Hasta La Gadget!

Looks like more than HTC’s description was erroneous yesterday afternoon — we’ve just confirmed that the HTC Sync desktop client for the AT&T Aria allows users to install third-party apps on non-rooted devices, just as promised. We ran some quick tests, and while it doesn’t actually enable anything on the handset end, it most certainly does allow those of you with Windows PCs (or VMware) to sideload APKs like Swype over USB with a simple drag-and-drop maneuver. Given how quickly the company sought to correct our original post on the subject, we’d expect HTC will be issuing a rather different version of the software soon, so hit up that source link, pound in your serial number, grab the EXE, and get while the getting’s good.

[Thanks, Dylan]

Continue reading Confirmed: HTC Sync lets tethered AT&T Aria sideload apps

Confirmed: HTC Sync lets tethered AT&T Aria sideload apps originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, this is genuinely awesome: it seems AT&T is pulling back from its ban on third-party sideloaded apps on its Android devices, because HTC has just released an Aria update that enables them (either that or HTC just went rogue here, but we highly doubt it). While that doesn’t have much practical implication for your typical smartphone user, it’s a strong sign that AT&T might be ready to take a more reasonable stance on the openness of its branded devices that would put it inline with the attitudes Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile have all taken with their Android phones so far. Additionally, the update includes “the Mobile Network sharing function,” which we take to mean a mobile hotspot app in the same vein as the one that’s shipping with Froyo — if we had to guess, it probably requires AT&T’s 2GB DataPro plan plus the tethering add-on, which would put it in line with what they’re charging on the iPhone. Onward and upward, AT&T.

Update: We got downright excited for a second there, but an HTC spokesman just called to inform us there’s been a mistake — this download is only for the desktop HTC Sync client and doesn’t actually enable anything on the phone. We’re working to get more information right now, but it sounds like the sideloading ball is still squarely in AT&T’s court.

Update 2: HTC apologizes for the confusion, saying the update description was in error — it was merely supposed to read that the Aria now works with the company’s desktop sync client. On Monday, the text will be updated to remove every last ounce of false hope.

Update 3: Sideloading works after all! Read all about it.

[Thanks, Dylan T.]

HTC Aria update for AT&T enables mobile hotspot, sideloaded app support (update: partially working!) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A lawsuit alleging that Apple and AT&T secretly formed monopoly with their exclusive iPhone agreement has received class-action status, meaning the plaintiffs now represent everybody who’s bought an iPhone in the United States.

Judge James Ware of the U.S. District court for the Northern District of California on Thursday granted class certification of plaintiffs’ antitrust claims seeking damages and injunctive relief for the complaint titled “Apple & ATTM Antitrust Litigation.” (.pdf)

In an interview Friday with Wired.com, Mark Rifkin, lead counsel representing the plaintiffs of the suit, highlighted that the terms of AT&T’s two-year customer contract say that customers have the option to terminate whenever they wish for a fee to switch to another carrier.

By only offering the iPhone on one carrier, iPhone customers are still essentially locked in despite having the termination option, the suit argues.

“The court has allowed [multiple] plaintiffs to represent 20 million consumers who have been forced to use AT&T for iPhone voice and data service, despite an agreement that allows them to terminate at any time and presumably switch carriers,” Rifkin said.

Ever since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, AT&T has been the exclusive carrier of the handset in the United States. Neither Apple nor AT&T have disclosed official details of their exclusive agreement to carry the iPhone.

Originally filed in 2007, the class-action lawsuit alleged that Apple and AT&T had illegally exerted a monopoly by telling customers their iPhone contract was two years long when in actuality the companies’ exclusivity agreement was for an indefinite, undisclosed amount of time. That means even after iPhone customers’ two-year contracts have expired, they still don’t have the option of switching to another carrier because AT&T is still Apple’s only U.S. partner.

However, earlier statements made by Apple’s legal team noted it was publicly reported in a USA Today article that the agreement was five years long, as first discovered by Engadget, which implied that AT&T would be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone from 2007 to 2012.

In a response filed by Apple’s legal team in 2008, Apple claimed the allegations of monopoly were contrived.

“[T]here was widespread disclosure of [AT&T’s] five-year exclusivity and no suggestion by Apple or anyone else that iPhones would become unlocked after two years,” Apple said in a response. “Moreover, it is sheer speculation – and illogical – that failing to disclose the five-year exclusivity term would produce monopoly power.”

Apple and AT&T declined to comment on the latest developments of the class-action suit.

“We’re not going to discuss pending litigation,” an Apple spokeswoman told Wired.com.

See Also:

• Google Hit With Antitrust Complaints in Europe
• Suit Alleges AT&T, Apple ‘Oversold’ iPhone, Strained 3G Network …
• Apple, AT&T Sued Over iPhone 4 Antenna Problems
• iPhone Owner Sues AT&T, Apple for Tricky MMS Marketing
• IPhone Users Report Network Outages; Second 3G Lawsuit Emerges …

Myriam Joire (tnkgrl) was born wearing combat boots and holding a keyboard; moments later she picked up a soldering iron. She’s been stomping, typing and hacking ever since. In her regular series, she’ll share her tips, tricks, and mods on everything from phones to netbooks — and be sure to catch her weekly on the Engadget Mobile podcast.

Things used to be simple: you either had a CDMA device with no SIM, or a GSM device with a SIM. If your GSM device was unlocked you could swap SIMs between carriers, and if was locked, you could swap SIMs between accounts on the same carrier. Basically, an unlocked phone meant mobile freedom. At first, the only complication was the different frequencies used for GSM in different parts of the world, which was remedied with quadband radios. Then 3G was introduced, with different frequencies used by different carriers in the same geographic area, like North America. Today, this proliferation of bands makes it difficult to build universal radios, and makes it less appealing to switch carriers. In fact, the only phone that currently supports all 3G frequencies used in North America is the upcoming pentaband Nokia N8.

The second obstacle was the introduction of special data plans, either requiring additional service layers (such as BlackBerry or Sidekick plans) or restricting the types of devices permitted as the iPhone and iPad plans do. What used to be as simple as changing APNs is now a Kafkaesque nightmare, complete with nasty “you are using the wrong data plan and we are going to send you a bill” text messages from carriers. Strike three was the micro SIM (also known as the 3FF SIM), popularized by Apple’s iPad and the iPhone 4. This smaller form-factor SIM is electrically compatible with the standard SIM we all know and love — and as such, it’s easy to convert a standard SIM into a micro SIM and vice-versa (but still, it’s one more hurdle standing in the way of happiness).

Let’s dive in and take a look at how it’s done.

Continue reading How-to: resize your SIM, change your APN, and drink the sweet nectar of mobile freedom

How-to: resize your SIM, change your APN, and drink the sweet nectar of mobile freedom originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung and AT&T announced Thursday that their Android-based Samsung Captivate smartphone will be available starting July 18.

The phone will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract and a minimum $15 data plan.

The Captivate was announced in late June and is part of Samsung’s Galaxy S line. It will launch with Android 2.1 and includes a Samsung Hummingbird processor, a super AMOLED screen, a 5-megapixel camera, an accelerometer and a gyroscope for 3D motion sensing, 16GB of built-in storage, HD video recording, and surround sound.

For more details on the Captivate, see PCMag’s hands-on with the device.

Other phones in the Galaxy S lineup include the Samsung Vibrant for T-Mobile, and the Samsung Fascinate for Verizon Wireless. The Vibrant comes out on July 21 and will also cost $199.99. Pricing and availability for the Fascinate has not yet been announced.