3Screens

AT&T Launches 3G Wireless Broadband Network in Pittsburgh

Attention Pittsburgh readers....AT&T has announced the availability of its  third-generation (3G) wireless broadband network throughout your area. 

In addition to the city of Pittsburgh, the coverage area includes Monroeville, Greensburg, Bethel Park, Washington, Beaver, Cranberry Township, Hampton, Shadyside, Carnegie and other local communities.

So What Exactly is 3G?

• 3G enhances your wireless experience bringing you access to video, graphics, pictures, downloads, email and more—all at speeds faster than ever before. Access CV with high-quality video clips from your favorite TV shows, news, sports, and weather, in just 3 clicks.

• Access the wireless internet with the new MEdia™ Net and enjoy richer graphics, pictures and easy-to-use personalization options faster than ever before. MEdia Net details

• Get more done with faster access to email from Yahoo! Mail, MSN Hotmail, and AOL Mail. Mobile Email details

• Multi-task while you are on a call—search for movies times, look up directions, or send messages.

The good thing about having the 3G network, is that it provides the simultaneous delivery of voice and data — a capability not offered by all wireless providers.  A good example of this is AT&T's  Video Share  -  a 3G service that enables users to share live video over wireless phones while carrying on a voice call — providing a new way to share personal moments and key events beyond the capabilities of voice and text. Users can allow others to "see what I see, when I see it." Earlier this summer, AT&T Video Share was launched in 3G markets nationwide.

Customers also can use their 3G handsets to quickly access feature-rich wireless content, including videos, games, pictures and the latest music, entertainment, news and weather, through MEdia Net, the company's mobile Internet portal. With the 3G network, customers also can view razor-sharp clips through CV, an on-demand streaming video service that offers a comprehensive library of mobile video content from some of the top media brands.

The AT&T 3G network also offers AT&T LaptopConnect mobile customers DSL-like speeds for their laptops, with the ability to access the Internet, their company's intranet or corporate e-mail from anywhere within the 3G network. The combination of AT&T's 3G network and LaptopConnect — which simply requires a LaptopConnect card or a laptop with embedded 3G capability, software and an AT&T data plan — is ideal for customers who want to increase business productivity and need to quickly download large files, run corporate applications or access the Internet.

AT&T 3G customers can access the wireless broadband network in more than 220 U.S. major metropolitan areas. The company is expected to expand 3G service to additional markets by the end of the year. The 3G network is also available in almost every major country. Over the past three years, the company has invested more than $18 billion to build and support the scope and capability of its wireless network and to add 3G markets. This initiative ensures quality of service and empowers customers with fast access from their handsets and mobile devices. In Pennsylvania, AT&T continues to invest in its wireless network; it has invested more than $350 million over the past two years to increase wireless coverage throughout the state.

AT&T Introduces New International iPhone Data Plan That is Still Way Too Expensive

As much as I love my iPhone, one of the decisions I had to make was not use my iPhone when I travel overseas, particularly to Israel where I go a couple of times per year. 

AT&T Inc. last week announced a new international plan that gives iPhone users 50 MB of data per month to browse the Web, check e-mail and access other information in more than 29 countries, including Canada, China, Mexico and in areas throughout Europe and Asia.

The new Data Global Plan is available to iPhone customers for $59.99 a month, which is in addition to the domestic voice and data iPhone plan you get during iPhone activation. The Data Global Plan enables international voice and data roaming, as well as international long distance dialing from the United States at standard rates.

So...How Much is 50MB?  Where is MB Bean Counter?

Because of the volume of spam I get, and because of the volume of email, I still can't figure out just how much 50MB 'really" is.  At least with the BlackBerry, I paid $20 more per month on top of my domestic rate plan for global, unlimited email.  I am puzzled what AT&T can't offer the same to its iPhone users.

The plan requires customers to first purchase a domestic voice and data plan for the iPhone and is not available as a stand-alone offer. Normal eligibility requirements for international plans apply. Should customers exceed the 50MB bucket in the 29 countries where the plan applies, they will pay $.005/KB. Outside those countries, consumers will simply pay for their data usage by the kilobyte, at rates starting as low as $.010/KB.

AT&T also offers a 20MB Data Global Plan for iPhone customers for $24.99 a month. The 20MB bucket applies to usage within the same 29 countries, with overage rated at $.005/KB. Outside the 29 designated countries, the data usage rate is $.0195/KB.

You can learn more at AT&T's International Wireless site but for now, until they become more price aggressive, I am just going to have to pass.

Breaking Away from My BlackBerry and Getting Used to the iPhone

Having been a BlackBerry user for seven years, it's really hard to give up on something that does what it's supposed to, is functional, let's me be mobile and connected to my family, friends and work.

I've been using the iPhone for the last three weeks, and I must say that I almost at a point where I think I can give up the BlackBerry and totally switch.

The division of my personal and business life continues to blur.  I communicate with all my worlds, like to collect photos, listen to music, organize my various lives, be virtual and connected.  And since I use a Mac for my business/personal life, the iPhone integrates so well.

The only bug-a-boo I am still dealing with is overseas travel, and my fear of getting a $3,000.00 cell phone bill due not to the voice side of my iPhone plan, but the data.  Now with the latest update of the iPhone software, you can disable the data portion and not get killed with a huge fee when I am overseas.   Yes, I will lose my email during the day, but in some way, it's fine with me.  Those I need to be connected to can still call me, SMS me, and I can still log on at client's offices in Israel when need be.

All this to say is that I am getting to kill the BlackBerry and go full time with the iPhone.  I am not quite there- yet, but getting close. 

Stay tuned.

AT&T Goes Full Tilt with the Most Feature-Packed 3G Smart Device Available in the United States

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has announced that the AT&T Tilt™, which is laying claim to the most feature-packed smart device available in the United States, will debut exclusively through AT&T beginning Friday, Oct. 5.

There is a photo of it here on CrunchGear.

The AT&T Tilt is the first AT&T-enabled Windows Mobile 6 smart device and features an innovative slide-out QWERTY keypad design, a 3-megapixel camera, 3G data speeds from AT&T's UMTS/HSDPA-based BroadbandConnect network and complete global connectivity.

Designed by HTC (TSEC:2498), the AT&T Tilt features a 2.8-inch color screen that slides back to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, then tilts up to position the screen perfectly for reading and creating e-mail, browsing online, using applications or just playing videos and games. The AT&T Tilt supports Bluetooth® 2.0, which allows for up to six Bluetooth devices to be wirelessly connected simultaneously to the device and also supports Bluetooth Stereo.

I will check out the device tomorrow.

BTW, am still playing with my iPhone and still have the BlackBerry.  Am getting ready to kill the BlackBerry, even if I have to pay the penalty. 

You may read the AT&T press release here.

And Now, I Decided to Go With An iPhone - But Still Kept The BlackBerry - For Now

I decided to move forward with an iPhone as my 3rd screen.  But I am still keeping my BlackBerry - for now.

I still have my BlackBerry, and will give this whole experiment one month to decide what I am going to do.   The only thing I am hesitant about going with the iPhone is that I have to shut it off when I go overseas as so to avoid huge roaming bills.  One good thing about the BlackBerry is that AT&T offers and international roaming plan that costs $20 extra each month and you can receive and send all the email you can eat.

Remembering when I switched to the Mac, no matter how great I thought it would be (and I am glad I switched) it did take some time getting used to.

As they say in TVLand, "stay tuned."

Traveling Abroad With Your iPhone? Make Sure You Know About Potential ( Excessive ) Roaming Charges

Stories in the media are continuing to surface about users who have taken their very cool iPhone to Europe and returning with $800.00 - $3,000.00 cell phone bills mostly because of data charges imposed by foreign carriers. 

This story tells about the person who got the $3,000.00 bill.

This is why I still use a BlackBerry

I own nearly every Apple product known to mankind.   Their products are great.  The design is cool.  And the ease of use is first rate.

The only thing that the good people at Apple and the partner, AT&T did not think through, was making data  plan that was reasonable.  For $24.99 per month, you can get 20MB of data use outside the US. If you don't have a plan, the cost is $.0195/KB. 

The big question is this:  what do you get with 20MB of data?  Is there a MB data counter?  Of course not.  That's what is so wrong with this plan.  No one can tell you exactly what 20 MB of data gets you.  I've been to several AT&T stores around San Antonio where I live and I never get the same  answer.  I've had 3 sales people at 3 different Apple stores advise me against buying the iPhone simply because of the crappy international roaming plan.

With the BlackBerry, I am on the AT&T International Roaming plan.  For $69 per month, I get all the email I can eat in the U.S. and during my travels, which mostly take me to Israel. 

This summer, I traveled to London, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.   My phone bill did got up, simply because of the fact that I did use my phone as a matter of convenience to stay in touch with family or clients.  When I was in Israel, I used my Israeli cell phone simply as a matter of cost and convenience.

My only guess at all of this is that AT&T and Apple have not worked out reciprocal roaming plans as of this date and they should be in place once the iPhone starts to be deployed outside of the U.S.

In the mean time, buyer beware. 

If you are taking your iPhone outside of the U.S.  shut off the data feature of your device and only use the cell phone when you really and truly need to.  Or better yet, rent a cell phone in the country you are staying in and just use your iPhone as an iPod.

Photo of someone not using a BlackBerry or iPhone but obviously very much into the conversation, shot on location at the beach in Tel Aviv this summer by Alan Weinkrantz (c) 2007 All Rights Reserved

iPhone Review From Someone I Really Respect and Admire

I did not get an iPhone mostly because as cool and neat as it is (and it really is) I need to have some sense of practicality in running my business.

I remain a die-hard BlackBerry 8800 user because it just works.  (Also, the current iPhone won't hold the 5,000 song playlist I have on my iPod.

Here is a product review from Shelly Palmer, the author of one of my favorite books, Television Disrupted.

The only thing I don't get in Shelly's review of the iPhone is the poor coverage issue in New York, where he lives.  I travel to NYC and never have coverage or call quality issues.  Other wise, most of his other comments are things I have heard from other friends and associates who opted in for the iPhone.

Don't get me wrong.  I am a huge Apple fan.  Our home and office is loaded with Apple products and I think it's just a matter of one or two more generations of iPhones, but real 3G that could sway me to move from the BlackBerry.

Navi2Go Reinvents Mobile Navigation

In my travels to Israel, where I've just returned from, I get to see a sneak peek at some of the coolest and most innovative technologies than can enhance the AT&T  three-screens experience.

During my trip, I saw some new and innovative IPTV, InternetTV, home networking,  broadband wireless and social media technologies which should be coming to market by 2008. 

Many of these companies I can't write or talk about because I am either under non-disclosure with them, or they are still not ready for prime time to be writing about.

One company that I can publicly talk about, that really caught my eye (mostly because I got to play with the product) was 3DVU (pronounced 3-D View).

I had a chance to meet with Isaac Levanon, the company's founder, who after spending 17 years in the PC industry in the U.S.,  has been back in Israel for the past 10 years and founded the company.   

As a former helicopter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, Isaac realized that navigation was not intuitive for mass-market application.   He realized that the combination of wireless technology and the evolving market for smart handheld devices could lead to a market opportunity for true mobile navigation.  And like so many of the Israeli companies I get to work with, their companies are founded based on their expertise and experiences from serving in what I think is the best  Army / Navy / Air Force mashup on the planet. 

Isaac founded FlyOver Technology (later changed name to 3DVU) at the same time that Keyhole was started. Keyhole as later acquired by Google to create Google Earth. Both were set to create 3D visualization of the world. But the big difference is that 3DVU was focused on mobile user that is on the road with a device that is far less powerful than a desktop PC.

As mobile navigation was first created and adopted in the Far East, 3DVU technology was implemented in Car Navigation Systems in Japan in 2002.

3DVU is about to launch a cool and exciting solution direct to consumer called Navi2Go.

I had a chance to play with Navi2Go.

Even as Alpha, it’s already packed with innovation that will give your trip planning and navigation a new experience.

Like other mapping solutions, (Mapquest, Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc.) they offer the same functionality, but the difference is the presentation.

3DVU has developed Visual Map™, a proprietary streaming technology that enriches the user experience with real, bird’s eye views of the world. The technology simulates 3D perspectives and realistic maneuvers over aerial and satellite imagery.

The most important and unique features are Navi2Go ability to copy the planned route and moving it to your PDA for true 3D image navigating on the road, with real-time GPS tracking and both text and voice guidance.

You may also have a printout that includes the pictures of the route maneuvers in 3D.

Shortly, these images could be saved on to your iPod or other players, or sent to your cellphone as an SMS link.  The Navi2Go site indicates that both online solution for SmartPhones and offboard solution to enhance PND (like Garmin, TomTom, Mio, etc.) are coming.

Most of all, I look forward when I may be able to apply this innovative technology on my  BlackBerry.

On The Road 2.0 - A Two Week Journey to London, Moscow, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem

Friday, I landed in London with my family for a 2 week vacation, family event, and business trip. I am now in transit to Moscow for 3 days.
While I plan to take some time off, I still have to keep in touch, do some business and of course, upload photos.

Stay tuned as I blog about what I am calling On The Road 2.0, which is being hosted at the San Antonio Express News, the daily newspaper of where I live.  The photo on the right tells the story.  It's really great fun.

More to come....

Photo by Alan Weinkrantz

On The Road 2.0

I've just landed in London where I will be attending a family event, and then on with the family to Moscow, back to London for fun and business, and then to Israel for a working vacation.  I will be blogging about being connected and I am also blogggin for my  local newspaper back in San Antonio, the Express-News.  Next week, I have meetings at  BT (British Telecom) to check out their IPTV service.  Stay tuned.

See my posts here.

Photo by Alan Weinkrantz (c) 2007