Ads leave people wondering about "mlife"

Published: Monday, February 11, 2002

Updated: Saturday, November 14, 2009 13:11

Two of the new apsects of AT&T’s mlife are a voice recognition option and a hands-free carphone option.

Every year the Super Bowl promises its viewers the most exciting and explosive football game of the season, as well as the biggest advertising race of any night of the year. Advertisers pull out all the stops to catch the attention of the millions of viewers of the Super Bowl worldwide. Some ads cart out big stars, some try to be the funniest and some try to confuse and cause a sense of wonder about their product. AT&T decided to take a chance with its ad campaign during this year's Super Bowl, confusing everyone and leaving the unresolved question: What is mlife?

Behind the mlife advertisements is AT&T Wireless, which is expanding its services to create a more complete wireless experience. However, for the whole first half of the Super Bowl, even this fact was a secret. The audience had to reconcile the dichotomy of two brothers fisticuffs, the cutting of an umbilical cord and other images to try to unlock the mystery of mlife. Only in the second half did the AT&T logo appear, and recently AT&T has been increasing its advertisements to give its audience a catharsis after their controversial Super Bowl advertising mystery game.

AT&T claims that mlife is "wireless reinvented." However, at a closer look, it seems strikingly similar to services offered by other wireless companies like Sprint and Verizon Wireless. So maybe the question really should not be "What is mlife?" but instead, "Is it anything new?"

There are some inventive features offered by AT&T's new wireless campaign. The big news is that most of its features can now be customized to one's own desires. Users can customize their ring tones so a different tone rings for every number in the phone's memory. There are also various calling plans available to customers, including a special offer called Customer Advantage for an additional fee. Customer Advantage offers customer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week and up to 50 percent off on new equipment with the option of changing one's plan at any time without penalty.

AT&T's mlife also offers text messaging, even if the person being sent messages does not have AT&T service. AOL Instant Messenger can also be used on mlife; one can manage one's buddy list and talk to multiple people at once on the phone. AT&T's #121 service supplies voice recognition, which can be especially useful when driving. The voice recognition service also connects the user to sports news, stocks, weather and other information on the wireless network.

AT&T has just begun mlife services and is planning a lot of new improvements in the future. These innovations include using wireless money like cash, listening to live sportscasts and sending color photos through the phone. As of now, there are no plans on how this will be accomplished and exactly when any of these services will be available to customers.

Although these are great features, most of them are offered by other companies. For example, Verizon Wireless lets its customers change their calling plan at any time and Sprint has an AOL Instant Messaging service as well as voice dialing on some phones. AT&T is the first to make a concerted effort to put all these features on the same plan, called mlife. However, the question still remains whether satisfied customers will switch their current plans to mlife.

So what is mlife? "Wireless reinvented?" Maybe by AT&T's standards, but so far nothing has broken any barriers in the short history of cellular phones. AT&T Wireless still has to go above and beyond what has already been done by other companies before it deserves the hype it has received in its mlife campaign. From an advertising standpoint, however, AT&T really captured the attention of the nation, and it will most likely be seen in its wireless sales.

For more information on just exactly what mlife is, refer to www.mlife.com; however, be wary because some may find the Web site as ambiguous as the commercials.

• Voices
• Police Blotter
• Top 3

Voices From The Dustbowl

“Which team do you think will win the Stanley Cup?"

	"The Bruins.” —Jacqueline Pollack, A&S ’14
	“The Rangers.” —Daniel Kim, A&S ’12
	“The Bruins.” —Sarah Gorsche, A&S ’15
	“The Ducks.” — Jonathan Roberson, A&S ’12

Police Blotter: 4/5/12-4/11/12

Thursday, April 5

 

3:14 a.m. - A report was filed regarding an unwanted person in Walsh Hall. A student reported that her ex-boyfriend was in her room and that he had punched a hole in a wall. He was identified and issued a trespass warning. A criminal complaint may be filed.

 

Saturday, April 7

 

10:01 a.m. - A report was filed regarding assistance provided to the Boston Police with a former student who is receiving harassing text messages. None of the parties involved are affiliated with Boston College at this time and the incident occurred in the Jurisdiction of the Boston Police.

 

Monday, April 9

 

11:00 a.m. - A report was filed regarding vandalism at 3 Lake Street, where it was discovered that a window had been broken.

 

Tuesday, April 10

 

10:02 a.m. - An officer filed a report on a suspicious telephone called received by a BC employee. A detective is investigating.

 

Wednesday, April 11

 

1:21 a.m. - While on patrol an officer observed several individuals standing on the ice inside Conte Forum. The individuals fled prior to being identified. There ice did not appear to be damaged.

 

 

Source: THE BOSTON COLLEGE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Top 3 On Campus

1. Zaahah Kickoff

Date: Friday, April 13

Time: 10 a.m.

Location: O’Neill Plaza

 

The students of Maria Sannella’s Marketing Principles class will be hosting a promotional event for Zaahah.com, a collaborative search engine that allows users researching the same keywords to communicate and work together. The event, which ends at 2 p.m., will feature food from Boloco, a DJ, and giveaways.

 

 

2. Religion and the 2012 Presidential Primaries

Date: Thursday, April 12

Time: 4 p.m.

Location: Devlin 101

 

Jill Lepore of Harvard University, Rebecca Traister of Salon and The New York Times, and Alan Wolfe of Boston College will discuss the role and effects of religion on this year’s campaigns.

 

 

3. Be the Voice of Boston College

Date: Friday, April 20

Time: All day

 

One male and one female student each will be selected to narrate the audio tour of Boston College. The competition is sponsored by the Office of News and Public affairs. Submissions are due by April 20. 

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