Hasta La Gadget!

The Telecommunications Industry Association claims amongst its ranks some of the biggest names in the tech space, including the likes of Apple, Intel, Microsoft and Nokia — so when the organization talks, people tend to listen. This time out, the TIA is giving the nod to AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile, urging that the FCC seriously consider the positive impact it would “have on investment and innovation, expanding consumer access to mobile broadband and addressing the looming spectrum crisis in America.”

Telecommunications Industry Association gives AT&T / T-Mobile merger a big thumbs up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a lot to be said for timing. Earlier today, HP quietly rolled a permanent price drop on the first generation TouchPad, and now it seems that the 4G version of the webOS slate has paid a visit to the folks at the FCC. The filing has “TouchPad” written all over it — literally — plus a few labels sporting “HSPA+ AT&T.”

Continue reading HP TouchPad 4G hits FCC on the way to AT&T

HP TouchPad 4G hits FCC on the way to AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With so many competing 4G technologies, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s why LAPTOP extensively tested the four major carriers in five cities nationwide—using phones, USB modems, and mobile hotspots—to determine which networks truly deliver on 4G’s promise. More »

Have anything sitting in your voicemail that you’d prefer the rest of the world didn’t hear? When’s the last time you went about checking it, anyway? AT&T is now on a mission to save its carefree customers from themselves, and beginning today, all new subscribers will be required to set a voicemail password or affirmatively disable the security measure. Ma Bell’s new policy is a reaction to the current unauthorized intrusion hubbub in the media, combined with the very real threat of caller ID spoofing. Shockingly, its current customers won’t receive similar treatment until early next year, and only when they upgrade their handsets. Of course, you can easily secure your voicemail within the settings, and if you prefer the convenience of retrieving your messages without hassle, you’ll still have that option — much to Rupert Murdoch’s pleasure, that is.

AT&T ramps up voicemail security, say hello to your new pin code originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a war on unlimited data being fought as we speak, and Ma Bell is leading the main charge. Just days after AT&T announced it would begin throttling data speeds for the heaviest bandwidth hogs grandfathered into the carrier’s no-limit internet service, it’s also confirmed it’s ready to crack the whip on illegal tethering as well. In attempt to achieve “fairness for all of [its] customers,” the carrier has added a bit of force behind its March announcement, sending out notices to anyone using their jailbroken iPhones as a mobile hotspot. The gist? Cut it out or be scaled back to a tiered data plan. In a statement originally given to 9to5mac, an AT&T spokesperson said:

Earlier this year, we began sending letters, emails, and text messages to a small number of smartphone customers who use their devices for tethering but aren’t on our required tethering plan. Our goal here is fairness for all of our customers. (This impacts a only small percentage of our smartphone customer base.)

The letters outline three choices:

1. Stop tethering and keep their current plan (including grandfathered unlimited plan)
2. Proactively call AT&T or visit our stores and move to the required tethering plan 3. Do nothing and we’ll go ahead and add the tethering plan on their behalf – after the dated noted in their customer notification

We reached out to AT&T and confirmed that this statement is indeed true. Consider this the company’s last warning — your time to enjoy all-you-can-eat tethering is almost at an end. How soon the day of reckoning will come, however, likely depends on when you received the notification originally. And you thought you were being so sneaky…

AT&T: no more unlimited data for illegal tetherers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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