AT&T U-Verse

We've had a time adjusting to our new set up. Here's the break down.

Con - Because our computer was so old, we couldn't do the wireless Internet without them drilling holes in our walls. We decided it was time for a new computer anyway. One where we were the only owners. Our old Mac was purchased from LBC for $400 when they switched to PC. This was a price I was furious over since Josh still needed it to edit videos for the jr. high group, but he won me over with how great his Mac was. Since we've had it - it's had tons of problems. Josh traces it to when the church erased all of his hard drive - so no important LBC info was leaked out. Picture me spending an hour of my life making Micah's babysitting rotation calendar with all of the holidays then only to have our computer refuse to turn on. We had to take it in and when it came back, there was no more I-Cal program. Bye bye beautiful babysitting calendar. So after some research, here I sit typing on my pretty, new IMac! It's so pretty and sleek. I really like it. Did I mention that the AT&T guy disconnected the Internet we did have from them. There was no way to get it back. I was without Internet for a week! Oh and he also told Josh that all we needed to do was buy an Airport drive from Best Buy and the old computer would work. Nope...wrong AT&T guy. There were so many things I wanted to Google...

Con - For three days, I was lost in the call in system of AT&T. Their info booklet said in two places that I would be able to record two HD shows at a time. Normally, I wouldn't care, but we love Thursday night T.V. and The Office and CSI are on at the same time. The first call in lady, Kelly, was not very helpful. She had a thick accent and she told me it would never be possible to record two things in HD at once - at least I thought that was what she said. She had no reason why I was lied too. I asked to speak to a supervisor. There was a 10 minute wait and she asked to put me on a call back list. No one ever called. I called back and got a supervisor, Darrin. He was committed to helping me, but wasn't sure what the problem was. I had to go church that night, so I was done for that day. On Thursday, after a rest and a snack, I called again. This time I got Jesse. He is my AT&T hero! He figured out the problem and connected me with Tier Two tech support. After a while, my problem was fixed. Apparently, someone didn't flip a switch or something. Who knows, but it wasn't my fault. Always talk to the next level of tech support.

Con - Where is the Holiday music channel "Sounds of the Seasons"? I loved that when we had Bright House. They played different music depending on the time of year. They actually had Halloween songs on - you'd be surprised how many there are. I do have confidence that after time, AT&T could add this channel, especially if I suggest it.

Con - I can't pause live T.V. or record in my bedroom. Before we had our old Tivo hooked up there and it was nice to be able to pause the Today show or go back when they made a major mistake or said something I wanted to hear but didn't quite catch.

Con - There's no clock on the DVR. I had grown accustomed to just looking at it to know the time.

Con - No Fit-TV. I don't belong to a gym. I work out at home with videos. Every now and then I want something different. There's no Exercise on Demand either. I guess that just means I will have more time with Billy Blanks and my trusty, original Tae Bo on VHS. That or more time with Aly on The Firm. I hate hover squats.

Pro - Caller I.D. I love having caller I.D., but we were never willing to spring for it before. Here it's just included and so is call waiting.

Pro - Savings! We got the first month free (but we had to pay Bright House....) and we will get a $100 Visa gift card if we stick with it. Plus, our monthly savings is about $15 over our previous set up.

Pro - Pulling up recorded programs in the bedroom. This is a new feature that was added in the last few days. Now I can watch me some "Gilmore Girls" while I put away laundry.

Pro - Free movie channels for a year. Thanks to the AT&T guy who hooked up our Internet.

Pro - Ditch the phonebook for good! I know I could look up most phone numbers on line, but sometimes it would frustrate me and last week when we didn't have Internet, I would have been stuck. But U-Verse has a phonebook feature and a weather feature. It knows my zip code, so it's just instantly there. It was fabulous. It's actually how I looked up Bright House's number to cancel their service.

Pro - It's such a better DVR to use. I love how easy it is to search for shows. If you've ever had Tivo - it's almost just like that, but it won't predict shows you will like and record them for you. Did I mention our poor Tivo still thinks it's operating in our room. Every now and then it will have a red light on because it thinks it's still recording. We need to do something about that.

Pro - The picture is really clear. I mean pristine. I'm amazed. I'm sure this is only getting worse for Oprah though...she does not look good in High Def. I think that's why the lights are always low in her studio. Just watch when they do a close up of her face - you'll see.

Pro - Things will continue to get better at no cost to me and no additional hardware. So eventually, I'm thinking I will be able to pause TV in my bedroom. They just keep making improvements.

Pro - Really fast Internet. It's super speedy. I can't believe how fast your blogs load now. I'm so behind on reading blogs.
Oh and it's totally wireless. When Josh brings his lap top home, we can be on the web anywhere.

So, overall we are pleased with our choice. There were some bumps along the way, but we have resolved that we are keeping our U-Verse system. If nothing else, the savings are worth it.