AT&T announces Aio Wireless prepaid brand with $35-$70 tiers

By Christian Zibreg on May 9, 2013

While its fierce rival Verizon has chosen to sit on the sidelines and watch T-Mobile regain consumer trust with its newly found ‘Uncarrier‘ business model and no-contract plans, AT&T has jumped on the prepaid bus with a new Aio Wireless brand rounding on T-Mobile’s offering. Just like Sprint’s Boost and Virgin, Aio Wireless is a MVNO wholly owned by AT&T and marketed as a standalone brand.

As we explained last week, Aio (as in ‘All In One’) is aimed at those eager to avoid committing their soul to AT&T at all cost by opting for a month-to-month service instead. The offering includes $40/$55/$70 tiers (pricing varies by market) with unlimited talk/text and 250MB/2GB/7GB of data.

Aio Wireless also offers Apple’s iPhone 5 and a few popular Android and Windows Phone handsets. Go past the fold for more information… Read More

 

Kwikset outs iPhone-exclusive wireless door lock

By Christian Zibreg on May 8, 2013

Kwikset, the lockset maker owned by Black & Decker’s Hardware and Home Improvement Group, today announced an interesting smartphone-friendly wireless lock accessory that inches us closer to a fully connected home.

If you’re a fan of the app-enabled wireless lightbub from Philips, how about locking or unlocking your door by simply touching the deadbolt?

And I meant touching it with your finger – you don’t ever need to remove an iPhone from your pocket or purse. That’s what Kēvo, a UniKey-powered wireless deadbolt door lock, does for you by connecting with your iPhone, iPod or iPad through wireless Bluetooth Smart technology. Say goodbye to fumbling with or looking for your keys – your Phone is now your key… Read More

 

AT&T to launch ‘All In One’ prepaid plan June 15

By Christian Zibreg on May 3, 2013

The nation’s second-largest wireless carrier, AT&T, is planning on introducing a new prepaid brand called ‘All In One’ in June, according to FierceWireless.

The new prepaid tiers should appeal to folks who hate long-term contracts and are expected to start at $35 for feature phones and go all the way up to $50 a month for smartphones.

Likewise, the carrier could also introduce a $70 a month tier for those whose data needs exceed two gigabytes per month, according to the report. Go past the fold for the full breakdown… Read More

 

Seagate dominates the mobile storage competition with 1TB Wireless Plus

By Jim Gresham on Mar 14, 2013

After meeting with Seagate at CES, I was excited to get my paws on their new Wireless Plus, which is big brother to the recently retired and previously reviewed GoFlex Satellite. We all need our digital content on the go and, often, our iOS devices do not have enough room. I know my 16GB are carefully utilized on both iPad mini and iPhone. Toting around a Wi-Fi enabled 1TB Seagate drive prevents the need for choosing which media to bring along. Just drag and drop your media file to the Wireless Plus and walk out the door… Read More

 

FreedomPop confirms LTE iPad clip, launches in H2 2013

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 7, 2013

Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom-backed FreedomPop startup made waves with its Freedom Hub Burst no-contract wireless appliance that serves one gigabyte of free 4G data each month to up to 10 wireless or wired devices simultaneously.

Monday, Forbes reported that FreedomPop could unveil an iPad sleeve with 4G data via Sprint’s LTE network. A new report out today sheds more light on the matter: a FreedomPop LTE clip compatible with iPads is indeed due in the second half of this year. We’ve got more tidbits right after the break… Read More

 

FreedomPop tempts with no-commit 1GB of free home Internet each month. Interested?

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 15, 2012

The way things are now, fourth-generation cellular networks already match – and often top – data speeds offered by your home’s typical DSL broadband connection. So why not just replace your broadband line with a wireless 4G router?

Enter FreedomPop, a startup backed by Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom, whose new device dubbed the Freedom Hub Burst ups the ante by giving away one gigabyte of 4G data free of charge, each month. Those needing more data will pay fair prices.

Plus, it’s a no-contract device and it supports up to ten wireless or Ethernet devices simultaneously, which should cut it for a typical Apple-branded home comprised of a few Mac or Windows PCs, iPhones, iPads and iPods… Read More

 

Seagate’s GoFlex Satellite touts 500GB of mobile wireless storage [review and giveaway]

By Jim Gresham on Nov 27, 2012

Moving toward a more connected world, we need our digital stuff more frequently and certainly when we are on the go. Whether you are a jet setter that hops around the world or a family man that needs to share the family pictures with dear old mom, size and portability matter greatly. Combine that digital need with the post-PC era, where the jet setter sized down to an iPad for space, convenience, and weight, and dear old mom just cannot figure out how to use a computer. Shake that up and you get a USB-less conundrum and, oh yeah, optical drives are out now too – check out Christian’s article to approve it.

That leaves us with a need to move large quantities of data with us, including documents, movies, photos, music, and other digital necessaries in a small device that connects wirelessly. After reviewing a competing Wi-Fi enabled external hard drive, you, the readers, called out for a larger, yet similarly mobile storage option. Today, I am happy to review the Seagate GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage 500GB external hard drive. And, because I aim to please, I teamed up with Seagate to give one away… Read More

 

Apple puts a price tag on Motorola’s wireless patents: $1 per iPhone

By Christian Zibreg on Oct 31, 2012

In a response to Motorola’s motion from yesterday seeking clarification on essential wireless patents (which include both cellular and WiFi standards), Apple has formally acknowledged its willingness to accept a license at a court-determined rate of up to $1 per iPhone through a license agreement on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.

The figure entails worldwide sales of covered products, the iPhone maker said. Apple’s position on FRAND licensing is that the industry should set FRAND rates in order to prevent companies asserting wireless standards-essential patents against its rivals by jacking up prices.

Motorola, which is now a wholly-owned Google subsidiary, wrote in the filing that Microsoft’s FRAND contract case had explicitly committed to the conclusion of a license agreement on court-ordered terms. Is there finally an end in sight to this patent mess? Read More

 

Next-gen MacBook could wirelessly charge 2013 iPhones, iPads

By Christian Zibreg on Aug 10, 2012

Chip giant Intel is working on a new technology for its 2013 Ultrabook portable platform that is said to incorporate wireless charging between notebooks and mobile devices, per a new report out of Asia based on sources from the upstream supply chain.

As MacBooks use Intel’s chips, Apple could adopt this upcoming technology from Intel to enable wireless charging between future MacBooks and your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch… Read More

 

iPhone 4S hacked to charge wirelessly

By Cody Lee on Jul 6, 2012

Rumors that Apple is working on a wireless charging solution for its iOS devices have been bouncing around for years. We’ve even seen evidence of this in the company’s patent filings.

But if you can’t wait for Apple to implement the feature, you could always do it yourself. Tanveer Islam did it with his iPhone 4S, using a Powermat and a little know-how… Read More

 

Who needs NFC when you can pay wirelessly right now using Square?

By Cody Lee on Mar 26, 2012

NFC (near field communications) technology has been a rumored “upcoming” iPhone feature for quite some time now. It was supposed to turn up in last year’s model (obviously it didn’t). And of course it’s expected in this year’s release.

What’s the big deal? Well NFC is the backbone of many mobile payment systems. And everyone is waiting for Apple to enter that space. But why wait for NFC, when you can pay wirelessly with your iPhone right now using Square? Read More

 

AT&T Withdraws T-Mobile Merger Application from FCC

By Cody Lee on Nov 24, 2011

Big news coming out of the Lone Star state today as Dallas-based wireless carrier AT&T has announced that it has withdrawn its T-Mobile merger application from the FCC. The operator was looking to buy the Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier for close to $40 billion dollars.

The merger deal has hit some major roadblocks over the last few months. In August, the Department of Justice filed a court complaint to block the buyout. Then yesterday, the FCC sided with the DOJ, requesting a formal administrative hearing into AT&T’s proposal… Read More

 

Google Looking to Take On Wireless Carriers?

By Cody Lee on Sep 23, 2011

Although Google originally started off as just a search engine, it hasn’t been afraid to try its hand in other markets. We’ve seen the Mountain View company produce desktop and cell phone software, and seemingly everything in between.

Well it appears like software wasn’t enough to satisfy the mighty search giant, as now the company is looking into the cell phone carrier market. BGR passes on a report from cellular-news that claims Google is testing an MVNO service in Spain… Read More

 

Apple Cooking Up Diagnostic Tool to Repair Your iPhone Remotely [Updated]

By Cody Lee on Aug 31, 2011

With iOS 5, Apple has made some significant changes to help us “cut the wire.” Instead of needing to plug your iDevice into your computer to sync with iTunes, the new firmware will allow you to do this Over-the-Air via iCloud.

But it doesn’t look like the Cupertino company is stopping there. HardMac is reporting that the iPhone-makers have passed an internal message on to employees that it is planning to roll out a wireless iDevice diagnostic tool this Fall as well… Read More

 

U.S. Government Files to Block AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

By Cody Lee on Aug 31, 2011

Much like Google’s buyout of Motorola Mobility we told you about a few weeks ago, I don’t think anyone saw the AT&T/T-Mobile deal coming. The nation’s second largest carrier unveiled it’s plans earlier this year to acquire the operator for $39 Billion.

The acquisition would leave only three major wireless companies in the US, angering both customers and other carriers along the way. But with the industry’s long history of buyouts and mergers, I think most folks just accepted that it was going to happen, until now… Read More

 

Witricity: Could This be the Way Future iDevices Charge?

By Cody Lee on Jul 12, 2011

A few days ago, we mentioned that The Wall Street Journal and other publications were noting that Apple was working on a new way to charge iDevices. From the details, it sounded like some form of inductive method, similar to Palm’s Touchstone charger.

However, MacRumors has discovered something interesting in a recently-revealed patent application that suggests the Cupertino company might be going a different route. Have you ever heard of WiTricity?  Read More

 

Apple to Introduce New iDevice Charging Method Next Year?

By Cody Lee on Jul 8, 2011

We’ve already heard that Apple is researching wireless charging methods. We reported on an Apple patent a few weeks ago that suggested that the Cupertino company was investigating an alternative to standard plug-in chargers.

Now there is a new report suggesting that Apple is indeed interested in wire-free power. So much so, that many are speculating that the new technology could make its way into iDevices as early as 2012… Read More

 

Verizon Ending Unlimited Data Plans Next Month?

By Cody Lee on Jun 21, 2011

We knew it was coming. Rumors of Verizon killing off the unlimited data plan have been running wild for several months now. Not to mention, most of the speculation has pointed to a summer deadline.

Well it appears the gossip is true. DroidLife recently outlined an all-to-likely scenario of Verizon’s intent to roll out tiered data plans next month. Obviously, for that to happen, the $30 dollar unlimited plan must go… Read More

 

Future iMacs and MacBooks to Charge Your iPhone Wirelessly?

By Cody Lee on Jun 18, 2011

In last week’s iOS 5 announcement, there seemed to be an emphasis on “cutting the cord.” With new iCloud and Wi-Fi sync services, users will no longer have to depend on tethering their iDevices to their computers for syncs and backups.

From the looks of this Apple patent that surfaced earlier this month, it seems that Apple has been researching methods to do away with the infamous white USB cord completely. The filing is titled, “Wireless power utilization in a local computing environment…” Read More