AT&T Corp. and NVIDIA today announced a collaboration in which AT&T will continue to transform its operations and enhance sustainability by using NVIDIA-powered AI for processing data, optimizing service-fleet routing and building digital avatars for employee support and training. AT&T is the first telecommunications provider to explore the use of a full suite of NVIDIA AI offerings. This includes enhancing its data processing using the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software suite, which includes the NVIDIA RAPIDS Accelerator for Apache Spark; enabling real-time vehicle routing and optimization with NVIDIA cuOpt; adopting digital avatars with NVIDIA Omniverse Avatar Cloud Engine and NVIDIA Tokkio; and utilizing conversational AI with NVIDIA Riva.

"We strive each day to deliver the most efficient global network, as we drive towards net zero emissions in our operations," said Andy Markus, chief data officer at AT&T. "Working with NVIDIA to drive AI solutions across our business will help enhance experiences for both our employees and customers." "Industries are embracing a new era in which chatbots, recommendation engines and accelerated libraries for data optimization help produce AI-driven innovations," said Manuvir Das, vice president of Enterprise Computing at NVIDIA. "Our work with AT&T will help the company better mine its data to drive new services and solutions for the AI-powered telco."

Apple today announced the most powerful and advanced iPad Pro ever, pushing the limits of what's possible on iPad. The addition of the Apple-designed M1 chip delivers a massive leap in performance, making iPad Pro the fastest device of its kind. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a new Liquid Retina XDR display that brings extreme dynamic range to iPad Pro, offering a stunning visual experience with more true-to-life details to the most demanding HDR workflows. Cellular models with 5G deliver even faster wireless connectivity when on the go, and to provide users with pro-level throughput for high-speed accessories, iPad Pro now includes support for Thunderbolt. Additionally, an all-new Ultra Wide front camera enables Center Stage, a new feature that automatically keeps users perfectly framed for even more engaging video calls. The new iPad Pro is available to order beginning Friday, April 30, on apple.com, and will be available in the second half of May.

"The revolutionary M1 chip has been a breakthrough for the Mac, and we're incredibly excited to bring it to iPad Pro," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With M1's huge jump in performance, a groundbreaking extreme dynamic range experience on the 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, up to 2 TB of high-speed storage, Thunderbolt expansion, a four-speaker audio system, pro cameras with LiDAR Scanner, blazing-fast 5G connectivity, an amazing video-calling experience with Center Stage—combined with the advanced features of iPadOS and a powerful pro app ecosystem all in a device users can hold in one hand—there's nothing else like iPad Pro."

TP-LINK announced today that its family of 3G/3.75G Wireless N Routers are now 4G compatible with major wireless mobile phone carriers such as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The Portable Battery-Powered Wireless N Router (TL-MR3040) is an ideal travel companion to enable up to 5 devices to access the Internet simultaneously on the 4G mobile network. The Wireless N Routers for home networks (TL-MR3220 and TL-MR3420) can now provide 4G mobile Internet as a back up at home when your DSL or cable service is down.

Apple today introduced iPad mini, a completely new iPad design that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad. The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance1 and an incredible 10 hours of battery life2-every inch an iPad, yet in a revolutionary design you can hold in one hand. Apple today also announced the fourth generation iPad featuring a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world's most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features.

"iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless-all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life."

AMD today announced that Major League Baseball's (MLB) San Francisco Giants selected AMD as a technology partner. The Giants have recently installed 66 new AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU)-based HP TouchSmart 320m All-In-One (AIO) touchscreen systems at AT&T Park, which will be followed by deployments of other AMD-powered systems throughout the organization.

"Our technology partnership with the San Francisco Giants puts AMD in a great position to showcase the role AMD technology can play to help large organizations harness the trends around consumerization, the Cloud and convergence to drive their business," said Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Global Business Units. "From powering the front office infrastructure to the luxury suite experience at AT&T Park, AMD is ready to be a technology clean-up hitter for the Giants and their fans."

Apple's next big move will be to provide wireless service directly to its iPad and iPhone customers, according to veteran wireless industry strategist Whitey Bluestein.

Bluestein told an international gathering of wireless operators, resellers and suppliers that Apple has all of the critical elements - the world's leading brand, distribution through 363 Apple Stores, digital content (music, video and apps)-which will allow it to exploit its 250 million iTunes accounts with credit cards on file.

He also noted that Apple has a patent-pending network architecture to enter the wireless industry as a service provider. Apple filed a patent application in October 2006, shortly before the first iPhone announcement, with a diagram on how it would offer wireless service directly to customers using networks of several mobile operators. The patent application was extended in fall 2011. Bluestein said that the patent confirms that Apple has thought through how it would offer service directly to customers.

Key Facts

- AT&T customers will soon be able to enjoy their favorite music wherever they are when the Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable high performance wireless audio system arrives in white and black, exclusively from AT&T at company-owned stores or online at www.att.com beginning March 11 for $399.00.

- Beats By Dr. Dre offers rich, full sounds with professional-grade sound engineering to play the music how the artist intended with a distortion-free sound at higher volume and real bass at all levels.

PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) hits shelves this month and GameStop (NYSE: GME) is giving consumers a first glimpse at the highly anticipated new handheld system. More than 3,300 U.S. GameStop stores now have playable demo units that provide a first-hand look at PS Vita's exciting new technology. In addition to the five-inch OLED multi-touch screen, front and rear touch pads, dual analog sticks, dual cameras and six-axis motion sensing system, players can experience a variety of games, including:

Major Internet service providers (ISPs), home networking equipment manufacturers, and web companies around the world are coming together to permanently enable IPv6 for their products and services by 6 June 2012.

Organized by the Internet Society, and building on the successful one-day World IPv6 Day event held on 8 June 2011, World IPv6 Launch represents a major milestone in the global deployment of IPv6. As the successor to the current Internet Protocol, IPv4, IPv6 is critical to the Internet's continued growth as a platform for innovation and economic development.

In perhaps one of the more ironic legal moves to be seen recently, Sony's clause in its Terms of Service preventing PlayStation 3 owners from filing class action lawsuits has itself attracted a class action lawsuit! The lawsuit was filed in Northern California in November, by a man on behalf of PS3 owners who signed up for the PlayStation Network before September, when the ToS were updated and this anti-class action clause added.

The killer clause is buried deep into the contract and is very hard to spot, requiring the contract to be read all the way through with a fine toothcomb - if the reader can rise to the challenge of reading the complicated and dry legalese it's written in. Compounding the problem is that the agreement isn't even readily available online for anyone to study - it can only be viewed on the PS3 itself (so the console is already used before you can even see the agreement - hardly fair?) and appears near the bottom of the 21-page form. Previous agreements had been posted online for anyone to inspect. On top of that, the only way of opting out of it, is to mail a physical letter to Sony within 30 days of agreeing to the ToS - very inconvenient and likely to be forgotten by the average person. The main thrust of the lawsuit are allegations of unfair business practices, since PS3 owners are forced to choose between forfeiting their rights or access to the PSN. Note that since Sony introduced this clause, Electronic Arts and Microsoft have both introduced similar clauses, which doesn't put them in a very good light either and potentially at the receiving end of a lawsuit themselves.

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the ultra portable 3G Mobile Wireless N Router, model TEW-656BRG, which shares a single Internet connection from a compatible SprintT , AT&TT , VerizonT, or other USB 3G / 3.75G modem, with multiple users.

The TEW-656BRG is one of the lightest and smallest 3G routers available; so small that it can slip into any laptop bag unnoticed. It has no battery, and can be powered directly from a laptop's USB port, eliminating the often frustrating search for an electrical outlet while on the go (it also comes with an electrical adapter). The device also features a built in hanging hook, allowing users to neatly hang the TEW-656BRG on the back of a laptop screen while working.

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces from CES the availability of the ultra portable 3G Mobile Wireless N Router, model TEW-656BRG, which shares a single Internet connection from a compatible SprintT , AT&TT , VerizonT, or other USB 3G / 3.75 G modem with multiple users.

Following the successful launch of TRENDnet's 3G Wireless N Router, model TEW-655BR3G, in April, 2010, TRENDnet began designing a similar product specifically for on-the-go professionals. The key feature of the TEW-655BR3G, launched in April, is its built in battery that powers the router for up to 2.5 hours under full loading. The newer TEW-656BRG is a lighter and smaller 3G router that can slip into any laptop bag unnoticed. It has no battery, and is powered directly from a laptop's USB ports, eliminating the often frustrating search for an electrical outlet (it also comes with an electrical adapter). The device also features a built in hanging hook, allowing users to neatly hang the TEW-656BRG on the back of a laptop screen while working.

Lenovo today announced it is sharpening its focus on small to medium businesses (SMB) from top to bottom, beginning with the introduction of new products like the ThinkPad Edge 14 and 15 inch laptops. Designed for style and sophistication, select models offer an elegant backlit keyboard. The ThinkPad Edge laptops are already powering innovative SMBs like the Cupcake Stop in New York City. Lenovo also announced today the debut of new attention-grabbing worldwide ads showcasing the imagination, engineering and proven ability of Think-branded PC products.

"We're creating a full SMB program, starting with products like the ThinkPad Edge 14 and 15 inch laptops," said Jerry Paradise, director, Worldwide ThinkPad Product Marketing, Lenovo. "We have seen strong demand already for the ThinkPad Edge 13 inch, and we'll continue to expand the ThinkPad Edge lineup going forward, extending the same leadership in innovation, quality and reliability in SMB that we're known for with large enterprise customers."

Intel Corporation today unveiled its 2010 Intel Core vPro processor family to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes for PCs with greater, more flexible performance, theft prevention and cost savings in a rapidly changing business computing environment. These and several other capabilities are at the heart of many new Intel-based business laptop and desktop computers beginning to roll out from computer manufacturers worldwide.

The Intel Core vPro processors arrive as business computing evolves with the emergence of video, Internet telephony, social networking and other heavyweight applications - in many cases running at the same time - making a computer's performance an even bigger priority.

Lenovo today announced the Lenovo Skylight, the first ARM-based smartbook based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset platform. Skylight harnesses the best of smartphones and netbooks to create a new mobile consumer device. With a stunningly sleek and slim design, all day battery life, robust wireless connectivity and custom interface with live web gadgets, Skylight is designed to transform the mobile Internet experience. The Skylight smartbook connects with AT&T 3G mobile broadband service in the U.S.

"The web has become the window to the world for more and more people, helping them connect with friends and family across town or thousands of miles away," said Peter Gaucher, executive director, Mobile Internet Product Management, Lenovo. "Skylight combines the long battery life and connectivity of a smartphone with the full web browsing and multimedia experience of a netbook to create one of the first devices in this developing smartbook category. Consumers want choices. They can now choose from a full portfolio of Lenovo mobile consumer devices including netbooks, smartbooks and laptops."

A lot of us have high-end mobile phones which have high MSRP subsidized to a great deal of its original price by service providers (such as AT&T, Vodafone, etc.) after signing a time-bound contract for using their serivice. Some variants of ASUS Eee PC and other competing brands are equipped with 3G High Speed Down/Uplink Packet Access (HSDPA) connectivity, which allows service providers to provide internet connectivity among other features. This means a good venture for them since they could sign you on a service contract and sell you these ultra-portable notebooks at subsidized prices a-là mobile phones. ECS is already in the process of signing partnerships with several service providers in Europe.

With these notebooks falling in the same price-band as mid-high end mobile phones, PDAs, etc., internet connectivity, PC-style, is more affordable than ever before.

AT&T and Microsoft Corp. today announced a collaborative alliance that will transform the way consumers shop for mobile devices. AT&T will become the first company in the world to bring Microsoft Surface to life in a retail environment, giving customers the ability to explore their mobile worlds using touch and device recognition technology. Microsoft Surface is the first commercially available surface computer from Microsoft. Beginning April 17, customers can experience Microsoft Surface in select AT&T retail locations, including stores in New York City, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Francisco. Based on the success and learning from these initial pilot deployments, plans for further expansion across AT&T's 2,200 U.S. retail stores will be determined.

Well, Apple did warn customers not to unlock their iPhones, and now the firm has taken steps to prevent it happening. With the launch of the new 1.1.1 update for Apple's new gadget, users will no longer be able to use third party SIM cards, they are instead restricted to AT&T only. Although there are some reports of unlocked iPhones becoming expensive paperweights, this seems rare and no more common than it is for locked phones, with most users instead finding themselves with a 'factory-fresh' iPhone with all the stock settings restored. But to be on the safe side, if you do have an unlocked iPhone it is recommended that you either don't download the latest update or you return your phone to its locked, factory state before you update it, with all the information you need available from Engadget.

Iphoneunlocking.com, a subsidiary of UniquePhones (www.uniquephones.com), was poised and ready to release remote software unlocking services for the iphone today at 12 noon EST. The sale of unlocking codes is on hold after the company received a telephone call from a Menlo Park, California, law firm at approximately 2:54 a.m. this morning (GMT).

After saying they were phoning on behalf of AT&T, the law firm presented issues such as copyright infringement and illegal software dissemination. Uniquephones is taking legal advice to ascertain whether AT&T was sending a warning shot or directly threatening legal action. The logistics of different continents as well as it being a weekend factors into how the situation develops.

Spartans aren't the only things that come in groups of 300, nowadays. AT&T detailed a certain woman's phone bill so well that it took 300 pages to completely write out, and was shipped to it's recipient in a box. Most of those pages were used to describe every single text message the lady had sent. The recipient feels that "This (phone bill) is a lot of waste. It's a cardboard box, a ton of pages, and plus, it was almost $10 to send this, so it does not make any sense." The recipient of the monumental bill signed up for E-billing promptly after this, but not before recording a video for her blog of her opening the 300 page bill. The blog is currently down, probably due to such a large volume of traffic. She took the video with the hope that other people would learn from her mistakes, and sign up for E-billing. Instead, people have already vowed to beat her record next billing period.

Seems that AT&T isnt the only cell phone company to use iPhone after all...T-Mobile has snagged a deal for the handset in Germany as you can all see in the screenshot bellow.
Whether or not this has an effect on Apple's UK network of choice however isn't clear at all.
With the general consensus of opinion that the iPhone will be Europe bound in September or October there should be a press release or even announcement soon.

WASHINGTON - U.S. lawmakers are criticizing high early-termination fees and the inability of consumers to use mobile devices such as the new iPhone on more than one network. Before switching to another wireless provider, mobile customers usually have to pay $175 or more to terminate their current plan, and they usually have to get a new phone. How can the iPhone be a threat when millions of us can't even use it because we're not AT&T Wireless customers? Personally, I'm not in a position to pay to break my Verizon Wireless contract - which has five family phones on the plan - so I can pay $500 for an iPhone, sign a two-year contract with AT&T Wireless and still not be able to manage my e-mail in the tunnel between the Woodley Park and Dupont Circle Metro stations.

Napster and AT&T are teaming up for a new service that will give phone users free unlimited access for one year to more than 3
million song tracks through Napster To Go. The service will cost $14.95 per month. Available beginning Sunday, April 1, across the company's nationwide wireless footprint with qualifying plans - as well as across the company's entire 22-state traditional service footprint with qualifying wireless, home phone and broadband triple-pack bundles - the offer enables consumers
to conveniently access their favorite songs across multiple screens, including the PC, the wireless screen and other compatible music devices. The offer builds on the company's effort to deliver anytime, anywhere access to enhanced content. Read the full story here.