A Fistful of Dollars

To the tune of $40,000,000.

Public Knowledge Releases Details of AT&T Lobbying, Media Campaigns. (Public Knowledge, 11/30/2011)

Excerpt:   AT&T has hired three former U.S. senators, four former members of the House and dozens of staff members of current and former legislators of both parties to push its $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile, according to a review of lobbying records by Public Knowledge.

In addition, PK also released information showing AT&T has spent $40 million in advertising to push the merger between May and October. Of that total, about $14 million was spent in June alone. The bulk of the spending was for TV ads, much of that concentrated in Washington and New York.  [Madison''s print media received $54,900.]

The roster of the AT&T All-Star Lobbying Team. (1st of 4 pages.)

More red and blue (fistfuls) as you continue.

A spreadsheet of the advertising data is here.

"We're getting the short end of the stick," legislators howl.

4G Speeds From T-Mobile Now Broadly Available in the Northeastern U.S. and Other Major Cities

What no Seattle 4G?

:)

T-Mobile expands “4G speeds” to 25 new markets – Android and Me

See my post on how to get 4G right now on your Android phone!

T-Mobile 4G in the Puget Sound!

4G Data on T-Mobile and a HTC Dream

Tasty Video, mmmmmmmm

T-Mobile 4G in the Puget Sound!

After installing Android 2.1 on my HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1 (Thank you Cyanogen) I noticed that I now sometimes have an H where it shows my data connection type in the Android notification bar. The H data connection symbol seems to only appear when I'm in a 3G data location and using a data intensive application.

The H data symbol = 4G data speeds! (aka HSDPA on T-Mobile)

Upon closer inspection it looks like T-Mobile quietly finished rolling out it's 3G data connection late last year, which means it's time to start working on 4G!   See this DailyTech article on the 3g roll out.

So what does all this mean for us?  3G got us all to 3.6 Mbps downlink rates.  4G data speeds will double that of 3G and will hit up to 7.2 Mbps.  The next step will then be 4G+ or HSDPA+ and apparently is currently in best testing only in Philadelphia.  HSPA+ will bring download speeds of up to 56 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 22 Mbps!

In Jan, 2010 people in the Seattle / Puget Sound area have been noticing the H data connection symbols and have reported faster data speeds as seen here at the XDA Forums.

I've read in the past that any and all Android phones will be able to use T-Mobiles brand of 4G because these increased speeds are really an improvement on older technology. This goes for the phones and the equipment that used on the cellular towers that currently run the 3G network.

With just a flip of a switch T-Mobile can "magically" make every 3G tower a 4G connection!

If you're in a location where you currently get 3G speeds and have an Android phone get to work upgrading your OS you might just have access to 4G speeds and not even know it!

According to Wikipedia T-Mobile has announced that it will begin to roll out 4G+ in their top tier markets sometime in 2010.  It looks like this is already happening but it appears that the Nexus One would be the only phone that T-Mobile has officially given access to the 4G network seeing as it runs Android 2.1.

At launch next month the HTC EVO will only have 4G speeds in under 20 cities total.  The closest cites to me would be Tacoma and Seattle.  Hopefully at work in Renton I'll be able access the 4G network from Sprint.

So there you go kids, a free 4G data speed upgrade for Android phones on T-Mobile that's available RIGHT NOW!  Who says that the Sprint EVO is the only phone that gets to have all the 4G fun?  It looks like if you have Android 2.1 and a T-Mobile phone you get 4G before before the 1st official 4G phone ever comes out in the U.S.!

On that note I'll get back to you all next month when I have a Sprint EVO in hand and can give everyone more feed back.

The Motorola ROKR Rocks On

The original iTunes cell phone was the Motorola ROKR “rocker” phone. It was extremely popular when introduced. Rather than just making a splash and fading from the scene as many cell phone designs have done, the ROKR has morphed into the latest technology as the ROKR E8 for T-Mobile. Does it still rock? You decide.

Now a sleek black, with glowing red detail, the Motorola ROKR E8 is one hot multimedia phone. In fact, it’s three devices in one. It’s a cell phone, it’s a music player, and it’s a digital camera. The touch sensitive keypad morphs to fit the profile of the device you want to use at the moment.

Any decent music player has a scroll wheel. Most cell phones don’t But the ROKR E8 has this control feature right in the middle of the case, below the display screen. It’s just what you want to control your music, but also helps you navigate other menus.

Does the latest Motorola ROKR model still support Apple’s iTunes? Of course. The built-in music player supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV and Real Audio files. You can have polyphonic ringtones with up to 48 chords. Hey, it’s a music phone. It should sound like one!

The ROKR E8 is also takes pictures and short video clips. It sports a 2.0 Megapixel resolution for pictures good enough to print as well as send to your friends via multimedia messaging. Of course you can text message and instant message as well.

Will you run out of memory with all this multimedia capability? Motorola planned ahead so you won’t. The ROKR E8 has 2 GB of internal memory, a lot for a cell phone. If you need more, there’s a microSD card slot for additional storage. When you've loaded it up, just plug in your headset and enjoy the music. You have the option to stream your tunes to compatible A2DP Bluetooth stereo headsets or stereo systems for that truly BIG sound.

Does the new “rocker” phone sound like the one you’ve been waiting for? If so, learn more and order your Motorola ROKR E8 Black with T-Mobile service online so you can get it FREE with free delivery via FedEx. This deal isn’t going to last indefinitely, so don’t wait too long if this is the music phone you want.

If you prefer a different make and model cell phone or smartphone, or just want to shop around for the best deals on deeply discounted and free phones, check “Today’s Special Deals” at Cell Phone Plans Finder now.

T-Mobile felt the time was right to roll out its new webConnect USB Laptop Stick.

WebConnect USB Laptop Stick on T-Mobile ..

Manufactured by Huawei Technologies Co., this small, portable modem lets you connect to the Web on your laptop using T-Mobile's 3G network or Wi-Fi, and comes with built-in T-Mobile Connection Manager software to automatically detect the best available Internet connection.
In addition, the WebConnect laptop stick offers tri-band 3G connectivity (HSDPA/UMTS 1900/AWS/2100), so you'll be able to use it on compatible networks overseas. If you're in an area where there is no 3G coverage, it is compatible with GPRS/EDGE networks, so you're not left to search out a Wi-Fi hot spot as your only option of getting online.
Aside from connectivity, the T-Mobile WebConnect laptop stick can also double as a portable storage device. Similar to the AT&T USBConnect Mercury, it's equipped with a microSD/SDHC expansion slot that can accept up to 8GB cards. The accessory features a swivel USB design and measures 3.5 inches tall by 1.1 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick and weighs 1.5 ounces.

The T-Mobile WebConnect USB Laptop Stick will be available in select T-Mobile retail stores and online starting March 25. There are various pricing options available: $49.99 with a two-year contract after rebate; $99.99 with one-year contract; or $249.99 with no contract.