Informationoverlord

As of yesterday afternoon I ceased to be an 02 iPhone customer and became a fully fledged T-Mobile HTC Desire customer, when my old phone number was ported over. Up until that point – for the previous few days – I had been enjoying playing with the Desire on T-mobile on the number that came with the phone whilst continuing to use my iPhone as my main phone. Fun and nice way of getting up to speed. So on receiving my first text on the desire yesterday I was happy and ready to really start putting the phone through its paces. This feeling lasted around 5 minutes, until I noticed that the phone seemed not to be able to connect to the internet or find a 3g connection.

I figured just a glitch. By 6 hours later and having tried various things detailed below, I figured the glitch was more than that.

Ever since my number was ported my phone’s ability to get any 3G connection has vanished.

I checked my settings: Menue – Settings – Wireless & Networks … Mobile Network (use phone for data connection when Wi-Fi is unavailable) … box ticked [check]; Mobile Networks (set up for roaming, networks, APNs…) …Data Roaming … box ticked [check] ; Network Operators – T-mobile showing [check]; Network mode …GSM/WCDMA auto selected [check]. Phone finding a WCDMA (3g) connection?? – not if its and my life depended on it.

Turned off phone – took out SIM, datacard, battery – replaced all and restarted. No difference.

I phoned 150 from my phone to get help and choose the right number to hear about set up issues etc. If I have a problem with picture messaging or Internet all I needed to do, I was told, was text ‘fix me’ to 34963. So I did. I got an almost immediate reply ‘We’re sorry but the service you requested is not available at the moment. Please try later or go to www.t-mobile.co.uk/fixme to configure your phone online.

And so off I went. Start ‘troubleshooter’

First pick your phone … oh. Ok, so the Desire’s not on there. Click I can’t find my phone listed. “We don’t appear to have your phone in the list, but if you give us your make and model details we’ll look to include it in the next release of our tool.” Ok, so your most high profile new phone release in god knows when and you don’t bother to sort out proper support for it before you launch it. Brilliant. I love the way you run your business, T-mobile. I then get a box to enter my phone model and my message. I wasn’t overly praising of their operation.

Oh, and that’s it, they don’t then suggest anything else at this point such as calling them again or visiting one of their shops to perhaps solve the problem – nada.

To say that I am already less than impressed with T-Mobile is a rather large understatement. The problem I am having may turn out to be phone based rather that T-Mobile based but T-Mobile are not making it very easy for me to find out. I now need to find a T-mobile shop, and see if anyone in a shop can help me before turning to HTC, which the delightful Jaffne has recently written about in equally glowing terms.

“The BBC’s new strategy proposals, which are the subject of a public consultation, include the proposed closure of two of the BBC’s digital-only radio stations: 6 Music and the Asian Network. This proposal sends a negative signal to consumers about the BBC’s commitment to digital radio—and the direction of travel on digital radio in the UK—and weakens the already limited case for listeners to invest in digital equipment.” From Lords committee report on digital TV/radio switchover.Â