Monday, December 17, 2007

  Like Twitter? Like T-Mobile? They May Not Be Good Together

We have always thought T-Mobile an outstanding wireless company. They are consistently responsive to us when we send complaint letters, and they get far fewer than any other wireless carrier.

We're not so sure about Twitter. One of us is a big fan, one keeps trying to be and the rest of the folks want to know about their content areas. Still, learning about T-Mobile's stance today regarding Twitter was a dash of cold water in the face reminiscent of that brief horrible period when Intuit turned its back on special service and almost killed Quicken.

Irreverent but usually darn accurate Silicon Valley site Valleywag wrote yesterday about T-Mobile refusing to allow text messages to Twitter's service. A blogger apparently tried a net neutrality argument, but that was quashed by the executive response team. Instead, it appears that the tech contingent (the gang who first made the Sidekick go viral and sell big) will do the company's reputation more harm than any philosophical argument.

Why is this seemingly tech-oriented battle important for consumers?

The answer lies in what we told a client today. There will be millions of new cell phones with web capabilities unwrapped around Christmas trees next week. T-Mobile's representative wrote in response to Twitter:

"... some Services are not available on third-party networks or while roaming. We may impose credit, usage, or other limits to Service, cancel or suspend Service, or block certain types of calls, messages, or sessions (such as international, 900, or 976 calls) at our discretion."


Knowing what your carrier provides is one of the keys to making that new wireless purchase a winner. Read the fine print before you wrap the present.


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