Hasta La Gadget!

AT&T recently allowed FaceTime over cellular for iPhone users on tiered data plans but reports are coming through that AT&T iPhone users on unlimited data plans are also getting unchained from FaceTime’s Wi-Fi only shackles. Is this happening to you too? More »

When you are so used to taking advantage of computing services that generally do not suffer from any downtime, it can be rather frustrating to experience services which you take for granted each day go through an omnishambolic moment. Case in point, Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime seem to have experienced a downtime today, resulting in a yet unknown number of iPhone, iPad, and Macbook owners in the dark should they wish to chat with their mates over either platform. Of course, this is not the end of the world as there are still so many other ways to communicate such as text messaging, calling one another’s phone number or using alternatives like Skype, but you know how loyal and protective of the brand name that Apple users can be sometimes.

Apple’s iCloud System Status webpage did claim that the iMessage and Facetime service, “will be restored ASAP”, with the message been posted since 1:30 PT thereabouts, so it remains unclear just for how long the downtime has affected Facetime and iMessage before that. Apple also failed to disclose the scale of the issue, other than hinting that it affected “some” users. I guess they do not like airing their dirty laundry in the public by being honest upfront, and yet are capable of trumpeting the exact number of iPads or iPhones sold in a few days. Strange, no?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iOS code string could indicate instant messaging unification, AT&T Allows Apple’s Facetime over Cellular,

Apple faces a second attack on its use of FaceTime, with web software firm VirnetX dragging the Cupertino firm back into the courtroom over video calling tech in the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and other hardware. VirnetX, which scored a $368m win against Apple earlier this week, claims the new smartphone and 7.9-inch tablet – as well as the 4th-gen iPad with Retina display, the 5th-gen iPod touch, and the latest batch of Macs – are just as guilty of infringing its networking-based patents as earlier iOS gadgets.

“Due to their release dates, these products were not included in the previous lawsuit that concluded with a Jury verdict on November 6, 2012″ VirnetX said in a statement today, explaining its double-dip legal strategy. The company is hoping for damages and injunctive relief; last time around, it sought around $700m, though the judge granted roughly half of that.

Four US patents – Nos. 6,502,135, 7,418,504, 7,921,211 and 7,490,151 – are at the heart of VirnetX’s complaint, referring to how VPN connections are established for secure point-to-point communications between devices. In general that technology is used for businesses to share files securely with remote workers, but VirnetX successfully argued that Apple uses the same, patented technology when it establishes FaceTime video calls.

Apple, unsurprisingly, argued that the smaller company is chasing cash for something that it didn’t create. “VirnetX is not entitled to money for things they did not invent” Williams, Morgan & Amerson lawyer Danny Williams said as part of his final closing statement at the last trial. “The VirnetX technology, if used, is a small part of very large, complex products.”

No trial date for the new case has been confirmed, and Apple is yet to comment on the extended allegations.

Apple faces second FaceTime lawsuit over iPhone 5 and iPad mini is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’ve been annoyed by the restrictions that AT&T has put on FaceTime, then good news: the carrier has done something of an about-face on its controversial rules for using FaceTime. Whereas before you needed to be on a Mobile Share plan or a Wi-Fi network to use FaceTime, AT&T has relaxed those stipulations a bit, now allowing FaceTime access on all of its tiered data plans. There is something of a catch in that you’ll need to be using an LTE device – in other words an iPhone 5 or an LTE-enabled iPad – but hey, something is better than nothing.

AT&T said today that it will be rolling out this functionality over the next 8 to 10 weeks, so even though you’ll be able to use FaceTime over LTE eventually, you might still be waiting a while. Unfortunately, an AT&T representative confirmed to Gizmodo that those using an iPhone on an unlimited data plan don’t qualify for this new functionality, so if that’s you, don’t get too excited. We can’t imagine that those customers will be too happy to hear that, considering that if you’re on an unlimited iPhone data plan at AT&T, you’ve been a customer of the company for years now.

AT&T has caught a lot of flak for limiting FaceTime usage to those with a Mobile Share plan, and it looks like the carrier has finally had enough of the grief its been receiving lately. In a statement posted to its website, the company explained why it’s taken so long in letting more customers use FaceTime over its mobile network. “In this instance, with the FaceTime app already preloaded on tens of millions of AT&T customers’ iPhones, there was no way for our engineers to effectively model usage, and thus to assess network impact,” AT&T said. “It is for this reason that we took a more cautious approach toward the app.”

If it would have opened the floodgates earlier, it claims, the amount of people using FaceTime on its network could have had a negative effect on the quality of its service, thus making everyone angry. Whatever the reason, if you have an iPhone 5 or an LTE-enabled iPad, you can now use FaceTime on AT&T data plans other than the Mobile Share Plan. Not too bad, but we have a feeling that some won’t be happy with the exceptions AT&T has put into place.

AT&T makes about-face on FaceTime for iPhone is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

After months of complaining, AT&T will now doing the right thing, unchaining customers with regular tiered data plans to use FaceTime on their LTE phones and iPads with nothing more than a cell signal. It’s good, but definitely not enough. More »