The company says video chat apps will work over its cellular network for all customers by year's end, regardless of device or data plan.
(Credit: Apple)
AT&T customers should be able to use any mobile video chat app before too much longer.
Preloaded video-chat apps will work over AT&T's cellular network for all customers, regardless of device or data plan, by the end of 2013, according to a statement from AT&T.
Customers with unlimited data and an LTE device should expect to be able to use video chat apps from Apple, Samsung, and BlackBerry over the AT&T network by mid-June.
For video chat apps that come preloaded on devices, we currently give all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share or Tiered plans. Apple, Samsung, and Blackberry have chosen to enable this for their preloaded video chat apps. And by mid-June, we'll have enabled those apps over cellular for our unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices from those three manufacturers.
Throughout the second half of this year, we plan to enable preloaded video chat apps over cellular for all our customers, regardless of data plan or device; that work is expected to be complete by year-end.
Today, all of our customers can use any mobile video chat app that they download from the Internet, such as Skype.
AT&T came under scrutiny when the company limited iOS users to using Apple's Facetime app over Wi-Fi only. After public pressure and the threat of a Federal Communications Commission investigation, AT&T revised its policy to allow any wireless customer with a tiered data plan to use Apple's FaceTime app over AT&T's cellular network.
AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile band together on the "It Can Wait" ad campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of sending text messages while behind the wheel.
The four major wireless carriers are putting their sway behind a massive ad campaign that aims to lower the amount of people that text while driving in the U.S.
Initiated by AT&T, the multi-million dollar "It Can Wait" campaign now has the support of Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more than 200 other organizations. Besides rolling out TV, radio, and Internet ads throughout the summer, the campaign will also travel to thousands of retail stores, create a social media presence, and display messaging on Goodyear blimps.
"Texting while driving is a deadly habit that makes you 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash," AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said in a statement on Tuesday. "Awareness of the dangers of texting and driving has increased, but people are still doing it. With this expanded effort, we hope to change behavior."
According to the U.S. government's distracted driving Web site, 3,331 people were killed by "distracted drivers" in 2011, while 3,267 were killed in 2010. A 2009 study by the VirginiaTech Transportation Institute showed that texting drivers were 23 percent more likely to get in a crash than those who pay attention to the road.
AT&T recently conducted its own survey, which shows that texting and driving is on the rise -- despite it being outlawed in most U.S. states. According to AT&T, 49 percent of commuters say they text while driving and half of them admit to it being a habit.
"It Can Wait" focuses on teen drivers and asks them to take a pledge against texting while behind the wheel. The carriers also set up a Web site just for the campaign where people can get information and read stories about people whose lives were affected by texting drivers.
"Mobile technology connects us in many cool ways, but adults and teens need to put it on hold while behind the wheel," T-Mobile President and CEO John Legere said. "Knowing the risks is not enough. By simply putting the phone down, thousands of tragedies can be prevented every year. It's time to end texting while driving -- for good."
What started out as an effort by President Reagan to help poor people in rural areas have a phone in cases of emergency has mushroomed into what critics suspect is a new welfare program.
"The cost has gone from $143 million a few years ago to $2.2 billion today," Republican Louisiana Sen. David Vitter said, noting that today's cost is 15 times what it was.
The cost of the program increased dramatically after cellphones were added in 2008. Only low-income people on welfare and food stamps legally qualify, but some lawmakers say the program is out of control.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, was incensed when she got an offer of a free phone.
"I got solicitation for a free phone at my apartment, which is certainly not a building where you're going to have people who are qualified for free phones. ... There is clearly money being wasted here."
And Vitter adds, "The FCC, itself, said in a recent year there were 270,000 beneficiaries that had more than one of these subsidized cellphones. That's completely against the law right there."
Funded by a small tax on all phone bills, the program has exploded -- with companies advertising free phones and offering 250 minutes.
Harold Feld of a group called Public Knowledge notes, "you have a lot of these prepaid-phone, no-contract options that are obviously very popular."
The FCC told lawmakers the top five companies can't verify the eligibility of 41 percent of those who get phones.
"I hear from law enforcement that these phones are often found at crime scenes and are used in drug deals," Republican Rep. Tim Griffin of Arkansas said. "Why? It's because you can't trace them."
"Just handing out phones willy nilly and allowing them to be sold on the black market," Sen. McCaskill said. "This isn't the way to do it, and we need to stop."
Some recipients famously called them "Obama phones," with one boasting to the media during the election that minorities should support the president precisely because he gave them free cellphones.
That is not true, and many are appalled by the abuse in the program. One supporter, however, argues cellphones are helpful because they're not just for emergencies:
"It's how we find jobs, it's how we now participate in all the activities in the economy," Feld said.
But McCaskill says those looking for work could simply check out a phone from the unemployment office or a shelter.
With so much abuse in the current program, she is now concerned about some new proposals: "What's really worrisome to me is now the FCC wants to expand to this program into broadband. That's a very bad idea, I think."
She says such a waste of money makes taxpayers think government just isn't paying attention. And she says the current program is so far out of control, we should simply scrap it and start over, not expand it.
It might not be such a great idea to allow your young child to operate a handset. According to researcher Yoon Hwan Byun, of the Department of Medicine at Dankook University College of Medicine in Korea, children making voice calls on cellphones have an increased risk of developing ADHD. This is valid only if the children are also exposed to large levels of lead. Also at risk for developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were those children who play video games on cellphones at a young age. Again, those with lead in their blood stream appear to be the most at risk.
Children with ADHD have trouble focusing and are easily distracted. They are also impulsive, talkative and can't sit still. Earlier studies have suggested that the amount of pre-natal exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) can cause behavioral problems in kids. In addition, children with exposure to RF fields seem to have higher levels of lead in their blood stream. The testing was conducted on 2,400 elementary school students who were evaluated for ADHD while the parents gave up information on cellphone use by their children. After two years, the researchers found a correlation between cellphone use by kids, high levels of lead in the blood, and ADHD.
The good news is that those children who stopped using cellphones during the testing period had a huge decline in symptoms compared to the children who continued to use the handsets. But before placing the blame squarely on the use of cellphones, Byun cautioned that there could be reverse causality. Instead of kids becoming hyperactive because of cellphone use, the researcher says that children's hyperactivity could cause them to seek out a device like a cellphone to play video games to help counter the lack of focus. More research needs to be done, but for now it seems that there is a link between a child's cellphone usage and the amount of RF and lead exposure he or she is subject to. Work needs to be done on what this exposure means to the kids.
T-Mobile's no-contracts, no-subsidy plans could lead to more device interoperability and lower prices on handsets across the industry.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere talks up the company's new no-contract, no-device-subsidy service plans at an event in New York City.
(Credit: CNET Lori Grunin)
Imagine a world where you could take your mobile phone to any carrier you wanted.
You wouldn't be bound to a contract, and your phone would be free from technical constraints that make it impossible to use on other carriers' networks. And forget about that $700 price tag that left you wondering if you were buying a phone or a computer. In this new world order, pricing on smartphones would fall as quickly as the components inside them become commoditized, much like the prices of all consumer electronics. That means no need to cling to a service contract in exchange for a hefty device subsidy.
Sounds pretty enticing, right? Well, T-Mobile's new pricing strategy could help chart a path in this direction.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me be clear: This is going to be a slow process. T-Mobile's new service plans -- which don't require a contract and require that customers pay for their devices either up front or over two years -- won't get us to this wireless market nirvana I just described. There are still technical challenges to be worked out to make device unlocking and true handset interoperability a reality. And on the business side, education is still needed for consumers to see the benefit of the no-contract, no-device-subsidy model.
But T-Mobile's plan provides a glimpse of what the future could be if the company is successful.
"We are closer than we have ever been before to a market where you can take your device to any carrier," said Anand Shimpi, editor in chief and CEO of AnandTech.com, a Web site for technology enthusiasts. "But there are still a lot of hurdles. The wireless market didn't get the way it is today because this is what's good for consumers. It's because the market is dominated by powerful forces."
Yes, those powerful forces. AT&T and Verizon Wireless control 70 percent of the market for a reason: Consumers like their services. They may not like the high monthly prices they pay, the caps on their data services, and the stiff contracts that bind them to these services. But what they do like is the reliable, fast, and ubiquitous networks offered by these service providers. Also, let's not forget that these operators are able to offer the most popular devices, such as the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4, at a subsidized price.
But Shimpi thinks technical advancements and aggressive moves by companies like T-Mobile could shake up the status quo.
"What would the PC industry look like if all computers cost $2,000 and you could only use the devices that worked on your cable provider's network?" Shimpi added. "The long term view of wireless is that it's going to look more like the PC and broadband market. We will have competition in hardware and mobile operators. But in the meantime, these mobile operators will be doing everything they can to hold onto their power."
Long before T-Mobile introduced its new no-contract, no-subsidy service plans, the company was embarking on a major network upgrade that ultimately will align the technologies and radio frequencies it uses with bigger competitors, namely AT&T.
When it comes to device interoperability and interchangeability two things need to be in harmony: carriers need to be using the same network technology, and those technologies need to operate at the same radio frequency. T-Mobile and AT&T always have been aligned on their basic network technologies, but they didn't use the same radio frequencies to deliver these services.
T-Mobile shows off its 4G LTE network at an event in New York City.
Because T-Mobile was spectrum-constrained when it first built its network, it was unable to deploy its faster 3G services in the same spectrum bands as AT&T. As a result, devices built for AT&T's network would not run at the faster 3G speeds when used on T-Mobile's network. This is why up until recently an unlocked iPhone from AT&T on T-Mobile's network operated only at 2G and 2.5G speeds, despite being able to access AT&T's faster 3G services.
For the past year, T-Mobile has been "refarming," or reusing, spectrum for its 3G and HSPA+ services to make room for new LTE services. While this move has allowed T-Mobile to more efficiently use its spectrum, it also finally has put its 3G and 4G services in the same spectrum bands as AT&T.
Mark McDiarmid, vice president of radio engineering technology at T-Mobile, said the company already has made significant progress in its spectrum realignment initiative. About 142 million potential customers can access T-Mobile's faster speed HSPA+ 3G/4G service in the same spectrum band that AT&T is using for that service. The company will cover about 200 million people with that service by the end of the year.
Even though it's still early days for T-Mobile's 4G LTE network, the company announced last week that it has launched 4G LTE service in seven cities using one of the spectrum bands that AT&T is using. That service is expected to cover 100 million potential customers by the middle of this year and 200 million by the end of the year.
The result is that a growing number of T-Mobile customers who come to the network with an unlocked AT&T phone will be able to connect at data rates that are as fast or sometimes even faster than those they would connect at on AT&T's network.
"We are aligning our two spectrum bands to be maximally compatible with all carriers in the Americas, and that includes AT&T," McDiarmid said. "We are doing this mainly because it is more cost effective to buy devices that are part of the biggest ecosystem. But it also has the benefit of making the devices interoperable."
Of course, T-Mobile's shifts in spectrum won't make all devices interoperable across all U.S. carriers. There are still old technology barriers that stand in the way. For instance,Verizon and Sprint use a fundamentally different network technology that is not compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile devices.
But there is hope for the future. Verizon and Sprint are deploying LTE for their next-generation 4G networks too. When these networks are fully rolled out and these carriers can retire their older technologies, there is a chance that devices across all four major carriers could interoperate.
To help solve the issue of carriers using different spectrum bands, chipmakers, such as Qualcomm, are putting more radios on a single chip, reducing the cost and space constraints associated with handling multiple radios.
"This is a big problem that everyone wants to solve," Shimpi said. "And the solution is likely to be a combination of things, including what chipmakers are doing with flexible transceivers."
T-Mobile's network migration is only part of the story. The company's announcement last week that it's getting rid of contracts and device subsidies is another step toward greater choice and, ultimately, lower prices for consumers.
The knee-jerk reaction to this news is to immediately bemoan the fact that consumers are now expected to pay full price for devices. That's unfortunate. Even though most consumers may only pay $200 up front for a high-end smartphone with a two-year service contract (plus the $35 upgrade fee), they still pay full price for that phone through the monthly service fee. The only difference is that under such carrier contracts, consumers have no idea how much of their monthly bill is being used to subsidize the cost of that phone or when that phone is ultimately paid off.
"We have to remind people that there is no free lunch," said Harry Thomas, marketing director for T-Mobile. "People need to see how much they really pay each month for that phone under the subsidy model. And the truth is that our plan allows them to pay less for their devices and less each month for their service."
The LG Nexus 4 is sold unlocked and without a contract on the Google Play Marketplace for $350.
(Credit: Josh Long/CNET)
The problem with the wireless market in the U.S. under the subsidy model is that people have no incentive to shop around for a lower cost device. Regardless of whether they get a cheaper device, they still pay the same monthly service fee.
That changes under T-Mobile's model. Not only do consumers see the true cost of the device, they also buy a less expensive device or even use an older device for which they didn't have to pay. The total cost of ownership, when you consider the device cost and monthly service, is less.
If consumers start looking at the true cost of the device and there is an incentive to buy a less expensive piece of equipment, this will pressure device manufacturers to compete on price -- something they haven't had to do in the smartphone market.
Google already has started to buck this trend. Last year, the company introduced its flagship smartphone, the Nexus 4, which sells through Google Play for as little as $300. That's about $100 more than most smartphones with a two-year contract, but it's more than half the cost of a smartphone at full retail price. Google is expected to unveil its newest Nexus smartphone next month at the Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco, and there's a good chance the company will once again offer a smartphone at a competitive price.
"There is no question that device makers are charging too much for their smartphones," Shimpi said. "The actual cost is probably somewhere around $200 or $300 per device. But it's nowhere near $700."
Follow the laggard? Will other wireless carriers follow T-Mobile?
Of course, the big question is whether other carriers will follow T-Mobile's lead. AT&T and Verizon benefit from locking customers into two-year contracts.
So why change? T-Mobile has adopted this strategy out of desperation. It has been losing customers each quarter. And it nearly went out of business awaiting the failed merger with AT&T in 2011. The breakup fee from that failed merger, worth about $4 billion, is helping drive the company's latest plan. T-Mobile not only got cash from AT&T but also some of its valuable Advanced Wireless Services spectrum, which it's using to build its 4G LTE network.
T-Mobile also has the weakest spectrum position out of all four of the major wireless carriers. The company's recent acquisition of MetroPCS will do nothing to help it expand its coverage in suburban and rural areas, but that acquisition should help T-Mobile increase capacity in metro markets where it already operates.
T-Mobile is targeting an important segment of the market. For the past couple of years, the prepaid wireless market has been growing, while growth in the traditional postpaid contract segment has slowed. In fact, last year was the first year in which wireless operators in aggregate saw postpaid contract plans decline, while prepaid plans increased. Now prepaid wireless service makes up about 25 percent of the market. But the prepaid market has been stifled by a lack of access to new devices. Many of these services, which lease capacity from larger carriers, also don't offer the fastest 4G speeds.
T-Mobile's offering will help solve both of these problems, giving consumers access to its fastest networks as well as new devices. And because T-Mobile is offering the ability for consumers to finance their handsets at 0 percent financing, the company is providing yet another incentive. As I said in my Ask Maggie column, the T-Mobile plan is a great deal for customers who live and work in T-Mobile's service area. Now it's up to T-Mobile to help consumers understand the benefits.
Said Shimpi: "The best way to create change in the wireless market and to force other carriers to be more open: Buy a Nexus 4 and join T-Mobile's service."
Though Apple's mobile OS is often thought of as impervious to malware, hackers could potentially control a device using a malicious iOS profile, says Skycure Security.
(Credit: Apple)
Android usually gets smacked around for playing host to mobile malware, but iOS isn't totally immune, according to researchers at Skycure Security.
iOS profiles, aka mobileconfig files, are used by mobile carriers to configure key settings for e-mail, Wi-Fi, and other features. But these files could be abused by attackers to sneak past Apple's normally tight security and and hijack a mobile device, the security firm revealed in a blog post today.
The process would be similar to that of a typical malware infection.
An attacker might tempt users to visit a malicious Web site by promising something for free. To get the free item, the victims are asked to install a mobileconfig file that will set up their devices. That malicious profile then gives the attacker full access to the device.
Like most phishing attacks, the success rate depending on how many people fall for the scam.
But a survey carried out by Skycure found that a number of mobile carriers do ask their users to install mobileconfig files in order to receive access to data plans. That process doesn't always employ tight security, according to Skycure.
The security firm uncovered one such process at several AT&T stores:
As pay-as-you-go clients who own an iPhone, we were directed to download and install profiles on our own devices. According to AT&T's instructions, users are advised to download a profile from http://unlockit.co.nz via an unencrypted channel. The installation of this mobile configuration, which configures APN settings on the device, is mandatory for granting access to AT&T's data network. In one of the stores, an AT&T salesperson actually took our phone and performed the aforementioned process via a public wi-fi network, which is an easy target for man-in-the-middle attacks.
Those man-in-the-middle attacks can change the mobileconfig file to a malicious version, allowing the device to be compromised. Skycure said it alerted AT&T to the issue and believes the carrier will tighten its process for installing mobileconfig files at its stores.
Skycure also offered three pieces of advice for iOS users downloading mobileconfig files:
1) You should only install profiles from trusted websites or applications.
2) Make sure you download profiles via a secure channel (e.g., use profile links that start with https and not http).
3) Beware of non-verified mobileconfigs. While a verified profile isn't necessarily a safe one, a non-verified should certainly raise your suspicion.
CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if the company responds.
PrepaYd Wireless No-Contract Unlimited Plans Bring Your Own Sprint Phone to SquareCircleWireless.com
Y $35 Don’t use mobile web? Get our introductory plan with Unlimited Nationwide Talk & Text. Y $40
Use mobile web but don’t need a smart phone? Get Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text and Web with our $40 plan. Y $45
Take a priceless photo recently and that you cant wait to show someone? Add Unlimited Picture Messaging for $45 and get Unlimited Nationwide Talk, Text, Web with Picture Messaging? Y $50
Don’t want a contract for your fancy phone? Our Y $50 Plan offers Unlimited Everything 3G. Y $60
Unlimited Everything 4G for $60? Say no more! This is our best plan yet.
Unlimited Nationwide Talk and Text on one of the largest Wireless Nationwide Networks. We never compromise and include international texting, Online Account Management, Call History Records, Voice Mail, and 24x7x365 live Customer Service.
Shakespeare nailed Android's current dilemma in "Henry IV": "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."
Since 2011, Android's share of the worldwide smartphone market has skyrocketed from 49.2 percent to 68.8 percent. That success has not been unqualified, though: a staggering 79 percent of all malware on mobile devices targets Android machines.
This information comes by way of a report from Finland-based F-Secure Response Labs, which monitors digital threats around the world and keeps wary consumers informed and protected.
The report states that while threat levels on BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Apple's iOS are relatively stable, Android's potential hazards have been multiplying at an alarming rate.
The most prominent risk comes in the form of premium SMS scams. These rogue programs are simple and often quite insidious. By masquerading as legitimate apps (such as "Angry Birds" or Instagram), premium SMS malware often installs a working version of the program, but one that requests permissions well in excess of what is normally required.
Gaining access to a user's credit card information, these programs then subscribe to costly messaging or subscription services, putting money directly into scammers' pockets.
Other popular Android hacks include banking Trojans, and anyone using a banking app should be watchful for this kind of malware. To make online banking possible, banks provide users with an authentication number, which is then saved in the phone's cache. [See also: 10 Tips to Keep Your Android Phone Safe]
When hackers get their hands on these numbers, conducting seemingly legal transfers of money into shady accounts is simplicity itself. Last year, one particularly invasive Trojan called Eurograbber robbed users of over $47 million.
Android's rise in market prominence and its malware woes are linked, but a 20 percent increase in market strength does not explain a 200 percent increase in harmful software. In this case, Android's greatest strength is also its Achilles heel.
The platform is considerably more open and developer-friendly than its iOS competitor. While this gives Android operators more freedom in installing apps and modifying a phone's user interface, it also makes the operating system a much easier target for hackers.
Luckily, keeping Android phones safe is no more difficult than protecting home computers. When downloading new apps, be sure that you're getting the official version.
Don't open strange messages or follow questionable links. If you observe any strange program behavior, clear your cache, invest in some mobile anti-virus software or consult your wireless provider.
If everyday users play it smart with their Android phones, F Secure's next report should include much more promising data.
(Credit: Apple)
