MobileWhack is reporting that the Samsung BlackJack III might be coming to the U.S. in the October timeframe. The first carrier to get the BlackJack III? It’s probably a safe bet that AT&T will receive this Windows Mobile smartphone first. Some of the features to be found on the BlackJack III include assisted-GPS, HSDPA support, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Samsung, AT&T, BlackJack III, Windows Mobile

AT&T’s Navigator service is going global. AT&T announced today the availability of AT&T Navigator Global Edition which extends their GPS-based service to 20 countries around the world. AT&T smartphones with built-in GPS receivers will be eligible for this service which includes areas such as western Europe, North America, the U.S. Caribbean, and six cities in China.

The Navigator Global Edition provides customers with many of the same features that regular AT&T Navigator provides including spoken  or text-based turn-by-turn directions in English, German, Italian, or Spanish. The Global Edition also provides a local business finder service which contains more than 19 million businesses and services.

Current smartphones eligible for this service include T&T Tilt, BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry Curve 8310, BlackBerry Pearl 8110, BlackJack II and MOTO Q 9h global smartphones.

So how much you ask? The new Navigator Global Edition will be available for $19.98 per month and yes - it includes domestic service.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: AT&T, Navigator Global Edition

The Motorola V9x clamshell handset is apparently coming to AT&T Wireless and will support AT&T’s Navigator service which provides turn-by-turn driving directions as well as full-color moving maps. Thank goodness the V9x appears to also have an updated color scheme!

[Check it out via SlashPhone]

Technorati Tags: Motorola V9x, AT&T Wireless

AT&T announced additional pricing details for the upcoming iPhone 3G today though it’s not likely to answer all the questions that people might have. Let’s go over what we do know thus far.

First off, the $199 8GB iPhone 3G and $299 16GB iPhone 3G requires a new two year contract and is available to the following customers:

• iPhone customers who purchased before July 11
• Customers activating a new line with AT&T
• Current AT&T customers who are eligible, at the time of purchase, for an upgrade discount

OK.. so what that says to me is.. if you purchased a 1st generation iPhone before July 11th and you’re up and running with AT&T already, then by default, you’re eligible for the new iPhone 3G. What that also says to me is.. if you are already an AT&T customer AND you’re NOT an iPhone user, you MIGHT be eligible for the new iPhone 3G at the reduced discount.

So.. how do you know if you’re eligible for the discount? You’ll need to log into your account at AT&T Wireless and then click on the “Upgrade Phone” link. That will tell you if you’re eligible for an upgrade discount on a new two year plan.

Now with that said.. if you’re an AT&T customer and you are NOT eligible for an upgrade discount, then the new iPhone 3G will cost $399 for the 8GB and $499 for the 16GB model. This still requires a new two year agreement with AT&T of course.

Down the road, AT&T will also offer a no-contract required option for the iPhone but that also means you’ll be paying the most of the 3G phone with the 8GB model going for $599 and the 16GB for $699.

Make sense?

Oh yeah.. there’s also an “upgrade fee” for current AT&T customers who are upgrading to the iPhone 3G. There’s also an “activation fee” of $36 dollars for new AT&T customers. They sure know how to milk ya!

OK.. so that’s just the price of the phone. We haven’t even begun talking about the plans yet.  To me - the plans are perhaps the most annoying because they’ve changed in a devious way. First off - you’ll be paying more per month than what you previously did with the first generation iPhone. Of course, it’s faster service but.. here’s the kicker - the plan does NOT include the original # of text messages. You want text messages, that’s more too!

Let’s summarize the individual plans - all of which have unlimited data.

On the low end, there’s the AT&T Nation 450 plan which includes 450 Anytime Minutes, 5000 Nights and Weekend Minutes for $69.99 a month

Next, there’s the AT&T Nation 900 plan which includes 900 Anytime Minutes, and unlimited Night and Weekend Minutes for $89.99 a month

Next, there’s the AT&T Nation 1350 plan which has (you guessed it), 1350 Anytime Minutes and unlimited Night and Weekend Minutes for $109.99 a month

Finally, there’s the AT&T Nation Unlimited which includes unlimited Anytime Minutes for $129.99. Thus, I suppose the $99.99 unlimited plans don’t apply to the iPhone 3G eh?

OK.. but notice - nowhere in here is anything about text messages. You want texting you say? That’s more! For 200 messages a month, it’ll be $ 5 dollars. For 1500 messages, it’ll be $15 dollars and for unlimited text messages, it’ll be $20 dollars a month. Yes.. that means the lowest plan will be actually $74.99 a month for 450 Anytime Minutes and 200 text messages. That’s $15 dollars more a month than what the lowest 1st gen iPhone user pays now.

Want family options?

AT&T’s FamilyTalk by default comes with two lines. Each additional line will cost you $39.99 extra for up to three more lines. All FamilyTalk lines come with unlimited data, nights and weekends and mobile to mobile.

On the low end, there’s a 700 Shared Anytime Minute plan which costs $129.99. For 1400 Anytime Minutes, you’ll pay $149.99 a month. Next up is the 2100 Anytime Minutes plan for $169.99 a month. Then the 3000 minute plan for $209.99 a month etc etc.

Of course, text messaging is EXTRA too.

Want more info or better pictures? Check out the pricing page here on AT&T’s website.

But let me see if I can summarize for you:

AT&T Nation plans:

AT&T FamilyTalk plans:

[Check out the press release]

[Check out the price plans]

Technorati Tags: AT&T, Apple, iPhone 3G, Price Details, Price Plan

While the upcoming iPhone 3G might be inexpensive for consumers, it’s certainly going to cost a pretty penny to AT&T. According to Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner, AT&T will be paying a subsidy of $325 per iPhone 3G. Contrast that with the typical subsidy of $200 dollars that most hardware manufacturers get for their smartphones and you can see that Apple is getting a pretty sweet deal for a possible high demand product.

But wait.. there’s more! AT&T will also be paying Apple an extra $100 dollars for new subscribers of AT&T that sign up at Apple stores.. yes.. that means Apple gets a sum total of $425 per iPhone IF one buys it and signs up inside an Apple store. Now THERE’S an excellent reason to have a retail front for Apple eh?

[Check it out via News.com]

Technorati Tags: AT&T, Apple, iPhone 3G

The Boy Genius Report is reporting that the Samsung i788 could be coming to AT&T Wireless in the near future. The i788 would essentially be the next iteration of the BlackJack (a.k.a. a BlackJack III perhaps?). Features on the i788 would include Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, touch-screen display, HSDPA support, GPS receiver, Wi-Fi support, and of course a QWERTY keyboard. No word on cost or when it’ll appear tho. I have to admit.. if I didn’t already have an iPhone (and didn’t already plan on getting the iPhone 3G), then I’d probably be interested in the Samsung BlackJack phones.. but alas.. no more Windows Mobile phones for me for the time being.

[Check it out via Ubergizmo]

Technorati Tags: Samsung i788, AT&T Wireless

So the dust has settled.. the rumor mill has dissipated.. the world is still here in the same condition we woke up to this morning.. and yes.. the 3G iPhone is here.. well sort of.

As nearly all predicted, the new 3G iPhone was indeed announced during Steve Jobs keynote address at WWDC 2008 and as some predicted, it will indeed be a few weeks late.

So what’s the important stuff about the new phone? From a feature perspective, it’s the following:

3G support finally

• Support for HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) to download data over UMTS
• Simultaneous data and voice support - talk on the phone while surfing the web, checking email etc
• Still supports EDGE

Assisted GPS support

• Location finder via GPS, Wi-Fi, and Cellular towers
• View turn by turn directions or watch your progress with live GPS tracking

App Store support

• Works over cellular networks and Wi-Fi
• Applications in a variety of categories including games, business, education, entertainment, finance etc
• Browse categories, search for apps, look at recommendations
• Download and install apps directly on iPhone
• iPhone informs users of updates to apps

Microsoft Exchange support

• Supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for push email, calendar, and contacts
• Cisco IPSec VPN support
• Enhanced Wi-Fi security with WPA2 Enterprise and 802.1X authentication

Software Enhancements

• Full support of Office documents including Word, Excel and now PowerPoint
• Support for Apple iWorks
• Contacts seamlessly integrated into Maps, Safari, and SMS
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Landscape view for calculator with new scientific calculator features
• Photo geotagging support
• Enhanced email support (support for more file formats etc)
• Support for new Apple MobileMe (formerly .mac)
• Additional language support

Important Technical Specs.. (because we love those details)

• Measures 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 inches
• Weighs 4.7 oz
• 3.5 inch multi-touch display with 480 x 320 resolution at 163 dpi
• Stereo headphones with built-in microphone
• 8GB model in black
• 16GB model in black or white
• UMTS/HSDPA support (850/1900/2100 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE support (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Assisted GPS
• 2.0 megapixel camera
• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Other tidbits:

Thanks to AppleInsider for these tidbits:

• No home activation for iPhone 3G. All new iPhones must be activated at either the Apple store or the AT&T store (10-12 minute process)
• Expect no online sales of the iPhone 3G which means you’ll need to go to a store to pick one up
• All iPhone 3G buyers will need to sign a new 2 year agreement but it will overwrite any existing contracts. Thus the new 2 year won’t tack onto any existing contract with AT&T
• AT&T will still be the exclusive provider of the iPhone in the U.S.
• Revenue sharing has been eliminated between AT&T and Apple - basically AT&T will no longer share a portion of monthly service revenue with Apple
• Unlimited iPhone 3G data plans for consumers will be available at $30 dollars a month with voice plans starting at $39.99 a month
• Unlimited 3G data plans for business users will be available at $45 dollars a month in addition to voice plan

The impact:

OK.. so let’s consider the impact of today’s announcement. It really does indeed boil down to the following:

1. 3G support

2. GPS support

3. Third party applications

4. Exchange support

(5. Price)

3G support was a foregone conclusion for the new iPhone - simply because there was no way the iPhone could continue to sell with EDGE support only. With many other handset manufacturers offering 3G support, the iPhone HAD to have it. It wasn’t an option at all. In fact, in order for Apple to penetrate foreign markets successfully, it would NEED to have 3G support - something that is much more prevalent in Asia and Europe.

Yet what does this ultimately mean for you and I? It means we, the average consumer, can finally enjoy the web in a very mobile way. We now have a device that truly is portable AND is enjoyable from a multimedia perspective. We can sit in a lounge somewhere and watch YouTube videos to our heart delight. We can surf the web without waiting for the download to finish - something that felt slower than a 56K modem sometimes. We can read our emails quickly and easily.. We can do so much more now in a quicker fashion.

GPS support built in. It seems that everyone is buzzing about location aware services.. yet I think this is also Apple’s way of saying - hey - we’re not going to necessarily be dependent upon Google’s cell phone tower/Wi-Fi method of tracking users.. and really - why should Apple? If Google is going to launch and offer Android, Apple better make sure they’re well protected from Google’s services. This is not to say that Google will turn around and back-stab Apple (I somehow can’t imagine Google doing this at all). Yet - it makes perfect business sense.

Plus - it opens the doors to many more third party application software opportunities. Imagine being able to launch a social networking tool that updates a website to your physical location (I know.. kinda scary at times but some people will enjoy it). Or take it a step further - have an app TELL you where your friends are… where your kids are.. etc etc.

So this leads me to the third party applications. This is where things really start becoming big for Apple. It’s all about the apps/content stupid. That’s what’s ringing in my head and it’s never so much closer to the truth than the iPhone. Up until now, we’ve had a closed system and now.. we’ve got a way to enjoy the iPhone even more so. While Apple is certainly great at developing ground breaking applications, one can also imagine the many more possibilities that third party app developers will do with the iPhone. The possibilities are seamingly endless and this will certainly drive growth for the platform. Think again - why did Microsoft ultimately succeed with Windows? Because they got it on as many systems as possible AND they fostered a huge developer community with tools and libraries. Apple can very well succeed following the same model.

Exchange support. While 3G support, app support, and GPS support are nice new features - the three elements together will not necessarily translate to many new customers. However, adding in business support in the form of Microsoft Exchange support and VPN support from Cisco changes the picture. The iPhone becomes a bona-fide competitor to other business oriented devices like the BlackBerry and Windows Mobile Smartphones. There will be still plenty of individuals who will want to work with a real QWERTY keyboard. Yet - there will be many who are willing to give that up if it means they can enjoy the iPhone AND enjoy their business email. This truly opens many MANY doors for Apple.

Finally, perhaps the biggest announcement of the day (at least to consumers) had nothing to do with the iPhone feature set as much as it had to do with the new price levels. We’ve been hearing for some time that the iPhone might be available at lower prices. We even heard that AT&T may offer the iPhone at a lower price than Apple (which would have suggested that AT&T was not going to be the exclusive carrier in the U.S. anymore). This of course didn’t quite happen. The lower prices did in fact happen but it wasn’t AT&T specific per se. Thus whether you purchased it from Apple or from AT&T, the iPhone will cost you $199 for the 8GB and $299 for the 16GB. This is MUCH more palatable than the original $499/$599 costs or even the current prices for the 8GB iPhone (which you can’t find anyhow).

Lowering the price will do several things for Apple:

• It will allow existing iPhone owners to feel OK about purchasing/upgrading to the new phone
• It will capture additional non-iPhone users who were put off by the initial price - this could range from a little to a lot of new users - depending on what $199 means to these individuals.

Taken together - all of these new features and price levels can only mean one thing for Apple. The new 3G iPhone will be another blockbuster device - but with one difference. It will be a blockbuster device NOT just in the U.S. but around the world.

Now we wait.. July 11th here we come..

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Apple, 3G iPhone, iPhone

Looking to cater to first time mobile phone users out there, AT&T and Pantech have announced the availability of the new Pantech Breeze mobile phone. The phone is designed for customers who are either novice users or first time mobile phone users who are looking for something that’s simple to use - something that’s actually getting harder and harder to find in modern handsets today.

Features of the Pantech Breeze include:

• 1-2-3 Quick-Call Keys — Three preprogrammable quick-call buttons are located below the screen — users can easily select one of the three quick-call contacts and press the send button to start a call.
• Simplified Menu — “Breeze menu” prioritizes the features that customers want to access most.
• Large Font — Menu screens on the Pantech Breeze use a highly visible large font. Additionally, the font of SMS messages is enlarged and the date and time of messages sent is at the beginning rather than at the end of a message.
• Easy-to-Use Buttons — The oversized buttons on the device respond with a tactile click when pressed, and the amount of time the keys remain illuminated after use is extended.
• Clear and Loud Speakerphone — A large, dedicated button starts and stops speakerphone use.
• Camera — A dedicated hard key for the camera brings up camera options “take a picture” and “photo album” to give users easy access to useable camera functions.
• Audible Keys — An option to have audio accompany numeric keystrokes makes it easy to know which buttons have been pressed, resulting in mistake-free dialing for those with limited sight.

Specs on the Pantech Breeze are as follows:

• Quad band world phone - 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Bluetooth 2.0 support
• Edge Class 10 support
• Hearing aid compatible
• 3 hours of talk time
• 10 days of standby time
• Measures 4.0 x 2.0 x 0.7 inches and weighs 3.4 oz

The new Pantech Breeze is available for $39.99 after a two year agreement and a $30 dollar mail-in rebate or $124.99 after a $30 dollar mail-in rebate for customers who opt for AT&T’s Pick Your Plan or Pay As You Go GoPhone.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: AT&T Wireless, Pantech, Pantech Breeze

Psyched about the new BlackBerry Bold mobile phone?  Well you may or may not be happy to hear that AT&T will be the exclusive provider of the Bold for this summer. The Bold will be available in both CDMA and GSM formats which means it should eventually come out for all the major US carriers. Features of the Bold include:

• 624 MHz processor
• 3G networking
• 480 x 320 display with support for 65K colors
• QWERTY keyboard
• Trackball navigation
• 2 megapixel camera
• microSD card slot
• Features tri-band UMTS connectivity
• Measures 4.48 x 2.59 x 0.55 inches

You can see a hands-on look at the new BlackBerry Bold here at PC Magazine.

[Check it out]

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: BlackBerry Bold, AT&T Wireless

The 3G iPhone rumors are certainly beginning to pick up and this one’s certainly interesting. Fortune is reporting that AT&T plans on selling the new iPhone for $199 - that’s a $200 dollar discount from the current 8GB iPhone price which is $399 (the 16GB goes for $499). Supposedly, the $199 3G iPhone would only be available at AT&T stores while Apple would continue to sell the iPhone for the regular prices of $399 and $499. If this report is indeed true, then this could indicate Apple is giving up on selling locked iPhones (this would also explain why AT&T would undercut the Apple price by $200 dollars). If this rumor is true, then it’s certainly great news for new and existing AT&T customers as well as other GSM customers out there.

News.com is also speculating that perhaps there could be two versions of the iPhone in the works - one for AT&T and one sold by Apple. What the differences would be if this was indeed true is anyone’s guess at this point.

As a consumer who’s had an iPhone since last June, I would certainly look forward to a $199 3G iPhone. I’m sorry but I’m certainly not willing to pay $400 dollars just to gain 3G support.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Apple iPhone, 9, AT&T