AT&T has just introduced a new smartphone for its GoPhone pre-paid offering, the Samsung Galaxy Appeal. The first side-slider for GoPhone sports a hardware QWERTY keyboard and a 4.3-inch, 480x320 touchscreen. It's powered by an 800MHz Qualcomm processor and Android 2.3.
Smartphone users on at least 48 cellular carriers may be vulnerable to traffic hijacking and phishing attacks, according to researchers from the University of Michigan. A paper to be presented this week at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy alleges that researchers were able exploit a carrier security feature to hijack connections to Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger, and the AdMob advertising network, and to spoof traffic for banks and financial institutions.
AT&T has stopped sales of the U-verse bundle for Xbox 360, citing work to “improve and enhance” the functionality, according to a message on its website. The bundle will not be up for sale again until the new functionality is added, a representative has told Multichannel.
In light of a steady decline in the cost of integrating 3G hardware, AT&T President of Emerging Devices Glenn Lurie believes tablet makers will eventually stop producing Wi-Fi only models, instead opting to make only tablets featuring both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. Speaking at the CTIA Wireless trade show, Lurie said he believes this sort of wireless consolidation would work out well for carriers, consumers, and manufacturers.
T-Mobile have taken aim against AT&T in its most recent television commercial. The new advert, continuing the makeover of brand representative Carly into an edgier motorcycle rider, pokes fun at the slow speed of the iPhone on AT&T compared to a much faster Carly on T-Mobile's 4G network.
The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD that AT&T promised back at CES and was subsequently leaked in a roadmap for the carrier will not be sold after all, The Verge learned. The news came during an interview with Ryan Bidan, Samsung's VP of marketing, who explained that there is no point of bringing it out considering the Samsung Galaxy S III was recently unveiled. By the same merit, the VP pretty much confirmed AT&T is getting the S III, though he didn't commit to a date other than that it will arrive this summer.
The developers over at the XDA Developer's Forum, and kennethpen in particular, have now released a one-click root for the HTC One X. This time around, however, the AT&T, Rogers and other carrier-locked versions got the attention, and users still need to plug it into their computers to copy the needed files, be they Linux-, Windows-, or OS X-powered. The bootloader on the handset remains locked, however.
Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski has publicly fired back at AT&T over the carrier's latest comments regarding its failed T-Mobile buyout. Speaking at a CTIA keynote, Genachowski suggested the Commission's move should not result in higher prices for consumers. He argues that, to the contrary, blocking the acquisition will help maintain competition and may eventually bring even lower prices.
AT&T held a special event in New Orleans to detail its home automation and security system, however the carrier also brought along Samsung's Focus 2. Electronista had a chance to try out the company's latest Windows Phone device, which represents the third model to feature the Focus label and the carrier's first to be equipped with an LTE radio for 4G data speeds.
Target, which just recently announced it would expand its Apple Store-Within-A-Store (SWAS) program, is now discounting new iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S unite by $50 with a two-year contract, reports 9to5Mac. The new prices in-store offer the iPhone 4 8GB at $50 and the 4S 16GB at $150 with either AT&T or Verizon.
AT&T will soon begin offering the Samsung Focus 2 handset. Powered by the Windows Phone 7 operating system, it will support AT&T's 4G LTE network and cost just $50 on a two-year contract. The phone otherwise has a 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen and a five-megapixel camera out back with a front VGA camera.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson shared some thoughts on his relationship with Steve Jobs, the iPhone and the way the device continues to shape his company during an on-stage interview at the Milken Institute's Global Conference earlier this week, reports The New York Times. Among the revelations was his view that the early "unlimited" data model was ultimately a bad idea, and that messaging systems like iMessage that bypass SMS plans are "disruptive."
The failed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile will mean higher prices for consumers, AT&T Chairman and Chief Executive Randal Stephenson said in an interview. According to the Wall Street Journal, Stephenson said at the Milken Institute's annual global conference that the US wireless cellphone market can't support the number of providers as there simply isn't enough wireless spectrum for all of them. He said current stats suggest wireless data usage will grow by 75 percent every year for a minimum of the next five.
Nokia's Lumia 900 handset may be available to purchase at AT&T retail outlets as early as April 9. The carrier has yet to formally announce a launch date, however unnamed sources have told WPCentral the company is planning on taking online orders beginning April 8 and retail sales the following day.
AT&T has published a list of several devices that are confirmed to be upgraded to Android 4.0. The carrier has already released an Ice Cream Sandwich update for HTC's Vivid, ahead of updates for LG's Nitro; Motorola's Atrix 2 and Atrix 4G; Pantech's Burst and Element; and Samsung's Captivate Glide, Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and Galaxy Tab 8.9.
The Federal Communications Commission has certified Samsung's SGH-i667 handset, which is believed to represent the Windows Phone device known by the codename Mandel. The documents appear to confirm that the device is set up for AT&T's LTE and HSPA+ networks.
The Bluetooth SIG has cleared Huawei's Vision U8850 handset, suggesting the midrange Android smartphone may be headed to the North American market. The Bluetooth standards group tested a variant that supports HSDPA 850MHz and 1900MHz bands, pointing to compatibility with AT&T's network, though a specific carrier has yet to be confirmed.
Although AT&T's biggest news for Mobile World Congress centers around the HTC One X, the carrier also announced details surrounding a software update for the HTC Vivid. The existing device launched late last year with Gingerbread and Sense 3.0, however an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade is on its way with Sense 4.0 and Beats Audio.
AT&T's board of directors has reportedly moved to slash CEO Randall Stephenson's 2011 compensation by more than $2 million due to the executive's role in the unsuccessful attempt to acquire competitor T-Mobile. The board decided to reduce Stephenson's cash bonus by 25 percent, while his stock compensation was cut by six percent.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has reportedly ordered AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to allow net neutrality proposals to be included in annual shareholder votes. The move is said to be partially inspired by pressure from shareholder groups such as Trillium Asset Management, which represents high-profile AT&T investors including Mike D of the Beastie Boys and his wife Tamra Davis, director of "Half Baked" and "Billy Madison."
TiVo has announced that it has established a licensing agreement with AT&T's advertising division, AdWorks. The deal will enable TiVo to access data detailing household viewing habits of AT&T's U-Verse television subscribers.
AT&T and Verizon have reportedly lobbied to deregulate spectrum auctions and reduce the Federal Communication Commission's role in managing spectrum allocation between carriers. The companies are accused of pushing legislators to add a special provision to the JOBS Act (PDF) that would bar the FCC from excluding a company from bidding.
Samsung and AT&T have temporarily halted their update program for the Infuse 4G handset due to an unspecified bug. The issue is claimed to affect only a small number of users, however the companies have nonetheless decided to stop releasing the updates while they work to develop a fix.
The GSM version of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus appears to have added official support for Google's Wallet app, which now appears in the Android Market for AT&T subscribers. Early buyers were able to run the NFC payment app, however the title was invisible when attempting to search for it in the Android Market directly from the phone.
AT&T has reportedly criticized Sprint for dropping its own cellular coverage in several markets, accusing the competitor of using changes to FCC regulations to downsize its network. Sprint is accused of shutting down networks in Kansas and Oklahoma, relying instead on roaming agreements with AT&T to maintain service in the markets.
AT&T appears to be preparing to introduce new Windows 8 tablet next week at CES in Las Vegas. The carrier is holding a special event ahead of CES for developers, with a session to be focused on "Windows 8 tablets super charged with LTE."
TiVo has announced that it has settled a patent dispute with AT&T, as both companies have entered into a licensing agreement. AT&T is said to have agreed to pay TiVo a total of $215 million, split between an initial payment of $51 million and recurring quarterly payments through 2018 totaling $164 million.
The iPhone was the runaway hit of the Christmas season at AT&T if a source quoted by Mac Observer is credible. The report claims that iPhones outsold all combined Android phone offerings at the carrier from Dec. 1st to the 27th by nearly a factor of eight, totalling some 981,000 units compared to Android's 126,000. The report may be skewed in its sampling, however, and its claim that basic "feature" phones sold slightly more units (128,000) than all Android phones combined is dubious at best.
Pantech is reportedly preparing to launch an eight-inch tablet that will arrive in the US with support for AT&T's 4G LTE network. Although the company has yet to formally introduce the tablet, the information published by Korean news outlet JKN corroborates earlier reports pointing to benchmark tests for a Pantech tablet that carries the model number P4100.
Consumer Reports has released its annual satisfaction survey, which ranks AT&T at the bottom of the list once again. Respondents maintained similar ratings for the carrier, which showed the worst scores of all four major US carriers in last year's survey. Verizon also showed consistency, holding its position as the best-rated major carrier.
Corroborating recent leaks, Motorola's Droid 4 and Xoom 2 Media Edition appear to have arrived at the FCC for approval. The Commission's documents point to an unannounced handset, presumably the Droid 4, that was tested in "slider open" and "slider closed" configurations. The device also provides dual-mode roaming functionality, with support for Verizon's LTE and CDMA networks alongside GSM, EDGE and WCDMA.
Just days after a rumor suggested AT&T may be planning to divest nearly half of T-Mobile's assets in a frantic effort to salvage the proposed acquisition, fresh reports shed more light on the shifting strategy. Unnamed sources have told the New York Times that AT&T has engaged in deep negotiations with Leap Wireless, which would purchase the majority of the spectrum and customer accounts that may need to be shed from T-Mobile to assuage regulators' concerns.
The US Department of Justice has reportedly received permission to share internal AT&T documents with outside parties. The ruling essentially enables government lawyers to establish a deeper level of collaboration with civilian consultants and outside lawyers in its lawsuit aiming to block AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile.
US District Judge Ellen Huvelle has denied Sprint's request for access to internal AT&T documents. The denial is a potential setback for Sprint's civil lawsuit filed against its competitor to prevent the latter company's proposed T-Mobile buyout. The judge did not go as far as granting AT&T's request to dismiss the lawsuit, however.
Executives from all three major US cellular providers formally kicked off the CTIA expo in San Diego this morning. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was the first carrier executive to take the stage, wasting no time before he made a few digs at AT&T Mobility President and CEO Ralph de la Vega. Hesse mentioned his thoughts when AT&T first announced its T-Mobile buyout plans, comparing the event to President Lincoln's assassination.
Clearwire is reportedly involved in ongoing negotiations to sell some of its network capacity to other major carriers in the US. CEO Eric Prusch told Reuters the company is "talking to everybody," a list that includes AT&T and Verizon, along with smaller regional carriers such as Leap Wireless and MetroPCS.
Fifteen Democrat members of the House of Representatives have sent a letter asking President Obama to find a quick resolution to the Department of Justice lawsuit against AT&T's proposed T-Mobile buyout. The group, headed by North Carolina Representative Heath Shuler, argues that a settlement and approval of the deal will have a positive effect on the economy and job creation.
A federal judge has reportedly scheduled a status conference for the Department of Justice lawsuit against AT&T and T-Mobile. All parties have been asked to be prepared to "discuss the prospects for settlement" at the hearing, which is slated for September 21, while a case management and scheduling plan must be presented by September 16.
AT&T may be able to pay less than its original asking price for T-Mobile if government mandates prove costlier than expected. Unnamed sources with knowledge of the deal have told Bloomberg the price tag for the buyout may drop if regulators force AT&T to divest assets worth more than 20 percent of the $39 billion bid.
AT&T has reportedly begun testing its LTE network in Chicago, though the company has yet to publicly confirm deployment dates for a formal 4G introduction. Images posted on Boy Genius Report appear to show AT&T's Elevate mobile hotspot connected to the LTE network. Screenshots from speed tests show the hotspot achieving maximum download speeds of 13Mbps and upload speeds of 2Mbps.
AT&T allegedly has no plans to embrace the BlackBerry Bold 9900's near-field communications (NFC) capabilities at launch. Although the hardware is likely to be capable of NFC features when it arrives in the hands of AT&T's customers, unnamed sources have told TechnoBuffaflo the carrier will implement a software block to prevent users to taking advantage of the technology.
Harbinger fund manager Philip Falcone claims AT&T and Verizon are secretly collaborating to undermine LightSquared. The companies are accused of unfairly using their power to kill LightSquared's chances of successfully completing its plans to build an LTE network, which would directly compete with 4G networks from major wireless providers.
AT&T claims to have resolved a software problem that had caused voice outages for many wireless customers in New York City. The bug, which reportedly turned up during "routine" maintenance, affected the carrier's voice service in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Long Island.
Best Buy has announced a promotion that will enable new or upgrade-eligible customers to purchase any Nexus S variants at no cost when the handsets are tied to contracts. The Best Buy Mobile sale is limited to Wednesday, August 3, and covers Nexus S models available through several carriers including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.
Andres Auernheimer, a member of a hacking group called "Goatse Security" and one of two men accused of stealing personal data on 120,000 AT7T 3G iPad users, is in talks with authorities to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computers and identity theft. His co-defendant, Daniel Spitler, pleaded guilty to the same charges on June 23rd.
A rumor that surfaced early Tuesday suggested AT&T would offer a variant of Samsung's Galaxy S II handset with a QWERTY keyboard, however separate reports suggest the carrier may actually release two editions of the flagship Android device. Unnamed sources have told Androidcentral one of the phones will be similar to the Galaxy S II that has been released overseas—without a QWERTY slider.
This September, RadioShack Corporation will make a major change to its wireless offerings. The company announced that effective Sept. 14, it will stop selling T-Mobile service and equipment. Radio Shack will start selling Verizon service on Sept. 15. The announcement is the latest indication that the AT&T-T-Mobile merger is likely to be approved.
Speaking at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners gathering in Los Angeles, AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson reportedly labeled his company's DSL broadband technology "obsolete." In a follow-up statement, the company suggests Stephenson's comments should not be taken as an indicator that AT&T does not "remain fully committed to the technology—even as we constantly look to bring innovation to the marketplace."
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse suggests the carrier later in the fall will be ready to announce significant plans surrounding its 4G deployments, though the executive has yet to confirm rumors pointing to a LightSquared deal for an LTE network. Speaking to visitors at Sprint's headquarters in Kansas, Hesse also added to his commentary on the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, claiming that he feels a personal obligation to oppose the deal and push for competition in the marketplace.
RIM's BlackBerry Torch '4G' and LG's Thrill may be set to arrive in August and July, respectively. Although the companies have yet to confirm release details for either device, a document allegedly circulated within AT&T points to the carrier's launch time-frame for a number of upcoming devices devices. The leak also hints at the '4G' branding for the Torch's successor, which has been previously referred to by the model number 9850.
