AT&T

Reviews

The LG Velvet Is a Stylish Phone with a Versatile Dual-Screen Case Option

If there is one thing that 2020’s new tech has shown us, folding screens and dual screens are a popular feature that people want, even if they aren’t always affordable. Smartphones that can seemingly do it all are de rigueur, and sometimes it takes more than just a single screen to make that happen. The 5G LG Velvet starts as an agile, fashionable, and versatile Android smartphone; the addition of its optional and removable Dual Screen case provides a second display for those times when you need a phone that can do more.

Events, Gear Bits, News

AT&T is the First US Carrier to Offer the LG Watch Urbane.

2015 promises to be a great year for wearable technology, with the Apple watch and Android wear coming out with great looking functional connected technology. One of the cool looking upcoming devices is the LG Watch Urbane, with a sapphire crystal, elements of Android and WebOS integrated and a feature set to make it something to get excited about!

News

AT&T Follows T-Mobile – Allows Mobile Data Rollovers

Beginning January 25th, 2015 AT&T follows T-Mobile and allows you to rollover data. There’s only two small gotchas. Rollover Data is used only after the full data allowance for your Mobile Share Value plan in the current bill cycle is used. And only one month carries over before expiring and the next month’s unused portion rolls over. If you go over your data allotment and purchase additional data – that purchased data won’t roll over.

News

AT&T Doubles 15 GB and Higher Shared Data Plans

This weekend AT&T trotted out a  promotion effective  September 28, 2014 through October 31, 2014 offering to double some data allotments. Users must be on a 15 GB or higher AT&T Mobile Value plan, and existing users may have to call AT&T to have their plan upgraded. In some cases  the plan may not appear online for existing users.

News

Lumia 925 Coming to AT&T

The Lumia 925 is, by all accounts, an excellent flagship Windows Phone. At least in the United States, it has been tied to T-Mobile since launch, but now that exclusivity has lifted, and it will be arriving on AT&T on August 28th, presumably to replace the Lumia 920! If you aren’t familiar with the Lumia 925, it is one of Nokia’s top-shelf Lumia devices. It has a 4.5in screen, a Carl Zeiss lens, and the latest update to Windows Phone, giving it access to amazing apps like Nokia Pro Cam. Unlike previous Lumias, the 925 also ditches the polycarbonate body…

Gear Bits

HTC First Was Last and It’s Now Almost Free

A few weeks ago we got exclusive information that the HTC First was in big trouble. As we first reported, sales number for the first phone designed specifically for Facebook Home were close to nonexistent. Our inside information told us that the pre-order and first weekend sales numbers of the HTC First were less than 500 total units on the East Coast. In other words, the HTC First was all but dead on arrival. My conclusion at the time was that: I cannot begin to imagine what stock AT&T is currently holding of the device, but I have a pretty…

News

FCC Cellular Signal Boosters Certification Specifications Adopted Today

I’ve made no secret of the fact that if it weren’t for the Wilson Electronics AG Pro 75 Celluar Signal Booster, mobile phone service at my house would be pitiful; we would have likely had to incur the (possibly substantial) expense of putting in a landline. I live outside a rural community and in the middle of a ranch; you could argue that poor signal is the price Kev and I must pay for being able to enjoy the great outdoors, and perhaps you would be right. But what about people like Dan, who live in the middle of an urban…

Reviews

AT&T HTC 8X Windows Phone Review

Earlier this year, Dan and I gave Windows Phone 7 a solid try. We put our iPhones away, and for the next two months we used only the HTC Titans that we had received at a CES event. You can read about our entire experience here, here, here, and here. As much as we both liked the Windows Phone OS and the Titan’s hardware, we each ultimately went back to our iPhones. Probably the biggest reason I couldn’t make things work with my Titan (or the Lumia 900 that I later bought in April) was that I missed the efficient app…

Gear Bits

In Defense of Landlines

This week had a rough start here in New Jersey. Something like 80% of the state lost power, and we were no exception in our household. While we don’t have a landline, we do have cell phones, and were extremely grateful to never lose signal, even as cable and then electricity dropped. Our neighbor across the street wasn’t so lucky, and she barely had enough signal to send text messages. My parents somehow managed to keep both cable and AND electricity, but they had intermittent landline and cell phone issues all day. However, the one lesson I took from this…

Gear Bits

iPhone 5 Plus AT&T MicroCell Equals… a Quiet Afternoon (and not in a good way) UPDATED

Meet my iPhone 5 lock screen. Now take a close look… See the ATT Microcell symbol at the top? No? Me either and that’s a problem. You see, I live in rural Texas where there is no AT&T cell reception without the help of a signal booster. Oh, no, sorry, I got that wrong. I live in SUBURBAN NEW JERSEY WHERE THERE IS NO AT&T RECEPTION WITHOUT THE HELP OF A MICROCELL. And guess what? The microcell doesn’t work with my new iPhone right now. And those two bars you see? That’s actually the best reception I’ve gotten, and that…

News

AT&T Joins the Shared Data Game

So I’m working though my latest summer sinus headache and I see the news – AT&T has finally announced (as expected) that they are going to follow Verizon in offering shared data plans.  And, like Verizon’s offering, the plans all include unlimited voice and texting plus a fixed amount of data.  The primary difference you notice between the AT&T and Verizon offerings is that Verizon charges a fixed $40 per smartphone and AT&T lowers the per smartphone cost as you increase the amount of data you purchase.  But Verizon’s “base” charges tend to be lower (per GB) as you get…

Events, News

Samsung’s First 4G LTE Windows Phone, the Focus 2, Will Be $49.99 at AT&T

Samsung wasn’t content to let HTC hog all the new device announcements this morning; they, along with AT&T have announced the Focus 2. This is Samsung’s first 4G LTE Windows Phone, and AT&T’s third. The Focus 2 will be “an affordable smartphone that will be available beginning May 20 in pure white for $49.99 (with a two-year service agreement). Featuring a 4” Super AMOLED display and front-facing VGA camera, the Focus 2 is sure to grab your attention.” You can read more about the Samsung Focus 2 on the Windows Phone Blog. You can pick yours up for $50 on May 20th at…

Editorials, News

Nokia Lumia 900 Has Botched Retail Launch, Yet Still Hits #1 on Amazon!

This past Sunday, my brother was visiting; he and my wife and I went for a long bike ride, taking a path around the local mall along the way … and noting that everything was closed. Because it was Easter. It just also happened to be the launch day of the Nokia Lumia 900, the de facto flagship phone of the entire Windows Phone line-up. There have been articles questioning the wisdom of an Easter launch, but none more pointed than the one from the New York Times: AT&T said last month that when Nokia’s new Lumia 900 phone went…

News

Nokia Lumia 900 Now Available for Pre-Order from AT&T

For those chomping at the bit for the Nokia Lumia 900, AT&T is now offering the phone up for pre-order on their website. Retailing off-contract for $449.99 or $99.00 with contract, this has been a heavily anticipated phone in Windows Phone circles. For me, this device will mark my departure from the Android realm for the first time in nearly two years, so I am very excited to give the Lumia 900 a whirl. Sporting a 4G LTE, a 4.3″AMOLED screen, Carl Zeiss optics with an 8 MP primary camera with dual LED flash, autofocus, a 1 MP front camera…

Gear Bits

News Flash – You Can Use Up Your Data Plan Faster on Your iPad With 4G Speeds!

We already know that Dan is a heavy data user – AT&T has him nationally ranked, after all! Today Dan mentioned that in the first week with the new iPad he has already exceeded 2GB of usage. My usage has been much lower, but I am surrounded by WiFi much of the time – but the 4G service has been indispensable, as has the WiFi hotspot! But Dan isn’t alone – there have been several articles about people suddenly finding themselves going over their 2GB data limit and having to pay an extra $10 per GB of data. In the…

Reviews

The Wilson Electronics AG Pro 75 Was Worth the Upgrade

It’s no secret that if you live or work in an area that isn’t in the middle of a strong cellular coverage zone, your mobile phone signal is going to suffer. That’s one of the things I knew I would have to deal with when I moved to the ranch, but I wasn’t about to let it be the deciding factor.

Editorials

Can You Hear Me OW!?! AT&T Continuing Their Heavy-Handed Assault on Unlimited Data Plans

Much has been written about AT&T now warning the “top 5% of iPhone data users” on unlimited plans that they would begin seeing their data speeds slowed because of their adverse affect on the network as a whole. At first pass most would think that meant individuals streaming video constantly and using up tens of gigabytes of data. That isn’t the case. In a month where I have been switching on and off between the iPhone 4S and the Titan (in other words using my iPhone far LESS than normal), I got the above warning. “Uh Oh!” I thought to…