While I'm ranting, let me ask you something, Randall. At the risk of sounding like Glenn Beck Jr. - what the fuck has gone wrong with our country? Used to be, we were innovators. We were leaders. We were builders. We were engineers. We were the best and brightest. We were the kind of guys who, if they were running the biggest mobile network in the U.S., would say it's not enough to be the biggest, we also want to be the best, and once they got to be the best, they'd say, How can we get even better? What can we do to be the best in the whole fucking world? What can we do that would blow people's fucking minds? They wouldn't have sat around wondering about ways to fuck over people who loved their product. But then something happened. Guys like you took over the phone company and all you cared about was milking profit and paying off assholes in Congress to fuck over anyone who came along with a better idea, because even though it might be great for consumers it would mean you and your lazy pals would have to get off your asses and start working again in order to keep up.

Yes, this is in the arrogant, blustery Fake Steve voice, but make no mistake: there's nothing sarcastic about the message or the content here. [Fake Steve Jobs]

If you like your links hyper, here is that AP story, AT&T's financial sheet [PDF], and the post in which Fake Steve Jobs originally pointed out this disparity. Namaste.

This phone is smaller than the Cliq, with only a 3.1-inch, 320x480 resolution, a 528MHz Qualcomm proc, and 512MB of ROM and 256MB of RAM. It'll bring the expected array of connections (Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth), along with the same Blur brand of Android initiated by the Cliq, but those specs are pretty standard—downright unimpressive, really. The only interesting part is the unusual keyboard, which flips out backwards so the keyboard is exposed even when the handset is closed. That keyboard, by the way, is a full QWERTY with what appears to be an optical trackpad.

AT&T is the last of the major carriers to bring an Android phone to market, and if this is indeed their first one, we've got to admit to being puzzled. Each of the other carriers' first Android phones were the top of the line at the time (G1 on T-Mobile, HTC Hero on Sprint, and Droid on Verizon), so we're really wondering why AT&T would launch Android with such a, well, lackluster-looking device. Of course, this is all total speculation, so we'll reserve judgment, but it's definitely something to ponder. [Phandroid via Electronista]

This is what an AT&T spokesperson contacted by Cult of Mac said about the plot:

We understand that fakesteve.net is primarily a satirical forum, but there is nothing amusing about advocating that customers attempt to deliberately degrade service on a network that provides critical communications services for more than 80 million customers. We know that the vast majority of customers will see this action for what it is: an irresponsible and pointless scheme to draw attention to a blog.

I sincerely doubt that this statement will affect Operation Chokehold's attempt to make the AT&T network pee its panties as it runs crying to mama, but I suppose we'll see what happens this Friday. What are your guesses though? Will iPhone data start crawling at an even slower pace than usual? [Cult of Mac]

Subject: Operation Chokehold
On Friday, December 18, at noon Pacific time, we will attempt to overwhelm the AT&T data network and bring it to its knees. The goal is to have every iPhone user (or as many as we can) turn on a data intensive app and run that app for one solid hour. Send the message to AT&T that we are sick of their substandard network and sick of their abusive comments. The idea is we'll create a digital flash mob. We're calling it in Operation Chokehold. Join us and speak truth to power!

You could join this flashmob to bring AT&T "to its knees," but from what I can tell, it's already there. [Fake Steve]

Update: Our source at AT&T tells us that GSM and EDGE are both running fine, and that the outage was caused by a hardware issue that is rapidly being fixed:

AT&T has fixed the hardware issue and data services are quickly returning to normal. Speeds should be back to normal within about a half hour.

It's a curious use of a positive word: This isn't an incentive in the sense of the prospect of a nice dinner with your wife if you can close your store by 7:30; it's an incentive in the sense of not having said shop burned down because you didn't pay $1000 to that moody man and his friends who come by on the last Friday of every month. Unless AT&T is planning on dropping prices for light smartphone data users and increasing data prices for heavier users, these "incentives" aren't likely to save anyone any money.

This is far from the first time this exec, Ralph de la Vega, has hinted at plans like this, and it won't be the last. AT&T seems destined to tier their data plans—we're just waiting to see how. [NYT]

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]

(Click on the chart for a bigger version.)

For $20, Yahoo will give subpoena-wielding authorities your basic user ID information. For $30-$40, that jumps to the contents of subscriber accounts, including email. And for $60, police basically own the place. Full contents and logs of Yahoo Groups are at their disposal.

Of course, it's good that Yahoo keeps these prices in check, only charging authorities cost for retrieving records (meaning your taxes pay Yahoo less than they could). Then again, it's flat-out alarming to consider the data trail we all leave, its surprising permanence and the ease with which it can be accessed.

And if you really want to be freaked out, Cryptome is assembling these lawful spying policies by company. Their list already includes communication providers Cox, SBC, Sprint and AT&T.

What do you have to use this day and age to be dishonest? Snail mail and walkie talkies? [Cryptome via Slashdot via boingboing]

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]

IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED by and between Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless ("Verizon Wireless") and Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff AT&T Mobility LLC ("AT&T") that pursuant to Rule 41(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: (a) Verizon Wireless's claims against AT&T in the above- captioned action are hereby dismissed without prejudice, and (b) AT&T's counterclaims against Verizon Wireless in the above-captioned action are hereby dismissed without prejudice.

AT&T's suit in Georgia courts (which Verizon had not countered with a suit of their own) was dropped as well.

The legal back and forth stemmed from AT&T's sue-jerk reaction to Verizon's biting "there's a map for that" commercials, escalating in the media as AT&T responded with the help of Luke Wilson. And with a few simple documents, a great corporate slapfight comes to an end—at least in the courts. The not-so-distant future will reveal whether or not the ceasefire was sourced from some sort of advertising gentleman's agreement.

UPDATE: Apparently, one of the NY suits was not directly related to the maps argument. Verizon sued AT&T in NY courts, not for money, but to have the courts rule its claims of "Most Dependable 3G Network" were true. (Check the doc at Engadget, if you're interested.)

This morning, the latest Fring update brought videochat to the iPhone. It only works in one direction, from a computer to your iPhone. It uses Wi-Fi instead of the 3G connection, even while 3G is capable of supporting videoconferencing (in fact, it was one of its major selling points, back in the day of its introduction). The only reason for not having bi-directional chat is simple: The iPhone doesn't have a front camera.

The main thing is that it works. A third-party has created a videoconferencing app for the iPhone that communicates with desktop computers, just using Apple's standard iPhone programming toolbox. The question now is: If it's that easy, why don't we have a camera and iChat AV on the iPhone?

Could it be because AT&T is fearing that videoconferencing on the iPhone would bring their already overloaded 3G network to a total collapse? That's a valid reason. But if that's the case, just enable the videoconferencing under Wi-Fi, and be done with it.

Maybe the iPhone doesn't have enough processing power to do bidirectional videochat? Nonsense. The processor in the iPhone is plenty fast to handle simultaneous H.264 encoding and decoding for videoconferencing applications. In fact, the iPhone 3GS' PowerVR SGX processor has dedicated pipes to encode and decode H.264 in real time. And even Apple highlights the use of H.264 for videoconferencing applications in other 3G mobile devices, most of them a lot less capable than the iPhone.

Perhaps the VGA camera required to capture the video is too expensive or too big? That doesn't make any sense either. Not only do other phones have these cameras, but the latest generation is so tiny and inexpensive that I wouldn't be surprised if they gave one away integrated in every Corn Flakes box soon.

If there's no technical reason for not having videoconference in the iPhone, then why oh why Apple doesn't give us an iChat AV client and an iPhone that doesn't require an stupid contraption to use it? After all, they were the first company to push videoconferencing across their whole product line, and they keep working on it actively. The latest generation of iChat AV—rolled out with Snow Leopard—has more efficient codecs than the previous version.

My only guess: They just want to milk the hell out of their user base. They know their game, these Cupertino boys and girls. They know they have the market by the balls. They know they can keep churning out marginal upgrades because, like Tim Cook said: "frankly, I think people are still just trying to catch up with the first iPhone 2 years ago." And people will keep sinking dollars in the marginal upgrades like there's no tomorrow, as shown by the iPhone 3GS.

Why release an iPhone with AV conferencing now when they can hold it for a little longer, as they wait for the rest of the market to catch up? Exactly: There's no need. And that's why we will have to wait. Wait until they smell that Google is about to release a phone that supports Gtalk with videoconferencing. Or until whenever they have it planned in their roadmap. Yes, that private roadmap that already has three or four generations of this thing ready to launch.

In other words: Prepare to wait, and keep sucking hard on the Apple Kool-aid, because this is not happening until they feel a real threat from someone else.

Yes, in 19 of the 26 cities surveyed, AT&T was ranked dead last in every category. Verizon was ranked the best, followed by T-Mobile, then Sprint and then, of course, bringing up the rear is our friend AT&T. You can compare their results to the results of our own nationwide 3G test here.

You've got to wonder if Apple can afford to stick this exclusivity contract out another year, what with decent competitors such as the Droid and the Pre now available. AT&T is as big a black mark on Apple's customer service reputation as they've ever had. And hell, for AT&T's sake it'd be nice to see some other carriers share the burden of iPhone data hogs. [9 to 5 Mac]

The projector adds another 1.8 ounces, and as you can see, a bit of an ass to it. Besides the 1GHz goodness, the slider's running Windows Mobile 6.5, has a 3.2-inch touchscreen and a 5MP camera for $200 on contract. Specifically a "minimum $69.99 plan." The projector add-on's $180, though it'll follow the phone's Dec. 7 drop date by a few weeks.

AT&T AND LG MOBILE PHONES ANNOUNCE THE FIRST 1GHZ SMARTPHONE IN THE UNITED STATES, THE LG EXPO

7.2 HSPA-capable Smartphone from AT&T and LG Mobile Phones Packs a Powerful Punch, Features Optional Mobile Projector

DALLAS, November 30, 2009 - AT&T* and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc., today announced the LG eXpo will be available online beginning December 7. Featuring the first 1 GHz processor in the United States, the LG eXpo allows business professionals to meet their demanding data sharing needs while on the go. Available exclusively for AT&T customers, the handset will be compatible with AT&T's High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 Mbps technology, which provides a considerable speed boost to the nation's fastest 3G network.

The LG eXpo is the first device in North America to support an optional integrated pico projector. The LG Mobile Projector snaps onto the back of the device and allows users to share presentations, slideshows and even online videos straight from their mobile phone. Weighing only 1.8 ounces and small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, the LG mobile projector provides users with powerful new technology in a compact design, featuring a projection distance as far as eight feet

"LG eXpo adds to our growing portfolio of smartphones that operate on the latest upgrade to our 3G network and offer customers a great choice," said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "As we move to HSPA 7.2 technology, it is crucial to provide our customers innovative and future-proof smartphones."

With the upgrade to HSPA 7.2 technology, AT&T continues its investments to deliver the nation's fastest 3G network. AT&T plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 initially in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami by the end of the year. The company plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 in 25 of the nation's 30 largest markets by the end of 2010, and to reach about 90 percent of its existing 3G network footprint with HSPA 7.2 by the end of 2011.

LG eXpo also eliminates the need for pin codes and passwords with the exclusive "Smart Sensor" fingerprint recognition from AuthenTec, which delivers a new level of added smart and personal security unlike any other mobile phone in the market. AT&T is the first to offer U.S. subscribers a smartphone that leverages the features and functions of a smart sensor. The Smart Sensor complements the touchscreen user interface of the eXpo by also providing precise cursor control for text editing, 4-way menu navigation, and AuthenTec's unique turbo-scroll feature for rapid browsing of long emails, contact lists or websites.

The LG eXpo is loaded with Windows Mobile® 6.5 Professional to help power users stay more connected with email, calendar and Microsoft® Office Mobile. The phone's projection feature allows users to display Web pages, documents, photos and videos on the go.

"LG eXpo is the perfect balance of mobile innovation and design" said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing for LG Mobile Phones. "Enabling users to meet their professional and personal computing needs from the palm of their hands, LG eXpo makes on-the-go communication an effortless luxury."

Boasting a 3.2-inch external touchscreen with 16M color, LG eXpo features a sophisticated slider design with a full size QWERTY keypad. For the dynamic multi-tasker, LG eXpo provides users with powerful functionality that supports an RSS Viewer, Podcast and aGPS. In addition to a crystal clear 5.0 megapixel camera with built-in auto flash, LG eXpo can support up to a 16GB removable microSD memory card for premium music and photo storage.

Beginning December 7, LG eXpo will be available to enterprise customers and for purchase online at www.att.com/lgexpo for $199.99 after mail-in rebate. Pay $299.99 and after mail-in rebate receive a $100 AT&T Promotion Card. Two year agreement on a minimum $69.99 plan required. The LG Mobile Projector will be available in the coming weeks for $179.99.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com.

For more information and detailed disclaimer information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.