at&t

Wireless electrifies AT&T earnings

Strength in its wireless operations helped propel AT&T to healthy earnings growth for the first quarter.

For the period that ended March 31, the telecommunications giant reported net income of $3.5 billion, or 57 cents per share, on revenue of $30.7 billion. Net income was up 22 percent from the year-ago quarter, while revenue rose 6 percent.

Income for AT&T's wireless segment nearly doubled, leaping 95 percent from a year earlier to $2.9 billion. Revenue for the wireless business was $11.8 billion, up 18 percent. The company also reported gains in … Read more

Apple must hate international travelers

This is my first trip overseas with my iPhone, and it's hard to express in polite language how disappointed I am with Apple's international data roaming packages. I say "Apple's" instead of "AT&T's" because with my old Blackberry on AT&T I didn't have the problem, so I'm laying the blame at Apple's feet.

What's the problem? The cost. With my old Blackberry, I paid an additional $9.95/month for unlimited data while roaming internationally. With my iPhone, I pay $24.99 per month for just 20MB. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 706: 'U can't haz Internet,' sez AT&T

AT&T threatens that the Internet is going to run out by 2010, and apparently, it's because everyone's watching Gossip Girl online. Luckily, The CW has caught on to the danger and is pulling Gossip Girl offline so the hordes won't keep watching it on their Web site. Because that would be just plain dangerous. Also, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are all number one! Just ask them! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 706

PayPal plans to ban unsafe browsers http://www.eweek.com/index2.php?option=content&task=view& amp;id=47667&pop=1&hide_ads=1&page=0&hide_js=1… Read more

AT&T Mobile TV details revealed?

An anonymous source just provided the Boy Genius Report some details on the upcoming AT&T Mobile TV that's set to debut in May. As you'll recall, AT&T Mobile TV will offer live over-the-air television via Qualcomm's MediaFLO, and will be offered first on the LG Vu and the Samsung Access. Well, the new details suggest that the service will launch on May 4, and will come in three flavors: Limited, Basic, and Plus. The Limited edition includes four channels (Fox Mobile, CBS Mobile, NBC, and NBC News) for $13 a month, the Basic … Read more

AT&T to trim workforce

AT&T will cut roughly 1.5 percent of its workforce, primarily among its management ranks, according to a filing Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The move is part of its "next step in streamlining its operations," following its acquisitions of several regional companies in recent years. AT&T expects to take a pre-tax charge of $374 million in the first quarter as a result of the layoffs.

AT&T said that most of the positions will be in areas that have little contact with customers and that it's workforce is expected … Read more

AT&T launches its own browser, Pogo. Surprise: It doesn't suck.

The obvious first question one asks the AT&T execs when beginning a discussion of Pogo, the company's new Web browser, is "What is AT&T doing getting into the browser market?" The answer you get is, at first, amusing. It's a chance to build "another relationship with the customer," they say. They also tell you it could be a great conduit for AT&T messages (e.g., brand or product advertising). Sounds like the makings for a truly awful product, does it not?

Video demo is embedded at the end … Read more

'Surface' may surface in 4 cities tomorrow

In case you missed its one-night gig at Caesars in Vegas last month and are still dying to see it, Microsoft's "Surface" is reportedly scheduled to make a debut in four cities today.

Already delayed for months and still a pipe dream for consumers (until at least 2011), the company plans to display the much-anticipated touch-screen tabletop computer at a handful of AT&T stores in New York, Atlanta, San Antonio, and San Bruno, Calif., just south of San Francisco, according to Boy Genius Report. The exact addresses are listed here.

Unfortunately if you wanted to … Read more

What are the mobile broadband options for the most popular laptops?

It hasn't quite hit the mainstream sweet spot yet, but adding a mobile broadband connection to your laptop is easier than ever. Many PC makers offer built-in mobile broadband options in their laptop lineups, and aftermarket USB or Express Card solutions are available from your preferred service provider.

Most service plans generally run from $59-to-$79 per month depending on bandwidth, and there are often partial rebates available to cover the cost of adding a mobile broadband modem to your laptop (usually a $150 option, if it's not already included in the laptop's price). Like a free … Read more

Nikon refreshes Wi-Fi camera

Nikon has just unleashed the latest version of its Wi-Fi ultracompact camera, the Coolpix S52c. As has become custom, they'll also offer a version without the "c" designation, called the S52, which doesn't include the Wi-Fi capabilities. Both cameras will sport a 9-megapixel sensor, a 3-inch LCD, a 3x optical zoom, a 38-114mm equivalent lens, an optical image stabilization system, and will support sensitivity of up to ISO 3200. Both will also carry over the distinctive, sleek, extremely pocketable body design.

According to Nikon, this year's models should have improved signal-to-noise ratios thanks to the … Read more

Bidders in latest FCC auction start talking

Companies bidding in the Federal Communications Commission's 700MHz spectrum auction are starting to talk.

The gag order that silenced those participating in the FCC's auction that ended last month was lifted late Thursday. Now companies are free to discuss their plans and strategies for bidding in the auction.

Verizon Wireless plans to use its newly won wireless spectrum licenses in the 700MHz auction to deliver 4G services, CTO Tony Melone told the wireless news site Unstrung.

Verizon Wireless paid nearly $10 billion for licenses in the C block, which are subject to a special FCC rule that requires … Read more