at&t

It's official: AT&T will offer the LG Escape on Sept. 16

Amid brief speculation this morning, AT&T announced that it will indeed carry the entry-level Android 4.0 smartphone known as the LG Escape.

The Escape houses a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, a 4.3-inch qHD IPS touch-screen display, and NFC capabilities. It will also include QuickMemo, LG's note-taking and drawing feature seen in devices like the LG Optimus Vu and the Optimus 4X HD.

On the back of the handset you'll find a 5-megapixel camera, which offers goodies like continuous and panoramic shooting. It can also record 1080p HD video.

Other specs include a 2,150mAh … Read more

AT&T to soon offer entry-level LG Escape?

AT&T is preparing to offer an "entry-level" Android 4.0 experience in the form of the LG Escape, according to recent internet chatter.

Also possibly known as model number of P870, the LG smartphone will run Android Ice Cream Sandwich and feature a 4.3-inch (960x540-pixel) display, a dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 processor, a 5-megapixel camera, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The device is expected to carry a 2,150mAh battery and 1GB RAM.

Additional details for the unofficial phone include NFC and support for AT&T's 4G LTE … Read more

T-Mobile: Bring your unlocked iPhone over to us

T-Mobile USA badly wants to be known as an iPhone carrier, even if it doesn't actually sell the iPhone.

The nation's fourth-largest national carrier, and one of the few that doesn't offer Apple's smash-hit product, plans a big campaign to get iPhone users to switch over to its less-expensive service plans.

T-Mobile has long quietly welcomed unlocked iPhones, but it soon plans to dispense with the subtlety. Under a campaign titled, "Unlocked & Unlimited," the carrier plans to start carrying unlocked iPhones in its stores for demonstration purposes, air national commercials inviting unlocked iPhone … Read more

AT&T's latest LTE expansion brings city total to 60

AT&T's continue to slowly close in on its quest to cover its customers with 4G LTE.

Today the carrier ignited LTE in seven new cities and expanded its coverage within two more.

New launch cities:

Anchorage, Alaska Bakersfield, Calif. Jacksonville, Fla. Modesto, Calif. Omaha, Neb. Syracuse, N.Y. Bridgeport, Conn.

Expansions:

New York to northern New Jersey Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Md.

The new LTE additions bring AT&T's total LTE market count to 60. If you're not covered yet, you may see some joy soon. AT&T vows to deliver LTE … Read more

AT&T to test Text-to-911 service in Tennessee

Mobile phone users across the country may one day be able to text 911 call centers.

AT&T has been given the go-ahead by the state of Tennessee to kick off a trial of a Text-to-911 service across the state. Using the state's new Emergency Service IP Network (ESInet), the test will let AT&T subscribers send text messages to Tennessee 911 call centers.

Dialing 911 by phone is still the preferred way to get help as quickly and easily as possible. But the trial phase would try to add texting to the 911 system as another … Read more

AT&T's dual-mode Pantech Flex drops with Android 4.0 for $50

Well, this is a new one for AT&T and Pantech. The two have teamed up to offer the Pantech Flex, a budget Android phone designed to ease first-time smartphone users into the Android experience.

The Flex has an "easy experience" mode that limits Android 4.0 to a single home screen imbued with large text and buttons, and a simplified menu to ease up on the navigation and scrolling needed to operate the full-fledged Android experience. Think of it as Ice Cream Sandwich with training wheels.

Just because the Flex comes with a starter mode doesn'… Read more

LTE iPhone 5 might lure AT&T users to Verizon, says analyst

An LTE-enabled iPhone 5 may prompt AT&T customers to jump ship to Verizon, says Jefferies & Co. analyst Thomas Seitz.

In an investor's note out today, Seitz said that the new iPhone is likely to be LTE capable, a view shared by many analysts and Apple watchers. If so, Verizon stands to attract at least some customers away from AT&T.

Verizon's LTE network currently reaches around 230 million people across 337 markets, more than all of the other U.S. carriers put together. By year's end, Verizon is aiming to cover an additional … Read more

AT&T bites into Apple strategy with its own mega retail store

AT&T is adopting the Apple philosophy with a mega retail store that focuses on the consumer and not just on selling products.

Opening Saturday, the new 10,000 square-foot store is nestled along Chicago's famed Magnificent Mile. The design of the store offers the promise of a more customer-focused experience than that found at AT&T's usual retail outlets.

The product runway gives customers a chance to check out the latest smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. An Explorer lounge lets people try out different mobile apps based on their interests.

The various products are … Read more

Square adds AT&T to list of card reader distributors

Square has added to its list of retail partnerships with the announcement today that AT&T will begin selling the Square Card Readers at its stores.

The mobile payments startup's credit card reader will be offered at 1,000 AT&T stores, making Square available at more than 20,000 retail locations in the U.S., including at Apple stores, Best Buy, FedEx Office, RadioShack, Target, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart.

"AT&T stores are a convenient retail destination for purchasing Square Card Readers, offering entrepreneurs the ability to purchase all of the devices they need to … Read more