Posted on September 11, 2014 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

Apple Announces iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus, larger and enhanced products September 2014!

Apple Announces iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus

The Biggest Advancements in iPhone History

Dramatically Thin Design Features Stunning Retina HD Displays, Powerful A8 Chip, Advanced Cameras & Apple Pay

CUPERTINO, California—September 9, 2014—Apple® today announced iPhone® 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the biggest advancements in iPhone history, featuring two new models with stunning 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Retina HD displays, and packed with innovative technologies in an all-new dramatically thin and seamless design. The new iPhones feature a precision unibody enclosure of anodized aluminum that conforms seamlessly with the shaped glass of the display, resulting in a completely smooth and continuous surface. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are engineered to be the thinnest ever, delivering a bigger display in a design that is still comfortable to hold and easy to use.

Packed with innovative new technologies, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus include: the Apple-designed A8 chip with second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture for blazing fast performance and power efficiency; advanced iSight® and FaceTime® HD cameras; ultrafast wireless technologies; and Apple Pay™, an easier way to simply and securely make payments with just the touch of a finger.¹ Both models include iOS 8, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, featuring a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience with new Messages and Photos features, QuickType™ keyboard, a new Health app, Family Sharing and iCloud Drive℠.

“iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the biggest advancements in iPhone history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The iPhone is the most loved smartphone in the world with the highest customer satisfaction in the industry and we are making it much better in every way. Only Apple can combine the best hardware, software and services at this unprecedented level and we think customers are going to love it.”

For the first time iPhone is available in two new sizes: iPhone 6 features a stunning 4.7-inch Retina® HD display with 1334 x 750 resolution, providing 38 percent more viewing area than iPhone 5s, while iPhone 6 Plus features an even bigger 5.5-inch Retina HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, providing 88 percent more viewing area and nearly three times the pixels than iPhone 5s. The Retina HD displays offer advanced technologies including higher contrast for deeper blacks and dual-domain pixels for more accurate colors at wider viewing angles.

With second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture, the all-new A8 chip offers faster performance and is more energy efficient, delivering higher sustained performance with great battery life. With Metal™, a new graphics technology in iOS 8, developers can take performance of the A8 chip even further to bring console-class 3D games to iPhone. The A8 chip also includes a new, powerful Apple-designed image signal processor that enables advanced camera and video features.

Both models include the M8 motion coprocessor that gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and the new barometer, which senses air pressure to provide relative elevation. The M8 motion coprocessor can continuously measure your motion data, even when the device is asleep, saving battery life for fitness apps that use the sensors all day. With iOS 8, motion data from M8 appears in the Health app so you can see how many flights of stairs you’ve climbed, or how far you’ve walked or run. Developers can use CoreMotion APIs that take advantage of M8 and HealthKit to create apps that help you take better care of your health and fitness.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus introduce Apple Pay, an easy way to securely pay for physical goods and services in stores or apps with just the touch of a finger. Users can pay securely and conveniently in stores by simply holding the phone near the contactless reader while keeping a finger on Touch ID™; there is no need to unlock your iPhone or launch an app. With Apple Pay, you can also make one-touch purchases within apps, without having to enter credit card or shipping information. All payment information is kept private, encrypted and stored securely in the Secure Element, a chip inside the new iPhones.

The iSight camera gets even better with a new sensor featuring Focus Pixels for faster autofocus, making it easier to quickly capture any moment. iPhone 6 Plus users will also benefit from optical image stabilization technology that compensates for hand shake in low light and works with iOS 8 to reduce subject motion. High-definition video on iPhone improves with faster frame rates up to 60fps for 1080p video and 240fps for slo-mo, as well as continuous autofocus, cinematic video stabilization and time-lapse video. The FaceTime HD camera now captures over 80 percent more light with a new sensor, larger f/2.2 aperture and advanced new features including burst mode and HDR video.

With faster LTE download speeds of up to 150 Mbps, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users can browse, download and stream content faster. The new iPhones also support high-quality voice calls over LTE (VoLTE) as well as Wi-Fi calling.² With support for up to 20 LTE wireless bands—more than any other smartphone in the world—the new models make it easier to experience high-speed networks around the world. Both iPhones also include 802.11ac Wi-Fi with speeds up to 433 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.0.³

The new iPhones come with iOS 8, the biggest release since the launch of the App Store℠, delivering a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience and new features including QuickType keyboard, a new Health app, Family Sharing and iCloud Drive. With more than 4,000 new APIs, iOS 8 allows developers to further customize the user experience with major extensibility features and robust frameworks such as HealthKit and HomeKit. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users also have access to the revolutionary App Store, which offers more than 1.3 million apps to iPhone, iPad® and iPod touch® users in 155 countries around the world.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 6 comes in gold, silver or space gray, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model, $299 (US) for the 64GB model and, for the first time, a new 128GB model for $399 (US) with a two-year contract.⁴ iPhone 6 Plus comes in gold, silver or space gray, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $299 (US) for the 16GB model, $399 (US) for the 64GB model and $499 (US) for the new 128GB model with a two-year contract.⁴ Both models will be available from the Apple Online Store(www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, additional carriers and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK beginning on Friday, September 19, and customers can pre-order both models beginning on Friday, September 12.

Apple-designed leather cases will be available in black, soft pink, olive brown, midnight blue and (RED) for $45 (US) for iPhone 6 and $49 (US) for iPhone 6 Plus and silicone cases in black, blue, pink, green, white and (RED) for a suggested retail price of $35 (US) for iPhone 6 and $39 (US) for iPhone 6 Plus through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

iPhone 5s will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $99 (US) for the 16GB model and $149 (US) for the 32GB model, and an iPhone 5c 8GB model will be available for free.⁴ iOS 8 will be available as a free software update starting on Wednesday, September 17. Some features may not be available on all products. Apple Pay will be available to US customers as a free software update to iOS 8 this October.

¹ Apple Pay will be available to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers in the US as a free update to iOS 8 this October.
² LTE, VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling are available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.
³ Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary.
⁴ For qualified customers only. Check with your carrier for details.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Posted on May 7, 2014 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

How Comcast Is Trying To Turn The Internet Into The Old, Broken Phone System

How Comcast Is Trying To Turn The Internet Into The Old, Broken Phone System (via Techdirt)

Each day, the open internet/net neutrality battle gets a bit more interesting. We just covered Tim Lee’s excellent look at how Comcast and other big telcos were effectively using interconnection disputes to get the same result as violating net neutrality…

Continue reading →

Posted on March 4, 2014 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

AT&T Invests Nearly $200 Million Over Three-Year Period To Enhance Local Networks In Las Vegas Area

LAS VEGAS, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — AT&T* has invested nearly $200 million in its best-in-class wireless and wired networks in the Las Vegas area between 2011 through 2013, driving a wide range of upgrades to enhance speed, reliability, coverage and performance for residents and business customers.

Advancing its Project Velocity IP (VIP), an investment plan to expand and enhance its wireless and wired IP broadband networks, AT&T in 2013 made more than 100 network upgrades in the Las Vegas area, including new cell sites, addition of wireless network capacity, and new broadband network connections.

“Las Vegas residents depend on our fast and reliable Internet connections more and more every day, whether it’s instant access to files and apps at work, watching a video at home, or even receiving updates from connected cars or home monitors,” said Stephanie Tyler, president of AT&T Nevada. “AT&T is making robust investments locally to make sure that residents can take full advantage of the latest services and tools, and that businesses have the speed they need to compete and grow.”

Notable Las Vegas network enhancements in 2013 included expanding AT&T 4G LTE coverage in the area and completing the installation of a new 4G LTE-capable Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at The Venetian and The Palazzo Resorts and Sands Expo convention center.

AT&T’s network investment has resulted in a 4G LTE network that has been recognized for its speed, reliability and coverage. AT&T’s 4G LTE service was recognized as having faster average download and upload speeds than any of its competitors in PCWorld/TechHive‘s most recent speed tests inLas Vegas. PCWorld/TechHive also ranked AT&T’s as the fastest combination of 3G and 4G services in the 20 cities it tested.**

AT&T provides the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network today, covering nearly 280 million Americans with 4G LTE service. AT&T’s 4G LTE deployment is ahead of schedule, with plans for the deployment to be substantially completed by the summer of 2014.

AT&T operates the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network*** including more than 32,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at popular restaurants, hotels, bookstores and retailers, and provides access to more than 529,000 hotspots globally through roaming agreements. Most AT&T smartphone customers and U-verse customers get access to its entire national Wi-Fi network at no additional cost, and Wi-Fi usage doesn’t count against customers’ monthly wireless data plans.

For more information about AT&T’s coverage in Las Vegas or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit the AT&T Coverage Viewer. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

* AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
** PCWorld/TechHive, May 23, 2013, “AT&T clocks best overall speeds with 3G/4G combo”
*** Largest based on company branded and operated hotspots.

To define a market, we rely on the Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSA), as established by the United States Office of Management and Budget. Minor differences, if any, between annual totals reflect annual updating of market boundaries in our record systems.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse^® brand. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/aboutus or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120612/DA23287LOGO

SOURCE AT&T

Posted on January 10, 2012 by David Berkowitz, Editor in Chief.

Steve Balmer Microsoft talks about Nokia Lumia 900 at CES 2012 with Stephen Elop Video

While at CES 2012, Nokia Press Event, Steve Balmer from Microsoft, Joined Stephen Elop on stage and spoke about the Lumia 900 a new nice looking Windows Mobile Phone for AT&T. It is an impressive looking device. It was nice to see and hear Mr. Balmer, and see Nokia’s new smart phone.

Here is a video I shot of them speaking with reference to Nokia’s exciting new Lumia 900 AT&T smart Phone running windows mobile.