alect's blog

Rest easy, iPad roamers: O2 and Orange have micro SIM orders, too

Steve mentioned in his iPad preso yesterday that he was pretty confident the company would have international data deals locked up by June or July of this year — but since the thing uses some wacky new micro SIM standard, carriers that intend to support it are going to need to get the new chips in stock after having used traditional SIMs for nearly twenty years. That makes moving your iPad around between carriers and your SIM between devices that much harder, but we’ve got a sliver of good news here: we’re hearing from a tipster with connections at supplier Gemalto that O2 and Orange both have micro SIM orders in the pipeline. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple is going to be trumpeting them as iPad partners with special data plans, of course — but even if they aren’t, at least they’ll have the necessary equipment ready for you if you want to use your unlocked tablet on their airwaves. Gemalto also has outstanding orders with T-Mobile and AT&T (of course), so yeah — it might be a long road, but we’re hopeful that these will start to become commonplace over the next few years.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Rest easy, iPad roamers: O2 and Orange have micro SIM orders, too originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

AT&T to start requiring messaging plans with some phones?

Oh no… one of our close AT&T connects informed us that AT&T might be following in Verizon’s footsteps and requiring a mandatory feature plan with some feature phones. Instead of a mandatory data plan, though, we’ve been told AT&T will…

AT&T says it’s ‘closing the gap’ on dropped calls

AT&T spent a good bit of its earnings call today talking about its network — not too surprising, really, considering the cozy relationship between dropped calls, subscriber count, and profit. The overall takeaway was that the company is pleased with its progress and continues to improve thanks to the addition of new carriers at existing cell sites (read: increased over-the-air capacity), an ongoing backhaul renovation, and the recent roll-out of 7.2Mbps capability across most of its 3G footprint. In terms of dropped calls specifically, AT&T claims that the statistic dropped network-wide from 1.41 percent to 1.05 percent between December ‘08 and ‘09 — not bad, though the real problems seem to be in key high-density, high-visibility markets like Manhattan where it hasn’t yet met its vaguely-defined “performance objective.” That said, it seems convinced that it’ll patch things up over the next few months as it continues its infrastructure push — and considering that Apple’s entrusting AT&T with the iPad, we don’t doubt that there’s some work underway to mute the cries of “we want Verizon” about 90 days from now. Then again, there’s no substitute for real-world experience, so we’ll dare pose the question: are you seeing improvement in your neck of the woods? Follow the break for another juicy slide out of AT&T’s earnings deck.

Continue reading AT&T says it’s ‘closing the gap’ on dropped calls

AT&T says it’s ‘closing the gap’ on dropped calls originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  AT&T  | Email this | Comments

AT&T posts strong Q4, adds 2.7 million wireless subscribers

AT&T is the latest company to turn in their Q4 report card, and so far, things are looking good. AT&T is reporting Q4 revenues of $30.9 billion with a net income of $3 billion. AT&T Wireless boasted a 2.7 million…

AT&T activated 3.1 million iPhones last quarter, 1 million non-phones

While Verizon suffers a bit on paper, primarily thanks to a spendy Alltel merger, AT&T has some pretty good news to report on the “money” front. AT&T’s $3 billion in earnings are up 26% over the year ago quarter, and particularly hot on the wireless front with 3.1 million iPhone activations, 2.7 million new wireless customers, and 1 million non-phone devices like e-book readers. While the 2.7 million bests the 2.2 million newbies at Verizon Wireless, AT&T gained less customers on contract thanks to its any-device-goes ways, so it’s hard to say who’s really in the best position here. Still, with devices like the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and now iPad in its fold, AT&T is clearly the go-to for getting your not-a-phone onto the internet. Now if only it could do it, um, well.

AT&T activated 3.1 million iPhones last quarter, 1 million non-phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  The New York Times  | Email this | Comments

Apple iPad’s ‘Micro SIM’ explained

While the news of Apple’s iPad having 3G wasn’t exactly a surprise, the move to a new format for the SIM certainly was. The SIM — that tiny card that holds your contact info and account information that you find in your GSM handset — is a 15 x 25mm plastic card whereas the new Micro SIM (also known as a 3FF SIM) is a diminutive 12 x 15mm, about 52% smaller. Needless to say, it’s not physically compatible with your current phone. This card was developed by the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) to offer things like more storage space on-chip for provider applications, increased control and security functions — over what, we don’t know — and the new smaller form factor allows it to fit in tiny devices. Frankly, we wouldn’t call the iPad “tiny” and we have absolutely no clue what justification Apple had to switch to it other than a desire to be different — this is the company that pioneered Mini DisplayPort, after all — but the long and the short of it is that you’re going to have a hard time finding a carrier offering Micro SIMs in the short term since the GSMA doesn’t appear to be actively spearheading a mass conversion. In fact, from AT&T’s perspective, this is better than a software lock in some ways — you’re not going to be able to download a hack that gets you on another network, so you’re totally at the mercy of your carrier at choice for providing a compatible card. Intentionally evil? Perhaps not — all standards have to start somewhere — but it’s an awful pain in the ass.

Update: T-Mobile (in a partnership with Lok8u GPS devices) announced they were bringing the 3FF SIM to US shores back on January 6th of this year. See the source link for more info.

[Thanks, Brian]

Apple iPad’s ‘Micro SIM’ explained originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Yahoo News  | Email this | Comments

Apple iPad recap

If you were following this morning’s Apple announcement, it may have been quite overwhelming and your head could be spinning in confusion. We’re here to clear things up and give you additional details over what we posted this morning. What…

iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you?

With the announcement that the iPad would continue Apple’s often-rocky relationship with AT&T to serve up wide-area data, we wanted to know: exactly what does an iPad cost you over the course of a couple years? Granted, the iPad doesn’t support voice calling — nor does it require a contract, unlike the iPhone — but for anyone who uses an iPhone primarily for browsing and gaming, this could make for a serviceable alternative that saves money over the long term. Follow the break for the full rundown.

Continue reading iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you?

iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/iPad_3G_service_on_AT_T_Contract_free_unlimited_30′; In a direct blow to everyone else with a netbook and an unlimited data plan, AT&T has scored a deal to offer unlimited 3G data on 3G-capable versions of the iPad for $29.99 a month (then again, this is the same as an iPhone plan, and you’re getting iPhone-level capability here). A 250MB plan, meanwhile, will be available for half that at $14.99 a month. Activation can happen right on the device — no store visits or calls are necessary — and there’s no contract involved. The device is fully unlocked, so if you absolutely want to, you’re welcome to take it to any other GSM carrier of your choice (assuming you can find a SIM that works — Apple’s talking up a new “micro SIM” for it). International users, stay tuned: Apple expects to have deals in place for you by June of this year.

Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data

In a direct blow to everyone else with a netbook and an unlimited data plan, AT&T has scored a deal to offer unlimited 3G data on 3G-capable versions of the iPad for $29.99 a month (then again, this is the same as an iPhone plan, and you’re getting iPhone-level capability here). A 250MB plan, meanwhile, will be available for half that at $14.99 a month. Activation can happen right on the device — no store visits or calls are necessary — and there’s no contract involved. The device is fully unlocked, so if you absolutely want to, you’re welcome to take it to any other GSM carrier of your choice (assuming you can find a SIM that works — Apple’s talking up a new “micro SIM” for it). International users, stay tuned: Apple expects to have deals in place for you by June of this year.

Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments