BA spokesman.

With this new fee and probably others that will follow, BA tries recover after £401m loss last year. Earlier this year, BA decided to no longer offer free meals on short flights and cut luggage allowances.

It is really annoying when any company decides to take advantage of a customer when there is some kind of demand for a product. In this case, the airlines are trying to squeeze money out of the consumer because they are paying rock bottom prices for airline tickets. It’s a funny thing though because these customers are still waiting in airports for delayed flights and sitting on tarmacs waiting for their planes to take off. I should know, I spent over an hour on a tarmac in North Carolina waiting in the past few months. I hate flying on airplanes.
Source