Saturday, August 30, 2008

American's Largest Wireless Network Provides Support for Gulf Coast Customers

Alltel Wireless, with American's Largest Network, Provides Support for Gulf Coast Customers as Hurricane Gustav Approaches

Network teams in place to support customer communications


LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-- August 30, 2008 --Alltel Wireless, with America's largest network behind it, is continuing to provide digital service to customers across the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Gustav approaches the area. The company has network crews in place throughout the region ready to provide reliable network coverage when the hurricane makes landfall. The crews are prepared to respond to any weather-related emergencies that might threaten communications services in coastal states.

"Alltel takes very seriously our responsibility to ensure our customers stay connected to friends and family during Hurricane Gustav," said Chris Smith, executive vice president of network services for Alltel. "Alltel has made significant investments in its wireless network to improve coverage and reliability, and we have once again taken all the necessary steps to prepare for Gustav."

Earlier today, the company began closing retail stores in south Louisiana to support evacuation efforts. The following closings were announced through Monday:

    * 1043 West Tunnel Blvd. in Houma, La.; 1818 Manhattan Blvd. in Harvey, La.; 2701 N. Causeway Blvd. in Metairie, La.; 1000 W. Esplanade St. in Kenner, La.; 9424A Three Rivers Road in Gulfport, Miss.; 808 Highway 190, Suite B in Covington, La.; and 1302 Corporate Square in Slidell, La.

Alltel will continue to monitor the storm through its command center operations so that it can respond quickly and effectively with manpower, generators and equipment to keep customers in communication with friends and family once Gustav makes landfall.

Alltel also works to help customers in hard-hit areas. All other retail stores will remain open as long as possible. Stores that are closed will reopen as soon as conditions permit to allow customers access to phone chargers and batteries. Alltel opens mobile retail stores in particularly hard-hit areas.

Network preparations to this point:

    * Secured agreements with vendors to provide fuel to keep trucks and generators running.
    * Placed generators on standby in hurricane-prone areas, and tested on-site backup generators for readiness in case of a power outage.
    * Prepared to provide lodging, RVs, food and water for technicians working in storm-hit areas.

Customers can prepare for Gustav by:

    * Verifying that wireless phones are working properly.
    * Programming wireless phones with emergency contact numbers.
    * Making sure wireless phone batteries remain fully charged.
    * Keeping additional charged batteries on hand along with car chargers. Phones, batteries and chargers should be kept in dry, easily accessible areas.

In addition, once Gustav makes landfall, customers should consider:

    * Using Text Messaging instead of trying to place a call.
    * Limiting non-emergency calls, whenever possible.
    * Waiting 10-15 seconds before dialing again if a call fails to go through.
    * Using their camera phones to record damage for insurance purposes.

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation's largest wireless network and has more than 13 million wireless customers.
Contacts

Alltel Wireless
Andrew Moreau, 501-905-7962
Vice President - Corporate Communications
andrew.moreau@alltel.com
or
Scott Morris, 501-905-4094
Manager - Corporate Communications
scott.l.morris@alltel.com

Friday, August 15, 2008

Update and Manage Location Information Across the Web

Yahoo! Launches Fire Eagle

New Platform Enables Users to Easily Update and Manage Their Location Information Across the Web

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-- August 12, 2008 --Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today announced the general availability of Fire Eagle (
http://fireeagle.yahoo.net), an open platform that helps users take their location to the Web while giving them the ability to easily control how and where their location data is shared.

Fire Eagle gives users a place to store and manage information about their location, and offers developers clear protocols for updating or accessing that information. Because it's open, any networked service can use Fire Eagle to respond to a user's location - to help them find their friends, annotate the world or find nearby services or local information.

"Fire Eagle is about making everything on the Internet more useful, fun or interesting by adding the element of location," said Tom Coates, head of product at Yahoo! Brickhouse. "We're here to help people take their location to the Web by giving them the ability to control how much detail about their location they want to share and which applications they want to share it with."

Fire Eagle makes it much easier for both users and developers to create Internet experiences that are geo-aware:

    * For users, Fire Eagle acts as a simple interface for managing location information and deciding how - and with whom - to share it. Users can authorize Web, mobile or desktop applications to update their location automatically, or they can do it themselves manually on the Fire Eagle Web or mobile sites. Then they can decide how much of that information to share with their favorite services. At any time they can hide themselves, change their sharing preferences or delete any of their stored information.

    * For developers, Fire Eagle takes away much of the costly and complicated heavy-lifting of developing geo-aware applications. Developers can focus on how they can use location in their services without having to build the infrastructure to work out where their users are. Fire Eagle - combined with Yahoo!'s full suite of geo technologies - now makes it practical for any service to become location-aware easily and inexpensively.

Fire Eagle was built at Yahoo! Brickhouse, a home for start-up like projects inside Yahoo where small teams seize on new ideas and create products around them. Since its private beta launch in March of this year, Fire Eagle has been integrated into over fifty live applications, including Dopplr, Pownce, Movable Type, and Outside.in, through the platform's well-received API.

"The combination of Outside.in's new Radar feature and Fire Eagle's amazingly simple and powerful API means that our users can now see all the news and buzz within 1,000 feet of their current location, updated from any number of applications and devices," said Steven Johnson, co-founder of Outside.in.

"Fire Eagle allowed us to easily add location data to Pownce using their simple API," Leah Culver, co-founder, Pownce. "Pownce users can now say where they are and geotag their notes which adds a new dimension to the service."

Services built on Fire Eagle during the private beta period include:

    * Brightkite: Brightkite is a location based social network that allows users to track their friends' locations and meet new people in their area.

    * Dash: Dash is a two-way, Internet-connected GPS navigation system offering an innovative solution to traffic monitoring.

    * Dipity: Dipity is the easiest way to make and share interactive stories for the people and topics users care about.

    * Dopplr: Dopplr is a service for intelligent travelers that helps them make the most of their trips by sharing their travel plans with the people they trust.

    * ekit: ekit is the leading communications provider to international travelers, offering a range of services including mobile phones, satellite phones, SIM cards, global calling cards, and recently the ekit travel journal.

    * Lightpole: Lightpole is a mobile application service provider that distributes location-specific information to mobile devices in real-time and engages mobile users in interactive communities.

    * Movable Type: Movable Type is a fully integrated, scalable, proven social publishing platform for building highly interactive websites, blogs and social networks.

    * Navizon: Navizon provides a software-only wireless positioning system that triangulates signals broadcasted from Wi-Fi access points and cellular towers to help users find their location.

    * Outside.in Radar: Outside.in's Radar is personalized local news with you at the center of the map. Radar shows you everything going on nearby, wherever you are, from the stories on your street, to the events in your neighborhood, to headlines in your city.

    * Pownce: Pownce is a way to keep in touch with and share messages, files, links and events with your friends.

    * Loki: Loki adds your location into your favorite social networks so you can share it with your friends. Loki, powered by Skyhook Wireless, automatically informs your friend of your whereabouts, using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Fire Eagle, RSS Feeds and more.

    * SPOT: SPOT, the world's first satellite messenger, sends users' GPS location and custom messages to family and friends or emergency responders over a satellite communications network from virtually anywhere around the globe - even the most remote places - independent of cell phone coverage.

    * ZKOUT: ZKOUT enables mobile device users to create content - messages, photos, videos - on the ZKOUT network from any location, and share it instantly with the people near you.

Developers wishing to learn more about Fire Eagle can visit:
http://fireeagle.yahoo.net/developer.

About Yahoo! Inc.

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! is focused on powering its communities of users, advertisers, publishers, and developers by creating indispensable experiences built on trust. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit pressroom.yahoo.com or the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal.

Contacts

Outcast Communications
Andrew Schmitt, 415-392-8282

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

International Phone Service Comes To Beijing and Hong Kong

Beijing and Hong Kong Get Super-Cheap International Phone Service with Rebtel

Rebtel expands low-cost and free interational mobile phone service to Beijing and Hong Kong.

Stockholm, Sweden  -  April 23 -- First Shanghai. Now Beijing and Hong Kong. In just three months, Rebtel http://www.rebtel.com, the people's global communications company, has delivered on its promise to expand low-cost and free international calling to more Chinese cities.

Starting today, Beijing and Hong Kong residents can use their mobile phones to call any phone, anywhere in the world for just pennies per minute, and make free calls to friends, family, and work colleagues in more than 40 countries.

Using Rebtel Direct, calls from Beijing and Hong Kong to the U.S. and Canada, for example, cost less than 2¢ per minute whether you're calling a landline or mobile phone. By comparison, the same calls on China Mobile will cost $1.16 per minute.

"But if you think Rebtel Direct rates are still too expensive you can use our Smart Call system and make that same calls for free," said Hjalmar Winbladh, Rebtel's co-founder and CEO. "With Rebtel you can now call friends and family in more than 40 countries around the world from Beijing or Hong Kong for nothing more than the cost of calling around the corner."

A Rebtel account can be set up in just a minute or two. The service works with any mobile phone just the way it is, and is registered and authorized to work with all Beijing and Hong Kong mobile operators.

There is no charge to set up a Rebtel account. All new comers get a free 10 minute call to test the service.

After an account is set up subscribers only pay for the minutes they use. Smart Calls between the counties served by Rebtel are always free and only one of the two people on a call must be a Rebtel subscriber.

"This is a great time to be expanding our service in China," said Winbladh. "Hong Kong and Beijing have been important international business centers throughout history, and now athletes and media from more than 200 countries around the world will soon converge on China for the Summer Olympics."

How Rebtel works
Rebtel gives people local phone numbers in their country to call their friends, family or work colleagues who live abroad.

By making all calls local, people can call each other as often as they like and talk as long as they want, for little or nothing more than the cost of the local calls.

That means, for example, Rebtel gives someone living in Beijing a local Beijing phone number that will connect them to their friend in New York. And Rebtel gives the person living in New York a local New York phone number to call their friend in Beijing.

Getting started is fast and easy:
1. Go to http://www.rebtel.com and enter your mobile number and your friend's mobile number.
2. Rebtel creates local numbers and sends them in text messages (SMS) to each phone.
3. Save the number in your phone's address book and use it any time to call your friend abroad.

About Rebtel
Rebtel is a global communications company for individuals and businesses that make international calls. With Rebtel it's possible to call any phone, anywhere in the world, for just pennies per minute. Rebtel's services can be used with any mobile phone without modification or software downloads. There is no charge to set up a Rebtel account. No monthly fees, no connection fees and no hidden costs. Anyone may make a free 10 minute call to test the service. Thereafter, customers only pay for the minutes they use. Smart Calls between the 46 counties served by Rebtel are always free and only one of the two people on a call have to be a Rebtel customer. For more information, or to start using Rebtel services, go to http://www.rebtel.com.

Press Contact: Greg Spector
Company Name: Rebtel
Phone: +1 415 717 4666
Website:
http://www.rebtel.com

Friday, July 11, 2008

Sales of iPhone 3G Kicked By Telecommunications Giant

AT&T Kicks Off Sales of iPhone 3G Phone

Online Resources Available to Help Customers Prepare for Purchase

Variety of Attractive Plans Combine Voice and Unlimited Data

Dallas, Texas, July 11, 2008 - AT&T begins selling iPhone 3G today in its retail stores at 8 a.m. local time across the United States, along with a variety of attractive monthly plans that combine voice and unlimited data use. iPhone 3G uses the nation's fastest 3G wireless network, which reaches 300 major metropolitan areas.

Pricing and Eligibility
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has announced that AT&T is making it easy for customers to prepare for their iPhone 3G purchase by posting "Get iReady" tips and frequently asked questions at www.att.com/iphone. The site also includes a link for customers to check their upgrade eligibility and other wireless account information.

iPhone 3G phones will be available for $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. These prices require two-year contracts and are available to the following customers:

    * iPhone customers who purchased before July 11*
    * Customers activating a new line with AT&T
    * Current AT&T customers who are eligible, at the time of purchase, for an upgrade discount

Current customers who are not eligible for an upgrade discount can purchase iPhone 3G for $399 for the 8GB model or $499 for the 16GB model. Both options require a new two-year service agreement. Current customers may also choose to wait until they become eligible for an upgrade discount. Eligibility is generally determined by amount of time remaining on a current contract and payment history.

Current AT&T customers who are upgrading to iPhone 3G will pay an $18 upgrade fee and new AT&T customers will pay the standard $36 activation fee.

Voice, Data and Text Messaging Plans
AT&T brings iPhone 3G customers the best coverage on the globe and the largest mobile-to-mobile calling community with unlimited calling to AT&T's 71.4 million wireless customers. iPhone 3G customers can choose from four individual AT&T Nation plans, which bundle voice and unlimited data (e-mail and Web browsing).

    * AT&T NationSM Unlimited: Includes unlimited Anytime Minutes for $129.99 a month.
    * AT&T Nation 1350: Includes 1350 Anytime Minutes and unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes for $109.99 a month.
    * AT&T Nation 900: Includes 900 Anytime Minutes and unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes for $89.99 a month.
    * AT&T Nation 450: Includes 450 Anytime Minutes and 5,000 Night & Weekend Minutes for $69.99 a month.

All AT&T Nation and AT&T FamilyTalk® plans for iPhone 3G include nationwide long distance and roaming, Visual Voicemail, Rollover®, unlimited Mobile to Mobile calling, Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, Three-Way Calling and Caller ID.

AT&T will offer FamilyTalk plans, with bundled voice and unlimited data, starting as low as $129.99 a month for two iPhone 3G lines. Up to three additional iPhone lines can be added for $39.99 each.

Unlimited text messaging can be added for an additional $20 ($30 for FamilyTalk plans of up to five lines); $15 (1,500 messages), or $5 (200 messages).

Additional Tips for Consumers
New AT&T customers who wish to port or retain their phone number from another wireless carrier should consider bringing a copy of a bill from their current service provider. Customers will be asked to provide account information as it appears on record with their current provider, including:

    * Account number
    * Name of the account holder
    * Account holder's SSN or Tax ID
    * Billing address
    * PIN or password (if applicable)

Customers who inherit an original iPhone from a friend or family member will need to request a SIM card from AT&T for the phone and activate the device using the in-home activation process through iTunes.

Customers should listen to voice mail messages on their current devices and write down any necessary information before purchasing iPhone 3G, because existing voice mail messages will be lost when upgrading to iPhone's Visual Voicemail feature.

AT&T will offer accessory bundle options specific to iPhone 3G in its retail stores.

iPhone 2.0 Software
All iPhone customers will benefit from the iPhone 2.0 software, which will be pre-loaded on all iPhone 3Gs and available as a free download for current iPhone customers. The new software will include numerous enhancements, such as business-class e-mail access via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync; the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK), which allows a business to easily create applications customized to its needs; and the App Store, available at www.apple.com/webapps, which offers a wide-range of applications - from games to business, education to entertainment and productivity to social networking.

For example, AT&T has developed YELLOWPAGES.COM Mobile for iPhone, which takes local mobile search to a new level by allowing users to discover businesses and local events based on their popularity among other iPhone users, get directions and access business reviews. Numerous enterprise applications are and will continue to be available on iPhone 3G, via the App Store, including Oracle's CRM, collaboration and e-mail applications.

iPhone for Business
Oracle and Kraft Foods Inc. are among the first business customers to deploy iPhone 3G. Business customers interested in iPhone 3G should contact an AT&T business sales representative or review their account information online to determine their eligibility for upgrade pricing. Corporate e-mail and other business applications require the Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone, which is $45 a month and bundled with an eligible voice plan. Small business customers may qualify for AT&T BusinessTalk, the industry's only shared plan specifically for small businesses. Additional details on iPhone business offerings are available at www.att.com/iphoneforbusiness.

*iPhone 3G is available to customers who are currently prepaid customers; however, there is no prepaid plan for iPhone 3G. Additionally, customers' accounts must be in good standing at the time of purchase.



AT&T Offers Nation's Fastest 3G Network

Nation's Fastest 3G Network Complements Best Global Coverage and Industry-Leading Portfolio of 3G Devices

Dallas, Texas, July 10, 2008 - For customers who want access to blazing-fast wireless broadband service, there's one clear choice among all U.S. carriers. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced it offers the nation's fastest third-generation (3G) network, according to data compiled by leading independent wireless research firms. AT&T's superfast 3G mobile broadband network is currently available in nearly 300 major U.S. metropolitan areas, with plans to expand to nearly 350 by the end of the year. In addition, AT&T has the best global coverage of any provider with roaming available in more than 200 countries, including more 3G roaming than any other carrier.

The fastest 3G network claim is based on a variety of tests conducted by leading third-party researchers, who downloaded a variety of applications and files to test throughput and overall performance. AT&T was the winner by a significant margin.

AT&T also announced it has started doubling the data capacity of its 3G markets, and nearly half of all cell sites will receive additional 3G capacity by the end of the year. The additional capacity will help accommodate the anticipated growth of 3G subscribers over the next several years. According to the Yankee Group, the number of 3G subscribers in the U.S. is expected to increase by 160 percent by 2012.

"We've invested billions of dollars in our 3G network, and now we can proudly claim it as the nation's fastest 3G network," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T's wireless unit. "We will continue to expand our 3G network coverage into new areas, grow our lineup of industry-leading devices, such as iPhone 3G, and deliver compelling new 3G services to market like Video ShareSM. And to top it off, only AT&T offers the best global coverage. AT&T's ability to serve its wireless customers is unparalleled in our industry."

Between 2005 and 2008, AT&T will have invested more than $20 billion in network improvements and upgrades - an average of $5 billion a year. Much of this network investment has gone to build out the 3G broadband data network, which today is available in 296 major metropolitan markets. In addition, the company is deploying additional 3G coverage using 850 megahertz (MHz) spectrum that is now available from the recent sunset of its older TDMA network. This spectrum extends farther and better covers the interior of buildings.

In addition to the company's constant 3G expansion in the U.S., only AT&T can offer 3G data roaming in 60 countries, including Japan and South Korea, as well as voice calling in more than 200 countries. Nearly all devices in AT&T's current portfolio are "world phones" that can be used around the world.

Another advantage of AT&T's 3G network is the ability for customers to simultaneously use voice and data features. For example, customers can make a call while checking for a local address on YELLOWPAGES.COM.
Sprint's "iphone clone" the Samsung Instinct priced at $129.99

Daytona Beach, FL (PRunderground) June 20, 2008 - Sprint's highly anticipated phone, the Samsung Instinct, goes on sale Friday. Sprint has announced via a press release that the instinct will cost $129.99, with a 2 year contract after a $100 mail-in rebate. The Samsung Instinct is Sprint's answer to the iPhone, which is slated to cost $199 next month.

There is a catch. Sprint also announced that activation of the Instinct requires a pricing plan offering unlimited data. Customers can choose from Everything plans for individuals starting at just $69.99 per month for 450 voice minutes or Talk/Message/Data Share plans for families starting at $129.99 per month for 1500 voice minutes to share between two lines.

The Instinct is a touchscreen device that includes EV-DO Rev. A, which is equivalent to AT&T's 3G speeds, for Web browsing, e-mail and more. The Instinct has already been awarded such honors as "Most Innovative Product at CTIA Wireless 2008?, and "Best Cell Phone" by CNET's CTIA 2008 awards. Only time will tell if Sprint has a winner with the Samsung Instinct. To purchase a Samsung Instinct you can visit
http://samsunginstinctstore.com

About SamsungInstictStore.com
SamsungInstinctStore.com provides access to the best deals on Samsung Instinct phones and accessories. For more information please visit
http://samsunginstinctstore.com

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Michelle Wagner
contact@samsunginstinctstore.com
http://samsunginstinctstore.com

3G Secret Uncovered

LG Secret : Unveil the secret

The LG Secret is a 3G enabled phone with some of the best multimedia and connectivity options. The gorgeous looks come complete with a touch sensitive navigation pad.

Jul 02, 2008 - The LG Secret or KF750 is a highly amazing 3G phone with attractive looks. The mesmerizing looks can definitely turn heads of the prospective users, wherever it is. This beautiful 3G phone is empowered with high quality features as well as fast technology. Therefore, it won't be wrong to say that the overall looks of the handset have gained a "wow " factor in the crowd. This phone is designed to suit the "fashion conscious" users who are looking out for high quality multimedia, entertainment and connectivity options, even on the go. The mid-sized casing of the phone is available in a colour choice of silver and black. The spacious coloured touch screen dominates the front panel of phone. All the high-end features and functions are contrived to fit in ultra slim dimension of 11.8 mm in thickness, 50.8 mm in width and 102.8 mm in height. This 3G phone is well suited to the users pocket or bag easily, without even feeling heavy to carry, as it weighs only 116 grams. This fashionable handset is a member of the LG Black Series.

Display:
The brilliant screen of the Secret is made from tempered glass or well known as LCD. This LCD display is a scratch resistant glass that offers a high gloss finish. The users can experience a neon touch navigation on this screen, which glows with a a blue light colour when in use. The LG KF750 Secret comprises of a large 2.4 inches screen and provides a vibrant combination of thousand colours. A high screen resolution of 240 x 320 pixels gives a good viewing experience.

Memory:
The LG KF750 comes embedded with 100 MB of internal memory which is further supplemented with a memory card slot. Therefore, with the help of MicroSD memory card, the owner can extend the internal memory by up to 4 GB. The massive storage allows the users to store various information and multimedia content on their portable device.

Connectivity:
The LG Secret is a tri-band enabled phone with a large roaming coverage. Therefore, the users enjoy seamless communication across the world. For transferring the files, the handset supports more than one connectivity options. As a matter of fact, the Bluetooth wireless technology with A2DP can be used for transferring the files up to some distance. While, cabled USB connectivity option is considered for transferring the files with the compatible devices at comparatively longer distance. One can enjoy high speed data transfers with the built-in EDGE technology and GPRS. The users can connect to Internet with the help of WAP browser and enjoy a XHTML as well as HTML experience on their respective phone.

Camera:
The users can experience a high quality digital imaging feature with them, wherever they go. As a matter of fact, the phone is integrated with a 5 mega pixels camera complete with a flash, auto focus and face detection feature. The high-end camera allows the users to capture those fun moments of their life. With the help of video capabilities, you can record moving footage with ease. One can record video in various popular formats such as DivX, MPEG4 and many more.

Music Player:
On the musical front, the handset is empowered with a music player and a FM radio. The handset allows the users to play their favourite music for entertainment on various popular formats. An integrated FM radio comes with a RDS feature which allows the user to view information on their screen, while listening to the radio station.

Messages:
With the help of comprehensive messaging options, the users can stay in contact with others without making a call. One can experience wide selection of messaging services such as multimedia picture messaging, enhanced messaging, email as well as text messaging.

http://www.directphoneshop.co.uk/dealset.asp?id=1332

To conclude, the LG Secret comes with a rechargeable battery which provides approximately 260 hours of stand by battery time or up to 4 hours talk time from a single charge.

http://www.directphoneshop.co.uk/mobile-phones/lg-mobile