AT&T recently released a letter to it’s customers addresses the latest Verizon Ads and their misrepresentation of AT&T’s coverage. Below is their letter.

AT&T Sets the Record Straight on Verizon Ads

To Our Customers:

As the U.S. market leader in wireless data service, we typically don’t respond to competitors’ advertising. However, some recent ads from Verizon are so blatantly false and misleading, that we want to set the record straight about AT&T’s wireless data coverage.

The key facts are:

AT&T’s wireless data coverage reaches 303 million people — or 97% of the U.S. population, where they live and work. Our data coverage consists of 3 different types of technology:

    * 3G. 233 million people or 75% of the population are covered by AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest.

    * EDGE. 301 million people or more than 96% of the population are covered by EDGE.
         o With both 3G and EDGE coverage, customers can access the Internet, send e-mail, surf the Web, stream music, download videos, send photos, text, talk and more. The only difference – with some data applications, 3G is faster than EDGE

    * GPRS. Covers 303 million people, allowing you to talk, text, e-mail and access basic websites optimized for wireless.

AT&T is the #1 network for smartphones, with twice the number of smartphone customers than Verizon, our closest competitor. Some of the reasons include:

Most popular smartphones. Unlike Verizon, AT&T offers the most popular smartphones in the industry.

More wireless apps. Unlike Verizon, AT&T customers have access to more than 100,000 applications, more than with any other wireless company.

Talk and E-mail at the same time. Unlike Verizon, AT&T’s 3G network lets wireless customers simultaneously talk and surf the web or do e-mail.

Fastest 3G in the nation. Unlike Verizon, AT&T has the nation’s fastest 3G network.

Thank you for allowing us to set the record straight. We appreciate your business and will continue to work hard to deliver the best wireless data experience in the industry.

Your AT&T Team

View the original letter on att.com.

Despite losing the lawsuit against Verizon, AT&T has released a new ad titled Side by Side that specifically targets Verizon. The commercial stars actor Luke Wilson and compares four features of AT&T and Version; The nation’s fastest 3G network, The network that lets you talk and surf the Web at the same time, The most popular smartphones and Access to more than 100,000 apps?

You may have seen the first commercial AT&T launched as a direct attack on Verizon. Over the week-end they released a few more commercials targeting Verizon; Two Phones and Postcards (two part commercial). They both are part of the Truth About 3G campaign. Like the first commercial, these ones also star actor Luke Wilson.

Personal Opinion – Two Phones… not too bad, Postcards… lame. Check them out below.

AT&T is not the only company to release new commercials recently, Apple has also launched two new iPhone commercials. The new commercials “Did You See My Email?” and “What Time’s The Movie?” both seem take a subtle stab at Verizon. Unlike AT&T they do not specifically mention Verizon but, the two ads highlight the iPhone’s ability to talk on the phone while simultaneously using other capabilities of the iPhone including; viewing email, browsing the web, sending MMS and using App Store apps. Each commercial ends with the the tag line “Can your phone and your network do that?” Check out both ads below.

It seems the Apple has quietly entered into this little drama. I’d say it’s becoming quite the thing. Personally, I like the subtle approach… these commercials made me smile!

It seems as though AT&T and Verizon are not losing steam on this whole commercial vengeance thing. Both AT&T and Verizon have recently released a new commercial. Verizon is targeting Apple this time around instead of AT&T. It could be in retaliation to the commercials Apple released last week targeting Verizon. The difference is, Apple does it so smoothly and Verizon is tactless.

Either way, I think both Verizon and AT&T’s commercials are slipping in quality. You can check them both out below.

AT&T Commercial:

Verizon Commercial:

Engadget has finally found proof that the contract between Apple and AT&T for the iPhone was 5 years. That would mean no Verizon iPhone this year. But there are always renegotiations and all sorts of other ways Apple could have ended the agreement. Apple did develop the iPad to run on AT&T and not Verizon so this may also be a hint. I’m guessing that Apple will wait until LTE technology is released and all carriers use it so they can sell only one phone.

Here’s what I’d like to know. If you have an iPhone right now, would you switch to Verizon if they get the iPhone? If you’re reading this and don’t have an iPhone and are with Verizon already, would you buy an iPhone once it comes to Verizon? Answer below in the polls and let us know more by telling us why in the comments.

Polls

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Links

Engadget article: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/10/confirmed-apple-and-atandt-signed-five-year-iphone-exclusivity-de/

The Wall Street Journal claims to be in contact with someone at Apple that has stated there will be CDMA iPhone and will come to Verizon by the first quarter of 2011. The device will not yet run on LTE technology as many have thought. Also discussed was that the design of the CDMA iPhone will continue to use the iPhone 4 design and the new iPhone 5 will have some changes. The expected growth of sales could be an additional 10 million iPhones a year.

It will be very interesting to see if Verizon’s network can handle the iPhone or if it will have the same problems AT&T has had. It may be OK since Verizon has had other smart phones like all the Android phones. But, AT&T started slowly with a non 3G iPhone, then the iPhone 3G, then the iPhone 4 that sends bigger pictures and video, runs apps in the background and has more apps then before where Verizon will be jumping right in with one of the more bandwidth intensive devices ever!

Links

Wall Street Journal Article
New York Times Article

Verizon recently announced they will soon begin selling the iPad starting October 28th. First off, do not be confused, the model they will be selling will be wifi only and will come with their mobile hotspot they call MiFi. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a wireless, battery powered wifi router, about the size of a credit card, that gets it’s internet from the cell phone towers.

Verizon MiFi

So, to be clear, the iPads that Verizon will be selling will be wifi only and will not have the ability to receive data from Verizon on their own without using the MiFi device. The battery life of the MiFi is somewhere between 3 & 4 hours and the iPad is somewhere near 10 hours.

Pricing

16GB iPad (wifi) + MiFi Hotspot = $629
32GB iPad (wifi) + MiFi Hotspot = $729
64GB iPad (wifi) + MiFi Hotspot = $829

Verizon Data Pricing

1GB for 30 days = $20 ($20 per 1GB more)
3GB for 30 days = $35 ($10 per 1GB more)
5GB for 30 days = $50 ($10 per 1GB more)

AT&T Data Pricing

To give you a comparison, here is AT&T’s data prices
250MB for 30 days = $14.99 ($14.99 per 1GB more)
2GB for 30 days = $25 ($25 per 2GB more)

Here are a few more points of interest:
– best value with Verizon is the 5GB for $50 equaling $10 per GB
– best value with AT&T is 2GB for $25 equaling $12.50 per GB
– no pre-order option
– visit http://verizonwireless.com/ipad to sign up for email notification once available
– only available through Verizon stores or Verizon online
– month to month only, no contract
– Verizon will also sell the wifi version with out the MiFi for normal Apple pricing
– this data pricing does not apply if you already have a MiFi and want to buy an iPad from Verizon
– iPad and MiFi does not work on 4G

A couple weeks ago, Apple announced that the iPad would be available in both Verizon and AT&T stores on October 28th. Today is the day! And, confirmed by a friend, the devices are indeed available today. Both AT&T and Verizon are offering the 16GB, 32GB and 64Gb iPad Wi-Fi with 3G (AT&T) or MiFi (Verizon). The plans are honestly pretty similarly priced with AT&T offering a $14.99 a month plan for up to 250MB of data and a $25 a month for up to 2GB of data. Verizon is offering a $20 a month plan for up to 1GB of data. Below are what, according to Apple, each company is offering.

Verizon Offer:
“Verizon Wireless will offer three bundles, all featuring an iPad Wi-Fi model and a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, for a suggested retail price of $629.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 16GB + MiFi, $729.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 32GB + MiFi and $829.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 64GB + MiFi. Verizon Wireless is offering a monthly access plan to iPad customers of up to 1GB of data for just $20 a month. In addition, Verizon Wireless will also offer all three iPad Wi-Fi models on a stand-alone basis.”

Full Announcement

AT&T Offer:
“All iPad Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available beginning Thursday, October 28 in AT&T Stores across the US for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. Domestic data plans for iPad are priced at $14.99 per month for 250MB and $25 per month for 2GB with no term contract. Both plans include unlimited access to AT&T’s 23,000+ domestic Wi-Fi Hot Spots. ”

Full Announcement

The rumors were true. The iPhone is coming to Verizon. Here’s the key points:

– Released next month
– $199 for the 16GB, $299 for 32GB — mobile hotspot included! Up to 5 devices.
– Preorders start Feb 3rd for existing customers
– Feb 10th, all other customers via stores, online and from Apple.
– It is an iPhone 4. So far, only difference is it runs on Verizon and it has mobile hotspot.
– It won’t support data and voice at the same time.
– Antenna was changed and fixed
– It’s a multi-year, non exclusive deal. Meaning it could come to Sprint?
– It will be a standard 2 year contract.

Check your eligibility here.

Will you switch?
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