Phonedig

Live in NYC?  Good news.  AT&T says they’ve finished upgrading their 3G network.  To prove it they say call quality has improved 47%, data speeds have gone up 25% and performance during peaks hours should be more solid all together.  Based on our experience a 47% increase in call quality means that every other call will no be disconnected after 15 minutes as opposed to every call.

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In a rather surprising move, AT&T today announced the opening of its 3G network to iPhone VOIP apps. Yep, that means you can run apps such as Skype pretty much anywhere. Previously, you were only able to do so via Wi-Fi, so this is welcome news indeed.

My only question is why did they suddenly allow this? Surely, they couldn’t have possibly acted in the customer’s best interest. So what’s the catch?

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The word on the street is that AT&T’s femtocell technology may be launching in some markets, including Atlanta, San Antonio, Seattle, and North Carolina, as early as next week. The femtocell device, aka AT&T 3G Microcell, connects to your broadband connection and essentially becomes a honest to goodness mini cell tower. Everyone in range of approx 5,000 square feet should experience improved cell phone reception. Hooray for all you cave-dwellers.

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T-Mobile’s MyTouch 3G, recently featured on the Oprah show, is now going for $99 thanks to a special Oprah promotion. Simply enter KICKOFF24 in the promotion code box at checkout and get a cool $100 off (2 year contract required). The offer ends on September 24 but be sure to get in on this early–anything that Oprah promotes goes off the shelf like bonkers…umm, according to the wife.

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Yesterday we saw the HTC Touch Pro2 emerge with AT&T branding and today the phone became available for purchase from T-Mobile for a non-recession friendly $350, and that’s after a 2-year service agreement.  What T-Mobile is smoking is anyone’s guess, but if you’ve got the will power hold out a month or so and I’m sure we’ll see a price cut.

The big features are a 3.2 megapixel camera, touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, stereo Bluetooth, music player, WiFi, GPS and 3G connectivity.

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Today AT&T switched on their 850MHz 3G in Atlanta including downtown and parts of Fulton, DeKalb, North Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, and Fayette Counties.

So what’s the big deal? Isn’t it a step down from 1900MHz? Aren’t higher numbers better? Will it fry my brain? Well, no, no, and possibly. The 850MHz spectrum is actually better at penetrating through buildings so users should see an overall improvement in indoor reception.

If you’re not in Atlanta, fret not, as AT&T will be enabling the extra spectrum in other U.S. cities such as New York and San Francisco by the end of 2009.

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News has surfaced that T-Mobile is priming their guns to launch the HTC Touch Pro2.  This news comes as a surprise as we last saw the Touchpro2 in May adorned with a Verizon badge.  The launch date for the QWERTY, touchscreen handset is said to be August 12th, but price is currently unknown.

Other features include a 3.2 megapixel cameras, touchscreen, WiFi, GPS and 3G connectivity.  Like all HTC phones, or should I say most HTC phones, the Touch Pro2 will run Windows Mobile 6.1, but be skinned with HTC’s proprietary TouchFLO 3D UI.

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T-Mobile announced customers can now pre-order the myTouch 3G smartphone through their website. This much anticipated Android-based smartphone will be available in stores on August 5th and those who pre-order will receive the phone before other customers. Features include:

• 3G HSDPA support/built-in WiFi
• Web application support including HTML browser, YouTube, Google Map, Picasa integration
• User swapable rear cover for customized shells
• Available in white, black, or merlot red
• Price: US $199

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The head honchos at Sprint are promising to release a 3G voice/data femtocell solution before AT&T. Well, they better get moving because AT&T is set to release their version by the end of 2009. Sprint’s femtocell device plugs into your broadband router/modem and effectively boosts voice reception as well as EVDO Rev.A coverage. Should be sweet.

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Finally, T-Mobile has come clean with the actual launch date for the Dash 3G: July 8th. Expect the QWERTY handset to cost $170 after a 2-year contract signing, but it’s not clear yet if there will be a mail-in-rebate or not. The Dash 3G originally surfaced as the HTC Snap, which is being adopted by good old Sprint.

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