AT&T and Cisco have WiFi on the cable box backwards

Adding WiFi to a cable set-top box is probably something every geek has thought would be a great idea, but we suspect you and AT&T aren’t on the same page. You were probably thinking it’d be cool to stream viral internet videos to the big screen without switching inputs, or maybe you thought it’d be cool to ditch the cable modem and WiFi access point and feed your laptop internet via the same box you deliver your HD with. Nope, AT&T and Cisco obviously don’t think those are worthy ideas, and instead, this new box simply works without a coax cable. We suppose there’s a market for this as only like 90 percent of TVs have coax running to them already — and no new house is built these days without ’em — but we have tried to stream HD via WiFi and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that it doesn’t “just work.” Of course the fact that U-Verse’s H.264 streams are pitifully over-compressed should help, but even when you add that to the great performance of 802.11n, we suspect you’d still be better served by a good ol’ copper wire.

Continue reading AT&T and Cisco have WiFi on the cable box backwards

AT&T and Cisco have WiFi on the cable box backwards originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T to allow grandfathered unlimited iPad data plans on iPad 2, your weekend rave to continue

Good news, iPad 3G owners. If you were lucky enough to snag one of those coveted unlimited data plans with your original AT&T iPad, you won’t have to toss it when upgrading next week. The carrier has confirmed to us that those who currently have the aforementioned plan will be able to keep it on their account when upgrading to the iPad 2, which in turns gives you no reason whatsoever to turn down the opportunity. Except for the lack of a USB port, SD card slot and a screen that touts the exact same resolution as the first model, of course.

[Thanks, David]

AT&T to allow grandfathered unlimited iPad data plans on iPad 2, your weekend rave to continue originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T Mobile Hotspot for iPhone 4 limited to just three WiFi devices (update: it’s an iOS 4.3 thing)

Say it ain’t so! According to this here slide, which details a bit of insidery AT&T information about the impending release of iOS 4.3, Ma Bell’s iPhone 4 will have its Personal Hotspot restricted to use with just three devices. Just about every MiFi / mobile hotspot device we’ve ever seen — including Verizon’s iPhone 4 — has supported five WiFi devices, but unless AT&T pulls a 180 here, it’ll be limiting its iPhone to just three connections. What’s wild is that we’ve found AT&T to actually have superior 3G speeds when you can actually get a signal (and thus, be more conducive to tethering five devices at once), and since you’d be on a data cap anyway, it’s not like AT&T risks losing millions from five P2P servers being ran over one’s iPhone. Granted, it’s possible that some unicorn crafted this piece of paperwork to throw us all off, but we’ve reached out to AT&T and are awaiting comment. You know, just in case.

Update: Based on Apple’s iOS 4.3 page, only three WiFi devices are supported through the Personal Hotspot connection. If you’d like to tether five total devices, the other two will need to be over Bluetooth / USB. Don’t go blaming AT&T here — we’re guessing Verizon’s model will be set up the same way. Thanks, Christian!

[Thanks, Anonymous]

AT&T Mobile Hotspot for iPhone 4 limited to just three WiFi devices (update: it’s an iOS 4.3 thing) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T to offer mobile hotspot on iPhone 4 starting March 11th, requires usual $45 data plan

Though it was kind of implied during the iPad 2 event yesterday when we learned that the GSM (that is, non-Verizon) version of the iPhone 4 would be getting iOS 4.3 with mobile hotspot capability on March 11th, we’ve doubly confirmed with AT&T today that the carrier will be offering the feature right out of the gate — a departure from the tethering delay of days gone by. Naturally, you’ll need the tethering feature added to your account, a $20 surcharge over the standard 2GB DataPro plan for a grand total of $45 with a 4GB bucket. Makes the extra coin a little easier to swallow over cabled and Bluetooth tethering alone, we suppose.

AT&T to offer mobile hotspot on iPhone 4 starting March 11th, requires usual $45 data plan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T introduces new post-paid plan for tablets, for those who prefer paying ex post facto

AT&T introduces new post-paid plan for tablets, for those who prefer paying ex post facto

Month-to-month billing is a great way to go for those who aren’t going to be traveling with their tablets all the time. If you’ll be a more frequent mobile data user, but still don’t want to get stuck with a contract, AT&T is introducing new post-paid plans. They can be added to an existing wireless plan (single billing FTW) and will see you billed automatically every month, but now you can cancel whenever your heart desires. Initial pricing is on-par with the pre-paid plans, which means $14.99 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB. It’s only the overage charges that are different here, $10 per 1GB versus $25 for 2GB on the pre-paid option. Not a huge difference, that, so really this is more of a convenience thing.

Continue reading AT&T introduces new post-paid plan for tablets, for those who prefer paying ex post facto

AT&T introduces new post-paid plan for tablets, for those who prefer paying ex post facto originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle To Be Sold at AT&T

Thumbnail image for kindle third generation.jpegAmazon has been selling the Kindle for a handful of years now, but, since last fall, Amazon has been spreading its wings to other stores. Last year, Amazon started allowing Target and Best Buy to sell the popular e-reader. But it now appears that AT&T stores will start selling the Kindle.

AT&T had a major loss recently when the iPhone went to Verizon, which could explain why AT&T is looking to adopt other devices to gain bigger profits once again. Since both want to expand, it seems logical for both AT&T and Kindle to team up. However, do not expect to see a Wi-Fi edition at AT&T stores.

AT&T will not brand the device, nor will the company offer a data plan for it since Amazon built it for free access to 3G. No word on when AT&T will start selling the Kindle or at what price.

Via TG Daily

AT&T will start selling Kindle 3G e-reader in its retail stores from March 6th

AT&T is adding the first e-reader to its catalog of connected devices and, unsurprisingly, it’s the 3G version of Amazon’s latest-generation Kindle. There’s nothing peculiar about this agreement, the 3G Kindle will cost $189, the same as it does on Amazon’s online portal, and there are no special content or add-on deals in place. It’s just another locale where you’ll be able to “test drive” and purchase Amazon’s all-time best-selling product. Stock should be arriving shortly for a March 6th launch, though if you’re looking for the WiFi-only Kindle, you’ll have to look elsewhere, AT&T will only be selling the 3G-equipped 6-incher.

Continue reading AT&T will start selling Kindle 3G e-reader in its retail stores from March 6th

AT&T will start selling Kindle 3G e-reader in its retail stores from March 6th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T ShopAlerts: first location-based ads from a US carrier kick off in four markets

A few third-party apps have been going after this market for a while now, but AT&T has just become the first American carrier to throw its weight behind location-based ads in teaming up with Placecast to launch the so-called AT&T ShopAlerts service in four markets. Residents of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco will be the first to experience the mind-bending future of advertising — presumably because they’re densely-populated enough to make a location-based trial worthwhile — with seven inaugural partners: HP, Kmart, JetBlue, SC Johnson, Kibbles ‘n Bits (‘n Bits ‘n Bits), Nature’s Recipe, and the “got milk?” people. Fortunately, the system is opt-in, not out. Follow the break for AT&T’s full press release.

Continue reading AT&T ShopAlerts: first location-based ads from a US carrier kick off in four markets

AT&T ShopAlerts: first location-based ads from a US carrier kick off in four markets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 03:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile continues campaign against iPhone 4 with new ‘State of the Smartphone’ infographic

T-Mobile cares about you. It cares so much that it’s spending all its advertising dollars lately making sure you know full well that the iPhone 4 can’t do “4G” the way its own phones can. The latest salvo in this crusade of enlightenment includes the above graphs showing just how much faster and further your money can go if you ride along on the Magenta network. It conveniently ignores the fact that AT&T and Verizon offer other phones besides Apple’s iPhone, some of which can handle speeds above the 3G threshold, but such is the price you pay when you want to have a really pretty and eye-catching chart. Hit the source link to soak up more of T-Mobile’s priceless wisdom.

[Thanks, Ramon]

T-Mobile continues campaign against iPhone 4 with new ‘State of the Smartphone’ infographic originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LetsTalk goes out in a blaze of glory, sells Atrix 4G and Laptop Dock bundle for $250 as AT&T partnership ends

We can totally picture how this went down: AT&T appears to have made it not worth LetsTalk’s time (or Wirefly’s time) to sell its phones anymore, which means they’re parting ways staring next month. LetsTalk — wishing to end its AT&T relationship in the most spectacular fashion imaginable — has elected to sell the Motorola Atrix 4G / Laptop Dock bundle for $250 on contract after rebates, essentially half of what you’ll pay through AT&T directly (LetsTalk runs Walmart’s wireless store portal, which we’ve linked). The fire sale might not fix some of the dock’s flaws… but it certainly makes them a little less painful.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

LetsTalk goes out in a blaze of glory, sells Atrix 4G and Laptop Dock bundle for $250 as AT&T partnership ends originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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