(Heather Charles/Tribune)
Wireless carrier AT&T said Thursday it has beefed up its network at Soldier Field in advance of Sunday’s highly anticipated NFC Championship Game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Get the full story »
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Accused iPad hackers deny wrongdoing
An online group implicated in the theft of 100,000 e-mail addresses of Apple iPad users says two of its members arrested Tuesday did nothing wrong.
Daniel Spitler and Andrew Auernheimer face counts of fraud and conspiracy to access a computer without authorization. The counts each carry a five-year maximum prison sentence. Get the full story »
Source: Nokia drops planned AT&T smart phone
Nokia has pulled out of a plan to launch a smart phone with No. 2 U.S. mobile provider AT&T Inc., just before the device was supposed to be announced, a person familiar with the matter said.
The touchscreen phone, to be called the X7, could have helped Nokia gain ground in North America, where it has struggled to compete with rivals such as Apple Inc., Research in Motion and Motorola Mobility. Get the full story »
Sprint hiking data fee on smart phones by $10
Sprint is applying an additional $10 per month data fee on new smart phones, starting Jan. 30. Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint Nextel Corp. says it needs to apply the fee to maintain its network while offering unlimited data consumption. Get the full story »
CUB: Shop for cheaper landline option than AT&T
The Citizens Utility Board on Monday urged consumers to shop for better deals after AT&T’s increased its land line rates Jan. 3.
The company says the hikes spread costs among fewer land line customers. AT&T spokeswoman Brooke Vane says more than a quarter of households are wireless only. AT&T says Chicago has one of the lowest phone rates in the nation. Get the full story »
Verizon iPhone announcement expected today
Verizon Wireless is expected to announce Tuesday that it will start selling a version of Apple Inc.’s iPhone, ending AT&T Inc.’s exclusive relationship with Apple.
A version of the iPhone for Verizon’s network has been long expected, and Verizon Wireless has invited the press to an event at 10 a.m. Get the full story »
Verizon beefs up network to prepare for iPhone
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Verizon Wireless has been beefing up its network and believes it will have no problem handling iPhone-type loads, a claim that could be put to the test this year if the carrier signs up millions of subscribers using the Apple Inc. device.
Verizon Wireless, the country’s largest wireless carrier, is confident enough in its network that it will offer unlimited data-use plans when it starts selling the iPhone around the end of this month, a person familiar with the matter said. Such plans would provide a key means of distinguishing its service from rival AT&T Inc., which limits how much Internet data such as videos and photos its customers may use each month. Get the full story »
AT&T drops price of iPhone 3GS to $49
AT&T Inc. will start selling the previous-generation iPhone — the iPhone 3GS — for $49 starting Friday to customers who buy the smart phone with a two-year service contract and data plan. AT&T said it will include iPhone 3GS devices sold through AT&T and Apple. Get the full story »
Motorola unveils tablet, ‘most powerful’ phone
The world’s most powerful smart phone.
Such a claim is a bold one, but Motorola Mobility is making it at the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual industry confab where companies try to one-up each other with the newest technology and flashiest product releases. Get the full story »
Motorola launches Atrix 4G smartphone on AT&T
From Engadget | At the Consumer Electronics Show’s AT&T Developer Summit today, AT&T and Motorola introduced a smartphone that Motorola claims is currently the world’s most powerful. The phone features the first dual-core processor on AT&T’s network.
AT&T plans to expand Wi-Fi hotzones program
AT&T Inc. plans to expand its Wi-Fi hotzone in Times Square and add new coverage areas in New York and San Francisco, after a strong response to its pilot program.
The company initially plans to expand the Times Square Wi-Fi hotzone and add new ones near Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan. It also is planning a new hotzone for the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. The program is intended to supplement mobile broadband in urban areas with consistently high usage
AT&T, the exclusive carrier of Apple Inc.’s iPhone in the U.S., has been the subject of criticism over the quality of its service in places like New York City and San Francisco. Get the full story »
Smartphone rivalry plays out in patent suits
Competition among smart phone makers is heating up at retail, in advertising and, increasingly, in the courtroom as handset and software makers wield patent lawsuits to protect their turf and slow down their rivals.
Though Apple’s iPhone changed the categoryin 2007 and still leads the market, there are a flood of rivals and copy cats making it difficult for smart phone makers to stand out to consumers or persuade them to pay more for their devices.
In turn, that has prompted a slew of patent disputes over all aspects of basic phone use, from the way a user swipes a touch screen to perform an action to the method a phone uses to extend battery life. Nokia is suing Apple, Apple is suing HTC, Microsoft is suing Motorola and more. Get the full story »
Qualcomm deal to give AT&T wider 4G access
AT&T Inc. plans to buy wireless spectrum from Qualcomm Inc. for $1.93 billion and boost its 4G network, aiming to counter criticism over iPhone service quality and a threat from rivals such as Verizon Wireless.
AT&T is the sole U.S. carrier for Apple Inc.’s iPhone, but smaller rivals including Sprint Nextel and Clearwire Corp. have been adopting 4G, a new wireless standard that enables better Internet access including video. Get the full story »
Consumer Reports rates AT&T worst carrier
AT&T’s customer satisfaction rating tumbled this year, ranking dead last among U.S. wireless carriers, according to a Consumer Reports survey released on Monday.
The nation’s second largest wireless network received the worst possible rating in eight of the nine categories the magazine studied, including overall value, voice service, data service, phone service, staff knowledge, and resolution of issues, among others. Get the full story »
