plans

AT&T has jacked up the prices of its data service, but it's giving customers more bandwidth each month. Is the carrier offering its subscribers more bang for their buck or simply trying to squeeze more cash from its customers?

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer my opinion and offer some advice to AT&T customers troubled by the new price increase.

AT&T's new data plan pricing

Dear Maggie, When AT&T first switched to the tiered pricing plans, they claimed only a fraction of their users ever use more than … Read more

Intel wants to give overclockers some peace of mind with its new Performance Tuning Protection Plan.

PC performance enthusiasts will know that Intel has always taken a hands-off approach toward overclocking. Among other reasons, by advising its customers to ramp the speed of its CPUs beyond their shipped settings, Intel would invite liability if the overclocking resulted in damage to the system or its components.

Instead, Intel has taken a more passive approach to overclocking. By shipping its "K" series CPUs, for example, with unlocked clock speed and memory bus settings, advanced users and boutique PC vendors are … Read more

AT&T today said it plans to hike the data plan rates that are required with the purchase of any smartphone--including the iPhone--a reflection of the growing bandwidth demands the carrier faces.

The company's previous bottom-tier $15 plan will go up to $20, although the amount of data allocated also goes up to 300 from 200 megabytes. Likewise, the $25, 2 gigabyte plan goes up to a $30, 3GB one. Its high-end $45, 4GB plan--which includes the mobile hot-spot capability--goes up to $50 for 5GB. The new plans start on Sunday.

AT&T said existing customers can … Read more

LAS VEGAS--A woman is pedaling leisurely on a stationary bike, her thick, dark braid draped delicately over one shoulder as she barely breaks a sweat. Someone whispers that she's Brazilian, and thus a real, live example of what you get with one of Velocomp's new workouts, Brazilian Butt. (Using a real, live Brazilian who presumably has said butt sans effort rather defeats the point, but I digress.)

Velocomp, creators of last year's iBike Dash, unveiled the iBike Powerhouse at CES this week--the Dash's bigger, badder cousin.

For $269, the handlebar-mounted cycling computer that includes a water- and shock-resistant case and syncs with the iPhone and iPod Touch is all about tailored workouts that remind you when you're slacking off.… Read more

Facebook has a new feature that aims to help out with your social life when away from its confines.

A new feature, called suggested events, began rolling out to users this afternoon. It provides users with a list of events they may want to attend, even if they were not explicitly invited.

According to TechCrunch, which picked up on the feature, the events that show up in the new menu are pulled from past history, including check-ins, as well as pages that have been liked. Events that Facebook friends are planning to attend are also thrown into the mix. All … Read more

With the PlayStation Vita going on sale this Saturday in Japan, we're now nearing the home stretch as the powerful Sony portable gets set to follow up Stateside on February 22, 2012.

Sony brought the Vita to New York last week for a final tour before the new year. We're hearing it will make an appearance at CES as well, but we were excited to get some more hands-on time with the machine before next month's massive show.

Can the Vita succeed in 2012? First, let's recap what we already know:… Read more

T-Mobile USA is temporarily allowing consumers to pay for its mobile products in monthly installments rather than in one big payment.

Billed as the "4G Super Sale," T-Mobile is offering this option as a promotion this weekend. All of its smartphones, including flagship products such as the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze 4G, as well as its Sonic 4G Mobile hot spot and the T-Mobile G-Slate tablet, will be part of this deal.

There are some strings attached. The deal does require an upfront payment, but customers can get their money back through a mail-in … Read more

AT&T is apparently making good on its promise to cut back on speeds for heavy data users.

Posted by tech enthusiast site CultofMac, a text message sent by AT&T to such a user says that "Your data usage is among the top 5 percent of users. Data speeds for the rest of your current bill cycle may be reduced."

The data restriction policy comes as no surprise. AT&T had announced back in July that it would throttle speeds for heavy data users starting on October 1. The policy affects only subscribers who … Read more

Apple has submitted more detailed plans for the site of its second campus in Cupertino, Calif., and the city council posted the plans to its Web site today.

The new campus, which is located across town from the company's headquarters, was originally pitched to the council by the late Steve Jobs as resembling a "spaceship." The new plans give us a more detailed look at what the new campus will look like, complete with floor plans, walkways, and landscaping (beware that these PDFs are large).

The campus landscaping plans: