AT&T Wireless 411—Text Messages Now Useless

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I occasionally use the expensive 411 service from AT&TᾹmainly when I need a number quickly, and don’t have time to search for the number via WAP.

It used to be that the text messages would be formatted in such a way that my Sony Ericsson S710a would automatically notice the phone number and let me click on it to dial or add it to the contact list. But no more. The message format has changed such that nothing in the message is recognized as a phone number.

But the original format was also not that useful. Only the phone number was contained in the message, not the name or address. Why not simply send me the complete directory listing in a vCard format as an MMS or e-mail? Then I could add a complete phonebook entry to my phone, without having to painfully enter all of it on the keypad.

Author: Peter Sheerin

Peter Sheerin is best known for the decade he spent as the Technical Editor of CADENCE magazine, where he was the acknowledged expert in Computer-Aided Design hardware and software. He has a long-standing passion for improving usability of software, hardware, and everyday objects that is always interwoven in his articles. Peter is available for freelance technical writing and product reviews, and is exploring career opportunities in interaction design. His pet personal project is exploring the best ways to harmonize visual, tactile, and audible symbols for improving the effectiveness of alerting systems.

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