Some notes on AT&T Dataconnect Plan (including Text Messages)

Last month, when I received my AT&T bill, I saw that there was a $0.15 charge for a text message I had received. I looked on 3G Watcher and sure enough, there was a text message there:

From 36245 Hines@digitalperson.com(h)Want a d.a.t.e for 2night visit: *(www.itlooksdecenteno.com)).

Side note: 3GWatcher keeps the SMS messages in a log. For some odd reason, you have to have “Wireless WAN” on in order to access the log (although you don’t have to be connected). 

I do not intend to use the Flybook for text messaging, so I never thought to look for such a thing. Not wanting to pay for future spam texts, I looked all over the AT&T on-line system but couldn’t find a way to turn the feature off. I ended up using their on-line form to ask how I can set my account to not receive text messages. They didn’t really answer my question on *how* I could change the account but instead simply changed the account for me (I have since found it at the bottom of Managing Features section – I swear it wasn’t there when I first went looking). This month’s bill had a $0.16 credit (Sms Usage Chg   -0.15 ; Government Fees & Taxes  -0.01).

My “Current Rate Plan” now shows two additional line items:

MMS Opt Out     $0.00 
Text Restricted $0.00

Another side note: There is a warning on the AT&T website: “Currently there is no way to block incoming text messages from other wireless numbers.”

By the way, if you are someone who uses text messaging, but are not subscribed to a messaging package, this month’s bill also contains the following text:

Messaging Pay Per Use Rate Change Notification 
Effective 3/30/08, AT&T will charge 20¢ for text/instant   
messages & 30¢ for picture/video messages sent or received   
on a pay-per-use basis. If you already subscribe to a Messaging   
Package or MEdia Bundle, there is no change to your rate. By   
purchasing a Messaging Package, you can send and receive   
messages for as little as a 1¢ per message. Sign up and save   
at att.com/getmedia. 

My data usage so far:

10/15/07 - 11/14/07     227,347 KB 
11/15/07 - 12/14/07     145,354 KB 
12/15/07 - 01/14/08     182,254 KB 
01/15/08 - 02/14/08      94,941 KB 

The downward trend could be because some of the newness has worn off, but I suspect it is more a result of the colder weather. I don’t drive and so I tend to stray from my nice warm house less frequently in colder weather. Watch for a corresponding dip in usage around July/August as temps in Indiana push above 90 degrees F (32 C).

Still getting intermittent Vitakey “complete authentification process” message

On Feb 3rd I posted about getting a Vitakey “complete authentification process” message. I’m not getting it quite as frequently as I did for a few days in the early part of the month (I registered another digit on one hand which seemed to get rid of it for a while), but it is still cropping up now and then. Not all sites, but, I don’t think it is the same sites prompting it either. I guess I need to start keeping a log if I want to find a pattern to it.