Jun 03

New iPhone Data Plans: Is 200MB Enough?

Posted in: att, iPhone, iphone 3g, Today's Chili
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AT&T just swapped out its smartphone plans for
new, lower-priced but lower-capacity plans. iPhone and other smartphone owners
have a choice between a 200MB plan for $15/month and a 2GB plan for $25,
instead of their old 5 GB plan for $30.

Since AT&T says the vast majority of phone users fit into these plans, we
decided to check by charting the data usage of six of PCMag.com’s iPhone users
for the past six months.

In our quick survey, we found that 200MB just isn’t enough for a tech-savvy
iPhoner, but 2GB definitely is. None of our users went over 500 MB in a month.
(Apparently, nobody’s streaming Pandora or YouTube on their phones all day.)
But several of our staffers consistently went over 200 MB.  All of the users had either an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS.

Apparently, one of the things we didn’t count on was
how much people use Wi-Fi. Our staffers generally have Wi-Fi networks both at
home and in the office, and that really cuts down on cellular data usage. You
can watch all the YouTube you want without it hitting your bill, if you’re
using Wi-Fi.

The real danger for iPhone users on the new plans, though, comes with the new
tethering feature. It may be tough to hit 2GB using your phone alone. But with
a laptop? No problem. 


Additional insight provided by Sascha Segan.
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Jun 03

Dont E-mail ATT CEO: Cease and Desist Letters May Follow

Posted in: Apple, att, Law, Today's Chili

For a man who runs one of the largest tech companies in the world, Steve Jobs can be surprisingly responsive when it comes to returning e-mails, making folks like me feel all the worse when it comes to our general neglect in that area. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, on the other hand, is apparently not quite to eager to field questions from you, the customer.

Engadget reader Giorgio Galante reportedly received a warning after e-mailing the CEO twice in two weeks. AT&T’s Executive Response Team apparently sent Galante a warning, adding that they would send out a cease-and-desist letter upon receiving further e-mails.

Galante’s first e-mail was a request to have his iPhone eligibility date changed. The second was a question about tethering. He then received a call from an AT&T rep named Brent who mentioned the possibility of legal action.

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Jun 03

Nokia Unleashes E73 Smartphone on T-Mobile

Posted in: nokia, Smartphones, symbian, t-mobile, Today's Chili

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Nokia has unveiled the E73, an update to its beloved QWERTY-equipped E72 slab smartphone–this time, with an exclusive T-Mobile subsidy.
The ultra-slim, Symbian-powered E73 measures 4.5 by 2.3 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.5 ounces. It features a 5-megapixel camera with VGA video recording, an optical control pad, free Ovi Maps GPS navigation, and access to Nokia’s Ovi Store for downloading thousands of third-party apps.
The E73 also includes a 2.4-inch QVGA screen–would have been nice to see a resolution upgrade there, but we can’t have everything–along with a standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack.
The E73 supports Wi-Fi with T-Mobile calling, and comes with an HTML Web browser with Adobe Flash support–unlike the iPad. Look for the E73 to hit T-Mobile stores and the carrier’s online site June 16th.
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Jun 02

Dell Streak Coming to US With And Without Carrier Support

Posted in: Android, Today's Chili

Dell’s five-inch, Android-powered Streak tablet will probably come to a US wireless carrier, and will also be sold unlocked in the US, Dell’s president of communications solutions Ron Garriques said at the D8 conference today.

Other reports are saying Dell’s Ron Garriques said the Streak will be sold unlocked on dell.com for $500, but that’s not the whole story. On the video on AllThingsD’s Web site, Garriques strongly implies the Streak will be available through US carriers as well.
Price “will be a carrier decision,” he said. “We’ll also sell it on Dell.com. … With a two-year deal that’ll really be carrier driven but from an unlocked perspective it’ll be in the $500 range,” he says on the video.
We have a hands-on with the Streak from back when it was called the “Mini 5” (which I still think is a better name.) We’ll get a review model as soon as we can.
Our own Michael Miller has much more news from D8 on his blog, Forward Thinking.
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Jun 02

LG Launches Three New Phones with T-Mobile

Posted in: LG, motorola, Phones, t-mobile, Today's Chili

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LG has partnered with T-Mobile for the first time ever to bring three new headsets to consumers. The LG Sentio, LG dLite, and the LG GS170 are all feature phones and likely won’t be shaking up the marketplace.

The LG Sentio is the only touch-screen phone of the trio. It features 3G connectivity, a 3-megapixel camera, GPS navigation, and visual voicemail. Its most interesting feature, however, might be Social Buzz: an LG-designed interface that connects with social networks. Social Buzz has similarities to Motorola’s MotoBlur UI for Android and Microsoft’s Kin UI.

The LG dLite and GS170 are both standard-issue flip phones. The dLite also features Social Buzz and has a 2.8-inch display, 3G connectivity, and visual voicemail. The dLite will come in Bubblegum and Electric-Blue colors. Details are sparse about the GS170, but LG says it has a high-res display, a VGA camera, Bluetooth 2.1, and e-mail support.

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Jun 02

UPDATED: ATT Revamps Smartphone, iPad Data Plans

Posted in: ipad, Smart Devices, Smartphones, Today's Chili

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AT&T is revamping its data plan lineup ahead of the widely expected, next-generation iPhone, although the move affects AT&T’s entire smartphone line going forward.
In short, AT&T is adopting a metered usage model. Consumers will have the following options:
DataPlus: Just 200MB of data for $15 per month. Overages come in the form of additional 200MB blocks for $15 each.
DataPro: 2GB of data (not 5GB, like the previous cap) for $25 per month. Overages are billed in 1GB increments for $10 each.
Tethering: Anyone who wants to use their phone as a laptop modem–including iPhone customers–can do so for an additional $20 per month.
Analysis–plus one huge problem with all this–after the jump.
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Jun 01

U.S. Cellular Unveils CDM8635 Flip Phone

Posted in: Today's Chili

PCD_CDM8635_USCellular.jpgPCD and U.S. Cellular have launched the CDM8635, a basic flip phone with a 1.5-inch mono external LCD and a 2.2-inch internal display.

The device features 1GB of internal memory, voice-activated dialing, and noise suppression circuitry for improving call clarity. It also includes a 1.3-megapixel camera and a supposed user-friendly interface design.
The CDM8635 measures 3.9 by 2.0 by 0.8 inches (HWD), though no weight figure is listed yet. The phone will be available beginning today at U.S. Cellular retail locations, as well as online at www.uscellular.com.
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Jun 01

Clearwire 4G Leaks into Washington, Kansas City

Posted in: 4G, HTC, Smartphones, Sprint, Today's Chili, WiMAX

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Clearwire, in typical fashion, has announced yet another small expansion of its 4G service.
Customers in central Washington, D.C. and Kansas City can now rest assured that if they sign up for 4G WiMAX service, they’ll see some signal, somewhere. In addition, existing customers in Baltimore may now see expanded service.
The company said that the Clearwire network now covers 34 markets and about 44 million customers across the U.S. Wake us when New York City, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles get some love; we’re dying to exercise those EVO 4Gs.
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May 28

Shanghais Roewe 350 Gets Android 2.1 In-Car Nav

Posted in: Android, Google, navigation, Today's Chili
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We’ve heard rumblings about Android finding its way into in-car entertainment systems before. But here’s something that’s actually in production: Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) announced that its Roewe 350 sedan will feature a custom “Inkanet” version of Android 2.1 for its navigation and DVD entertainment system, Autoblog reports.
The system includes China Telecom 3G-powered mobile Internet access, OnStar, and a nifty “walkie-talkie” system for chatting with other Inkanet users. The SAIC Roewe 350 will cost about $20,000 when it goes on sale in China shortly; production line assembly began last week, according to the report. Just imagine the syncing possibilities with an HTC Droid Incredible or Sprint EVO 4G…
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May 28

Samsung Responds to Our Behold II Android Post

Posted in: Android, samsung, Today's Chili

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Yesterday I posted about the Samsung Behold II, and the company’s backpedaling about a promised Android OS upgrade for the device. Today I received the following official response from Samsung regarding the Behold II:
“Samsung Mobile and T-Mobile USA are planning to update the Behold II to Android 1.6 which provides access to Google Maps Navigation, Google Voice Search capability and quick search box for Android.  The update will also supply additional benefits including Swype, an improved Media Player, updated core Android applications and improved Bluetooth capabilities.  However, the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6.”
I still don’t understand why OS updates for these devices are such an issue. It’s one thing if a company wants to prevent the wholesale installation of a buggy third-party app, in order to ensure its product continues to run smoothly. But an entire, official OS update, that other devices can run just fine? These things are computers. Computers get OS updates. Why the heck not?
At any rate, Samsung says the Behold II will soon gain many of the newer Android features, including the excellent Google Maps Navigation. I guess something is better than nothing, right?
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