AT&T

Remember NTP? They're back.

The holding company that brought BlackBerry Nation to its knees in 2006 is once again on the advance, this time filing suit against AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. The suit was filed last week (PDF) in Richmond, Va., home to the last round of legal tussling between NTP and Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry.

Way back in 2002, NTP won a jury verdict that RIM infringed on patents held by the late Thomas Campana for a wireless e-mail system. RIM tried several times to overturn that verdict on appeal but never … Read more

Free yourself from AT&T! The iPhone revolution is at hand! You'll no longer suffer the tyranny of forced cell phone use for at least another, uh, couple of weeks!

Through the magic of technology, it's now possible to unlock an iPhone from AT&T's network through a software download developed by iPhoneSimFree.com. Engadget and Gizmodo tested out the process, and it does appear that the software will let you use the iPhone on any GSM network either inside the U.S. or overseas.

It's not the first piece of iPhone unlocking technology. … Read more

AT&T is still struggling to convey the fact that it is a seamless blend of two companies--the "old" AT&T with Cingular. Cingular was a brand sensation, having been created out of whole cloth and gaining massive market and mindshare in a very short amount of time. I remember the first time I saw an ad for it, in a subway station in San Francisco, and was struck by how fresh it was, from the name to the color to the lively logo. At the time I knew nothing of its provenance (a merger of … Read more

Apple is considering bidding on the government's upcoming wireless spectrum auction in January, according to a Business Week story.

The story, which cites two unnamed sources, said that "Steve Jobs & Co. have studied the implications of joining the auction, which will be held Jan. 16." But at this point at least one of Business Week's sources says that Apple is leaning away from participating in the auction, the story said.

The spectrum auction scheduled to take place in January 2008 will allocate wireless licenses for spectrum in the 700MHz band that is being vacated as a result of the switch to digital TV. … Read more

CNET News.com's Declan McCullagh blogged Thursday on "Ten things that finally killed Net neutrality."

Most of his reasons related to a lack of political support from both Republican and Democratic politicians and bureaucrats. But those all sound like temporary delays to me.

I'm pretty sure Net neutrality will pop back up again because there's an inherent conflict between the business interests of network operators and the desires of… Read more

Apple's price cut on the new iPhone is causing some confusion among existing iPhone users about who is entitled to a price adjustment and who isn't.

Apple's CEO Steve Jobs announced Wednesday the company is slashing the price of the iPhone by $200. The 8-gigabyte version of the iPhone was $599 but now sells for $399.

Apple and AT&T have said they will give $200 credits or refunds to customers who bought the iPhone in the past two weeks. So what about the thousands of people who waited in line all night for their iPhones … Read more

Ring, ring. Hello, hello.

AT&T rang up a new international calling plan on Thursday, featuring a combined wired and wireless plan for $4.99 a month.

Subscribers of both AT&T's wireless service and its local and long-distance wireline service are eligible for the company's Unity Worldwide Calling plan. The plan offers a flat monthly fee, rather than charging customers for international calls based by the minute.

AT&T's move to reduce the overall costs of making international calls comes as no surprise, given the freebies to be had by using voice over … Read more

Less than a week after we reviewed the excellent Sony Ericsson W580i, AT&T has added the Walkman handset to its lineup. Available for a very reasonable $79 (normally $269), the W580i offers a sexy slider design and the usual high-end Walkman features, all of which deliver solid performance. Apparently, AT&T only offers the white version, which is a pity since we prefer the gray and black models.

AT&T also added the Sony Ericsson Z310a, which is low-end handset in a flip phone design. Its features are limited to a VGA camera, text messaging, and … Read more

With most of the focus being placed on new iPods, much of my focus (yes, I watched it) was on the Starbucks deal.

And while some coffee fanatics believe this is the greatest announcement since the iPod itself, I'm left wondering if there are some implications for AT&T.

Considering every wireless-equipped Starbucks in the nation is using T-Mobile's services and that same company is an AT&T competitor, how much can AT&T like the announcement made today that the iPod Touch and, more importantly, the iPhone will be able to connect to the Starbucks Wi-Fi? I think AT&T is upset.… Read more