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Last year, Variety reported that AT&T was working on an Android TV-powered device for so-called "over-the-top" streaming of its DirecTV service, based on the contents of an FCC filing. Based on the contents of a recent AT&T earnings call (transcribed by Seeking Alpha), development has advanced to the point of internal beta testing, with trials expected "in the first half of next year."
Android TV came out in 2014, and we all expected it would be further along by now. It's not dead, but the number of available boxes is still small, and there's really only one that's worth buying (the Shield). Android TV uptake might be on the upswing with TV providers showing more interest. AT&T is rolling out test units of its Android-powered DIRECTV box, and the interface looks quite different than what we've seen on Android TV before.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson surprise-announced the company's upcoming streaming service, called Watch, during his testimony at AT&T's ongoing antitrust trial this week. The service will be free for AT&T unlimited wireless subscribers, a spokesperson later said, and cost $15 per month for everyone else. The service won't include sports programming.
Although development of Android for tablets has largely stagnated, mid-range media consumption tablets are still cheaply produced. The AT&T Moto Tab (stylized as 'moto tab') is technically Motorola's first tablet since the Xoom 2 (known as the Xyboard in the United States), though the design strongly resembles that of the Lenovo Tab 4 10. You can now buy the Moto Tab from AT&T for $299.99 upfront, or for $15/month for 20 months. This is $120 more than the Lenovo-branded tablet, though the two share more similarities in appearance than power.
DIRECTV has just pushed a considerable update to its companion apps, bringing them up to version 5. The update is available for both of the practically identical phone and tablet apps and includes the ability to buy movies or TV shows, download purchases to your device for when you're not online, and easily access your collection of content.
DIRECTV customers with an Android phone can now head over to the Play Store to grab a new remote app that lets them control their HD receivers from their smartphone. This is different from the DIRECTV app that lets you carry your subscription with you on-the-go to watch shows while away from your home. Instead, the remote app works when you're actively watching something on your TV and want to control playback. Maybe the remote is on the other couch or you lost it or your kid/parent is watching something terrible that you can't handle.
T-Mobile US is well-known for aggressive marketing tactics that incorporate direct shots at main competitors, and its latest offer for new customers doesn't deviate from that trend at all. Starting tomorrow (December 16th), the company will offer a free year of DIRECTV NOW (worth $420) to AT&T customers who switch to T-Mobile ONE.
Eager to get a slice of the growing cord-cutter pie, AT&T and DirecTV announced their own web-based premium TV service earlier this week. DIRECTV NOW officially launches today, so it's good to see that the service gets Android support immediately. The app is free and works with phones and tablets running Android 4.4 or higher. Sadly it's not compatible with Android TV, though Chromecast streaming is available on all videos.
AT&T announced a major development following its merger with DIRECTV, adding to what is quickly becoming a byzantine mixture of offerings for those who want a cable channel package. The latest service, called DIRECTV NOW, can best be described as a streaming version of DIRECTV's satellite channel lineups. In other words, DIRECTV NOW is a bit like a beefed-up Sling TV.
T-Mobile and Sprint each have their own unlimited video streaming plans that let you watch all the content you want without eating away your data plan, with or without throttling. Now AT&T is coming out with a special one of its own, as promised.
The writing isn't quite on the wall for traditional cable and satellite television - not so long as companies like Comcast can manipulate the market with artificial monopolies and data caps, anyway - but things are definitely looking up for cord-cutters. The latest fruit of the union between American telecom AT&T and satellite TV giant DirecTV is a series of TV packages that don't require, well, TV packages. These data-only streaming options will become available some time in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to an AT&T press release.
Last month AT&T announced plans to raise the price of its grandfathered unlimited data plan by $5. Starting next month, those customers will pay slightly more than what new subscribers fork over for 2GB of data.
Samsung tablets usually get picked up by at least one or two of the big American carriers, and so it goes with the enormous 18.4-inch Galaxy View. Today AT&T announced that it will begin selling an LTE-equipped version of the tablet starting on Friday, November 20th. It will cost you $600 outright, or $30 a month for 20 months on AT&T's installment plan, or $500 if you agree to a two year service contract. (Don't do that.) But wait, there's more: that AT&T-DirecTV acquisition is about to pay some serious dividends for customers of both companies.
Most apps for cable and satellite TV providers suck. They tend to completely ignore user interface standards, throw up artificial limitations, and have poor performance. DirecTV's app seems to be an interesting exception - while customers aren't without complaints, the primary Play Store listing gives it a 4.1-star rating. Today it gets a handful of improvements, making the app better in some notable ways. The update is also being applied to the tablet version of the app, which has admittedly poorer ratings.
DirecTV's job used to be making sure that when you turn on your TV, there's something there to watch. Then these fancy mobile devices came around, and now the company is tasked with putting shows on those as well. Kids don't stare at big screens anymore, I'm told. Everything looks best crammed somewhere between 4.5 to 10.1 inches.
DIRECTV Android App Gets 13 More Live Streaming Channels Including MSNBC, Showtime Showcase, And QVC
DIRECTV has added the ability for its customers to stream thirteen additional channels to their Android devices. The Play Store page doesn't contain an extensive list of which ones are new, but it does mention MSNBC, Ovation, QVC, and Showtime Showcase. All of these are available inside the home, with only QVC accessible outside of the home as well.
The rumors surfaced last week, and AT&T made it official yesterday evening. The telecom company has agreed to pay nearly $50 billion in cash and stock for satellite TV provider DirecTV. If approved by regulators, the new AT&T would have control of about 26 million TV subscribers.
It seems like a lot of folks can't watch TV without a phone in their hand, which makes the newest update to the DIRECTV app that much more useful. As the changelog points out, remote control functionality has been at the top of everyone's wishlist, and now it's here.
DIRECTV App Gets Updated To Version 3.1, Receives Redesigned Video Player, New Menu Button, And More
DIRECTV App Gets Updated To Version 3.1
We have a second screen problem. The TV may have the largest display in the house, but it fails to consistently hold our attention even during engaging content, let alone commercial breaks. Cable and satellite companies have tried to respond to this phenomenon by releasing companion apps that place their content on both screens at once. Unfortunately, these apps typically aren't that good. The DIRECTV Android app was completely revamped not too long ago, but already a new update is available that changes things around a bit. Is it more engaging? Is it even an improvement? Judge for yourself.