FCC queries AT&T, Apple on Google Voice iPhone app rejection


Yeah, we’re pretty much all peeved by Apple suddenly ejecting all traces of Google Voice from the app store, but now it looks to have drawn the ire of the Federal Communications Commission, as well. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the agency has sent out three letters, one each to Apple, AT&T, and Google. To the latter company, it asked for a description of the Google Voice app and whether previous Google apps have been approved for the store (it has, but that’s another interesting story). To Cupertino, it’s asking the phone manufacturer to explain itself over the sudden exorcism and what involvement, if any, AT&T had in this decision. The report doesn’t make a direct indication of what the letter to the carrier said, but we can imagine it’s similar to what Apple got, plus some doodles at the end of a stick figure letting out an exasperated sigh. In a statement today, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said it “has a mission to foster a competitive wireless marketplace, protect and empower consumers, and promote innovation and investment.” Hey Julius, while you’re at it, can you see about Skype and Slingbox for us, too? Thanks.
Update: TechCrunch has published the three letters sent out, all very interesting reads. The FCC asks Apple specifically if any approved VoIP apps are allowed to be used over AT&T’s 3G network, and more generally what are the “standards for considering and approving iPhone applications” and more details into the approval process. It also asks for the contact information of all developers of rejected Google Voice apps, presumably for further investigation. In the Google letter, it seems to be asking if Voice will be able to be utilized in any capacity over the web, without inclusion in the iTunes store. Unsurprisingly, a number of questions to Apple and AT&T concern the carrier’s involvement in which apps or types of apps get rejected. All companies have until August 21st to respond and can request confidentiality on all or portions of their response.

Update 2: AT&T spokesman Brad Mays has sent us a statement denying any involvement in the app store process: “AT&T does not manage or approve applications for the App Store. We have received the letter and will, of course, respond to it,” he says. That said, its involvement in Slingbox’s rejection certainly does raise some eyebrows here.

Filed under:

FCC queries AT&T, Apple on Google Voice iPhone app rejection originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Engadget Mobile reviews Nokia’s Surge

Some might say that the phone you’re peering at above is the most un-Nokia-like Nokia device produced in quite some time (if not ever), but remember, this one was custom made for US consumers and AT&T’s audience — something that’s not true for too many Espoo-sourced handsets. Once known as the Mako, Nokia’s Surge (or 6790 in international speak) is certainly unorthodox in design, though the actual specs list is fairly familiar. We get the feeling that Nokia was aiming to hit a very specific niche with this device, somewhere in-between the text-happy handsets adored by tweens and the smartphone desired by Mr. Suit. Care to see if we think Nokia accomplished said goal? Then head on over to Engadget Mobile for the rest!

Filed under:

Engadget Mobile reviews Nokia’s Surge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Captain Obvious reports: AT&T sees surge in WiFi use post-iPhone OS 3.0

You know, there’s something to be said about making something easy: people usually take advantage. So seems to be the case with AT&T’s WiFi connections after the release of iPhone OS 3.0, which finally became useful when users could seamlessly connect to one of the thousands of AT&T hotspots around the nation rather than having to stumble through a painfully long process on iPhone OS 2.x. According to an AT&T spokesperson speaking with AppleInsider, the amount of iPhone users linking up with AT&T’s WiFi network tripled in June, and overall, it saw a 41 percent increase in connections compared to the prior quarter. It comes as no surprise to hear that AT&T is working feverishly to expand said network in order to relieve strain from its house of cards-styled 3G network, and while we’d definitely prefer a bit more reliability with the latter, we’ll happily accept more WiFi in the meanwhile.

Filed under: ,

Captain Obvious reports: AT&T sees surge in WiFi use post-iPhone OS 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

David Pogue launches all-out war on canned voicemail messages

You know, we love fighting the good fight — especially if it means calling out corporations on their untoward business practices. Today we’re joining David Pogue of the New York Times in calling foul on cellphone carriers’ insistence that users be forced to listen to those maddening, pointless 15-second canned carrier messages. In case you’ve held off on owning a cellphone or calling anyone who has one, they go a little something like this:

At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options. To leave a callback number, press 5. (Beep)

Not only is Pogue mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it about the ridiculous idea that we still need to be told how to use voicemail, it turns out those additional messages are actually costing you cold, hard cash. He estimates that Verizon, for instance, is netting around $620 million a year thanks to these little annoyances. So what’s to be done? Well Pogue wants the citizens of the internet to take up virtual arms… and complain like nobody’s business. He’s wrangled together all the best contact points for the four largest carriers in the US (included for your convenience after the break). Let them know you know don’t want to pay for voicemail instructions. And hey, while you’re at it, tell them the price-gouging on text messages needs to go, too.

Continue reading David Pogue launches all-out war on canned voicemail messages

Filed under:

David Pogue launches all-out war on canned voicemail messages originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Samsung, ATT Unveil Solstice Touch Screen Phone

Samsung_Solstice.jpgSamsung Mobile and AT&T have announced the Samsung Solstice, a touch screen cell phone geared toward mobile social networking fans.

The handset is essentially a successor to the Samsung Eternity sans the latter’s poor mobile TV tuner. The Solstice features a 3.0-inch touch screen, a landscape QWERTY keyboard, and Samsung’s ever-improving TouchWiz interface, which works a lot better on feature phones than it initially did on Windows Mobile smartphones.

The Solstice also includes one-touch access to Facebook, MySpace, and Yahoo oneSearch widgets. In addition, there’s a 2-megapixel camera, haptic feedback for the touch screen, and a 3G data radio on board.

The device will hit AT&T retail locations and the carrier Web site on August 2nd for $99.99 with a two-year contract–well, actually, $149.99, because the mail-in rebate comes in the form of an annoying $50 gift card that you can’t deposit in your savings account.

Samsung’s Solstice touchscreen phone bounds onto AT&T

The age of the touchscreen dumbphone is definitely upon us, is it not? Today AT&T and Samsung announced the availability of the Solstice, a phone featuring a 3-inch (presumably resistive) touchscreen, TouchWiz, and lots of funky social networking tie-ins. Still, one gets the overwhelming impression that phones of this ilk are simply trying to cash in on the buzz of like-minded devices, while not bringing anything particularly notable to the table. This 3G-equipped number comes loaded with a 2 megapixel camera, microSD support up to 16GB, and… not much else. The phone will be available August 2nd for $99.99 with a two-year contract. Call us crazy, but for that kind of money, aren’t there superior touchscreen devices on this network?

Filed under:

Samsung’s Solstice touchscreen phone bounds onto AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple: Jailbreaking encourages cell tower terrorism, “catastrophic results”

If trashing your push messaging wasn’t enough to steer you clear of using your iPhone in unauthorized ways, this next bit of news might have you back on the straight and narrow. According to Wired, Apple’s latest salvo in the fight over jailbreaking is a claim that pernicious, iPhone wielding techno-hackers at home or abroad could modify the baseband and use it to attack cellphone towers, “rendering the tower entirely inoperable to process calls or transmit data.” Of course, the idea that this would become more likely if the legal status of jailbreaking changes is totally absurd, but why let that stand in the way of a legal argument?

In a related note, one of our editors (whose jailbroken iPhone shall remain nameless) got a strange baseband pop-up error this morning — the very same morning that AT&T is suffering a “massive connectivity outage” throughout the northeast and midwest. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.

Read – iPhone Jailbreaking Could Crash Cellphone Towers, Apple Claims
Read – Anyone Experience the AT&T Outage?

Filed under:

Apple: Jailbreaking encourages cell tower terrorism, “catastrophic results” originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Barnes Noble Stores to Provide Free Wi-Fi

complimentary_wi_fi.gifBarnes & Noble customers have had access to paid Wi-Fi hotspots at individual outlets of the popular nationwide bookseller since 2005. The company announced yesterday that it has signed a strategic agreement with AT&T to implement free and unlimited access to all of its 777 stores’ wireless networks.

This move seems to be intended, at least in part, to help support the company’s ever-expanding eBook initiative. We reviewed Barnes & Noble’s new eReader application last week, and this move seems like an excellent way to keep the company’s enormous list of titles at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Giving everyone with a wireless device instant access to preview and download over 700,000 eBook titles (including hundreds of thousands of additional public-domain selections from Google) is a terrific marketing tool.

And this strategy doesn’t end there. Customers who opt in will also be able to receive special offers and useful information directly over the network. The company is currently suggesting such things as coupons to in-store cafés, information on book signings, and specific instructions on how to find new releases as being among the potential benefits for customers.

Google Voice app GV Mobile ported to jailbroken iPhones, web app version in the works

So well-mannered, straight-laced iPhone users got a pretty big slap in the face yesterday by way of Apple’s (and AT&T’s, no doubt) total Google Voice rejection. Looks like jailbreakers are picking up the pieces, as GV Mobile developer Sean Kovacs — whose app was in the iTunes store for some time before being yanked yesterday — has ported the Voice client over to Cydia free of charge, although donations are gladly accepted. Even more interesting, but less concrete, Kovacs said he was already working on a web app version, possibly for submission to Palm’s app catalog. No word on the fate of GVdialer, an app that was also unceremoniously pulled, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it followed in similar footsteps.

Read – GV Mobile now on Cydia
Read – Sean Kovacs on Twitter

Filed under:

Google Voice app GV Mobile ported to jailbroken iPhones, web app version in the works originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Barnes & Noble switches to free WiFi, just the thing for your e-book reader

Barnes & Noble and AT&T already went ahead and offered free WiFi to iPhone users (and everyone else, albeit inadvertently) last year, and it’s now finally gone and given up on those pesky subscription fees altogether. As the pair of companies jointly announced today, that new and welcome change is now already in place at all Barnes & Noble stores in the US that offer WiFi, and the bookstore is not-at-all-coincidentally taking advantage of the opportunity to promote its recently launched eBookstore, to say nothing of its forthcoming e-book reader. Last we heard, they still have actual books and stuff there, too.

Filed under:

Barnes & Noble switches to free WiFi, just the thing for your e-book reader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments