New Android Smartphones Arrive to AT&T's Portfolio

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New Android devices are coming to AT&T. These include, the Motorola ATRIX 2, Samsung DoubleTime, Samsung Captivate Glide, Pantech Pocket and AT&T Avail. Learn about the features offered by each new of these new Android mobile devices.

The Best Android Phones

By Wendy Sheehan Donnell, PC Magazine

It's hard to believe that it's been just three years since Google's open-source Android mobile operating system hit the scene. When the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, was released, the mobile landscape looked very different. Most people carried simple handsets that focused on making calls. If you were lucky, you could listen to music or play games on your mobile phone.

Back then, you didn't have to have a smartphone that ran thousands of apps to let you, in the palm of your hand, do many of the things your computer could do. Apps weren't even a thing yet. Apple had only released the iPhone 3G and launched its groundbreaking App Store a couple of months earlier.

It was the introduction of Android that helped propel the app-based smartphone to what it is today. The thing Android offered, which Apple's iPhone couldn't, was choice. Since it was an open-source platform, several hardware manufacturers could use the OS on their handsets, and a variety of wireless carriers could offer those phones—and they did.

A year after Android was released, in the U.S. there was a single Apple iPhone on a single carrier, but there were eight different Android handsets with varying form factors available on three of the four major carriers. Today, you can find a variety of Android phones on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. Even the little guys like Cricket and Virgin Mobile offer Android options. According to Comscore, Android enjoys 33 percent of the U.S. smartphone market today.

That's a lot of phones to choose from. To come up with our list, we've chosen two winners for each of the four major carriers, one for each of four smaller carriers, and, if you're contract-phobic, the best unlocked handset. If you've settled on Android as your mobile platform, these phones are your best bets—for now, that is. At this rate of growth, we can assure you that there's another great 'Droid right around the corner.

iPhone threatens Android rule

iPhone threatens Android rule

By Athima Chansanchai

As the iPhone starts to proliferate on other carriers after being released from AT&T's exclusive hold, it threatens to encroach upon the once-comfy rule Android phones have enjoyed in the smartphone market.

One analyst, Needham & Co.'s Charlie Wolf, says that a recent decline of Android's market share in the U.S. — from 52.4 percent to 49.5 percent in first quarter of 2011 — signals the beginning of the end of the Google mobile operating system's unrivaled ascent to the top of the smartphone heap.

GigaOM's Ryan Kim quoted from Needham's note, which points to a possible surge in iPhone 5 sales once the new model arrives this fall on Verizon.

In a report released in May, the addition of the iPhone to the Verizon network accounted for a boost in sales for Apple (16.9 million iPhones sold to fanboys and girls in 90 countries, doubling its sales from the same time last year), but Android held onto the No.1 spot at 36 percent of the market share worldwide.

In just a few short years, we've seen Android — with its prolific installment on so many models over so many carriers — shoot by leaps and bounds over other systems, until finally it surpassed Symbian for the No.1 spot during the first quarter of 2011.

But faster than a medieval coup — the king is dead, long live the king — it looks like Apple's iOS may be poised to hoist iPhones over the palace walls with big gains in the first quarter of 2011 (29.5 percent, up from 17.2 percent in the previous quarter), and with the iOs bumping up from 19 percent to 28 percent (thanks to CNN Money's Philip Elmer-DeWitt for providing more snippets from Needham's note).

More reason to think that Apple may very well overtake Google: cheaper iPhones? That's what GigaOM's Kim writes, and that would make for some interesting jousts since Android phones have historically been more accessible to the more cost-conscious consumer.

Still sliding: Nokia and Research in Motion (which recently started issuing pink slips), which bolsters the reality that the smartphone wars are really between Apple and Google at this point.

HTC Surround, Pro 7, & 7 HD Windows Phone 7 Preview

Courtesy of TechliciousMedia

HTC introduced three Windows Phone 7 phones for the U.S. market today, the HTC Surround, HTC Pro 7 and HTC 7 HD. Keith Nowak of HTC takes us through the unique features of each.

OPEN IMMEDIATELY: AT&T Penny Sale on Amazon.com

From 11/11/10 to 11/15/10, all AT&T cellphones (including a couple Windows Phone 7 phones) are on sale at Amazon.com for a penny (yup, 1 cent)!!!! Don't delay. Go to Amazon.com for more details.

The first Windows Phone 7 apps you should grab

CLICK to read article on Technolog

"Today is when the first Windows Phone 7 models go on sale — the Samsung Focus at AT&T and the HTC HD7 at T-Mobile. As we've discussed, they're powerhouse phones with gorgeous screens and Microsoft's surprisingly nice 'glance and go' operating system designed in the age of Facebook. But what matters once you get the phone is what apps to download. There are currently about 1,600 apps in the Marketplace, most of them free or dirt cheap.

There's already a lot of cr'apps in there, the standard lineup of flashlights, tip calcs, stopwatches, unit converters, and of course fart emulators. And because you can read what system resources each app needs to access, you can spot some shady ones too. A 'simple and fun finger drawing tool' that needs access to 'owner identity' and 'phone calls'? I'm sure there's a plausible explanation, but I am gonna pass!

There are also a lot of things still missing. There's no Pandora. There's no Kindle, Nook or Kobo e-book readers. (Update: Amazon stated about a week ago that it would be first to WP7, available 'later this year.') There's just one instant messaging app, and it's for Windows Live Messenger. The cooking and wine categories are barren — no Epicurious or BigOven, and no wine reference databases. Kid entertainment — that is, edutainment — is totally missing. And I don't see Bank of America or any other leading American banks with apps, nor do I see Mint.com. (USAA and Geico have apps though.)

There are a ton of games, and we've reviewed many here: Windows Phone 7 games: The good, the bad and the weird

What I did was sift through most of the non-game apps, and put together a list of the ones you definitely need, plus a few premium ones that you may want to buy.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

AT&T ups smart phone 'early upgrade' fee from $75 to $200

CLICK to read article on Technolog

"If you're under an AT&T cell phone contract but are dying to upgrade early to the next great smart phone, you now will pay more to get it: $200, as of Oct. 3, up from the previous $75 fee. The change does not apply to the iPhone — which has its own upgrade plan that tends to vary from customer to customer — or to AT&T's basic or 'quick messaging' phones.

'As smart phones become increasingly more sophisticated, the cost of these devices has also increased,' AT&T says on its site. (Hat tip to Boy Genius Report, which first shared the news.)

Like the other major carriers in the United States, AT&T subsidizes the cost of most new phones when customers agree to a two-year contract, and smart phones are among the most expensive to buy. Retail costs are often in the $400 to $600 range for many smart phones without a contract, and about $200 with a contract.

And now that AT&T has not only several BlackBerrys from which to choose, but by the end of the year, eight Android phones, smart phone switch-outs may increase.

AT&T says it will 'continue to offer smart phones below the no-commitment price in situations where a customer needs a replacement device and is not yet eligible for upgrade pricing.' ('No-commitment price' = full price.)

Here's how it will play out in the real life. Say you want the BlackBerry Torch. If you are a new customer or due for an on-time upgrade, you can get it for $199.99. All you have to do is sign your life away for another two years, and agree to a minimum service plan. However, if you want to step up from your BB Bold, but it's only been a year or so, you'll have to pay an 'early upgrade' price of $399.99. And if you don't want a contract at all, the phone will cost you $499.99.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Will users flee AT&T if Verizon (or another carrier) gets the iPhone?

Will users flee AT&T if Verizon (or another carrier) gets the iPhone? - Yahoo! News

"As (unconfirmed) reports continue to trickle in claiming that Apple is preparing to churn out millions of CDMA-ready iPhones, analysts and execs in the wireless industry are scrambling to predict what might happen if AT&T loses its exclusivity deal with Apple in the coming months.

The latest evidence suggesting that another U.S. carrier — perhaps the biggest of them all, Verizon Wireless — is about to get the iPhone comes from wireless analyst Jeffrey Fidacaro of Susquehanna Financial Group, who (in a note to investors snagged by AppleInsider) writes that 'checks with overseas supplies' indicate that Apple is gearing up to build about 3 million CDMA iPhones in December alone, which would put Cupertino 'on track' for the launch of a CDMA-ready iPhone in 'early' 2011.

For now, Apple has only been making GSM versions of the iPhone, which are compatible with AT&T’s GSM cellular network. With a CDMA iPhone, however, Apple would be free to jump to a CDMA carrier like Sprint or Verizon Wireless — assuming its exclusivity deal with AT&T is expired or otherwise kaput. (GSM carrier T-Mobile is another option that’s been bandied about.)

The prevailing wisdom is that frustrated AT&T iPhone users would immediately jump ship for Verizon or any other carrier that gets the iPhone here in the states — the only question is how many, and naturally enough, the number varies wildly depending on whom you ask.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Report suggests iPhone will launch on Verizon

Report suggests iPhone will launch on Verizon - CNN.com: "Evidence continues to mount to support expectations that Apple's iPhone 4 will finally launch on Verizon this coming January.

The latest: Sources close to Apple's hardware suppliers say that Apple has ordered millions of CDMA chipsets from Qualcomm. CDMA is the wireless technology used by Verizon.

The report comes from TechCrunch contributor Steve Cheney, who says that the chipsets are due in December, implying a January launch for the Verizon device. This follows a rumor from seven months ago that Qualcomm hadlanded a deal to provide Apple with chips.

You might also recall that AT&T dedicated a significant portion of its recent SEC filing to assurances that it would be a-okay without U.S. iPhone exclusivity, a probable sign that the carrier is expecting to lose said exclusivity before the original5-year deal runs its course.

TechCrunch doesn't disclose any details about its sources for this rumor; it describes them only as 'sources with knowledge of this entire situation,' a reference to the long chain of manufacturers from Apple on down through Qualcomm and other component-makers.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Joshua Topolsky Shows Off The Droid X and The iPhone 4

Engadget editor Joshua Topolsky stopped by the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Show to show off a very special item that very few people have in their hands: the hotly-anticipated iPhone 4, plus Motorola's Droid X!

Is AT&T ready for the iPhone 4?

Is AT&T ready for the iPhone 4? - CNN.com: "With the launch of the iPhone 4 a week away, potential consumers are wondering if AT&T's wireless network is up to the task of handling what is expected to be another record-breaking launch for the latest version of the popular iPhone.

The company says it's ready. But AT&T keeps giving its critics -- and its own customers -- reasons to doubt that it's on top of its game. On Tuesday, the AT&T and Apple Web sites were overwhelmed by customers trying to pre-order the new iPhone 4. Customers saw error messages when accessing the Web sites and experienced long delays while trying to create or update their AT&T accounts.

Pre-ordering snafus aside, AT&T says that it's been upgrading its network to keep up with demand from current iPhone subscribers and to support a flood of new customers. It has also armed itself with new data plans that cap usage at 2 gigabytes per month to help curb heavy data usage.

In many ways, AT&T has been a victim of its own success. The iPhone, which is built for accessing the Net, has been hugely popular, attracting scores of new customers with each device upgrade. It's helped the company add millions of new customers every year since it was first introduced in 2007.

But the iPhone has also created a tsunami of mobile data on the AT&T network, which has resulted in poor service for many iPhone customers throughout the country, especially in densely populated cities, such as New York City and San Francisco.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

AT&T phases out unlimited data plans

AT&T phases out unlimited data plans - Yahoo! News

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Boy, we hate these "bait and switch" policy changes...!

AT&T just did away with its all-you-can-eat smartphone data plans — bad news for those who stream video on their iPhones all day, but potentially good news for the rest of us, given that the cheapest of the new capped plans goes for just $15 (rather than $30) a month. Also: AT&T is finally ready to offer iPhone tethering.

First, a little background. Up until now, AT&T was charging all of its smartphone customers — including iPhone users — $30 a month for unlimited data usage. Starting Monday, June 7, the unlimited data option will be going away for new subscribers, to be replaced by two cheaper, capped plans. (If you're currently on an unlimited AT&T smartphone data plan, you don't have to switch to the new, capped options, which are required for new subscribers only. But AT&T says you can opt to make the switch without extending your contract.)

DataPro: Heavy smartphone users will probably opt for this $25-a-month plan, which offers up to 2GB of data a month at a $5 savings over the current unlimited plan. If you go over your 2GB monthly allotment, AT&T will charge you $10 for an additional gigabyte. No, overage charges are never fun, but it's certainly better than typical per-MB overage rates, which result in those catastrophic $50,000 cell phone bills you see on CNN.

DataPlus: A $15-a-month option that offers 200MB of monthly data, good for (as AT&T puts it) 1,000 e-mails without attachments, plus 150 messages with attachments, plus 400 Web pages, plus about 20 minutes of streaming video. If you crack the 200MB monthly cap, you get another 200MB for $15.

So, which plan is right for you? That depends on how much data you're using a month, which you can typically check on your smartphone's settings menu (for the iPhone, tap "settings," then "general," then "usage," then scroll down to the "cellular network data" heading).

iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T

READ full article on Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

"For a little $1 iPhone app, Line2 sure has the potential to shake up an entire industry.

It can save you money. It can make calls where AT&T's (T) signal is weak, like indoors. It can turn an iPod Touch into a full-blown cellphone.

And it can ruin the sleep of cellphone executives everywhere.

Line2 gives your iPhone a second phone number -- a second phone line, complete with its own contacts list, voice mail, and so on. The company behind it, Toktumi (get it?), imagines that you'll distribute the Line2 number to business contacts, and your regular iPhone number to friends and family. Your second line can be an 800 number, if you wish, or you can transfer an existing number.

To that end, Toktumi offers, on its Web site, a raft of Google (GOOG) Voice-ish features that are intended to help a small businesses look bigger: call screening, Do Not Disturb hours and voice mail messages sent to you as e-mail. You can create an 'automated attendant' -- 'Press 1 for sales,' 'Press 2 for accounting,' and so on -- that routes incoming calls to other phone numbers. Or, if you're pretending to be a bigger business than you are, route them all to yourself.

The Line2 app is a carbon copy, a visual clone, of the iPhone's own phone software. The dialing pad, your iPhone Contacts list, your recent calls list and visual voice mail all look just like the iPhone's.

(Let's pause for a moment here to blink, dumbfounded, at that point. Apple's (AAPL) rules prohibit App Store programs that look or work too much like the iPhone's own built-in apps. For example, Apple rejected the Google Voice app because, as Apple explained to the Federal Communications Commission, it works 'by replacing the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls.' That is exactly what Line2 does. Oh well -- the Jobs works in mysterious ways.)

So you have a second line on your iPhone. But that's not the best part."

Your Cell Phone Company's Dirty Little Secret

Yahoo! Finance - Business Finance, Stock Market, Quotes, News: "Mobile phone companies have been lauded for slashing the cost of unlimited voice plans, but many wireless customers' monthly bills are actually going to get a bit more expensive.

Last month, both Verizon and AT&T lowered their unlimited voice plans by $30 to $70 per month. Sprint recently unveiled a plan that allows unlimited calls to any mobile device for $60 per month. That brought the three biggest mobile carriers' prices closer to rival T-Mobile, which offers a $60 per month unlimited plan, and in line with a slew of low-cost carriers that offer similar plans for about $40 per month.

But as the wireless giants go around touting their lower voice prices, data plan costs have been quietly moving higher for some non-smartphone customers.

It began with Verizon Wireless. Last month, that company began requiring certain non-smartphone customers to subscribe to a data plan that costs at least $10 per month. Mobile experts believe Verizon's move marks the first step in a larger trend to make up for carriers' lost revenue from voice.

'There's a big shift going on among mobile companies, in which there is a price reduction on voice and an increased emphasis on selling and requiring data services,' said Dan Hays, partner at PRTM. 'It is like a dirty little secret.'"

Verizon and AT&T May Both Get Apple Tablet

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Oh I DEFINITELY want one of THESE!!! And I have Verizon, too! Yay!

Verizon and AT&T May Both Get Apple Tablet - Yahoo! News: "Apple is in talks to bring its rumored tablet device to the 3G networks of both Verizon and AT&T, according to reports. Since Verizon uses the wireless network standard called CDMA, and AT&T uses the GSM standard, Apple may have to produce two different versions of the device, according to a report at Fox News. Then again, a 'world edition' device that runs on both network types may not be out of the question--assuming Apple's new product will have cellular connectivity at all.

A third option may be Apple may not have a carrier deal lined up for its product launch next Wednesday. This might mean Apple may not be able to announce pricing of a tablet at the event.

This latest rumor also suggests Apple is confident that public demand for its rumored tablet will be high enough to warrant releasing the device on two different networks. Meanwhile the research firm Retrevo has some interesting insight into how much consumers will pay for a tablet and what they want and don't want from Apple in terms of connectivity."

CNET Prizefight: Motorola Droid vs. iPhone 3GS

It's another epic Prizefight! Motorola and Verizon are bringing their "A" game to take on the reigning champ, the Apple iPhone 3GS on AT&T. Find out who will be left standing after this bloody battle.

AT&T: MMS for iPhone finally set for Sept. 25

By Ben Patterson / Yahoo! Tech (CLICK to read more)

"After a barrage of criticism, AT&T ends the months-long guessing game and announces a launch date for picture messaging on the iPhone 3GS and 3G, a few days after its self-imposed deadline. Still no word on tethering, though.

Through its Twitter account and on its Web site, AT&T says that MMS functionality will finally arrive on the iPhone on September 25—a few days after the 'later this summer' deadline that the carrier initially promised—through a 'software update,' presumably iPhone Software 3.1.

The news comes on the same day as this blistering article in the New York Times, which describes the 'dropped calls, spotty service, delayed text and voice messages and glacial download speeds' that iPhone users have dealt with thanks to AT&T's overloaded network."

SHOW #76 - NerdBoyTV: Nokia E71x

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee reviews the terrific Nokia E71x cellphone with its 3.2 megapixel camera and battery that lasts up to 3 days (yes days, not hours).

Do you really want the Apple iPhone 3G if it comes with AT&T?

You may wanna avoid signing up with AT&T for another two years just to get the new Apple iPhone 3G...according to CNET, ya MAY wanna wait until it's supported by possibly Verizon ;-)

AT&T to Offer $50 Netbooks - Don't do it!!!

AT&T will begin selling netbooks with integrated wireless Internet cards, selling them for as low as $50 — with a data plan contract, of course. The rollout will begin in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

People, Tweeple, and everyone else who will listen. NerdBoyTV does NOT recommend this. Wanna know WHY? When I did it, they failed to tell you that the 3G Broadband data transfer limit is ONLY 5Gigs per MONTH. My seven days of use (including overages) totaled $1,900!!!!! AT&T did reverse the charge and let me off the hook for maybe $50, but dammit, this almost gave me a heartattack. Better to buy the netbook outright and use with WiFi (free) or get an unlimited 3G plan (which are getting rarer if not impossible to find cause they don't really want Tweeple like me who stay connected like 24/7!).

NerdBoyTV says, "No, No, No. Buyer beware!"