Samsung Galaxy Note 7 holdouts will soon have dead phones.
T-Mobile released an update yesterday to prevent Note 7 users from charging devices, rendering them useless. Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T will roll out similar updates next week.
The move will force the hands of those who have not yet traded in the faulty device to finally get an alternative.
Samsung announced the US based battery killing program earlier in this month. Verizon initially said it wouldn't participate due to "added risk" for users without alternate phones, but the company changed its mind and will push an update on January 5.
Carriers killing the Note 7 is the grand finale of the exploding phone debacle that began with a massive recall of Samsung's flagship devices. In September, the company recalled millions of Note 7 phones after a battery issue caused some to catch fire or even explode.
Most users already exchanged their phones. According to Samsung, about 93% of Note 7 devices have been returned in the US.
Samsung also limited the Note 7 battery charging in Canada earlier this month. The devices are currently unable connect to any Canadian mobile network.
Showing posts with label AT&T. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AT&T. Show all posts
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Yahoo hack: It's not just Verizon; AT&T customers should be worried too.
The massive hack that Yahoo disclosed last week is a headache for Verizon, the telecom giant set to take ownership of the company early next year.
Rival AT&T should be nervous too...
That's because many AT&T customers get the option to use a Yahoo Mail account to manage services like home broadband, wireless and pay-television services.
It's the outgrowth of a partnership from 15 years ago between Yahoo and AT&T (then called SBC Communications), bringing AT&T broadband customers to Yahoo's search engine and media services, including Yahoo Mail. At the time, critics hailed the deal as a landmark partnership that would better combat the growing power of AOL and Microsoft's MSN portal.
Today, AOL is part of Verizon, Microsoft's MSN is no more and AT&T likely isn't feeling so great about the deal.
Yahoo said Thursday that the hack compromised at least half a billion accounts containing user names, email addresses and passwords. That makes it the biggest attack ever. US Senator Mark Warner has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the matter.
The hack puts AT&T in an uncomfortable position. The company is still waiting for data from Yahoo on the specific customers who may have been affected, according to a person familiar with their dealings.
"We began investigating immediately and requested information from Yahoo necessary to determine which email accounts may have been compromised," the company said in a statement. "In the meantime, we are in the process of notifying potentially affected customers."
Chances are, a significant number of AT&T customers are affected.
AT&T was in the middle of breaking up with Yahoo before the attack, having announced in May that it would instead tap Synacor to handle its internet and mobile portal business.
The loss of the deal, worth an estimated $100 million a year, came at a
time when chatter had heated up over potential suitors for Yahoo.
AT&T was among the rumored bidders, but Verizon snagged the internet
pioneer with a $4.8 billion offer.
For now, AT&T is offering little advice to its customers beyond the standard line: regularly change your passwords.
That, along with these other tips, is advice everyone should heed.
Rival AT&T should be nervous too...
That's because many AT&T customers get the option to use a Yahoo Mail account to manage services like home broadband, wireless and pay-television services.
It's the outgrowth of a partnership from 15 years ago between Yahoo and AT&T (then called SBC Communications), bringing AT&T broadband customers to Yahoo's search engine and media services, including Yahoo Mail. At the time, critics hailed the deal as a landmark partnership that would better combat the growing power of AOL and Microsoft's MSN portal.
Today, AOL is part of Verizon, Microsoft's MSN is no more and AT&T likely isn't feeling so great about the deal.
Yahoo said Thursday that the hack compromised at least half a billion accounts containing user names, email addresses and passwords. That makes it the biggest attack ever. US Senator Mark Warner has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the matter.
The hack puts AT&T in an uncomfortable position. The company is still waiting for data from Yahoo on the specific customers who may have been affected, according to a person familiar with their dealings.
"We began investigating immediately and requested information from Yahoo necessary to determine which email accounts may have been compromised," the company said in a statement. "In the meantime, we are in the process of notifying potentially affected customers."
Chances are, a significant number of AT&T customers are affected.
AT&T was in the middle of breaking up with Yahoo before the attack, having announced in May that it would instead tap Synacor to handle its internet and mobile portal business.
For now, AT&T is offering little advice to its customers beyond the standard line: regularly change your passwords.
That, along with these other tips, is advice everyone should heed.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
The new tech fad: smart homes. Surprisingly helpful, surprisingly affordable.
When you're not home, nagging little doubts can start to crowd your mind. Did I turn the coffee maker off? Did I lock the door? Are the kids doing their homework or watching television?
With a smart home, you could quiet all of these worries with a quick glance at your smartphone or tablet. You could connect the devices and appliances in your home so they can communicate with each other and with you - from anywhere you may be (as long as you have Internet access).
Any device in your home that uses electricity can be put on your home network and at your command. Whether you give that command by voice, remote control, tablet or smartphone, the home reacts. Most applications relate to lighting, home security, home theater and entertainment, and thermostat regulation.
The idea of a smart home might make you think of George Jetson and his futuristic abode or maybe Bill Gates, who spent more than $100 million building his smart home (source: CNN Money). Once a draw for the tech savvy or the wealthy, smart homes and home automation are becoming more common.
IES now offers smart home installation services. From in your house to around the world, you can control any of the following devices and more:
Interested? Call 781-816-9437 and ask for more details on smart homes. We'd be glad to answer any of your questions or setup a free estimate.
With a smart home, you could quiet all of these worries with a quick glance at your smartphone or tablet. You could connect the devices and appliances in your home so they can communicate with each other and with you - from anywhere you may be (as long as you have Internet access).
Any device in your home that uses electricity can be put on your home network and at your command. Whether you give that command by voice, remote control, tablet or smartphone, the home reacts. Most applications relate to lighting, home security, home theater and entertainment, and thermostat regulation.
The idea of a smart home might make you think of George Jetson and his futuristic abode or maybe Bill Gates, who spent more than $100 million building his smart home (source: CNN Money). Once a draw for the tech savvy or the wealthy, smart homes and home automation are becoming more common.
IES now offers smart home installation services. From in your house to around the world, you can control any of the following devices and more:
- security cameras
- locks
- sensors / alarms
- doorbells
- garage doors
- shades / curtains
- lights
- fans
- outlets
- thermostats
- appliances
Interested? Call 781-816-9437 and ask for more details on smart homes. We'd be glad to answer any of your questions or setup a free estimate.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Shortly after Google announces, Comcast admits "assessing the possibilities" of entry into mobile carrier market.
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts recently hinted that the company
is looking to launch a mobile phone carrier, to compete with the likes
of Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. The service would make use of
Comcast’s numerous national Wi-Fi hotspots to connect phones and tablets
to the Internet.
As reported by FierceCable,
the Comcast boss said during an earnings call Tuesday that the
company is ”still assessing the possibilities” of becoming a
carrier. Under the plan, Comcast would employ its 8.3 million Wi-Fi
hotspots nationwide as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), but
Roberts emphasized that the time is not right to “chew open what
[Comcast’s] Wi-Fi plans are.”
As pointed out by FieceCable’s sister site, FierceWireless,
most of today’s MVNO services, like Republic Wireless and FreedomPop,
work with a major cell carrier to augment their coverage when Wi-Fi
isn’t available. The majority of your calls and website visits occur
over Wi-Fi (at home or at work, for example); when there’s no Wi-Fi
available, you are then passed off to a cellular network. It’s unclear
whether Comcast would go this route or follow its competitor
Cablevision, which recently launched Freewheel, a strictly Wi-Fi-only mobile phone service available at $9.99 a month for current cable subscribers.
"We do believe in the asset, and we’re looking for ways to bring it to market over the next several months," Roberts went on.
If that’s not enough evidence to convince (or scare) you, on Wednesday Engadget
came across what seems to be a related Comcast job post. According to
the listing, the company is looking to hire an executive under the
context that it’s “evaluating potential entries into the wireless
ecosystem” that would “utilize” Comcast’s millions of Wi-Fi hotspots.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Confirmed: Google to launch its own mobile phone network.
Google
is planning to launch its own mobile phone network, the software and
search firm has confirmed, as it plots a major business shift that will
see the company move into supplying broadband connections across the
planet
Details of what Google insiders are calling “Project Nova” were unveiled by Sundar Pichai, recently promoted as second in command to co-founder Larry Page, at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.
Subscribers of Google’s virtual network will be able to switch seamlessly between mobile phone and WiFi signals, and between the masts of competing mobile phone networks, as their phones seek out the best signals.
Dropped calls may also become less of a nuisance, as phones will automatically try to redial the number should the communication be cut mid conversation.
Nova, which will begin life as a US project, is part of a wider move by Google from software into networks, and the company’s ultimate goal is to beam internet connections to the earth’s remotest reaches, where four billion people have poor internet connections or simply live offline.
“We are creating a backbone so we can provide connectivity,” said Pichai. “We will be working with carriers around the world so they can provide services over our backbone. We want to focus on projects which serve billions of users at scale and which make a big difference in their every day lives.”
Leaks in January suggested Google had already signed agreements for Nova with Sprint and T-Mobile in the US. Google will not put up its own masts but will buy airtime wholesale from networks and repackage it for Nova subscribers. The model is known as MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator. It is used by services such as Tesco mobile and would be relatively simple to expand into Europe and further afield.
Pichai claimed Google’s intention was not to compete with existing operators like AT&T, but to improve their performance by demonstrating what was possible.
Details of what Google insiders are calling “Project Nova” were unveiled by Sundar Pichai, recently promoted as second in command to co-founder Larry Page, at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.
Subscribers of Google’s virtual network will be able to switch seamlessly between mobile phone and WiFi signals, and between the masts of competing mobile phone networks, as their phones seek out the best signals.
Dropped calls may also become less of a nuisance, as phones will automatically try to redial the number should the communication be cut mid conversation.
Nova, which will begin life as a US project, is part of a wider move by Google from software into networks, and the company’s ultimate goal is to beam internet connections to the earth’s remotest reaches, where four billion people have poor internet connections or simply live offline.
“We are creating a backbone so we can provide connectivity,” said Pichai. “We will be working with carriers around the world so they can provide services over our backbone. We want to focus on projects which serve billions of users at scale and which make a big difference in their every day lives.”
Leaks in January suggested Google had already signed agreements for Nova with Sprint and T-Mobile in the US. Google will not put up its own masts but will buy airtime wholesale from networks and repackage it for Nova subscribers. The model is known as MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator. It is used by services such as Tesco mobile and would be relatively simple to expand into Europe and further afield.
Pichai claimed Google’s intention was not to compete with existing operators like AT&T, but to improve their performance by demonstrating what was possible.
He said the project would follow the same model as Google’s Nexus devices, low cost but high performance phones and tablets which are made in partnership with manufacturers such as Samsung and LG.
“We don’t intend to be a network operator at scale,” said Pichai. “All innovation in computing happens at intersection of hardware and software. That is why we do Nexus devices. We do it at enough scale to achieve impact. We are at a stage now where it is important to think about hardware software and connectivity together.”
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
The T-Mobile / AT&T battle is heating up! Court rules T-Mobile owns the color magenta.
A squabble over who stole the magic marker seems more fitting for a
classroom than a courtroom. But a federal judge has sided with T-Mobile
in a recent trademark lawsuit, saying that Aio Wireless, an AT&T
subsidiary, isn't allowed to use colors resembling T-Mobile's
promotional magenta color.
The Texas court has ordered AT&T to stop using Pantone 676C, a.k.a "plum," over fears that it might cause consumers to confuse the two brands. According to the presiding judge, T-Mobile successfully argued that letting Aio continue to use a variant of magenta would cause it irreparable harm.
In a statement declaring victory, T-Mobile called AT&T's actions a "transparent effort to infringe" and that the court rightfully defended T-Mobile's sole ability to use the color magenta.
A spokesperson for Aio, Alejandra Arango, said the company has already given up using its controversial color of choice.
"While we disagree with the court's decision, it addresses advertising and store designs that we are no longer implementing. Accordingly, this decision has no effect on our advertising plans," Arango said.
T-Mobile's claim stems from its parent company, Deutsche Telekom, which in the 2000s trademarked a pinkish hue known as RAL 4010 for its promotional campaigns. A side-by-side comparison back in August showed that what T-Mobile argues is magenta seemed pretty distinctive from the wine-colored tone that Aio used. In fact, T-Mobile's definition of magenta appears to have expanded beyond its original trademark; rather than owning a specific shade of pink, the company is now claiming nearby colors as well.
With due respect to the importance of trademarks, if there were an Academy Award for silly lawsuits, this one might qualify. After all, few things speak more loudly than price and service quality — characteristics of a business that tend to transcend marketing materials. Promotional colors can engender valuable feelings of trust and loyalty, to be sure. But I'd wager the share of Americans who select their wireless carrier on the basis of their favorite color is pretty small.
Source: The Washington Post
The Texas court has ordered AT&T to stop using Pantone 676C, a.k.a "plum," over fears that it might cause consumers to confuse the two brands. According to the presiding judge, T-Mobile successfully argued that letting Aio continue to use a variant of magenta would cause it irreparable harm.
In a statement declaring victory, T-Mobile called AT&T's actions a "transparent effort to infringe" and that the court rightfully defended T-Mobile's sole ability to use the color magenta.
A spokesperson for Aio, Alejandra Arango, said the company has already given up using its controversial color of choice.
"While we disagree with the court's decision, it addresses advertising and store designs that we are no longer implementing. Accordingly, this decision has no effect on our advertising plans," Arango said.
T-Mobile's claim stems from its parent company, Deutsche Telekom, which in the 2000s trademarked a pinkish hue known as RAL 4010 for its promotional campaigns. A side-by-side comparison back in August showed that what T-Mobile argues is magenta seemed pretty distinctive from the wine-colored tone that Aio used. In fact, T-Mobile's definition of magenta appears to have expanded beyond its original trademark; rather than owning a specific shade of pink, the company is now claiming nearby colors as well.
With due respect to the importance of trademarks, if there were an Academy Award for silly lawsuits, this one might qualify. After all, few things speak more loudly than price and service quality — characteristics of a business that tend to transcend marketing materials. Promotional colors can engender valuable feelings of trust and loyalty, to be sure. But I'd wager the share of Americans who select their wireless carrier on the basis of their favorite color is pretty small.
Source: The Washington Post
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