An interesting editorial from someone with strong antagonism towards the phone companies suggested that if the future use of Near Field Communications takes off with people using their cell phones, then the phone companies will makes billions from tacking on fees and shafting the public. The phone companies are trying to strike deals with Mastercard and Visa to make NFC swipes go on your phone bill as a convenience. However, there is a history from the way the phone companies would cry crocidile tears while telling you that you had to pay for scams that produced major phone bills.

For those who are too young to remember, it was not uncommon in the days of modems, to have a virus get on your computer that would dial out on your modem to a 1-900 sex number without any way of knowing while it racked up $100/min calls. And a complaint to the phone company was like calling the Gestapo to complain about the SS. This could be the future of credit card purchases, but I hope it gets better than it is looking now. Even Apple is trying to get into it, and maybe Amazon. At least they would not be as bad as the phone companies.

In another discussion I saw, it was mentioned that one of the biggest problems that RIM, MS, and other phone/tablets manufacturers are running into is with the phone companies. With Apple, by requiring the use of iTunes, they can update software at any time to give us security updates and upgrades. With the other manufacturers, without a mechanism like iTunes, they have to rely on the phone companies to push out updates. The phone companies rarely do this. I guess that they feel that if you want updated software, you should get a new phone. I know that every few months when I would take my non-smart cell phone in for some minor problem, they would update the software and it would be several versions out of date. My personal belief is that no matter which carrier you use, their hand in your pocket is right there with the government's.

More so because the more so because the money that's taken doesn't come back to you in some form. At least with government in theory it works it's way back into societal improvements and infrastructure. I don't see where the markup on text messages is going. It's why I'd dont have texting or a data plan. My friends hate me for that... then again they can get over their social anxieties and have a ****ing. 10 to 30 second call and convey way more ****ing more info.