Skype Calls on iPhone Now Permitted By AT&T

On Tuesday AT&T reversed its position on voice over IP (voip) calls via it's cellular data network. Now iPhone users will be able to use their devices along with services such as Skype to make calls over the internet. “IPhone is an innovative device that dramatically changed the game in wireless when it was introduced just two years ago,” Ralph de la Vega, chief executive of AT&T’s consumer and wireless unit, said in a statement. “Today’s decision was made after evaluating our customers’ expectations and use of the device compared to dozens of others we offer.” What about Google Voice?

Source: NYTimes

AT&T - First Microsoft Surface Deployment

This news is exciting for those of us who have been anxiously awaiting the roll out of the Microsoft Surface PC. AT&T is said to be rolling out the Microsoft Surface PC to select retail stores later this month. The fact that it's a cellphone retailer should not surprise anyone as the early videos of the device showed an application where users could place a phone on the surface and receive information about it and the plans that are available for that particular phone. "We believe in Microsoft Surface and what it can do for our customers," said Andy Austin, AT&T director of retail customer experience. AT&T got "very, very excited" when it first saw the Surface computers, he said. If you are in Atlanta, San Antonio, the San Francisco area, or New York City (2 sites) be on the lookout for the surface!

New York: 381 Madison Ave. and 350 Park Ave.

Atlanta: 3429 Lenox Road N.E.

San Antonio: 13127 San Pedro Ave.

San Francisco area: 1206 El Camino Real, San Bruno

According to Todd Bishop at Seatlepi.com
Microsoft Press Release
AT&T Press Release

No iPhone for Chinese Market

G4's The Feed blog is reporting that talks between Apple and China's largest cellphone provider China Mobile have broken off with no explanation. Apple had been hoping to tap into the 350 million user market but it doesn't look good! Perhaps the revenue sharing model is not as appealing to China Mobile as it was to AT&T?

Netflix's $1 million coding challenge

Last year Netflix offered programmers a challenge, and dangled a $1 million reward as incentive. The task was to improve upon the company's recommendation system by at least 10%, and to date none of the more than 27,000 entries have succeeded. In order to keep developers interested Netflix is awarding it's first annual prize of $50,000 to the team that achieved the closest margin of 8.5%. The team is composed of 3 employees of AT&T who were paid to work on the project by their employer, the company is being awarded the prize and plans to donate the proceeds. Kudos AT&T! It's nice to see companies embrace these challenges and allow employees to follow such pursuits! CNN story here.

iPhone untethered

A teen from New Jersey and a software company hoping to cash in, both claim to have come up with methods of undoing the ties that bind the iPhone to AT&T. 17 year old George Hotz's solution is not for the faint of heart, especially when you consider how much the hot little device sells for (it involves a soldering gun). iPhoneSimFree.com claims to have a software only solution that it has released to the media before making it available for sale to the general public. Globe and Mail story here.

AT&T scores another mobile device

The dual-mode BlackBerry 8820 was announced Tuesday by Research In Motion Ltd. Named "dual-mode" because it works with both the EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity for data access and voice support. The Wi-Fi connectivity will allow users to connect off of the cellular network, at home through 802.11 a/b/g wireless networks, and through Wi-Fi hotspots. The 8820 is RIM's first dual-mode BlackBerry, and it's said to be the slimmest Blackberry to date. "The BlackBerry 8820 is an extraordinary business phone for people who really care about mobile communications and productivity. It features all the renowned power and usability of the BlackBerry platform with executive class styling and unprecedented connectivity features, including cellular, Wi-Fi and built-in GPS," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM.The phone will be available in the US through AT&T, a Canadian carry is yet to be announced. As the news broke RIM shares climbed $4.19 to $240.29 on the TSX.

iPhone hackers busy

The Register is reporting that "Famed reverse engineer Jon Lech Johansen claims to have discovered a way to "activate" an iPhone without signing up for a contract with AT&T." Johansen is somewhat famous for having hacked the iTunes encryption and has been a thorn in Apple's side for some time. The current hack apparently allows users to use the iPod and Wi-Fi capabilities of the device, but doesn't allow the use of the phone features. iPhone is currently only available in the U.S. and only on the AT&T network, a non-activated iPhone will not function except to call 911, if Johansen's claim is true the iPhone could be used as a cool but expensive iPod. It's only been a few days since the release and many sites have popped up claiming to be able to hack the iPhone to allow its use on other networks and in other countries, these for fee services should be avoided in my humble opinion. As always , consumer beware! It's highly unlikely that anyone has totally cracked the device this quickly. The "God Phone" as it has been dubbed is such a hot commodity that some may be willing to take the chance, but from what I've heard and read I think I'd rather wait for the next version anyway, there still may be a few things for Apple to work out before it reaches deity status in my books.

iPhone supply outlasts demand on day one

Both Apple and AT&T stores had ample supply on the first day of iPhone sales. This was good news for those who waited in line, some for days, but not such good news for those hoping to make a quick buck on e-bay or craigslist. Lines dissipated quickly and iPhones hit e-bay nearly as quickly with some seeking more than a $1000 for the device which sells for $499 US for the 4GB model or $599 for the 8GB model. CNet has the story here. Time will tell I guess whether or not this highly anticipated device will live up to the hype, at least there have been no reports of gun toting thugs mugging unlucky iPhone owners on their way out of the Apple Store! Note to Steve Jobs: We are waiting anxiously up here in Canada eh!