AT&T

AT&T adds ZTE Avail to GoPhone lineup

October 12th, 2011   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

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AT&T GoPhone will further enhanced its lineup with the addition of the ZTE Avail. It’s the second Android handset that GoPhone has introduced. As with most prepaid Androids, it’s nothing special, but it gets the job done with a 3.5-inch touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera. AT&T didn’t mention a processor speed in its press release, so figure between 600 and 800 MHz — in other words, good enough, but certainly not high end. There was no word on pricing or release date, which makes me wonder why they even announced it in the first place.

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AT&T GoPhone adds low-cost ZTE Z221

September 28th, 2011   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

Prepaid customers seeking a cheap handset on AT&T GoPhone will find solace in the ZTE Z221, the newest handset on GoPhone. It’s a basic flip model that features a VGA camera, a music player, and little else. It can browse the web, send text messages, and take advantage of most GoPhone services. Its best feature, of course, is the price: $39.99. You can get the Z221 and a GoPhone prepaid plan at AT&T’s website.

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AT&T looks to MetroPCS, Cricket to save T-Mobile deal

September 20th, 2011   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

How far will AT&T go to save its acquisition of T-Mobile? According to a recent Bloomberg report, they’re talking about selling off assets to smaller carriers, namely MetroPCS and Cricket. This is in response to the Department of Justice’s move to block the deal. Additional spectrum will certainly be of use to Cricket and MetroPCS, but will it be enough to outweigh the negatives that this deal poses for the two companies?
 

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Would a combined AT&T/T-Mobile consume prepaid carriers?

September 15th, 2011   |    AT&T   |    1 Comment

As if this title weren’t provocative enough — AT&T/T-Mobile merger could put Sprint out of business — it actually undersells the opinions set forth in the post. Boy Genius Report picked up an item from analysis firm Chitika Insights, in which the latter claims that a merged AT&T and T-Mobile could wipe out carriers such as MetroPCS. The combined company, Chitika explains, would cover 51 percent of mobile subscribers, though they do neglect to mention that possible divestitures would probably knock that below the majority point. But all it takes is a few defections to bring them back over, and once a single company has the majority it can call the shots.
 
There’s enough at stake here that I still believe that the merger will go through. That could create an interesting, though possibly destructive, mobile industry in the next few years.

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AT&T adds $25 GoPhone plan for messaging

September 13th, 2011   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

AT&T GoPhone has bookended the summer with a pair of excellent new plans. In June they introduced a $50 unlimited GoPhone plan, which covers voice minutes, messages, and web surfing. Now they’ve added to their lineup with a $25 plan that includes 250 anytime minutes, plus unlimited messaging. This is something like Virgin Mobile‘s Beyond Talk plan, which includes 300 minutes, plus unlimited messaging and data for $30 per month (previously $25 per month). It will be available starting September 18th at AT&T’s website.
 
AT&T made a few more announcements to go along with this one, which we’ll detail after the break.
 

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AT&T adds $50 GoPhone monthly plan

June 22nd, 2011   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

Not content with its three unlimited talk and text plans, AT&T GoPhone has announced another one. This one comes in a bit cheaper than the other three, at $50 per month. As with the other plans, it provides unlimited talk and text. In addition, the plan includes unlimited web and unlimited text and IMs to Mexico and Canada, among 100 other countries. GoPhone customers with smartphones can choose this plan and add one of AT&T’s data potions, which range from $5 to $25. The odd thing is that this appears comparable to the current $60 plan, so this might amount to a price reduction more than a new plan. It will be available on June 26. You can sign up at AT&T GoPhone’s website.

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AT&T announces smartphone, new GoPhone data plans

April 12th, 2011   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

Pictured above is the LG Thrive, an Android smartphone recently announced for release on AT&T GoPhone. It’s a standard mid-level Android handset, featuring a 3.2-inch screen, 600MHz processor, WiFi, Android 2.2, and 3G data speeds (up to 7.2Mbps). In addition, AT&T rolled out a new data plan and revised its existing ones. The new one includes 500MB for $25 per month. The old ones are now $5 for 10MB and $15 for 100MB. These plans also get users access to AT&T’s WiFi hotspots, which will help cut down on data usage. The Thrive will be available at retail outlets and AT&T’s website on April 17th. It will require one of the aforementioned data plans.

Via Phone Scoop.

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With AT&T, press End after 30 seconds or lose a minute

March 17th, 2011   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

When do you get charged for a prepaid minute? That will depend on the carrier. Each one has a set of rules it implements when determining billing practices. You can find these in your customer agreement, though I’ve yet to meet someone — other than a wireless professional — who has ever read one. If there is one takeaway from Christina Bonnington’s recent story on Wired.com, it’s that you should look for this provision. Otherwise you might be getting charged for airtime when you’re not even connected to another user.

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AT&T picks up the ZTE R225 for GoPhone

November 19th, 2010   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

If the phone above doesn’t appear all that impressive, well, it’s not. It’s your run of the mill candybar handset. Made by ZTE, the R225 has really no advanced features. It’s for the cell phone user who wants to talk and text but little more. It can access the mobile web and access messaging services such as AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo! Messenger. The simple handset has a simple price: just $20. You can get the R225 at AT&T’s website.

Via Phone Scoop.

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AT&T GoPhone gets two Samsung handsets

October 20th, 2010   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

I’m not sure how long ago AT&T GoPhone made available these two Samsung handsets, but they’re ready for the buying right now. The first, pictured above, is the SGH-A187, which is a low-end QWERTY device. It’s basically a messaging phone, though you can take advantage of GoPhone’s data allotment with the web browser. It also has a 1.3 megaplixel camera. The A197 might be a higher model number, but it’s just a basic flip phone with a VGA camera and little else. You can get the A187 for $79.99 and the A197 for $49.99 at AT&T’s website.

Via CNET.

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AT&T changing GoPhone rates

October 1st, 2010   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

Starting on October 3, AT&T GoPhone will offer new rates for its unlimited plans. They will keep both the pay-per-day unlimited plan and the monthly version, but will make changes to both. The per-day plan — Unlimited Daily Talk and Text — will now cost $2 per day, down from $3. Users will only pay the $2 fee on days they make or receive calls, use IM, or send a message. The monthly plan will remain a flat $60 per month, but will now offer the option to add 200MB of data for an extra $15 per month. It also looks like the basic rate is now 10 cents per minute, down from 25 cents. Previously you had to pay $1 per day to get the 10 cents per minute rate. It appears that is no longer the case.

You can get the new GoPhone rates on Sunday at an AT&T outlet or on AT&T’s website.

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A way to use prepaid data on an iPhone

September 16th, 2010   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

There was a time when AT&T had the king of prepaid data plans. For the same $20 monthly fee it charted postpaid users, AT&T allowed prepaid users to hook up a smartphone and pay by the month. Not long after the iPhone’s release they discontinued it and came back with far less attractive plans: $19.99 for 100MB and $4.99 for 1MB. Still, for someone who wanted a quick data bundle it was serviceable. But then AT&T made it policy to not allow iPhones on prepaid. Thankfully, there is a way around this.

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New Pantech handset, Pursuit, headed for GoPhone

August 9th, 2010   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

Via Howard Forums we get a look at the Pantech Pursuit, a phone apparently headed for the AT&T GoPhone lineup. It has been available on postpaid, but as this Radio Shack listing notes, it’s ready for GoPhone. The full-QWERTY slider has a 2 megapixel camera, media player, and runs on the 3G network. It looks like it’s available only in Radio Shack stores for now, and they don’t list the price on the website. On contract it cost $50 on contract.

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AT&T adds LG Prime to GoPhone lineup

June 21st, 2010   |    AT&T   |    29 Comments

On Friday Engadget found a shot of a new LG handset, the prime, which it later found out was headed for AT&T GoPhone. Yesterday afternoon a Howard Forums user pointed to AT&T’s website, on which the Prime appeared. It’s an all-touch model that features a three-inch screen at 400 x 240 pixels, a 2 megapixel camera, and multimedia capabilities — including AT&T Mobile Music — with the capacity to hold a 16GB microSD card. It doesn’t appear that this one will run on 3G, though that’s not a huge issue for AT&T prepaid. You can get it for $99.99 at AT&T’s website.

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AT&T working to improve voice quality

June 16th, 2010   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

AT&T, by most accounts, is not big on prepaid. They do recognize its prominence in the market, but as a market leader the company is more focused on postpaid data services. It’s tough, really, to think about AT&T without thinking iPhone at the same time. Problem is, the iPhone has caused massive traffic on AT&T networks, especially in urban areas, and apparently that has affected voice quality. (Though voice and data run on separate channels, the overall network can suffer when one part is overloaded.) Prepaid customers, however, care not for the iPhone users. They want voice services. So what is AT&T doing to remedy the issue?

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AT&T offers expensive prepaid data plan

June 15th, 2010   |    AT&T   |    4 Comments

One of the saddest moments I can remember in the history of this site is when AT&T announced that it would no longer support its prepaid data plans, which included the $20 unlimited prepaid data plan. I knew plenty of people who used their unlocked GSM smartphones with this plan, but, as with any good deal from AT&T, it was not meant to last. The company first eliminated the plans, and then came back with a set of new, lower-limit plans. Now we learn, via PhoneNews.com, that AT&T will offer prepaid laptop data plans. It should come as no surprise that they’re quite expensive.

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No more Pick Your Plan on AT&T prepaid

May 3rd, 2010   |    AT&T   |    8 Comments

While other carriers are adding and modifying their prepaid offerings, AT&T GoPhone has discontinued its Pick Your Plan service (via PhoneNews.com. They will continue focusing on their pay-as-you-go options, including the $60 unlimited talk and text plan. This has already gone into effect, so if you want to sign up for AT&T prepaid it will have to be with their 25 cents per minute rate, a dollar a day for 10 cents per minute, or the $60 monthly unlimited plan.

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As expected, AT&T adds far more prepaid than postpaid in Q1

April 22nd, 2010   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

Earlier in the week we presented some analysis which showed that both AT&T and Verizon would report adding more prepaid users than postpaid in the first quarter. We got the first confirmation yesterday, as AT&T reported its quarterly earnings. The company added a record 1.9 million subscribers in the first quarter, though only 513,000 were postpaid. That means, on net, AT&T added almost 1.4 million prepaid subscribers. That seems like a pretty significant number. While CEO Randall Stephenson continued emphasizing the company’s focus on postpaid, he admitted that prepaid will likely continue to outgrow postpaid going forward. Two years ago it was pretty difficult to imagine such a development.

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AT&T strong on prepaid adds

October 23rd, 2009   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

AT&T was the first major cellular operator to announce its third quarter results, and with good reason. They exceeded most analysts’ expectations, adding 2 million wireless customers for the quarter. Pertinent to our niche, 641,000 of them were prepaid, or 32 percent of the total. That’s particularly strong for AT&T, which isn’t known for its attractive prepaid plans. They did add a $60 unlimited talk and text plan, but that didn’t come until this month, so it wasn’t available for even one day of last quarter. With this new plan, combined with the normally expected sales boost in the fourth quarter, AT&T could see even bigger prepaid gains from October through December.

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AT&T GoPhone adds unlimited talk and text plan

October 12th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    5 Comments

AT&T just got serious about unlimited prepaid. The company previously offered unlimited calling for $3 per day with its GoPhone service, but at roughly $90 per month it was far more expensive than competitors. Starting today, the plan will become more comprehensive and less expensive. The GoPhone unlimited plan will include unlimited voice, plus unlimited text, picture, and video messaging for $60.

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Too bad AT&T discontinued prepaid unlimited data

September 10th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

A little over a year ago, AT&T decided to remove its unlimited prepaid data option. It’s a service which attracted all types of users, but apparently AT&T wasn’t making enough off them. This becomes a bigger shame as we learn of AT&T rolling out more 7.2 Mbps networks. If only they had just raised the price to $25, or even $30, rather than completely eliminating it. Oh well.

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Pantech C180 likely headed for AT&T GoPhone

August 27th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

If that phone looks like nothing special, well, that’s the case. In fact, the entire point of the phone may be it’s complete lack of features. It’s the Pantech C180, and as Engadet Mobile tells us, it looks headed for AT&T. With a phone like that, which doesn’t even have a camera or access to EDGE data, we can only imagine it going to GoPhone. Unless AT&T plans on paying customers to take it on a two-year contract. Since that’s bloody unlikely, we’ll assume it will be one of those boxed-up prepaid phones you see at Wal-Mart, Target, and other retailers.

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AT&T gains latest victory against cell phone traffickers

July 14th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    2 Comments

One issue which deeply affects the prepaid cellular industry is the presence of mobile phone traffickers. While they’re not moving narcotics in and out of the country, they’re certainly undermining a system which has proven — if not beneficial, then at least preferable to consumers. Big box retailers like Wal-Mary have prepaid phone packages, which are normally very cheap. This is because the company subsidizes the cost in hopes that they make back the money as the user buys more minutes. However, when traffickers buy these packages and bulk, unlock them, and resell them for a profit, the carrier takes a hit. Enough hits, and the system goes kaput. We’ve seen a number of carriers take on these traffickers lately, the most recent of which is AT&T, which just won four injunctions against traffickers.

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AT&T finished with iPhone on GoPhone?

June 17th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

A while back, we asked whether the iPhone can GoPhone. Ever since AT&T GoPhone eliminated their $20/month unlimited prepaid data plans back in November, the answer has been “kind of.” In that, you can probably get it to work, but that paying per kilobyte for a device like the iPhone just isn’t economical. However, there are some customers still grandfathered into the data plan. Among them is Erica Sadun of The Unofficial Apple Weblog. After receiving an odd text message from AT&T regarding iPhone upgrades and service, she found out that she might be out of luck come today.

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Could prepaid data plans help carriers?

June 5th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

Once upon a time, AT&T GoPhone had the most attractive prepaid data plan in all the land. It was just $20 per mont for all you can eat data. AT&T soon realized, of course, that people were catching onto this steal, and decided that they weren’t making enough money off it. So they discontinued the plan. Earlier this year they introduced new data plans, but the news wasn’t good for prepaid users. The new system was to be on a per-KB basis, with Pick Your Plan customers afforded a couple of bundles, neither of which is particularly attractive. Yet given recent comments by Glenn Lurie, president of national distribution, it appears AT&T thinks prepaid data plans can fuel the industry.

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AT&T GoPhone releases Samsung A167

May 18th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    1 Comment

We kick off the week with some device news from AT&T GoPhone. It’s not nearly as cool as the Samsung a117, the full-QWERTY device AT&T announced last week. Instead, it’s the A167, an entry-level flip phone. Like most phones of its ilk, it features just a VGA camera and Bluetooth. The attractive part about this is the price, $70 without a contract. I wonder if this will show up in retail packs. It seems like the perfect phones: cheap, but with the camera and Bluetooth which might gain attention among other entry-level phones. You can get it at AT&T’s website.

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AT&T drops QWERTY Samsung a117

May 12th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    5 Comments

That there is the Samsung a117, a full QWERTY texting phone for AT&T GoPhone. It’s nice for prepaid customers to have a selection of full QWERTY phones, even if they’re not top of the line. As we heard from Virgin CEO Dan Schulman earlier, the best way to target prepaid customers is to hit those who talk and text heavily, leaving the data-heavy devices to the big players. A quick glance makes this seem somewhat like the Samsung Blackjack, just without all the fancy features. You can get it now at AT&T’s website for $99 contract-free.

From Engadget Mobile.

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AT&T officially unveils GoPhone Unlimited plan

May 11th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

When we first heard about AT&T’s unlimited prepaid plan, there wasn’t much in the way of specifics. We knew it was $3 per day and included unlimited voice minutes, and that it was being tested somewhere in Florida. On Friday the company made the official announcement that the AT&T GoPhone Unlimited will be available nationwide starting today (May 11). Like the Unlimited Talk option on GoPhone’s Pay As You Go package, the fee will only be charged on days you use the phone.

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AT&T testing unlimited GoPhone plan

May 1st, 2009   |    AT&T   |    11 Comments

We’ve seen a number of prepaid unlimited calling plans pop up over the past year or so. These have mostly been MVNOs of one type or another, or in the case of Cricket wireless and MetroPCS, regional carriers. The majors haven’t really gotten in on the action…until now. AT&T GoPhone is now testing an unlimited plan in “limited markets in Florida.” Details after the jump, but as a teaser: it’s cheaper than their current postpaid unlimited plan.

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End of week note: AT&T adds 325,000 prepaid

April 24th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

MetroPCS really jumped out ahead of the pack in reporting their Q1 results, and with good reason. They added 684,000 customers, something to brag about these days. It was more than T-Mobile added total. Clearly, Metro won’t top AT&T any time soon. The nation’s second largest carrier added 1.2 million subscribers in the first quarter, so they’re still ahead of the game. Yet 325,000 of those were prepaid, a solid number. Yet that’s not as good as last year.

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Motorola EM330 ready to go at AT&T

March 18th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

How much do you think the above-pictured phone costs? If you’re willing to sign a contract and mail in a rebate form, it’s free. That’s nice. Not so much if you want it on prepaid, but given the looks it should probably clock in at under $100. It’s the Motorola EM330, a new music phone from AT&T. Along with the media player it features a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and microSD expansion. Unfortunately, the Go Phone price is $130, which might seem like a lot for a basic device. Still, if it’s a music device you seek it’s worth a look.

Via Electronista.

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AT&T phasing out 2G phones?

February 17th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

This is not good news for AT&T GoPhone customers. According to a BlackBerry News tipster, AT&T is planning an exit strategy from their 2G network. Since many, if not most GoPhones operate on AT&T’s 2G spectrum, this could be particularly bad for non-contract customers. We learned earlier this year that AT&T had migrated its 2G network to a less optimal spectrum, and it appears that this latest management directive furthers this plan.

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New AT&T data plans coming for prepaid

January 26th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    2 Comments

It began with the removal of unlimited prepaid data form AT&T’s MEdiaNet plan. It’s now ended with the abolition of MEdiaNet altogether. AT&T has nixed their fancy-sounding media service in favor of a simpler, more straightforward data program. They’ve even gone and dropped some of the prices for postpaid customers. Engadget Mobile has a fact sheet on the new plans. There’s a prepaid option on there.

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AT&T pays $2 million to settle customer privacy suit

January 15th, 2009   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

It’s been a year and a half since AT&T acquired Dobson Communications. Since then, they were ordered to divest a number of their wireless licenses which overlapped with their acquisition. This included rural areas in Kentucky and Oklahoma. They did that, but the problem was that they apparently didn’t take enough measures to protect consumer privacy, failing to rid their own records of confidential consumer account information. So the Department of Justice has ordered they pay $2 million in a settlement. Bad AT&T.

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New AT&T Pick Your Plan experimental pricing

December 22nd, 2008   |    AT&T   |    1 Comment

If you live in the Northeast and Texas, you might notice that AT&T GoPhone Pick Your Plan deals might be looking a bit different. That’s because the nation’s No. 1 carrier is experimenting with some new pricing schemes. Phone News has the scoop. As you’ll see in the table below, not a whole ton has changed on the surface, other than reducing the number of plans from five to four. However, the big changes come in the fine print.

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AT&T’s GoPhone advertising more acceptable this year

December 1st, 2008   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

Last year at this time, I was a bit miffed at some of AT&T’s advertising practices for Go Phone. As you can see in the screenshot that follows, they claimed unlimited talk and unlimited text front and center, while only making the true claim in the fine print. Yes, you can talk for as long as you want, as long as it’s to an AT&T customer. This year, however, things look a bit different.

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AT&T plans to buy Centennial Wireless

November 10th, 2008   |    AT&T   |    1 Comment

It’s not quite Alltel, but AT&T will acquire Centennial Wireless, a regional provider with a rural focus. They cover the Midwest and Southeast regions. The deal will cost AT&T $944 million, but will bring them 1.1 million subscribers. It won’t give them more than Verizon-Alltel’s 80 some-odd million, but they won’t be far behind.

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AT&T eliminates unlimited MEdiaNet for Go Phone Pick Your Plan

October 15th, 2008   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

Earlier this month we learned that AT&T will eliminate their $20 unlimited MEdiaNet option for Pay As You Go subscribers. Chris from Phone News came along and corrected a mistake, noting that this only applied to Pay As You Go subscribers, while my screenshot was taken from the Pick Your Plan screen. Well, as if it was an omen, AT&T has cancelled the $20 unlimited data plan for Pick Your Plan subscribers. That’s just no fun.

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AT&T Go Phone hiking text messaging to 20 cents

October 10th, 2008   |    AT&T   |    1 Comment

Earlier this week, we learned that AT&T is discontinuing their $20 unlimited MEdiaNet option for Pay As You Go plans. This was a huge draw, since it was the best prepaid data option on the market. Word is that Pick Your Plan subscribers will still have the option, though Cell Guru claims that Pick Your Plan users will lose the $20 text and data bundles. I’ve yet to see corroboration for that, so take it with a grain of salt. The worst news, though comes from Howard Forum, where a user shares that AT&T is upping per-use text messaging to 20 cents each. In other words, it’s time to shut off text messaging if you don’t have a bundle.

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AT&T discontinuing prepaid unlimited data plan

October 6th, 2008   |    AT&T   |    2 Comments

Update: As Chris points out in the comments, this only affects Pay As You Go customers. I inadvertently took the Pick Your Plan screen grab. Apologies.

Well, it was fun while it lasted. Just five months after we found out about AT&T’s unlimited MEdia Net prepaid plan, it’s going the way of the Dodo. Word comes from Phone News that the $19.99 monthly plan will no longer be an AT&T Go Phone option. The axe comes down on November 12th, putting an end to what has been deemed a “trial exercise.”

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AT&T offers up Go Phones to Gustav evacuees

September 2nd, 2008   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

Earlier this morning, we talked about Boost Mobile giving Gustav evacuees a break on roaming charges. That was mighty nice of them. We’re now hearing, via Phones Review, that AT&T offered 2,000 Go Phones to those who were evacuated from the area. This came with $15 in airtime, which amounts to 100 text messages. That is the preferred means of communication in disasters.

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Get out of 75 percent of your ETF with AT&T prepaid

August 4th, 2008   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

I caught this bit over at Consumerist, and thought it would be of interest to those of you who want to switch to prepaid, but are still stuck with a contract plan. This involves AT&T, so it will only work if you already have them, and are willing to switch to AT&T GoPhone prepaid service. Of course, you might have to be a master negotiator, like the person who wrote into Consumerist.

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Data only option available for AT&T GoPhone

May 2nd, 2008   |    AT&T   |    3 Comments

It seems there’s a competition a brewin’ in the prepaid realm. The four major players are stepping up their game, as they’ve all enhanced their offering within the past eight or so months. AT&T is the latest one to give prepaid customers more. The Pay As You Go side of their offering has a new deal: Unlimited MEdia Net. Yes, that means subscribers on the Pay As You Go plan can have the same offering as those on the Pick Your Plan side. It’ll cost the same, too, which is $19.99 per month. This is a good thing in more ways than one for not just AT&T customers, but anyone who is looking for an unlimited data plan.

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GoPhone continues to tout unlimited service

April 10th, 2008   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

Back in December, AT&T GoPhone ran some ads which I thought were pretty misleading. They kept talking about unlimited talk and unlimited text, but in reality GoPhone is not unlimited. If you pay a dollar per day, yeah, it’s unlimited to other AT&T customers. But there’s no mention of that. Even in this press release I got today — talking about a new advertising campaign featuring Meatloaf and Tiffany — there is no mention of the conditions under which their “unlimited” plan is limited.

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AT&T suing prepaid phone traffickers

February 8th, 2008   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

We knew this was a problem for Tracfone. People would go into Wal Mart, Target, wherever they sell prepaid phone packages, and buy a bunch of prepaid phones. Then they take those phones to a shop, modify them, and resell them for a profit. So not only are they making money on another company’s product, but they’re denying that carrier the services that they expect to come from those prepaid phone sales. AT&T is losing millions off these transactions, so it’s doing the America thing: It’s suing the resellers.

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AT&T posts best ever subscriber gains

January 24th, 2008   |    AT&T   |    1 Comment

The rich just get richer. Yes, America’s No. 1 cell provider just wrapped up a stellar fourth quarter. As we headed into the holiday season, more and more people chose AT&T. Probably because of the iPhone. In any event, AT&T added 2.7 million customers in the fourth quarter. This is the greatest quarterly subscriber increase in U.S. wireless history. They added 2.4 million subscribers in the fourth quarter of last year.

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AT&T now offering SIM-only deal

January 22nd, 2008   |    AT&T   |    No Comments

Openness. It’s going to be a buzzword in 2008. Carriers are trying to seem more consumer-friendly by making their networks seem more open to devices and applications. We saw this in late 2007 with Verizon’s announcement that they’d allow third-party phones and applications to be used on their network (though the phones still have to pass Verizon’s in-house muster). AT&T responded by saying that it has always allowed these kinds of devices on their network, so long as you had an AT&T SIM. Now they’ve taken it a step further, offering a SIM-only deal which allows you to keep your unlocked phone when you transfer to AT&T.

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Is AT&T GoPhone falsely advertising?

January 3rd, 2008   |    AT&T, Consumer Issues   |    11 Comments

We’ve gotten a number of emails over the past few weeks asking why our AT&T GoPhone review doesn’t mention that they now have unlimited talk and unlimited text. At first, these emails were confusing. Since when did AT&T go the way of Cricket, MetroPCS, and Boost Unlimited? We browsed around AT&T’s GoPhone page, but found nothing of the sort.

But then, during a rare occasion where I was watching TV, I saw an AT&T GoPhone ad — incidentally, starring Norm MacDonald and Steve Buscemi — where they advertised unlimited talk and unlimited text. This threw me for a loop for a moment. Watch the commercial yourself and see what you think:

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AT&T releases best-selling ringtones

December 20th, 2007   |    AT&T, Ringtones   |    3 Comments

It seems everyone loves ringtones. Everywhere we go, we hear some song or another — though sometimes the sound quality is so poor we can’t make out which one. It’s to the point where we’ve been noticing in our user reviews that some people won’t sign up for a service based solely on the fact that they don’t offer a library of ringtones. AT&T, America’s most popular cell carrier, has announced the most downloaded ringtones of 2007.

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Apple, AT&T sued over iPhone feature

December 4th, 2007   |    AT&T, iPhone   |    No Comments

Uh oh. You mean someone already invented that? It seems someone already invented everything, including visual voicemail, a major feature of the iPhone — and one that doesn’t work if you unlock it and use it on, say, T-Mobile. Inventor Judah Klausner, though his patent-holding company Klausner Technologies Inc., is claiming patent on the innovation, and is now seeking damages from AT&T and Apple. The estimate: $360 million.

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