A daily news summary will be on offer for WSJ readers, in addition to the digital version of the paper. The digital copy of the paper will sell punters back $14.99 a month, with the daily summary another $5, and the New York Post will cost $9.99 a month, exclusively sold on the Reader Daily Edition.

On sale sometime before 2010 (that's 13 days, then), it'll cost $399.99. [WSJ]

But! It's "going to get fixed." He promises. (As AT&T has for over a year.) Besides, part of it's in your head—AT&T says they have a national dropped call rate of 1.32 percent, which is within two-tenths of one percent below the "highest-scoring provider." (Though it's, um, higher in NY on some phones, according to some people.)

Disconcertingly, he made reference to AT&T's favorite stat, that 3 percent of smartphone customers push 40 percent of data, and that they're looking at incentives—as the WSJ put it—that'll get those people to cut back, "in a way that's consistent with net-neutrality and FCC regulations." These FCC regulations. Meaning pay-per-byte data.

But you know what? If I could get data 100 percent of the time, sure, I'll pay more for it, Ralphie. [WSJ]

I mean, wasn't the original Verizon ad that started this off about the size of the 3G network? Now AT&T is countering with speed, which is great and all, so long as you don't live in any major U.S. cities like San Francisco, where those speeds are available, occasionally, like a fleeting wind (this according to the Gizmodo guys who live there, particularly Blam).

But a headless Luke Wilson is hi-larious, right? Enough to get consumers to vote with their hearts and not use their heads though? Not a chance. I'm siding with the Misfit Toys on this one.

It's an opinion. It could be off the mark. Let me know in the comments where you fall in this great big objectivity-free ad war between cell phone carriers. [Youtube via CNET]

Claiming it's a "little too tiny," fondler Salomondrin says it's still slightly bigger than previous Pearl models, keeping in mind it's been styled after the latest Bold. The camera has been updated to 3.2-megapixels with a flash, and has Wi-Fi along with that much-needed 3G. Running on BlackBerry OS 5.0.0.350 in the video below, you can see the trackball has been swapped for the optical trackpad seen on the Curve 8530 and Bold 9700, and it's also got the new multimedia buttons on the right side.

I'm far too attached to QWERTY to even consider this new Pearl 2, but if you're looking for something slimmer and more candybar-like, schedule April in for a potential launch date. [Salomondrin via PhoneArena and CrackBerry]

You can get a day pass of 75MB for $15, a week pass of 250MB for $30, and a month pass of 500MB for $50. The prices aren't absurd if you only use the thing occasionally, but those data caps are something awful. For example, just loading a website will get you to burn a couple megabytes, and a heavy email session with attachments will kill half the day's quota. Better to save this for emergencies at the rates AT&T is offering. [AT&T

Now, good on AT&T for fighting back with more ads and not more silly lawsuits and all, but the Verizon holiday ad lineup is pretty strong, and I don't see many Verizon customers losing sleep over Luke Wilson covering a giant coverage map with post cards.

As tipster Eric notes, AT&T selectively does not mention Edge, 3G or voice/data distinctions in this commercial, opting instead for vague blanket statements like "AT&T covers 97% of all Americans, that's over 300 million people."

To the AT&T customers I ask: Are you comforted by Luke Wilson?

AT&T's 3G Network Sees 2,000% Increase Since iPhone 3G Release

In the wake of a big $65 million upgrade to its network here in the San Francisco Bay Area, AT&T revealed that the improvement was due to 3G usage being up 2,000% after the release of the iPhone 3G last year. That sounds like a crazy number for which the iPhone deserves all kinds of high fives, but it's really not surprising—how many AT&T 3G phones were there before the iPhone 3G, even? And of course 3G use across the board is up in crazy numbers, since smartphones have really started taking off in the last year or so—so to be honest, the number doesn't really mean all that much. Hence its ending up here in the sad pit of Remainders. [All Things D]

Droid Camera Fixed, Without Explanation?

The Motorola Droid camera is a serious problem. I can't compete with Matt's angry poetry on the subject, so here it is, clipped from his review:

The camera is complete garbage. It takes 10 years to start up, 2 to focus, and another 4 to actually take the goddamn picture. And there's no distinct visual feedback to let you know a photo's been snapped. And the photos suck. That pumpkin shot, in decent lighting, is as good as it gets. Like I said in the Android 2.0 review, I don't know if it's the hardware or the software, but it's inexcusably bad.

Yow. But users have spontaneously been reporting that the camera, all of a sudden, has stopped sucking—what's the deal? Apparently there was some kind of bug wherein a particular state of the clock (meaning, time of day) screws with the Droid's autofocusing, which sounds insane to me, but what do I know? Apparently it should work okay now, and while it's temporary, the incoming Dec. 11th bug fix should take care of things. [Electronista]

Genius Bar App Won't Help if Your iPhone Is Broken

Rumor has it that Apple is planning to add a Genius Bar app to the App Store (appappappapp) that will let you make appointments, track your place in line, and curse the world when you realize you can't use the app because your iPhone is broken, which is the whole reason you need to make the appointment in the first place. Catch 22 apps are the very best kind of apps. [TUAW]

Samsung Beats out Vizio for Top LCD Seller

I bet you've been waiting by your computer, eager to see who managed to eke out the top spot in the LCD sales wars this fiscal quarter. Will it be Vizio, the low-priced upstart who took the LCD world by storm? Or Samsung, the crafty veteran with the quality sets and sleek design? Looks like this quarter, Samsung took the prize—and it's in Remainders because honestly who cares, at all. [CrunchGear]

It will be available on November 22nd, free with rebate after signing up for a contract. That means you customers in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, LA and Miami. [AT&T via Engadget]

The first commercial, which I saw air for the first time during the New England Patriots game this afternoon, is called Verizon Blue Christmas (above). As Elvis croons, a man depressingly makes his way home with no cell coverage. He's utterly sad until he sees that a wrapped, red present might just contain the phone he's really looking for.

The second commercial, below, shows us that the "naughty" people won't be getting coal in their stockings this year. Nope, they'll be getting spotty AT&T 3G service instead! Ho ho ho.

The last commercial places an iPhone-esque phone on the Island of Misfit Toys.

The phone seems out of place, at least until the toys get a glimpse of its 3G network. "You'll fit right in!" they scream. And then we all just laugh and laugh. [Verizon's YouTube Account]

Channels: COR, DMDR, LD, and NR Internal
Roles: Reps & Above
Markets: All
Contact: Your Manager

AT&T filed a lawsuit on November 4, 2009 against Verizon's "There's a Map for That" advertising campaign. Independent research shows that the maps in the advertisements mislead consumers into believing that we do not offer any wireless service in the vast majority of the country. In fact, AT&T's 2.5G EDGE network covers 1.75 million square miles of the United States, reaching some 296 million people, roughly the same number reached by Verizon's network. This network supports popular services like e-mail, surfing the Web, texting, and voice calling, including the activities shown in the Verizon TV advertisements. In addition, our 3G service, the nation's fastest, is available in more than 9,400 cities and towns.

We filed the lawsuit in Federal District Court in Atlanta and asked that Verizon be prohibited from misleading consumers regarding the scope of our wireless network.

How should I respond to customers who ask about the lawsuit?

While we cannot speculate on the complaint filed, it is a great opportunity to remind customers of AT&T's many advantages that over 81 million customers enjoy, including:

* Best Network
* The best coverage worldwide (More Bars in More PlacesTM).
* The nation's fastest 3G network and the only national 3G carrier providing simultaneous voice and data usage.
* The most devices that work in the most places including Japan and South Korea (3G 2100 MHz device required).
* The nation's largest wireless and wireline broadband provider.
* The nation's largest company-owned and operated WiFi network with more than 20,000 hotspots, including Starbucks, McDonald's and Barnes and Noble, as well as access to over 120,000 hotspots around the world.
* The leading provider of local and long distance voice services.

Greatest Value – The fairest value with Rollover® allowing customers to keep their unused minutes month to month.
Best Products - The most innovative exclusive devices such as the iPhoneTM 3GS.
Most Convenient Services
* The most customer friendly free self-service tools with *Services for checking usage, paying bills, and adding features.
* The most convenient and cost-effective way for customers to manage their accounts with Combined Billing for wireless and wireline products.
* Industry leading 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

As always, if you have an inquiry from the media, please refer them to your local media relations team member.

I guess that if you've made a mockery of the court system with a ridiculous lawsuit, then you might as well use the attention for a bit of spin. [Mobile Crunch]

Android and Me is suggesting that T-Mobile customers try checking their data speed using Xtreme Labs Speedtest or Mobile Speed Test. I encourage you to do so and post the results after a few tries along with your region. In the meantime, we're waiting on official word from T-Mobile to confirm this potentially great news. [Android and Me—Thanks, Slacker!]

Now, the "There's a Map for That" ad focuses on 3G alone, and the discussion is about 3G services, including video. But the charge AT&T makes is that people who watch the ad are being deliberately led to thinking that in the white spaces, there's no AT&T phone service at all. Here's the accusation:

Consumers are interpreting the white or blank space on the maps to mean that AT&T customers who are not in an AT&T "3G" coverage area have no wireless coverage whatsoever, and therefore have no ability to use their wireless devices for any purposes in vast areas of the country. This interpretation is not surprising as Verizon, in its own coverage maps, uses white space to inform customers that no coverage of any kind exists.

The thing is, this is somewhat tricky to prove, but it sounds wrong. There are areas of Verizon voice coverage that are not marked as red in the map in the commercial, if my squint-eye human-instrument comparison test is accurate. Try it for yourself. Does the map up top better resemble the one in blue and yellow (but not green), which shows broadband, aka 3G? Or the one in red, which shows voice and messaging?

For reference, here's AT&T's map—note, only the very darkest shade of blue represents 3G coverage:

The ad may contain jargon that might confuse middle America—I will admit that—but to any trained ear, it's pretty clearly about 3G. As far as this maps claim, though, that seems dubious. The maps that Verizon chose do seem to represent the same thing—3G coverage only. Yes, AT&T lawyers, if I'm right about this, it means that had Verizon cheated, their map would have been even redder than the one in the ad. So what's say we spend more of that iPhone subscription money on fixing the network (near my house, please!) and less money on frivolous lawsuits.

[AT&T's Motion for the Restraining Order of Verizon WARNING: PDF]

It's got four bars on AT&T.

I'll forgive that artistic liberty this time though, because this isn't just the best edible iPhone seen so far, it was also used as Jerry's wedding cake. Granted that leaves one question: Which app did they save and freeze? [Jerry Brito via TUAW]

If these leaked documents are real, here's what T-Mobile will offer:

Even More plan
• $100 for voice/SMS/data, everything unlimited.
• $70 for unlimited talk and SMS.
• $60 for unlimited voice only.
• Requires two year contract.

Even More Plus plan
• $80 for voice/SMS/data, everything unlimited.
• $60 for unlimited talk and SMS.
• $50 for unlimited voice only.
• Pre-paid.

The weird thing is that the Even More Plus plan is pre-paid and gives you the FlexPay option, which allows to buy a phone in four payments. The Even More will probably give you a "free" cellphone, but it's not specified at this point.

Apple, please, let's drop this whole exclusivity thing with the iPhone in the US. I don't want to keep paying $160 to those AT&T thieves every single month. I would rather pay $100 to the T-Mobile thieves. [TmoNews via Engadget]

That's some high praise right there. Apparently it's slightly thicker than the iPhone 3GS, but is still the thinnest QWERTY-slider they've seen. They also say its TI OMAP3430 processor and 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen are fastest, and most responsive they've used on an Android phone. "It makes the CLIQ looks like a child's toy."

My only concern is that these shots make the screen look kinda dim. That could be the flash, or maybe the screen wasn't at max brightness, who knows. Click through for BGR's full impressions and image gallery. [Boy Genius Report]

Also: Verizon's 30-second Droid TV Spot Attacking the iPhone

Obviously T-mobile is attempting to expand their customer base through Project Dark, and part of the approach is to entice customers who would normally be forced to prepay monthly dues as well as full retail for a device:

"Even More Plus" will give those who would otherwise qualify for FlexPay the option to finance a phone. [...] Our sources tell us that the phones will not be subsidized and so there won't be contracts for the devices, which means you pay the full retail price over the course of a set amount of time (up to 20 months is what we're told). Not bad - for a $500 device over that time is just $25/month, as an example.

The next step is offering the "Most Affordable Unlimited Rate Plans" in three flavors:

[U]nlimited voice, unlimited voice and text, and unlimited voice/text/data all priced at $40, $50 and $60, respectively.

All unconfirmed rumors, of course, but moves like this could definitely help T-mobile leap up from fourth place in the Great Battle of the Carriers.

Update: The folks at Boy Genius now have some screenshots showing the tiered unlimited plan and the FlexPay options.

[Boy Genius Report and Boy Genius Report]

I don't even know if this can be called a "backdoor" with as easy as it is to bypass the "Wi-Fi only" warning on this app:

Tap the OK button, and the app will act as if it can't receive broadcasts. However, tap the text of the warning message instead, and the Eye TV app will stream live TV over a 3G connection.

Easypeasy, and you might as well snatch up the app before Apple or AT&T react.

Update 1: Looks like Apple reacted pretty quickly and yanked the app already.

Update 2: There's a statement from Elgato, the folks behind the EyeTV app explaining what happened:

Some test code that enabled live TV streaming over the cellular network was accidentally left in the the EyeTV App. Apple requested that we remove the code since their agreement with AT&T does not allow redirecting TV signals over the cellular network. The code was removed and a 1.0.1 version of the EyeTV app was submitted. We expect EyeTV to return to the App Store when the 1.0.1 version is approved.

Update 3: Reader Tony wrote in to say that, while he could not download the EyeTV app through the iTunes link, searching for it on the iPhone App Store allowed him to purchase, download, and use the app to stream over 3G without any issues. Is anyone else able to still get the 1.0.0 version like this?

[ElectricPig via Boy Genius Report]

There's actually more to it, possibly: A new "Everything Unlimited" plan that'll be $50 for all-you-can-eat voice, SMS, MMS and data. Watch out, Sprint. Plus, T-Mobile employees will be getting a snazzy new uniform consisting of a black shirt and grey pants. We'll see. [BGR]

A quick refresher: Net neutrality is, simply, the principle that all data gets treated the same by an ISP or service, whether it's incoming email or HD videos of dudes getting socked in the nuts by a 4-year-old on YouTube. A real-world example of very non-neutral behavior would be what got Comcast slapped by the FCC: specifically sabotaging torrents.

Theoretically, this could go beyond policing piracy, for instance if, say, Time Warner competitively blocked or slowed down Hulu, or if Verizon struck a deal with Google to give its data priority over traffic from Bing, so people using Google would get a way better experience than people using Bing. Streaming video is a not-so-coincidental theoretical example, since the explosion of video traffic is what the ISPs say is swallowing up all of the internet.

The end result of the threat of government-mandated net neutrality regulations for ISPs was a mixed "win" for consumers: AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner all responded with monthly data caps on their internet service in at least some of their markets. (Comcast limited it in all markets.)

As for the FCC telling ISPs to be more explicit about network management practices, Comcast started straight-up telling people heavy internet users would have their entire connections slowed down. While they suck for consumers, these are all "net neutral" practices, since no particular kind of data is discriminated against. The net neutrality debate fizzled down, though in some ways people were worse off than before.

With a new president, comes a new FCC chair, Julian Genachowski. Unlike his predecessor, who regularly reamed the cable industry but was a little too snuggly with the telecoms and against "hard and fast" net-neutrality rules, Genachowski is all about rules for everybody. Including the wireless carriers.

As you're probably well aware, mobile broadband is treated way differently than the internet that's piped into your house. It's considered fragile. There's far less of it to go around, with a less developed infrastructure and limited wireless spectrum to use. The rules for using it are tighter, like dating a nun. Restrictions abound, like no p2p. You don't want the network to break, after all. That's why, for instance, AT&T previously blocked Skype and SlingPlayer from running on 3G on the iPhone—and continues to block Sling—and why Apple rejects every torrent app that even tries to cross into the App Store.

In the past weeks, Genachowski has made it clear that he thinks that should change, that openness should "apply to the Internet however accessed." He's not saying they shouldn't be able to manage the network to make sure it runs smoothly, to be clear. But if you were scratching your head about why AT&T conceded and opened their network up to VoIP on the iPhone, look no further than this nugget from Genachowski, from a speech he gave three weeks ago:

We've already seen some clear examples of deviations from the Internet's historic openness. We have witnessed certain broadband providers unilaterally block access to VoIP applications (phone calls delivered over data networks)..."

AT&T very much does not want the government to tell it how to run its networks, particularly the mobile one. AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega this week responded pretty clearly to the FCC's plans:

"Before we begin ‘fixing' what isn't broken, we need to be thoughtful about the consequences. We believe the marketplace today is vibrant, and there is no need to burden the mobile Internet with onerous new regulations."

So what's going to happen?

Well, the FCC is clear about what it thinks. This week, at a wireless telecom conference, Genachowski reiterated that net neutrality should apply to mobile broadband too. If those regulations pass, we'll likely see the same thing we saw with the landline providers: Caps (not just on 3G cards like there are now) and "transparent" network management. Goodbye unlimited mobile broadband like the iPhone has. You will pay for every ounce of data that you use. And if you're "crowding" the network by downloading a bunch of stuff, you're gonna get slowed down because that's the easy "net neutral" way to keep users in check. How much better is that, really?

So iPhone users, enjoy your "unlimited" wireless connections now. Pay-per-byte data—for both wired and wireless broadband networks—may well be the road we're going down. Verizon is the last major landline broadband provider who has held back from capping or throttling its services (looove my FiOS), but even its CTO says that eventually, "we are going to reach a point where we will sell packages of bytes."

Hopefully those packages will come cheap.

According to the manufacturer "it's not bulky either as it just extends a little at the bottom"—yeah right, and Steve Ballmer is just a little intense. The Super Charger is positively ginormous, but if you have a sherpa (or intern) to help you schlep it around, the battery pack can be picked up for $60. It won't void any warranties, but it should. [USB Fever via Crunch Gear]

That means when a new cell tower site is proposed, there's just a short period for a community to protest it—the idea being more towers going up even faster will help speed up the rollout of crazyfast 4G wireless. The FCC's also working to free up more spectrum for carriers to use for 4G, though that's not exactly easy, since wireless spectrum, while invisible, is a pretty limited resource. (It's why Verizon paid a kabillion dollars for a chunk of it.)

Even if you're not happy about the shot clock timing for towers, on the upside, the FCC's committed to having net neutrality apply to mobile internets as well as the stuff your cable company provides, the wireless carriers won't be able to terribly restrict what you do with all of that mobile broadband, beyond very basic network management to keep it all running. [Cnet]

AT&T supposedly just told Apple and the FCC this afternoon that their network is ready for VoIP over 3G for the iPhone, meaning it might take a bit to show up in apps, but the floodgates are open now. And yeah, whoa. Skype over 3G has been okay on other phones that weren't the iPhone before this, but AT&T's now "taken the steps necessary so that Apple can enable VoIP applications on iPhone to run on AT&T's wireless network." Since there's no cap on iPhone data—and AT&T says it's still unlimited with VoIP—that means you can get the cheapest possible voice plan and talk as much as you want through VoIP apps like Skype.

We wouldn't be totally surprised if AT&T suddenly discovering their network is ready for VoIP over 3G is at least partially motivated by the FCC's recent crowing about net neutrality—even for mobile providers—and in reaction to the FCC's investigation as to what exactly when down between AT&T, Apple and Google with Google Voice. This is AT&T showing Mr. FCC that they play nice and fair, and pretty please, don't drop some government regulation on their head, like mandated neutrality. It also makes them look better as they point the finger at Google Voice for not following net neutrality conventions.

A couple of points to add: This is specifically about VoIP (very likely because of the FCC's Google Voice curiosities), so there's nothing to fapfapfap about on the SlingPlayer or tethering front. While Skype is the most immediate woohoo context that comes to mind, we're actually more interested now in the possibility of an app that is even more targeted to letting you get over on AT&T and replace your voice minutes with data for phone calls.

Whatever the cause or motivations, we're just glad to see it happen, finally. Now we've just gotta wait for the apps to catch up.

AT&T EXTENDS VOIP TO 3G NETWORK FOR IPHONE

DALLAS, October 6, 2009 - AT&T* today announced it has taken the steps necessary so that Apple can enable VoIP applications on iPhone to run on AT&T's wireless network. Previously, VoIP applications on iPhone were enabled for Wi-Fi connectivity. For some time, AT&T has offered a variety of other wireless devices that enable VoIP applications on 3G, 2G and Wi-Fi networks. AT&T this afternoon informed Apple Inc. and the FCC of its decision.

In late summer, AT&T said it was taking a fresh look at VoIP capabilities on iPhone for use on AT&T's 3G network, consistent with its regular review of device features and capabilities to ensure attractive options for consumers.

"iPhone is an innovative device that dramatically changed the game in wireless when it was introduced just two years ago," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets. "Today's decision was made after evaluating our customers' expectations and use of the device compared to dozens of others we offer."

AT&T allows customers to download or launch on their wireless devices a multitude of compatible applications directly from any lawful Internet website. Additionally, because AT&T uses GSM technology, the most pervasive and open wireless technology platform in the world, we support customers using any GSM phone that works on AT&T's frequencies.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Those multimedia features include music, photos, videos, the Web, YouTube, and Amazon MP3 for music downloads. The phone's other key specs include 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, microSD card expandable memory (up to 16GB), and support for Google services and Exchange ActiveSync.

With a completely new OS compared to the original Behold (and even the upgraded Memoir), it's kind of strange that Samsung kept the Behold name. Especially when it resembles the Android powered Samsung Galaxy. Still, there you have it. T-Mobile hasn't gone into pricing, but did say the Behold II would arrive "before the start of the holidays."

Nokia has had trouble getting some phones subsidized by U.S. carriers in the past, so I'm a little concerned here. Because ridiculous price aside, the Booklet 3G has some kick-ass specs: Windows 7, 1280 by 720 (720p) screen, built-in accelerometer, SIM card slot and integrated OVi maps, claimed 16-hour battery life, and HDMI.

Other essentials include 802.11n Wi-Fi, 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor, 120GB hard disk and 1GB RAM—there's no Nvidia Ion love.

If you prefer not to deal with the Geek Squad, Nokia will still be selling the Booklet 3G online. But neither company has coughed up any more info on when it will be available (possibly October 22), or how much it will cost. In Europe, it's €575 ($810) before-subsidies. We'll have to wait and see. [Phone Scoop via Electronista]

Giz reader Manoj took his iPhone to the Genius Bar to have it looked at because it was dropping calls left and right, and AT&T swore stuff was totally kosher on their end, so he thought something was wrong with his phone. After doing a stat dump, the Genius showed Manoj that his iPhone had actually dropped 22 percent of calls.

The jawdropper: The Genius told Manoj that's actually excellent compared to most people in the New York area, where a 30 percent dropped call rate is the average. There was nothing Apple could do for Manoj. His phone was totally fine. Which means there's nothing Apple can do for rest of us.

Ridiculous, and downright insulting. But, uh, if you pay $150 for this box it'll be all better. Excuse me while I go and puke. I'll call somebody and complain, but it probably wouldn't get through. [Thanks, and sorry, Manoj!]

Danny touched on this earlier, but the logic here is blowing my mind. How little regard for your customers do you have to have to offer a product that fixes your own product for an additional fee every month? Seriously, somebody explain to me how this is going to fly.

AT&T is currently testing the MicroCell in North Carolina, charging up to $20 a month to people who want to fix the dead spot in their apartment by running their phone through the internet. And they're charging subscribers $150 for the box itself. It's all a trial, so any of these prices could change, but as it stands it's pretty ridiculous.

And AT&T is the last carrier to the femtocell party. Sprint charges $20 a month for its AiRave femtocell and Verizon charges $250 for its Network Extender box. T-Mobile charges $10 a month for its @Home service, which uses Wi-Fi instead of a cellular connection, but does the same thing. All of the carriers are ripping off their customers with these things, since all of the work is being put on your home internet connection, which you pay your broadband carrier for.

AT&T's new test of their MicroCell seems as egregious as any of the carriers, so let's use them as an example. Basically, AT&T didn't have a strong enough network to handle the iPhone. It still doesn't. Yet they still charge about $100 per month on average to iPhone customers, who have to deal with dropped calls, delayed voicemails and unreliable 3G speeds. If you are in a particularly bad spot, the 3G MicroCell will let you run your calls through your internet connection rather than over their shit network.

Where do they get off charging for this? Femtocells will actually reduce the load on their networks. It shifts the traffic over to the internet provider you're already paying for (which I'm sure ISPs will just love). How does this earn AT&T $20 per month, no matter how much you talk?

The way the iPhone performs on AT&T's network—or really, any dead spot for any carrier—they should be giving these out to people for free. In NYC and San Francisco, the service is near-unusable a good percentage of the time. AT&T is always talking about how they're increasing coverage, but it never seems to get better. In fact, the week after they claimed to have completed upgrades in New York, my experiences with their coverage got noticeably worse.

Imagine this was the case with any of your other monthly bills. Oh, sorry about the brownouts! The power company has had some troubles at the plant. I know it was inconvenient, but they'll fix it for you with a solar panel for an additional fee per month. As for your gym membership, sorry that it was closed four days a week last month! For an extra fee every month you can get a Bowflex so you can still work out whenever that happens.

It's ludicrous. If their network was solid, these MicroCells wouldn't even need to exist. AT&T is cutting off your arm and then trying to sell you some bandages. Hey, AT&T: people are already paying you for cell service. You can't charge them again for the same service. Fix your fucking network.

I mean, Sprint will gift you an Airave femtocell if you're thinking about leaving (normally $5 a month). Though we don't yet know if AT&T is planning a similar monthly fee—or a one-off charge like Verizon's Network Extender—I'd like to see users in known dead zones get the hardware free.

Even if you don't want to pay the possible $20 a month for unlimited calls, at least you'd get actual network coverage at home. Think about it: they could make everything right with these things, and make up for the last few years of shitiness.

To be fair, AT&T says it's working to not only speed up its network, but boost reliability in iPhone heavy areas like New York and San Francisco. Carriers also face opposition from local officials and home owner associations when it comes to building new towers. And you can likely get out of your contract if you get your shiny iPhone home and find you live in an AT&T black hole.

But here's the thing: AT&T users have heard about promised upgrades for years, and many still have no joy. They're angry. A complimentary MicroCell 3G would be a great apology, and help AT&T turn around its falling public perception. What do you think?

Also see: Full AT&T MicroCell 3G Details

You can register up to 10 phones (3G models with AT&T accounts) to work with the device, but it only supports four simultaneous calls or data sessions. It has a roughly 5000 square foot range, and calls originated from it are automatically handed over to AT&T towers once you leave the house/office.

The MicroCell page also confirms an unlimited calling option where domestic U.S calls made using it won't deduct from your regular minutes. Problem is, AT&T hasn't coughed up what the pricing will be. An apparent leak over the weekend suggested it could be $20 per month ($10 if you have an AT&T Internet or landline service; free if you have both). No word yet on how much the device itself might cost.

Travelers will be sorry to hear that, as with Sprint and Verizon did with their femtocell units, AT&T's device has a GPS chip, so it can't be used out of the country. For that reason it's recommended to be placed near a window.

You'll need to have a net connection of at least 1.5Mbps down/256kbps up, and find your ZIP code in the availability checker at the site. Please let us know if you find your area is listed.

Also See: Should Users in Known Dead Spots Get the MicroCell 3G Free? [AT&T 3G MicroCell Site | 3G MicroCell Manual (PDF) | via @bugdave]

Though as John said, this HSPA+ is a stopgap and may leave T-Mobile in the dust when the other carriers migrate to LTE, it's definitely the fastest speed around at the moment. On a personal note, it's good to see my hometown in the news for something other than Michael Vick, but having moved out west I can't test how accurate those numbers really are. Any Philadelphians want to bust out their T-Mobile handsets and see what HSPA+ can do? [Boy Genius Report]

According to Zacks Investment Research, the 3G Microcell is expected to launch in "the next week" and full rollout should happen by the end of the year. In case you haven't heard, AT&T's Microcell acts like a mini tower that will boost 3G reception in homes with poor network coverage. Keep in mind that there has been no official confirmation on this thus far, and the initial markets could include more cities if and when AT&T finally rolls out the hardware. [Yahoo via Engadget]

The Booklet 3G's key specs include an Atom Z530 processor, 120GB hard disk, 1GB RAM, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and HDMI. It's pretty thin (just 0.78-inches), and will have a hot-swappable SIM card slot and integrated Ovi maps. [YouTube via Engadget]

T-Mobile also confirmed that it will have TeleNav GPS Navigator and Amazon MP3 store pre-installed. The Bold 9700 still hasn't been made official by RIM, and T-Mobile didn't preview much more info. However, the assumed specs of the much-leaked device are listed below. [CIO]

• New Trackpad
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• UMTS/HSDPA
• 480×360 resolution screen
• Wi-Fi (802.11g)
• OS 5.0
• QWERTY keyboard
• 3.2 megapixel AF camera
• Bluetooth

Asus pretty much kick-started the whole netbook craze, so it'll be interesting to see if they can shake up e-book readers, too. A second display could be used for a virtual keyboard and Web browsing, allowing the device to even compete with netbooks. The company says it's also thinking about built-in speakers, and a Webcam/microphone for cheap Skype calls.

Budget and premium versions are likely, and it's expected the pricier option would feature 3G. Right now, the two cheapest readers are the 6-inch Amazon Kindle 2 ($300) and Cool-er eBook Reader ($250). The Times says Asus is aiming closer to around $160. Previous Eee PCs have been cheaper than the competition, so you just never know… [The Times]

The case features an integrated solar panel that should yield 30 minutes of talk time on a 3G network or 60 minutes on EDGE after 2 hours of sun exposure. Plus, the battery is a rechargeable 1500 mAh 3.7 V lithium-ion that offers 120% capacity of the iPhone 3G. The Solar Surge for the 2G iPod Touch will be available later this month for $70, while the iPhone 3G/3GS version will come in sometime in the 4Q of 2009 for the same price. If you are into this sort of thing, the Solar Surge is probably the most compact and practical solar iPhone charger on the market—and the price point seems to be in line with many standard charging cases. [Novothink via Ecofriend via Inhabitat]