The Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Milestone launch on TELUS (NYSE: TU) might not be all that exciting for the HSPA-less residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but it sure is exciting for everyone else on Canada’s TELUS network. Following on news that the Motorola Milestone will soon be hitting Canadian airwaves, Best Buy has seemingly confirmed what the carrier has been reluctant to admit thus far – the Milestone will go live on February 18th! More to the point, GSM Droid hopefuls in the US will want to mark down that date in their calendars as the first day that a GSM variant of the Motorola Droid will be available with AT&T (NYSE: T) 3G compatible frequencies.

The implications here are huge. The Motorola Droid is so far a Verizon-only affair. Big Red’s network is completely incompatible with AT&T’s network, so the option of unlocking a US Droid for use on AT&T’s 3G network is out of the question. But, unlocking a TELUS Milestone for use on Big Blue’s network is totally within the realm of possibility. Imagine a Droid that will surf on a 3G network that lets you surf the web and make a voice call at the same time.

Now, get to working on figuring out just how you’re going to get a TELUS Milestone across the border.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that wireless carriers in the US tend to move slow on the innovation and development fronts, and I’m going to use AT&T (NYSE: T)’s recent SlingPlayer Mobile announcement as an example. I’m not even going to mention how the Windows Mobile and BlackBerry versions of the app were happily humming along over 3G for a while now, while the iPhone version got the shaft. Nope, what I’m going to talk about here is how long it took AT&T to simply review and approve the bandwidth optimization feature that has been built into SlingPlayer Mobile since its release last year.

First, background. The blogosphere blew up today, claiming that AT&T lied when they said that they were working with Sling Media to optimize its SlingPlayer Mobile app to stream video over 3G more efficiently. AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega said in a statement that “Sling Media was willing to work with us to revise the app to make it more bandwidth sensitive. They made important changes to more efficiently use 3G network bandwidth and conserve wireless spectrum so that we were able to support the app on our 3G mobile broadband network.”

Sling Media’s John Santoro mentioned to Ars Technica that “AT&T never discussed any specific requirements with us.” This is the statement that got bloggers all riled up today, with many positing that AT&T lied about having worked with Sling Media on their SlingPlayer Mobile app. Turns out, though, AT&T and Sling Media have been working together and that AT&T has “Over the course of the last couple of months, they have been testing the app in their labs,” according to Sling Media’s general manager John Gilmore.

Sling Media says that while AT&T did not specifically request bandwidth optimization code in the mobile app – the app has been able to optimize bandwidth use to minimize its impact on data networks – they have been working with AT&T for months now. AT&T may have overstated their involvement in the development of optimization code in the SlingPlayer Mobile app, but it’s not like they lied straight-out about the two companies’ relationship.

So, the issue isn’t about whether or not AT&T specifically requested 3G bandwidth optimization code in the SlingPlayer Mobile app. The issue is that the app has been capable of streamlining its data use over 3G network since it was launched last year. That means it has taken AT&T several months to approve a feature of the app that has been available for a long time. Should we even be surprised that AT&T needed all this time to review and approve that feature?

Did AT&T drag its feet in approving the app in order to buy time to shore up its 3G network to handle the flood of video-streaming iPhone hitting its airwaves once the 3G feature was rolled out to SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone? Does that mean the 3G network is now robust enough to handle 3G video streaming apps and other data-heavy iPhone and the iPad come this summer? Will AT&T find itself playing having to play catch-up with its data network again?

Time will tell, folks, time will tell. What do you think?

[Via: Ars]

AT&T (NYSE: T) has just launched their new FamilyMap iPhone app for families looking to stay connected and, more importantly, for parents looking to keep an eye on their kids’ whereabouts in real-time. I have no idea what it’s like to be a parent, but I’d imagine that it’s a big ball of stress, what with having to worry where your hormonal and rebellious teen is spending his or her time. AT&T’s FamilyMap app might be just the thing to give you parents out there a little peace of mind. The app lets you track family members’ location, in real-time, on an interactive map, set schedules for families with hectic calendars, set up landmarks, and lets you send messages to family members from within the app.

The app is available as a free download on the iPhone AppStore, but it’s worth less than your kid’s macaroni art (I’m talking monetary value here, sentimental value has no place here) without a subscription to AT&T’s FamilyMap service. The service costs $9.99 per month for tracking up to two iPhones, if you need to track up to five iPhones, the service will cost you $14.99 a month. But, the first month of service is free, so you can try it out and decide if tracking your kids is worth an extra $10 bucks on your monthly bill.

Word to the wise, tell your kids this is a cool new social network that only your family is a part of. They might not take too kindly to being tracked. Or, if your kids are too tech savvy to fall for that, just remind them that you’re paying for their iPhone, damnit.

AT&T FamilyMap (FREE) [iTunes link]

If you’re going about your day thinking your iPhone is as secure as any other smartphone out there, you obviously don’t know about a newly unearthed security flaw that could give hackers control over your Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone. Turns out, a method for installing new configuration settings on your iPhone could potentially allow hackers to mess around with your WiFi settings and lock you out of email, Safari or other iPhone apps. Hackers have figured out a way to create iPhone configuration provisioning files to look like they’re coming from a legit Apple source, allowing them to trick people into installing some “update” and hand over control of their iPhone to hackers.

The thing is, Apple probably never intended for their configuration provisioning system to be used to hack an iPhone. The purpose of the system is mainly to allow enterprise fleets to quickly configure each iPhone with settings that adhere to some corporate security policy. The method has been exploited by iPhone modders to quickly enable internet tethering on the iPhone, though, so it’s not too surprising that the provisioning file has been hijacked by hackers.

The hack currently making its way around the web is a configuration file that claims to be “verified” as coming from “Apple Computer.” That’s bad news because, well, because who wouldn’t trust an update digitally signed by Apple? Once a user is tricked into installing the file, they essentially hand over control of major iPhone features to the hacker. That allows a hacker to peek inside your data traffic to learn bank account numbers, passwords, and the like. Also, it’s really hard to clean an affected iPhone of the hack without doing a full restore.

Whatever Apple plans to do about the problem, we have one piece of advice that should keep you safe. Do not install anything on your iPhone that you haven’t explicitly requested. Especially if it looks like the image above and to the left.

[Via: MobileCrunch]

AT&T (NYSE: T) seems to be loosening up when it comes to mobile apps using their 3G data network to stream video or internet phone calls, and we’re glad to see the flood gates slowly opening. Following on news that VoIP iPhone apps are now allowed to use AT&T’s 3G network to make free internet phone calls, Sling Media has announced that it has gotten the green-light from AT&T to stream video over the 3G network to its newly optimized SlingPlayer Mobile apps. Sling Media says that their new 3G optimized version of SlingPlayer Mobile tip-toes around AT&T’s 3G network gingerly enough that it should stream video without bogging down data network. For iPhone users, this is great news.

With AT&T on board, it’s only a matter of time before the 3G-enabled SlingPlayer Mobile app gets approved by Apple and gets pushed out to the AppStore. As it stands, SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone is a WiFi-only affair. Of course, we’ll also see the updated app hitting other platforms – like BlackBerry, Windows Mobile – in the near future, but they’ve been able to stream over cellular data networks for a while now. It’s still unknown how far into the future we’ll have to wait, but we have our money on seeing the updated SlingPlayer Mobile going live before mid-2010.

According to Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, the key to getting apps like SlingPlayer Mobile working on 3G is collaboration. In a press release, AT&T’s mobility chief said that “Collaboration with developers like Sling Media ensures that all apps are optimized for our 3G network to conserve wireless spectrum and reduce the risk that an app will cause such extreme levels of congestion that they disrupt the experience of other wireless customers [emphasis added].”

The approval of the new 3G-capable version of SlingPlayer Mobile signals a new age for AT&T – where 3G-enabled apps roam wild and free. The wireless carrier has been hit with criticism over the performance of its 3G network lately, so we have to believe that AT&T will be working to ensure that data-heavy apps and the upcoming iPad won’t bog down the network to the point where customers start complaining about their service. With a little luck, we’ll soon see streaming video iPhone apps from Netflix and Hulu become a reality.

Full press release after the break.

Read the full article »

AT&T (NYSE: T) has just announced a new mobile app developer contest that is offering a sizable $40,000 prize pool for developers that enter the contest. The AT&T Open Call – Apps For All! contest is a re-imagining of the Fast-Pitch Platinum Awards, so if you’ve dabbled in that contest, you’ll be familiar with this contest. The contest will pit developers’ apps against each other for a chance to win $10,000 in each app category, as well as the AT&T Open Call Award and other app promotion opportunities.

The apps will be judged at the CTIA 2010 show in Las Vegas this coming March, and the deadline for all app entries is midnight (PST) on March 1st, 2010. Get your coding started!

[Via: AT&TOpenCall]

If you thought you had it good because your plan to buy a text messaging-oriented feature phone from AT&T (NYSE: T) didn’t include a mandatory data or text plan, you might want to rethink your options. Newly minted rumors indicate that AT&T will require some feature phones in its stable to sign up with requisite data and messaging plans. If that feature phone you’ve had your eye on is considered by AT&T to be a “Quick Messaging” phone, AT&T will slap an additional $20 onto your voice plan. The additional cost will give you unlimited data and 200 text or picture messages.

AT&T says that devices like its Pantech Reveal, Pantech Impact, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Karma, Samsung Flight, Samsung Impression, Samsung Magnet, Samsung Solstice, Samsung Mythic, Samsung Propel, LG Xenon, LG Neon, and LG Vu, will require an additional $15/month unlimited data plan and a $5 messaging bundle. If you already have one of those phones, worry not, you’re in the clear. If you’re picking up a new phone or plan to upgrade to a “quick messaging” phone, just know that your monthly bill will be $20 higher from now on.

[Via: Gizmodo]

The Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Nexus One is already available on T-Mobile USA and will soon hit Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s network as the gotta-have Android phone of the year, but AT&T (NYSE: T) has been conspicuously missing. That is, until today – an AT&T 3G-compatible version of the Nexus One has just popped up on the FCC’s website, hinting at the possibility that Google will soon release a new Nexus One variant capable of pulling down 3G data on AT&T’s wireless network. If true, the Nexus One will be available on three out of the four top US wireless carriers – Sprint (NYSE: S), it seems, is being left out of the party for now.

Engadget is reporting today that the FCC has unveiled a new identification label for an as-yet-unannounced Nexus One variant. The label you see on the right (above graphic) lists an ID number that corresponds to the current T-Mob-ified Nexus One. The label on the left sports an ID number that differs by a single digit, indicating that it’s a variant of the original. FCC doc also confirm that the new variant supports 3G on WCDMA Bands I, II, and V, making it compatible with 3G bands used by AT&T in the US. From the looks of it, the Nexus One is headed to AT&T!

Although Google has previously neglected to mention AT&T as a partner for their Nexus One, it makes sense to open up Google’s first own-branded Android phone to a wider market. Unless, that is, we’re looking at a label for the “Moogle” phone (Nexus Two).

[Engadget via: PhoneDog]

AT&T (NYSE: T)’s Sony Ericsson W518a is now available in new color – Red, making the phone more appealing to the ladies. Specs wise, the Walkman clamshell remains unchanged — features include a 3.2-megapixel camera, Walkman 3.0 music player with shake control support, Facebook client, threaded messaging, Bluetooth and so on.

Additional details are available on AT&T’s website from where you can also grab the red W518a for free on a contract.

AT&T (NYSE: T) just reported that they brought on a near-record 2.7 million new wireless customers in the last few months of 2009, which is great and all, but we have to wonder how all those new customers are going to affect network performance in 2010. Thankfully, AT&T has put together a handy little presentation that includes its plans to improve its 3G voice network performance over the next few months. The US iPhone carrier has been hit hard with bad press about its 3G network dropping or not connecting calls, but it says that it’s working toward some sort of “performance objective” for its NYC and San Francisco markets.

In both the SF and NYC markets, AT&T says that they’ve managed to improved 3G Voice performance for three consecutive months. The carrier is apparently aiming to meet a performance objective goal that they don’t bother to define, but it’s still reassuring to hear that they’re keeping an eye on voice quality issues. The most dramatic improvement comes in the Manhattan area, as you can see from the graph above.

Nationwide, AT&T has improved 3G voice performance some 22% throughout 2009, with a 25% reduction in 3G blocked calls (calls that never get connected), and a 22% reduction in dropped 3G calls compared to 2008.

And, now that AT&T is officially the US data provider for the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPad, AT&T has a lot of work to do to shore up its data network for another wave of data-hungry customers clawing for a piece of AT&T’s 3G network. To that end, the next 90 days should see significant improvements in the SF and NYC markets, thanks to “projects” that are under way.

[Via: AT&T]