AT&T - 28/38 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

May

[I/O 2011] Android Alliance Promises Timely Android OS Updates For 18 Months After Device Launch

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, HTC, LG, Motorola, News, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Vodafone

This is huge. Like, massively huge. Probably the best thing to come out of Google I/O so far this morning huge. I'm talking about the Android Alliance and the solution to a problem that has plagued Android users since the beginning of time (okay, maybe not that long).

The Android Alliance is a special task force dedicated to delivering Android updates quickly and efficiently to all devices for 18 months after they're released. Among the companies involved are Verizon, HTC, Samsung (imagine that), Sprint, Sony Ericsson, LG, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Motorola, and AT&T - which basically covers most of the Android world.

May

T-Mobile Reports Q1 2011 Results, Can't Stop Bleeding Subscribers

Posted by Josue Alamo in News, T-Mobile

Things are just not looking good for the magenta T.

T-Mobile's latest earnings report for the first quarter of 2011 paints a sad picture of the mobile telecommunications company's current state in the marketplace. It managed to remain relatively neutral in terms of added revenue for the first quarter time period, though that has been heavily offset by a massive loss in its subscriber base - to the tune of 100,000 customers.

And remember this - the numbers came from the time period before the announcement of T-Mobile's impending acquisition by the Death Star, also known as AT&T. The fallout from the merger news is expected to hit once the Q2 numbers are in, and one can only assume an even bigger defection of customers will take place to avoid assimilation into AT&T.

May

Hell Freezes Over: App Sideloading Coming To AT&T - Maybe The World Really Is Ending This Year

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Android OS, AT&T, News

AT&T has taken a lot of heat from Android fans, and for good reason - they were the last of the four major US carriers to truly embrace it, and even then they made the controversial decision to block users' ability to sideload apps - i.e., install apps not offered on the Android Market. Their intentions were only to protect users from "bad apps," but of course this also meant that users have been unable to install any type of beta apps or, more notably, the Amazon App Store. Fortunately, they plan to reverse this decision going forward, as Senior VP of Mobile Devices Jeff Bradley announced:

"I think we'll go more open.

May

Samsung Infuse 4G Allows Sideloading Apps, Has AT&T Finally Changed Its Ways?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Infuse 4G, News

It's shaping up to be quite a day for AT&T users, isn't it? First the Infuse 4G announcement, and now even bigger news: it appears that the aforementioned device also allows apps to be sideloaded! As you may remember, AT&T has blocked sideloading since its first Android device - the Motorola Backflip. Sure, there have been ways around that restriction, but it's a simple service that all Android users should be allowed to enjoy.

According Phillip Berne, the Infuse 4G that he has in hand does indeed allow apps to be sideloaded. This is really great news for AT&T users across the board, as maybe the tides have finally turned and all users will be able to enjoy the little things in life - like the Amazon Appstore and its free premium app of the day.

May

Samsung Infuse 4G To Hit AT&T On May 15th For $200 With Two-Year Agreement

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Infuse 4G, News

Last Updated: November 22nd, 2011

There was a little bit of speculation about what AT&T and Samsung would be announcing at their event in New York today, but if you guessed it would be the Infuse 4G, then you hit the nail on the head. This 4G beast is set to hit the AT&T sales floor on May 15th for $199 with a two-year agreement, and is a nice middle-of-the-road device for anyone looking to upgrade but isn't interested in the current stock of phones available on Big Blue. Take a look at the specs:

4.5 Super AMOLED Plus Display
1.2GHz Hummingbird processor
8.9mm to 9.24mm thin
8MP rear camera with 720p video capture
1.3MP front camera
SD Card slot
Android 2.2 with Touchwiz

The Infuse 4G will also include a special edition of Angry Birds courtesy of Rovio Mobile that includes a "Golden Egg" level that, once completed, will offer users the ability to enter to win Samsung prizes exclusive to Infuse 4G owners.

Apr

[Updated] Motorola ATRIX 4G Gets Two Updates, Includes HSUPA And Android 2.2.2

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), News

Last Updated: May 3rd, 2011

Update: I know that most of you have not yet received the update, and now we know why. According to its Twitter page, Motorola has said that it would be "rolling out in phases", so hopefully you'll start to see some update action soon.

Well, what do you know? It looks like one update wasn't enough for AT&T today - there are now two OTA updates available for the Motorola Atrix 4G, the second of which brings some long-awaited features.

The first one brings the software version up to 4.1.57 and adds Bluetooth enhancements, improved performance for the fingerprint reader, car dock, 3.5mm jack, and improved battery life.

Apr

FCC Is Open To Comments On The AT&T/T-Mobile Deal - Grab Your Pitchfork!

Posted by Zak Stinson in AT&T, Carriers, News, T-Mobile

It's no secret that the acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T is largely unpopular in the Android community. T-Mobile was the first carrier to offer an Android phone and has been very supportive of the development community as of late. It would be a real shame to let an Android-friendly carrier fall under the control of a company that has the absolute worst track record in regards to Android devices, and mobile service in general.

Well, why don't you get off your duff (not actually, you can stay seated) and do something about it? The FCC is considering the matter currently, and has just opened up to the public, asking for opinions.

Apr

[Carrier Crackdown] Tethering Apps Are Being Blocked In The Android Market [Updated]

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Carriers, Development

Last Updated: October 28th, 2011

It's a sad, sad day when we can't use the data that we pay for in a manner that we choose - but that day has arrived. It seems that somebody (perhaps carriers?) is blocking the ability to install Wireless Tether in the Android Market. This is what you get if you try to install it:

You can see that while it's still in the Market, it's not available for installation on any carrier-connected device. Most of the well known tethering apps have made the carrier blacklist, such as Wireless Tether and PDAnet, but there are some lesser known ones that are still available.

Apr

PSA: Take It Easy, AT&T Isn't Targeting Unauthorized Android Tethering (And May Never)

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, AT&T, Editorials, News, Tips & Tutorials

There's been a lot of talk about AT&T's crusade against rogue tethering lately, and it all comes back to this AT&T text message sent to some poor iPhone customer(s):

AT&T Free Msg: We’ve noticed you’re continuing to enjoy the tethering feature with your smartphone service. Remember, you need a tethering plan ($45/mo, incl. 4GB) to use this feature, so we’re planning to update your line with the required plan soon.

Yes, the carrier everyone loves to hate is cracking down on unauthorized tethering - and they are automatically switching violators onto AT&T's 4GB data plan with tethering access, at a steep $45 a month.

Apr

Want HSUPA On Your Motorola ATRIX Right Now? Fret Not - XDA Has You Covered

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Atrix 4G (Olympus), Development, News

Each Motorola ATRIX owner has seen their fair share of ups and downs, the biggest down of all perhaps being the lack of up(load speeds), as the ATRIX 4G doesn't have HSUPA support out of the box. AT&T has promised a fix for this and we've even seen phantom updates arise to fix the issue. As always, though, when carriers and manufacturers fail us, who do we look to? XDA, of course! This occasion is no different, and user dew.man has come through.

This fix is for rooted devices only.

If you're not familiar with flashing and RSD Lite, then you may not want to try this.