3Screens

AT&T 's Randall Stephenson Talks to Walt Mossberg at the All Things Digital Conference. Worth Watching

Randall Stephenson, AT&T Chairman talks at the All Things Digital Conference...  he talks about churn, the impact of the iPhone, the use of data and how AT&T is managing the volumes of data that is being used on devices like the iPhone.

 

AT&T Delivers as First Responder at SXSW

Yup, there was a hurricane at SXSW in Austin over the weekend that overloaded AT&T's WiFi and Cell Phone service.

Being there, I noticed it was difficult at times to use my iPhone for making phone calls, checking email or posting on Twitter.  

No, it was not a hurricane in the sense of bad weather.

Rather, it was a hurricane of brains, creative types, coders, film makers, web types, with Macs and iPhones in hand that were overloading the network.  At first I thought that AT&T, who was providing the service would have known better that when you mix geeks and bloggers, we stretch the network to the max.

Today it was all good.  

AT&T came through, by tweaking the network and getting things humming again.  So, kudos the AT&T, but... please: for next year, please juice it up starting on day one.

Related media coverage here in the NY Times, Wired, Silicon Alley Insider and of course, all over Twitter...on

AT&T Completes Acquistion of WayPort: I Got Free WiFi In Lots More Places

Last week, as I was on my mission to get my phone bill's price point reduced, good old AT&T sweetened the deal by closing the deal on their buying Wayport.   So what's that mean to we consumers?

20,000 Free Hot Spots and Counting

So now, we've got 20,000 new places to hang out and get free WiFi giving now giving me 80,000 new free AT&T hotspots, including the  nearly 7,000 company-operated Starbucks locations (give or take the ones that are scaling back.)

At places like McDonalds and Hertz, you'll now get free AT&T WiFi.  For a list of locations, click here.

 

AT&T Lowers My Residential TV/Internet/Phone Bill By Almost 50% By Just Asking. Call And Tell Them Alan Sent You.

I just saved almost 50% on my AT&T U-verse TV / Voice / and Internet service.
 
No, they don't promote this.  And no this is not a bail-out.  And no, this is not part of Mr. Obama's promise of change. 

You just have to call 800-288-2020 and ask for a discount by telling them you are thinking of switching to your local cable or satellite provider.

U-verse Voice went from $35 to $25
U-verse 400 went from $99 to $59
Yahoo Broadband Elite went from $30 to $10

My bill went from $164 to $94 per month by just asking.

Another tactic:  if you're a guy, tell them you're wife thinks you watch too much TV and the family has to save money so AT&T's gotta go.

And if you're a gal, tell them your man done left you--- or just come up with a Jerry Springer like story saying that you gotta cut back on the household overhead.

I am in San Antonio and your market may vary, but press hard and you just might wind up with some pretty amazing savings. I did not cut back on services.

Note:  the deal they offered was only for six months.  I told them to note it on my record that I was going to call back in May to ask for the same thing again.

Tell them Alan from 3Screens sent you.

Share your story with me with comment on the blog or email:  alan at weinkrantz dot com.

2009 Predictions and Recommendations to AT&T....

As we approach the new year, you're going to start seeing all sort of "expert" predictions and pontifications from analysts and consultants in the telecom world about what is to come in 2009 with AT&T.

Here's my take, based on the point of view from a real live consumer.

My 2009 predictions and recommendations to AT&T, including a proposed milk shake meeting at the Olmos Soda Fountain in San Antonio or the Mecca Cafe in Dallas with Chairman & CEO, Randall Stephenson.

Read all about it here in my column appearing in the San Antonio Express News.

BlackBerry Bold Available from AT&T on Tuesday - iPhone vs BlackBerry? Get a BlackBerry and an iPod Touch?

The new BlackBerry Bold goes on sale Tuesday (don't forget to vote for Obama - I  mean, McCain)  and is available at the AT&T stores in your neck of the woods.

My "review" is not a traditional review.  It's a series of hopefully unbiased interviews with friends and colleagues that I knew had either a a BlackBerry or an iPhone.  Since the Bold is brand new, I was really looking for first impressions.

For a thorough review see this one on Gizmodo, or this one from Howard Chui, and this one from CNet. For really great comparative review of the Bold vs. the iPhone, see the iPhoneBlog review here. 

The Bold is a wonderful piece of hardware. The screen is superb.  The keys, I must admit are superior to my iPhone.  But having been a long time previous BlackBerry user, I still lean towards my iPhone, mostly because of the Apple ecosystem that I have embraced.  

As a stand alone single purpose device, the BlackBerry reigns supreme.  Yes, I know you can get on the web, take a few photos and even import music, but as an overall device, coupled and integrated with the Mac, the the iPhone is the better choice.  

Or, if you must have both, get the Bold and an iPod Touch. 

A Blast From The Past: A Presentation on How I Started Blogging About AT&T....

In doing some searches on coverage, I found a blast from the past.  It was a presentation I gave at a BarCamp in San Marcos, TX last year....  Special thanks for Shane Mata who posted the video.

What if Apple Joined Forces With AT&T To Make a True IP HDTV?

I recently read a story in the UK Edition of CNET about Jason Calacanis' prediction that Apple was working on a networked television.

The key word here is networking.

If it was a networked TV, then it would need a truly networked IPTV platform.

The use of the iPhone as a true rem0te control for your AppleTV and TV in general could come into play.

Imagine, if you will using your current MacBook or MacBook PRO as an adjunct TV receiver off of your U-verse TV Service. 

AT&T is the only only true IP-based provider in the U.S.  Verizon's offering is not true IP.

Apple could join forces with AT&T Labs and further disrupt the TV broadcasting space.

Comments?

BlackBerry Bold or iPhone? Jay Oatway Chimes in....

Here's Hong Kong based Jay Oatway, who talks about dressing up or dressing down in making your decision on a BlackBerry Bold vs. an iPhone.....  Jay also talks about the upcoming BlackBerry Storm which will have a touch screen interface like the iPhone.

Run Windows on Your iPhone!

Run Windows on your iPhone....