HTC Aria Video review by The Street.com contributor Gary Krakow, It bucks the current oversized trend and becomes the smallest, and cutest Android smartphone to date.

The HTC Aria is available for purchase at AT&T website, for only $130 with a 2 years contract and after $100 rebate, here are some specs for the phone.

• Operating System Android 2.1
  
• Touch Screen Yes (Capacitive)
  
• Screen Size 3.2 inches
  
• Band HSPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM; Dual Mode UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (1900/850MHZ) & GSM/GPRS/EDGE (Quad band 850/900
• /1800/1900MHZ); HSDPA/UMTS (3GPP Release 5 Compliant; 7.2 Mbps Enabled) EGPRS Functionality
  
• Integrated GPS Yes (GPS/AGPS)
  
• Camera Resolution 5 megapixels
  
• Video Camera Yes
  
• Speaker Phone Yes
  
• Expandable Memory Capability 32GB
  
• Memory Card Type microSD
  
• Bluetooth® V2.1
  
• Hearing Aid Compatible HAC M3 - T3 Class
  
• MP3 Player Yes
  
• Napster Mobile Compatible Not preloaded
  
• Mobile Internet Yes
  
• E-mail Sync Yes
  
• FM Radio Yes
  
• Talk Time Hours (up to) 6 hrs
  
• Stand By Days (Max) 15.5 days
  
• Weight 115g
  
• Ford Sync Yes

Overview of the phone.

• It's got everything you'd expect from the Internet. And with HTC Sense, the Android 2.1 OS and 50,000 apps to choose from, it goes beyond every expectation of a pocket-sized phone.

• Know the time and weather, wherever. No matter what time zone you turn up in, the auto-updating display keeps you on schedule and a step ahead of the weather.

• App it up. With the Android 2.1 operating system and instant access to the Android Market, there's never a short supply of cool new ways to use your phone.

• FriendStream forever. With HTC's FriendStream app, you know what's going on with your friends on Facebook® and Twitter, without actually going on Facebook and Twitter.

• Take the easy route. With Google Maps, getting there gets a whole lot easier. Launch the app for instant turn-by-turn directions, live traffic updates, alternate routes and more.

• The office has left the building. With Visual Mail, emails are presented like a stack of paper on your desk-you can flip through, read what you want and discard what you don't.

via: thestreet.com

It has a new name too, AT&T won't be calling it the Samsung Galaxy S, but Samsung Captivate. The Android 2.1-powered Samsung Captivate will bring users a fully integrated entertainment, messaging and social networking experience packaged in an alluring, streamlined design surrounding a 4-inch display.

The Samsung Captivate is packed full of features that enhance users' daily life, including a 5.0-megapixel camera/ camcorder with auto-focus and HD video recording (720p), MP3 player, 3.5-millimeter headphone jack and expandable memory for photos, videos and music, up to 16 GB. This combined with an on-board 16 GB of storage allows for up to 32 GB of capacity for music and video.

The Captivate also includes AT&T Navigator, which offers voice-guided and visual turn-by-turn GPS driving directions with automatic reroute, full-color maps, and real-time traffic alerts and AT&T Family Map, which gives families the ability to track a child's location from a PC or cell phone and request location updates at any time.

Other key specifications of the Captivate include Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), full HTML browser with tap & hold zoom), Bluetooth® 3.0 technology. The Captivate also includes tri-band 3G connectivity and quad-band GSM technology.

The Samsung Captivate is scheduled for release in the coming months at AT&T retail locations nationwide, no pricing info yet. I think i t will be $199.

Dante Martin, Product Manager at AT&T for Android devices, unboxes the HTC Aria, For more on AT&T and the HTC Aria, also check out the video below.

The HTC Aria looks a lot like Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible, but it's smaller. It's probably the same specs as the HTC HD2 mini, but  features Android 2.1, HTC's Sense UI, an optical joystick, HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, Google Maps with free navigation, 5MP autofocus camera, and a 2GB memory card preinstalled.

Check out the Press Release from AT&T

AT&T* and HTC Corporation ("HTC") today announced that HTC Aria, a rich and powerful addition to AT&T's Android smartphone portfolio, will be available exclusively at AT&T beginning June 20. Pocket-sized and packing the power of the Android 2.1 platform, a five megapixel camera and a bright 3.2 inch HVGA display, HTC Aria offers AT&T customers Android smartphone functionality in an amazingly easy-to-carry design. The combination of 3G speed, a responsive capacitive touch screen and an optical joystick makes HTC Aria an ideal smartphone for mobile broadband.

HTC Aria is Wi-Fi capable and qualifying customers will receive access to AT&T Wi-Fi, with more than 20,000 hotspots across the U.S. In addition, HTC Aria is compatible with AT&T's High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 Mbps technology. This technology provides a considerable boost to 3G speeds when combined with expanded backhaul. The combination of faster wireless networks, smartphones like HTC Aria, and tens of thousands of available innovative mobile apps allows AT&T customers to mobilize virtually everything, from video and music, to social networking, to business applications.

"HTC Aria is the first of several smartphones in our Android portfolio to run the 2.1 platform," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "When you combine the nation's fastest 3G network, and access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi network, HTC Aria will be one of the best Android smartphones available."

HTC Aria features the acclaimed HTC Sense experience, which automatically delivers the most-wanted information by bringing it to the forefront of the mobile experience. Featuring the latest version of HTC Sense, HTC Aria offers even more ways to stay connected, including Friend Stream, which delivers Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates in a single, consolidated view.

"Its unique combination of compact size and beautiful design instantly separates HTC Aria from the pack of ‘me-too' smartphones," said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. "But what really differentiates HTC Aria from other smartphones is the acclaimed HTC Sense experience, which we are pleased to be bringing to AT&T customers. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC Aria organizes all of your communications in the most human way possible - by person."

A full selection of the newest and most popular Google services can be accessed with HTC Aria. This includes Google search, Google Maps, Google Navigation, Gmail, YouTube and more. With Android Market, customers can also choose from more than 50,000 applications to further personalize the mobile experience.

Along with being ultra-small at just over 4 inches long and weighing a mere 4.05 ounces, HTC Aria's seamless wrap-around soft-touch back cover eliminates sharp edges, making HTC Aria exceptionally convenient to carry and comfortable to hold as well.

Featuring the best selection of smartphones and OS, AT&T is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among smartphone owners. AT&T plans to expand its Android portfolio to include other Android smartphones during the second half of 2010.

Pricing and Availability

HTC Aria will be available on June 20 at AT&T retail locations nationwide or at http://www.att.com/wireless for $129.99 after $100 mail-in rebate (pay $229.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $100 AT&T Promotion Card. Two-year agreement required and smartphone data plan required).

Starbucks Corp. will make wireless Internet service free at all U.S. stores starting July 1, eliminating a previous fee of $3.99 for two hours of access.

Starbucks had offered wireless Internet service at its stores through provider AT&T Inc. under an array of options.

Customers who had a registered Starbucks loyalty card could get two hours of free wireless Internet service a day, while users of AT&T mobile devices that had Wi-Fi capabilities received unlimited access to the service.

Driven by Digital Ventures, a new business unit within Starbucks led by CIO and General Manager, Digital Ventures, Stephen Gillett, the Starbucks Digital Network in partnership with Yahoo! opens up a uniquely valuable customer experience, while at the same time appeals to leading online content providers and provides a new channel for customer engagement. Launch content providers will include, among others, iTunes, The New York Times, Patch, USA TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! and ZAGAT.

source: starbucks

Couple of minor changes from ATT regarding to your smartphone and iPad date plans.  I think this change is good for many folks, one example is if you don't use a lot of data, you can easily drop your plan down to the $15 dollar per 250 MB, which saves you $15/month.

Here are the breakdown

The new AT&T plans provide large amounts of data to enable people to enjoy their favorite online activities:

* DataPlus. Provides 200 megabytes (MB) of data - for example, enough to send/receive 1,000 emails (no attachments), plus send/receive 150 emails with attachments, plus view 400 Web pages, plus post 50 photos on social media sites, plus watch 20 minutes of streaming video - for just $15 per month.** This plan, which can save customers up to 50 percent off their wireless data charges, is designed for people who primarily like to surf the web, send email and use social networking apps. If customers exceed 200 MB in a monthly billing cycle, they will receive an additional 200 MB of data usage for $15 for use in the cycle. Currently, 65 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 200 MB of data per month on average.

* DataPro. Provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of data - for example, enough to send/receive 10,000 emails (no attachments), plus send/receive 1,500 emails with attachments, plus view 4,000 Web pages, plus post 500 photos to social media sites, plus watch 200 minutes of streaming video - for $25 per month.** Should a customer exceed 2 GB during a billing cycle, they will receive an additional 1 GB of data for $10 for use in the cycle. Currently, 98 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average

* Tethering. Smartphone customers - including iPhone customers - who choose the DataPro plan have the option to add tethering for an additional $20 per month. Tethering lets customers use their smartphones as a modem to provide a broadband connection for laptop computers, netbooks or other computing devices. Tethering for iPhones will be available when Apple releases iPhone OS 4 this summer.

Let us know what you think abou tthis change by posting your comments below

source: BGR

Last week, Wall Street Journal reported that ATT is going to increase ETF for smartphone following a step already taken by it's rival Verizon Wireless.  Today ATT has posted a open letter to make clear of it's plan, and to make this increase look better to its customers, it has dropped feature phone (non smartphone) ETF from $175 to $150.

At ATT, we work hard every day to provide you with a great wireless experience at competitive prices.

One of the ways we do this is to offer you the industry's leading wireless handsets below their full retail price when you sign a two-year service agreement. In the event you wish to cancel service before your two-year agreement expires, you agree to pay a prorated early termination fee (ETF) as an alternative way to complete your agreement. Of course, if you prefer not to enter into a term commitment, we offer the same great selection of devices at their full retail price with no term commitment or ETF, as well as prepaid GoPhone options.

We are now making changes that will lower the ETF for many customers who agree to new term commitments, and will increase it for others. Current ATT wireless customers who are within their two-year consumer service agreement or have an existing enterprise service agreement will see no change to their current terms.

Beginning June 1, 2010, we will reduce the ETF in new and upgrade two-year service agreements for all customers who are buying basic and quick messaging phones. Whether you are new to us or upgrading handsets, the ETF will decrease to $150 from $175, and be reduced by $4 for each month that you remain with us as a customer during the balance of your two-year service agreement. After the term commitment is completed, the ETF will no longer apply.

For customers who enter into new two-year service agreements in connection with the purchase of our more advanced, higher end devices, including netbooks and smartphones, the ETF will increase to $325, and be reduced by $10 for each month that you remain with us as a customer during the balance of your two-year service agreement. After that, the ETF will no longer apply.

Thank you for being an ATT customer. We hope you enjoy your ATT wireless device and service. We appreciate your business and we will continue to work hard to earn it.

Tell us what you think about this open letter by ATT

As you may already know, HP recently bought Palm which was considered a great deal by analysts believe in Palms webOS operating system will last for a long time.

We heard today that the the Palm Pre Plus which will be launched by ATT will cost $149.99 (according to their Facebook page which confirmed the launch date) on contract after rebate the same price Sprint is charging for the Pre, however a touchstone charger will be included. Data plans will be $30 a month.

Plans will include free access to ATT's Wi-Fi hotspots at landed locations but it is not known yet if free hotspots from the Plam Pre Plus will be included in ATT Palm Pre Plus plans.  There\'s no word on the Pixi Plus yet just for your information.

source: wirelessandmobile

Introducing, the Aero, an Android-based smartphone from Dell! This will be Dell's first smartphone available in the U.S., and will feature a new, beautiful custom user interface developed by Dell and ATT. More details coming soon!

source: AT&T

American's #1 wireless service provider in terms of customer size, AT&T Inc. today reported fourth-quarter results highlighted by solid momentum across key growth areas. Wireless service revenues grew 9.2 percent, driven by industry-leading subscriber growth and continued rapid adoption of data services. AT&T U-verse subscriber gains topped 1 million for the year. Wireline IP-based services and strategic business products both posted strong double-digit revenue growth.

# 2.7 million fourth-quarter net addition in total wireless subscribers, the second highest quarterly net gain in the company's history; full-year wireless net adds totaled 7.3 million, equaling the company's best-ever annual total, to reach 85.1 million subscribers in service

Full Press Release can be found here.

AT&T mobile broadband customers are increasingly using the the AT&T network. AT&T reported that its customers made a record 85.5 million connections to the Internet in 2009 using AT&T Wi-Fi network, four times the number of Wi-Fi connections made in 2008.

In the fourth quarter 2009, customers made 35.3 million Wi-Fi connections - up 10 million connections from the third quarter of 2009. Fourth quarter connections also surpassed the number of connections made in the entire first half of 2009.

AT&T, expects Wi-Fi usage to continue to surge as more customers utilize Wi-Fi on their smartphones and integrated devices and have Wi-Fi included with their service.

 Smartphones and integrated devices accounted for 72 percent of fourth-quarter connections and 61 percent of the total connections in 2009.

source: wirelessandmobilenews