In just a few days, expect a software update to begin rolling out to the HTC One (M8) for AT&T. Mo Versi, the Vice President of Product Management at HTC, responded to one eager customer on Friday. Versi announced that a software update would land on the device “early next week” and include a slew of items.
Here is what Versi said will be in the update:
Even though it is not Android 5.0 Lollipop, it is a welcome
America’s second largest carrier, AT&T is now offering free calling from the U.S. to Mexico. This comes after the carrier acquired Mexican telecom network Iusacell a week ago.
Read more
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson
In a bit of legal tap-dancing, AT&T has filed a motion to dismiss the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) lawsuit against AT&T over data throttling on the grounds that the regulatory body lacks authority to do so. The legal grounds AT&T is basing this on is Section 5 of the FTC Act, in which a portion of that section helps draw distinction between the FTC’s jurisdiction and the U.S. Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) jurisdiction.
AT&T argues that because of its company’s status as a common carrier in mobile voice communication, then its data service should as well. Mobile data has not traditionally fallen under the purview of the FCC, but AT&T is claiming that data should be under FCC authority.
Read more
Hot on the heals of US Cellular, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, Verizon has now joined the party to launch the curved variant of Samsung’s flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note Edge, in the United States.
The handset will set you back $399.99 on any of Big Red’s two-year plans or $799.99 unlocked. You can also bag yourself one for $33.33 per month if you happen to be a member of the carrier’s Edge program.
For years, AT&T offered rollover minutes on its mobile plans, going back all the way to the days of AirTouch and Cingular Wireless. (Remember Cingular?! They were awesome. I loved that orange jumping jack guy.) But with minutes ceasing to be valuable currency in the mobile space in recent years, Rollover disappeared.
Now AT&T, taking its cues from GSM rival T-Mobile, is resurrecting the Rollover concept, but in a form more fitting these modern times. AT&T Mobile Share customers will now be automatically enrolled in a monthly Rollover of data, and it rolls over across an entire shared account. It’s a nice bone to throw customers concerned about overages and should assuage billing fears associated with said overages.
Everyone is sick of the data caps that cell phone companies have imposed on us. It’s one thing to cap data, but it’s another to over charge for services rendered. I have been saying all long that Google will fix this mess and they are already making steps toward it.
They are lobbying with regulators to free up vacant spectrum that is not only low cost, but useless to the U.S. carriers. They would like to see as much as 150 megahertz of specturm around the 3.5 gigahertz band. The idea is to leave it open to anyone without a license, but set aside some of it for companies to use exclusively.
After showing off the SPro 2 at CES this year, ZTE has announced that the portable projector and hotspot will be coming exclusively to AT&T’s LTE network later this year. There’s always a chance that they’ll eventually release a WiFi-only model like they did with the original, but for the time being AT&T is going to be your only option.
The SPro 2 can connect up to 10 different devices to its wireless hotspot and can stream media from Google Play or several other connectivity options. The projector will blast a 720p image up to 120 inches, and it’s a fairly small, compact device, so it’s easy to carry around.
Read more
AT&T has announced some new things are coming to AT&T Drive, including new apps for automobile manufacturers and a handful of new partners. The connected car platform is a big focus for the wireless carrier, as it will eventually lead to more LTE-enabled devices being active on its network.
Read more
More home automation and Internet of Things news from CES 2015, this time coming to us from AT&T. The communications giant has developed its own platform for home security and automation called Digital Life. At CES 2015, AT&T announced that they have struck deals with Samsung, Qualcomm Life, LG Electronics and Lutron Electronics to expand their offering and compete with other systems. According to Kevin Peterson, senior vice president of Digital Life with AT&T, “Innovation in home automation is skyrocketing, but to really drive mass adoption, we need to leverage the strong platform that we have built working with key industry leaders and developers to bring the best ideas together to benefit the customer.”
Read more
At its CES 2015 press conference, the G Flex 2 made its worldwide debut for LG. Consumers in the United States are curious to know which carriers intend to offer the handset. Two carriers have stepped forward quickly to confirm that the G Flex 2 will be available on their networks. Both Sprint and AT&T will release the G Flex 2 in the first quarter of 2015. To bring some spice to the handset, Sprint will have an exclusive Volcano Red color.
Pricing and a specific release date have yet to be provided.
Hit the break for the full press releases. Click here for our full CES 2015 coverage.
