Netflix’s chief executive Reed Hastings has been meeting with some of the largest cable companies in the U.S. to discuss integrating the company’s streaming product into cable services, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The site’s source said that at least one cable provider may experiment and offer the streaming service before the end of the year. If a partnership were to come from these talks, cable operators could offer Netflix as an additional on-demand option that would be added onto a subscriber’s monthly cable bill. The cable industry originally viewed Netflix as a threat to its $100 billion-a-year business, fearing users would abandon more expensive packages in favor of cheap online streaming services. Having Netflix as an added option could be appealing to many cable companies in an effort to retain “cord cutting” customers. “It’s not in the short term, but it’s in the natural direction for us in the long term,” said Hastings during an investor conference last week. “Many [cable service providers] would like to have a competitor to HBO, and they would bid us off of HBO.”

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AT&T on Thursday announced a revision to its smartphone data throttling policy, which impacts users who have chosen to retain the unlimited smartphone data plan AT&T discontinued some time ago. AT&T’s policy had been ambiguous until now, with the carrier stating simply that the top 5% of smartphone users would experience slowed data speeds until a new billing period began. It was unclear how much data a subscriber had to use in order to approach the top 5%, however, and a number of reports claimed users were being throttled after using 2GB of data or even less. Now, AT&T is clarifying that it will only begin throttling smartphone users with 4G LTE devices after 5GB of data has been used in a single billing period, and subscribers with non-LTE devices will be throttled after 3GB of usage. It has also been reported that AT&T increased the speeds experienced by users while their data speeds are being throttled, but a company spokesperson declined to comment. AT&T’s full statement follows below.

With mobile data usage continuing to skyrocket and the availability of spectrum scarce, AT&T, like other wireless companies, manages its network in the most fair way possible so that we can provide the best possible mobile broadband experience for all our customers.

How we’re managing the network only affects a small minority of the heaviest smartphone data users still on unlimited plans. Put another way, this does not impact more than 95 percent of our smartphone customers.

Our unlimited plan customers have told us they want more clarity around how the program works and what they can expect. Here’s what customers need to know:

• Customers with a 3G or 4G smartphone – who also still have our unlimited data plan – will see speeds reduced if they use 3GB (gigabytes) of data or more in a billing cycle. Speeds will return to normal at the start of the next billing cycle. For context, less than 5 percent of smartphone customers use more than 3GB per month.
• For customers with a 4G LTE smartphone – who also still have our unlimited data plan – data speeds will be reduced if usage is 5GB (gigabytes) or more in a billing cycle. Speeds will return to normal at the start of the next billing cycle.

Customers will get a text message from us before experiencing a change in speed.

Even with reduced data speeds, these customers will still be able to email and surf the web, and continue to use an unlimited amount of data each month.

Not impacted by this program, launched last year, are customers on our tiered data plans.

The reason reduced speeds only apply to unlimited smartphone customers is because their data usage is significantly higher than those on tiered plans. For example, in January, the top 5 percent of our unlimited data plan customers used an average of over 50 percent more data than the top 5 percent of customers on tiered plans.

Because spectrum is limited and data usage continues to soar, we manage our network this way to be as fair as possible and so we can provide the best possible mobile broadband experience to everyone.

We encourage all of our customers to use Wi-Fi whenever possible – especially when watching video, which is the most data-intensive activity.

That’s because data activity over Wi-Fi does not count against the threshold for unlimited customers that triggers reduced data speeds or against customers’ tiered data plans. Customers can find out more at www.att.com/datainfo

Riding high on its largest fourth-quarter subscriber gain in six years, TiVo has revealed plans for two new set top boxes. Summer can't come soon enough. More »

AT&T’s questionable policy with regard to unlimited smartphone data plan holders recently found its way back into the limelight following a new wave of subscriber complaints. The nation’s No.2 carrier no longer offers an unlimited data plan to smartphone users, though many subscribers on its network still have grandfathered plans that provide an unlimited amount of smartphone data each month. Subscribers who approach the top 5% of unlimited data users in a single billing period see their data speeds throttled, however, and countless users have found that AT&T is now beginning to throttle users after less than 2GB of data usage in a billing period. According to a new study, subscribers are right to be furious at AT&T because throttling does nothing to alleviate network bandwidth issues. Read on for more.

Wireless bill analysis firm Validas extracted data from more than 55,000 cell phone bills belonging to AT&T and Verizon Wireless subscribers from 2011, and the firm sought to determine whether or not data throttling is necessary. According to Validas’s findings, throttling may indeed simply be a ploy to push unlimited users into newer tiered plans.

“When we look at the top 5% of data users, there is virtually no difference in data consumption between those on unlimited and those on tiered plans—and yet the unlimited consumers are the ones at risk of getting their service turned off,” Validas wrote in its report. “So it’s curious that anyone would think the throttling here represents a serious effort at alleviating network bandwidth issues. After all, Sprint does seemingly fine maintaining non-throttled unlimited data for its customers.”

Verizon Wireless subscribers on unlimited smartphone data plans actually used less data on average than those with tiered plans according to Validas’s data. The opposite was the case at AT&T, however the difference was 0.78GB on average and median data usage varied by 0.53GB.

AT&T is not the only wireless carrier in the U.S. that throttles smartphone data speeds for unlimited data plan holders, of course. Verizon throttles the top 5% of unlimited data users and T-Mobile throttles its smartphone subscribers after 5GB of data usage in a single billing period. AT&T has drawn the most attention of late because it has been throttling unlimited data plan holders after less than 2GB of usage in many cases. AT&T offers a 3GB tiered plan for the same $30 per month that unlimited plan holders pay for 2GB of full-speed data or less, however the tiered plan offers 3GB of full-speed data.

Rdio Android app gets a refresh, adds ICS support and new design originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not a bad turnaround time, we have to say. Nary a month after revealing that HBO Go streaming would soon be pushed to Roku boxes around the known universe... HBO Go streaming has been pushed to Roku boxes around the known universe. As of now, Roku addicts can tap into unlimited access to over 1,400 HBO programs (that's movies, original series, sports, comedy, etc.), with one mondo stipulation: you have to be an HBO subscriber via some pay-TV company. Of course, HBO Go can also be accessed via your laptop, and you've probably got some form of HBO on-demand already, but look -- this is better. This is comprehensive. Use it, and don't ask questions. Capiche?

HBO Go now available on Roku boxes, HBO subscription still required to take advantage originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The good news for everyone anyone using their Xbox 360 as a AT&T U-verse set-top box, is that it will be upgraded as a part of the new dashboard update coming this fall. that means support for the integrated search, new UI and control via voice or gestures with Kinect. The bad news? After the update, it will only work if you're also a subscriber to Xbox Live Gold. No problem if you were already shelling out in order to get your Gears 3 co-op on, but not so awesome if you weren't planning on buying the gaming package just to watch some TV. Giant Bomb has talked to Microsoft and of the new services, some, like the BBC, may be accessible without a paid-up Gold pass, but for HBO Go, Dailymotion and others you'll need to toss some cash Redmond's way. To ease the pain, AT&T is tossing a one-time $60 credit towards its users with the package -- still no word on whether or not you'll need to pay that installation fee for a new setup after the upgrade goes through.

U-verse on Xbox 360 is getting upgraded in November, but will require XBL Gold originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re currently an active MobileMe subscriber, Apple may soon offer you an incentive to move all of your data over to its new iCloud service. From the day the service goes public until June 30th of next year users who move their data to iCloud will receive 25GB of free iCloud storage for as long as their iCloud account is active, 9to5 Mac reported on Monday. Every iCloud user will receive 5GB free from the get-go and and an additional 10GB will cost $20 per year. An extra 20GB will cost $40 per year and 50GB of added storage will set you back $100 annually. ICloud is still available only to developers but we have no doubt it will be fully live by the time Apple finalizes iOS 5 and launches its next iPhone, which is expected to occur in September or October.

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Comcast rolled out a v1.5 update today for the iPhone / iPod Touch versions of its Xfinity TV app which allows them to access the video on-demand streaming that has been available on the iPad since February. Just like the iPad however, they'll only work over WiFi -- no streaming over 3G or downloading for offline viewing here, although unlike Cablevision and Time Warner's iPad apps, you don't have to be on your own WiFi for it to work. The slate of content has expanded to include 25 networks and over 6,000 hours of video, so for those confusing times when you're within reach of WiFi but can't get close to a TV, you can still queue up something for viewing. The official Twitter account advises a delete / reinstall for those having issues since upgrading, if you're a Comcast subscriber who hasn't already snagged the free app for its channel changing and remote DVR scheduling capabilities, you can do so at the link below.

[Thanks, Nick & Colby]

Comcast brings Xfinity TV VOD to iPhone, iPod Touch, but only on WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 02:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Conde Nast today continues the rollout of iPad magazine subscriptions that started with the New Yorker, adding Glamour, Vanity Fair, Golf Digest, and Allure to its digital roster. Each iSubscription will cost $20/year, or $2 for a single issue. If you're a current print subscriber, congrats! You get free iPad access starting now, including a back catalog of issues available for download. [Wired] More »

TomTom CEO Harold Goddijn announced at a NYC event last night that the company's HD Traffic service, previously only included with the Go 2535 M Live, would be available on all U.S. Live models, including the Go 740 Live and XL 340 Live. Traffic updates will be one component of the subscription-based Live, which will also see a 50 percent price drop, to $60 per year. This is all part of TomTom's grand Traffic Manifesto, which aims to cut traffic by five percent overall. Achieving this rather lofty goal in the U.S. would require 10 percent of the country's drivers to be using Live, which transmits real-time traffic data using a dedicated AT&T SIM. The company says drivers using the service themselves can expect to see travel times reduced by up to 15 percent. Our commute often involves a pajama-clad hike from the bed to the desk, so if you're currently a subscriber who drives to work, let us know if Traffic is making a dent in your travels.

Continue reading TomTom sends HD Traffic update to all Live models, extends Traffic Manifesto to US (video)

TomTom sends HD Traffic update to all Live models, extends Traffic Manifesto to US (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 12:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you're an AT&T subscriber, you'll know this handset as the Thrill 4G. And if you happen to be a T-Mobile devotee (yes, those are two distinct groups until the AT&T&T-Mo merger is complete), you'll soon get a chance to familiarize yourself with it too, as it has just slipped through the FCC with support for AWS 3G. Specifically, the FCC has cleared an LG 920 smartphone, which a helpful video from LG itself informs us is the Optimus 3D -- the dual-core OMAP 4-powered Android powerhouse that's at the root of this entire affair. It'll probably get its own, uniquely ghastly moniker if and when it's launched by T-Mobile, at which point every US carrier bar Verizon will have a 3D smartphone on its books. How long do you think that omission will last?

[Thanks, Christian]

Continue reading LG Optimus 3D reveals T-Mobile 3G frequencies in visit to FCC

LG Optimus 3D reveals T-Mobile 3G frequencies in visit to FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple on Wednesday posted details on its website surrounding voice, data and messaging plans that will be offered with the upcoming Verizon Wireless iPhone 4. The company also posted a utility intended to check subscriber eligibility, though it did not appear to be functioning properly at the time of this writing. Apple’s website confirms earlier reports that Verizon Wireless iPhone 4 users will only have two data options at launch: unlimited data for $29.99 per month and unlimited data with 2GB of Personal Hotspot and tethering services for $49.99 per month. Other plan details line up with current Verizon Wireless smartphone plans, for the most part:

Voice

• 450 minutes/month: $39.99
• 900 minutes/month: $59.99
• Unlimited minutes/month: $69.99

Messaging

• Pay per use: $0.20 per SMS, $0.25 per MMS
• 250 messages/month: $5
• 500 messages/month: $10
• Unlimited messaging: $20

Data

• Unlimited data: $29.99
• Unlimited data with 2GB  for Personal Hotspot and tethering: $49.99 ($20 per GB for overages)

The only difference between the iPhone voice and messaging plans compared to Verizon Wireless’ standard plans appears to be the $20 unlimited messaging option. With other smartphones, the $20 messaging option affords subscribers 5,000 messages per month, and the carrier charges $0.10 per message for overages.

UPDATE: The pages have been pulled from Apple’s website as of approximately 10:50AM.

[Via 9 to 5 Mac]

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Still on the fence about whether to switch to an iPhone on Verizon’s largest 3G voice and data network? If you’re a current AT&T subscriber with an iPhone 4, Verizon is offering at least $200 for your iPhone if you trade it in, and you can instantly use that towards your iPhone 4 purchase on Big Red. Could you get $350-$475 on eBay or Craigslist? Why sure, but you don’t have to meet some sketchy computer hacker in a dark hallway this way… Anyone going to take Verizon up on this offer?

UPDATE: We have confirmed Verizon’s trade-in program applies not just to Verizon handsets but to handsets from other carriers including an AT&T iPhone.

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Given that the first truly respectable Android tablet just came out, the Wall Street Journal is timing its Tablet Edition app release pretty much perfectly. It aims to offer a faithful reproduction of the printed version of the paper while augmenting it with full-screen video, market data, customization options, and the ability to save articles for offline reading. $3.99 will net you a week's worth of access on both Android and iPad Tablet Editions along with subscriber privileges on WSJ.com. The app itself is free, so if you have a Galaxy Tab just hanging around (it doesn't work on phones, we've already tried on a Desire Z) you can give it a test-drive -- it's certainly what we intend to do, check back later for our impressions!

Continue reading Wall Street Journal releases Android Tablet Edition app, phones need not apply

Wall Street Journal releases Android Tablet Edition app, phones need not apply originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you're a MobileMe subscriber (personally, I'm waiting to see if that free offer pans out), you can sign up to be in the beta testing of newly design MobileMe webmail—a refresh that's definitely influenced by iPad aesthetics. More »

MobileMe - Apple - Mail - IPhone - Macintosh

The results for Q1 2010 are in for the #3 wireless carrier in the U.S., and the results are more of the same. Sprint shed 75,000 additional customers and posted operating revenues of $8.1 billion, a $865 million loss. The company’s churn rate was at 2.15%, an improvement from Q1 2009 (2.25%), but slightly up from Q4 2009 (2.09%). Average revenue per user, or ARPU, stayed the same at $55 but was down $1 YoY. Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, had the following to say after the company’s earnings announcement, “…results, including increased net operating revenues and significant year-over-year net post-paid subscriber improvements show we continue to make progress in improving the business.” What’s the consensus? Anyone going to switch over to Sprint for the EVO 4G and help Sprint lower that churn rate?

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