In the coming months you will soon start receiving unsolicited text messages when storms hit or other natural disasters are anticipated thanks to a new wireless emergency alert system signed into law this spring. Here’s what you need to know when the alerts roll in. Read more »
When it comes to speeds Cablevision and Verizon FiOS are the most likely to deliver better than advertised download speeds while any provider offering DSL — AT&T, Frontier, Windstream and CenturyLink– struggle to deliver on their promises. A new FCC report looks at how well ISPs perform. Read more »
When Verizon announced its new shared-data plans, it should have enjoyed a big advantage over its archrival AT&T. Consumers had been demanding the right to pool data, and Verizon was the first carrier to deliver. Instead, Verizon fumbled, and AT&T has picked up the ball. Read more »
Apple and Google still dominate the smartphone space, but look out for Microsoft, which finally has some muscle behind its mobile strategy. Meanwhile mobile-browser developers went head-to-head with native apps, and Facebook continued to buy mobile expertise via acquisition. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
I’ve been testing FaceTime over cellular data for a few weeks using the iOS 6 beta software. It works OK, but not as good as on Wi-Fi. Now, a new pop-up message indicates that carriers may charge for the service over their networks. Will you pay? Read more »
In cloud and big data, the second quarter of 2012 featured several high-profile deals and product launches that could reshape the marketplace for everyone. Google and Microsoft launched Infrastructure-as-a-Service offerings, software-defined networking took off, and all eyes stayed fixed on the continuing promise of data analytics. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Social TV is any application, website or software that allows viewers to interact with television programming and share that interaction with others. Startups in this space hope to combine ubiquitous second-screen technology with well-established audience behavior to drive new value around shows. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A trio of Sony Mobile’s Xperia smartphones are now available in the U.S., but you won’t find them in carrier stores. Instead, the company is selling the full-priced phones directly to consumers through Sony Stores, and various web retailers; a tough sell in the U.S. Read more »
Starting Sunday, AT&T is offering Nokia’s Lumia 900 smartphone in a new color and a lower price for all models. The Lumia 900 is now available for $49 .99 with contract. For these 3 reasons, the new pink version and a cheaper line-up won’t matter much. Read more »
Motorola’s Atrix HD for AT&T just arrived for review and I’ve already taken a quick video to give you an idea of what the phone is like. Yes it’s thin and the HD screen impresses; especially for $99 with contract. I particularly like the landscape dock. Read more »
Isis, the carrier-led mobile payment venture by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, is preparing for its big summer debut with the release of a series of video tutorials aimed at educating users on how to use its tap-and-go system. Read more »
Apple’s new $1 billion data center — one of the highest-profile new data centers in the world — has put the town of Maiden, North Carolina (population: just over 3,000) on the tech map. But it almost didn’t get built. Read more »
Samsung’s “phamous phablet”, the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note, continues to improve thanks to an update to Android 4.0 for AT&T device owners. T-Mobile has Galaxy Note support documents on line, so it’s likely to get the device soon. Maybe there’s a market for extra-large phones after all? Read more »
AT&T will exclusively offer the Motorola Atrix HD when the Android 4.0 smartphone launches on July 15. The handset shares many features with Moto’s Razr line, but boasts a 1280 x 800 resolution screen. Noticeably absent is any mention of an optional LapDock accessory. Read more »
We interviewed executives at some of the biggest Internet companies, as well as hardware vendors, economic development groups, and utilities to find out why North Carolina has emerged as a hub for Internet leaders mega data centers. Here are the 10 biggest reasons: Read more »
Law enforcement and other government bodies, it seems, aren’t shy about asking for or demanding data about users from wireless carriers. All told, wireless providers received more than 1.3 million requests for user data last year, and requests are increasing every year. Here are more details. Read more »
AT&T implemented a broadband cap a little over a year ago, so why is Ma Bell still unable to tell people how much data they’re consuming? For an undetermined number of subscribers AT&T doesn’t yet have a meter, but it will still charge customers overage fees. Read more »
AT&T could soon let customers sign up lost or stolen devices to a “block” list that will shut off voice, data and texts but not turn off the account, according to The Verge. A device would be unusable, even if the SIM card was swapped out. Read more »
A new report shows Sprint customers are less likely to stay with the carrier when looking for an iPhone than customers who subscribe to AT&T or Verizon Wireless. However, Sprint does better a lot better in attracting new iPhone customers from prepaid or regional carriers. Read more »
Communications-as-a-Service (CaaS) technology brings together business applications, the Internet and the world’s public-switched telephone network (PSTN) to provide businesses with new ways of enabling communication. Here’s how to leverage this new technology. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Looking to buy a Samsung Galaxy S III in the U.S.? You have a choice among five different carriers, but you’ll either be waiting or paying more than you thought: There are stock shortages at two carriers, and the smartphone is priced much higher at another. Read more »
Discussions about the cloud now involve more than just the IT department. New developments in hardware architectures, more-energy-efficient data centers, regulatory concerns and simplifying analytics are all discussions currently circling through the industry. Here’s what to consider when thinking about your business in the cloud. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Anecdotal evidence suggests over-the-top video is a booming trend. But it takes technical skill, state-of-the-art broadband connections and the willingness to shell out money for both bandwidth and content subscriptions to fully integrate OTT into a household, much less consider trying to use it to cord cut. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Clearwire may be preparing to transform itself into an LTE operator, but that hasn’t stopped it from selling its WiMAX service to other carriers. The latest to jump on Clearwire’s bandwagon is MVNO Jolt Mobile, which is making the odd pairing of GSM with WiMAX. Read more »
AT&T introduced its latest LTE phone on Tuesday, but the biggest feature isn’t the wireless network, touchscreen or processor. The $49 Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate is a UL Platinum certified handset as a sustainable product with 80 percent recycled products making up the phone’s casing. Read more »
Starting in June, five U.S. carriers will begin selling Samsung’s Galaxy S III: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular. Samsung’s entire strategy for its new phone is very Apple-like, including one model, which should help constrained production: The company can build 5M per month. Read more »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
“Click-to-call” is a feature that lets users make a phone call by tapping a button on a website. The feature is a hit with merchants who want to reach an online audience and also represents a bright spot for the mobile ad industry. Read more »
So by all counts, Skype is doing fine under Microsoft ownership. The software giant has kept its paws off the baby. However, the current success isn’t enough to mask the fact that Skype is facing increased competition from upstarts looking eat into our attention to Skype. Read more »
I’m now using Straight Talk, a Tracfone-owned cellular provider that resells service on both AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. After a few weeks of testing and some questions posed to the company, here’s the skinny: Depending on your data needs, this plan can save money. Read more »
LightSquared’s bankruptcy is the conclusion of a process that is rigged against broadband competition. Maybe it would have failed for economic reasons, but before it got the chance it fell victim to politics, spectrum warfare, and interests that don’t want more wireless competition. Read more »
As the pace of advances in mobile technology accelerates, waves of new smartphones are appearing every few months. That can mean some savings in the form of a price drop on recently launched phones by the carriers. But how long should you wait? Read more »
Google’s open approach to Android has certainly helped build the platform’s user base: Android powers more than half of the world’s smartphones. But how much further can this strategy take Google when the “Wild West show” continues and carriers exacerbate the problem? It’s time for change. Read more »
AT&T introduced its third Microsoft Windows Phone handset with LTE: The Samsung Focus 2 launches on May 20 for $49 with new two-year contract, which is priced lower than the $99 Lumia 900 and $199 HTC Titan II. At this price, the specifications aren’t shabby. Read more »
If you’re an Android user looking for new hardware, this was a good week for you. Both HTC’s One X for AT&T and Samsung’s Galaxy S III arrived. Interestingly, one of the two phones has generated much positive feedback while the other seems to impress fewer. Read more »
During the first three months of 2012, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint collectively sold 9 million iPhones. Altogether, those same three carriers sold 13.5 million smartphones, which means that for every three smartphones they sold, two of them were iPhones. Read more »
Comcast, the largest broadband provider in the US is getting bigger and bigger. During the first quarter of 2012, the company added 439,000 net new high-speed Internet customers to bring the final tally to 18.58 million and had broadband revenues of $2.32 billion. Read more »
AT&T’s newest LTE phone, the HTC One X, is due to hit stores May 6 for $199. The phone is similar to T-Mobile’s One S, but has a larger screen Super LCD screen. Here are my first impressions after a day with the new handset. Read more »
AT&T’s shareholders today didn’t require the telecommunications giant to implement network neutrality on its wireline and wireless networks. The proposal lost with a mere 5.9 percent of the vote. But here’s why one fund manager thinks net neutrality won — and should continue to win. Read more »
The slow death march of DSL continues!. Last week, Verizon reported a loss of about 89,000 DSL connections, but increased demand for faster FiOS Internet. Today, numbers from AT&T follow the same trend. Read more »
