US Dept of Justice Puts the Kabosh on AT&T and T-Mobile Merger!!

In March of this year AT&T announced plans to buy out rival T-Mobile. This merger would make AT&T the largest provider of cellular service in the United States effectively leapfrogging Verizon. Of course Sprint and Verizon were not big fans of this maneuver and the companies particularly Sprint have been quite vocal in their opposition. Now it seems that the United States Government has some issues as well.

Bloomberg is reporting today that the US Department of Justice has filed an antitrust complaint to stop this merger immediately. If the merger does not go through it would be a very bad day for AT&T since they will owe T-Mobile $3billion in the case of the deal not working. AT&T has promised alot of jobs to the American worker in the merger but it seems the DOJ needs a little more convincing and feel that the merger would result in “in higher prices, poorer quality services, fewer choices and fewer innovative products for the millions of American consumers who rely on mobile wireless services in their everyday lives.”

The FCC also issues a statement-“By filing suit today, the Department of Justice has concluded that AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile would substantially lessen competition in violation of the antitrust laws. Competition is an essential component of the FCC’s statutory public interest analysis, and although our process is not complete, the record before this agency also raises serious concerns about the impact of the proposed transaction on competition. Vibrant competition in wireless services is vital to innovation, investment, economic growth and job creation, and to drive our global leadership in mobile. Competition fosters consumer benefits, including more choices, better service and lower prices” Julius Genachowski, chairman, FCC

Not to be left out here is what AT&T Senior VP Wayne Watts has to say-

"We are surprised and disappointed by today's action, particularly since we have met repeatedly with the Department of Justice and there was no indication from the DOJ that this action was being contemplated. We plan to ask for an expedited hearing so the enormous benefits of this merger can be fully reviewed. The DOJ has the burden of proving alleged anti-competitive affects and we intend to vigorously contest this matter in court. At the end of the day, we believe facts will guide any final decision and the facts are clear. This merger will:

· Help solve our nation's spectrum exhaust situation and improve wireless service for millions.
· Allow AT&T to expand 4G LTE mobile broadband to another 55 million Americans, or 97% of the population;
· Result in billions of additional investment and tens of thousands of jobs, at a time when our nation needs them most.
We remain confident that this merger is in the best interest of consumers and our country, and the facts will prevail in court."

It seems that right now noone knows that this merger will mean for the US consumer and the Government is not comfortable letting it do through without some more research. Rest assured that this is only the first

strike in what is sure to be a long battle. With $3billion at stake AT&T will not go quietly into the night!!

JKeene AndroREV Writer

We are AndroREV, WE ARE!!!!

Irene Can't Stop all this Galaxy S II Goodness for AT&T and T-Mobile!!

For months now Android fans in the US have watched and waited. Waited for one of the biggest Android phones of the year to reach our shores and not even Hurricane Irene can hold it back for long! Samsung held their big event today in New York City to unveil three versions of GSII. Kidromulous already reported on the Sprint version here and now for the AT&T and T-Mobile versions.

Thankfully for my typing hand both AT&T and T-Mobile kept it simple in naming this device and just went with Galaxy S II branding for bother versions. The AT&T GSII will be releasing Sept. 18th and will sport all the specs we have come to know and love. The phone will be packing a 1.2GHz dualcore processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 4G HSPA+ radio,8MP rear camera w/2MP front camera,1080p HD video support, HDMI out and 1650 mAh battery. The AT&T GSII will come with a 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus display which may come as a disappointment to some. Keep in mind that the Infuse already has the 4.5" display and the smaller battery and screen keep the phone down to a very slim 8.89mm.

The T-Mobile GSII is a little harder to write up, it seems that their version was not quite ready for the show and was not able to be demo'd. They did have a version on display and it showed off some very nicely rounded corners and a softer look. The T-Mobile version will be equipped with the larger 4.52 Super AMOLED display, 8MP rear and 2MP front camera combo w/ 1080p HD video support, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1.2 GHz dualcore processor, HSPA+ 4G radio, WiFi calling, and a large number of preloaded apps. There is no actual release date or final specs for weight and width reveled at the show.

Samsung is already showing off numerous docks and accessories for these phones so you will be able to buy gear to your heart's content. The big news here is that this phone is finally concrete and everyone can start checking to see when your contract upgrade is due!!

Picture Source-Engadget

JKeene AndroREV Writer

We are AndroREV, WE ARE!!!!!!!

HTC Puccini Seen in The Wild!! AT&T and LTE on Board!

If you have been following our blog you know that Kidromulous and I are eagerly anticipating the release of the HTC Puccini, you can read about it here and here. Now thanks to a leak on Engadget we have pictures and spec confirmations for you and all I can say is WOW!

The Puccini will be coming to AT&T very soon, it is already in testing and will drop before the end of the year. The big news of course is this little logo on the back. The Puccini will be the first tablet on AT&T that sports a 4G LTE radio for their brand new network.

This tablet will also be sporting specs in line with what we reported to you already. The Puccini will sport a 1.5GHz dualcore Snapdragon processor, Android Honeycomb OS, an 8MP rear camera with flash, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, and a 10" screen. Now if you are on AT&T and in the market for a tablet, i don't think it is going to get any better then this!!

Via-Engadget

JKeene AndroREV Writer

We are AndroREV, WE ARE!!!!

AT&T Owners Get Ready for Some Android!!!

So we know that Samsung has leaked a large roadmap of the phones coming up this year here. However, now if you are on AT&T you are about to get a preview of the rest of the year, and it looks like a good holiday season! There are the usual crop of Windows phones that noone will buy and Blackberry's that don't matter anymore combined with ALOT of Android. So lets take a look and see what is in the pipeline.

First up is the Samsung Singa which lines up to be AT&T's version of the Galaxy S II, labeled the Attain. The other Sammy device should be either the just leaked Impluse( the first 4G LTE phone on AT&T) or the leaked Galaxy Series slider that we say a while back. Next up to look at is a Motorola phone labeled the Fuath. A few weeks ago pictures and this name popped up in a leak for the Atrix sequel dubbed the Atrix HD. The Atrix HD looks to be a brother to the fabled Droid Bionic and will have a curved glass HD display, larger screen, 8MP camera and 4G LTE as well. There are a smattering of Pantech and Huawei phones which could be low to mid end phones. However don't forget the Pantech leaks from earlier in the year show one of their phones packing the same chipset as the Evo 3D so don't count out a Superphone. All in all the Holiday Season will be very merry if you are an Android fan with AT&T!!

Atrix HD

Samsung Slider

JKeene AndroREV Writer

We are AndroREV, We Are!!!

http://www.facebook.com/AndroREV

AT&T makes the LTE leap with Samsung Impulse

So who's waiting for an LTE phone from AT&T? Not I said the cat but I'm sure a bunch of you are and BGR (Boy Genius Report) delivered the goods for the community with their reporting on the Samsung Impulse, the first LTE phone coming to ma bell. It's rumored to be a variant of the Droid Charge in actuality. 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus display and a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. What do you guys think about a phone with these specs coming with LTE. Doesn't do much for me! More Power! (Tim the toolman Taylor voice).

Kidromulous
Getting old
AndroidianREVolution

WTH! HTC Holiday Prototype Sells On CraigsList

HTC Holiday is REAL

Ok so if you haven't heard this one yet I'm always pleased to inform you guys. XDA member xredjokerx saw this bad boy for sale on craigslist and picked it up. The question remains what the heck is it? Why it's an HTC prototype rumored to be bound to the AT&T network it has a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 4.5 inch whopper of a QHD screen, 8GB of internal memory, 8 MP camera, 1.3 MP front facing camera and a 540 x 960 resolution. It has no branding but I'll go head an show you the pictures which by the time I hit the publish button are likely to be all over the place. Unfortunately the phone has seen better days and has a cracked screen. So what do you guys think about this? Cool Huh? I thought so.

More to Come
Kidromulous
Something like an Editor but having way more fun here
AndroREV

Verizon Galaxy S 2 previewed in Korea??

The United States of Android is waiting with bated breath for the release of the Samsung Galaxy S 2 on all carriers and the leaks have been slow in coming. The T-Mobile Hercules and the Sprint Within have broken cover and made their blurry cam debut recently. The Verizon Function and the AT&T Attain have yet to be seen but IT Tong a Korean site has dropped information on a Korean variant that just may be the Verizon Function.

IT Tong is reporting that this unnamed phone will sport some beastly specs. First and foremost is a 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus screen, 4G LTE Radios, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, an 8MP camera around back with a 2MP camera on the front, and 16GB of internal storage. One of the big questions is which processor will each version of the GS2 bring to the table. If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that we have been reporting that the Verizon Function will come with not a Samsung sourced processor but a Qualcomm chip set. Guess what chipset this phone has? A 1.5 GHz Qualcomm APQ8060 Snapdragon Dual Core processor! The phone also has a larger 1750 mAh battery on board to help feel that hungry 4G radio.

The only bad news here is that the 4G radio is operating on an 800 MHz LTE frequency while both Verizon and AT&T are on 700 MHz bands. This phone may be Europe bound where this LTE radio would feel right at home. However it would not take much to make this phone 700 MHz friendly so keep an eye out for the Function to show its self off much clearer soon!

Picture Source-Engadget

Waiting up for Christmas presents in Q4 2011

I don’t know about you, but I am the most impatient person when it comes to waiting on the
line-up for new phones in the upcoming quarters. Luckily I have the skinny on one of them
already. Since the fourth quarter is all about the holidays, it’s quite fitting for the HTC Holiday
that is rumored to drop Q4. Just in time for Santa to drop it in my stocking. (If I can wait that
long) Supposedly AT&T is to get this beast of a device with a 4.5 in. screen, HTC Sense UI, 8 MP
back and 1.3 MP front-facing. Of course it will come with a Bread made of Ginger (since it is the
Holiday) and a 1.2 GHz dual-core. Normally there is always an international version with better
specs of most HTC devices, but I have yet to come across one for the HTC Holiday. So maybe,
just maybe we’ll actually get a phone from HTC in the states that doesn’t downgraded specs.
Guess we will just have to wait and see what good ole’ St Nick leaves us until the Christmas
tree.