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Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said the response to the carrier's shared data plan has been positive, despite the wave of criticism that has erupted over the new policy.

"Early feedback has been great," he said during an investor conference call today. "The customer adoption has been tracking with expectations."

The company last month launched its "Share Everything" plan to a bit of controversy, exacerbated by the carrier's decision to kill off unlimited data for anyone who upgraded their phone. Verizon took fire over the plan's complicated cost structure and … Read more

With AT&T officially announcing its "Mobile Share" plans and joining Verizon Wireless, there will soon be two options for customers who want to get into a family plan for data services.

While these plans aren't the best deals for individuals, large families or even groups of really, really close friends may want to consider them. That's because the more people who sign on, the lower the price per gigabyte and user. Of course, if someone is a heavy data user, that person may want to stick with an individual plan, or risk hogging up … Read more

AT&T launched its own "Mobile Share" plans today, matching Verizon Wireless' push to get more people to share their data plans with family members.

Mobile Share, like Verizon's Share Everything, provides a bucket of data that can be shared between as many as 10 devices. One of the devices has to be a smartphone, but other basic phones, tablets, and laptops can be added on top of that for an additional fee. The plans get unlimited voice and text messages.

Shared data plans, which act like a family plan of minutes and text messages to … Read more

Verizon Wireless finally unveiled its "Share Everything" family plan for data, phone calls, and text messages, potentially shaking up how consumers pay for wireless services.

The plans allow for unlimited phone calls and text messages, and a bucket of data that can be shared by as many as 10 Verizon Wireless devices. The plans, which launch June 28, range between $50 and $100, in addition to separate monthly access charges for each device. Individuals or groups of people can sign up for these plans.

Separately, June 28 also marks the end of unlimited data for many Verizon customers … Read more

Talk about kicking up a dog doo-doo storm. Verizon's chief financial officer Fran Shammo sure knows how to stir up a frenzy.

Comments the executive made earlier this week ignited a backlash among Verizon Wireless customers. Shammo said in an interview at a JP Morgan investor conference that the company plans to force its existing unlimited data plan customers to move to a tiered offering this summer in an effort to drive more data revenue for the wireless carrier. This is a switch from the company's current policy, which has allowed so-called "grandfathered" users to keep … Read more

Haptic technology allows users to "feel" buttons on a touch-screen device by providing localized feedback when users' fingers touch button or control areas. A patent application filed in late March showed Apple's version of haptic technology, a process that would use piezoelectric actuators under the display to provide feedback.

A new patent application, uncovered by Patently Apple, shows that Apple is taking its haptic inquiry a step further. Apple's new displays for touch-screen devices would be flexible, allowing for a layer of the screen to actually raise itself when a button or control area is available … Read more

What's the maximum you would spend each month for mobile data?

A full two-thirds are unwilling to shell out more than $50 a month for a mobile data plan, according to the new report from Parks Associates. Further, a lot of people are in the dark as to just how much data they gobble up.

Half of current smartphone users questioned said they have no idea how much data they use each month.

These findings tell analysts at Parks that carriers face risks as they try to force more subscribers from unlimited plans to tiered, or usage-based, plans.

"… Read more

Time Warner Cable is at it again.

The company this week announced the launch of a usage-based pricing plan in Southern Texas. The service is available to customers in San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Value, and the Border Corridor, the company said in a blog post.

Dubbed the Essentials Plan, the offering limits subscribers to 5GB of data usage a month in exchange for a $5 discount to their monthly bill. Time Warner Cable says customers can opt-in or opt-out of the deal at any time, and subscribers will get a "meter" to let them … Read more

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