The free WiFi at AT&T hotspots for the iPhone has been an interesting and on going saga. It has been confusing, with AT&T allowing free WiFi access, then just as fast, taking it away. Either way, it is back now, and more than that, it is official. Hopefully this time it is here to stay.
It seems that now, the access to the WiFi is included with iPhone plans. That is about as official as it can get and it is most likely you will not see AT&T disable it again. It is still not known if AT&T will deploy extra security measures, as anyone with a little know how can get free WiFi on there laptop using this offering.
The service is available at all of the 17,000 AT&T hot spots in the U.S. To use the service, all you have to do is connect to the hot spot using your iPhone. You will be presented with a screen that will ask you for your phone number. The number must be linked to a valid AT&T account, that has an iPhone active on it. This means that people with a jailbroken iPhone can not use the service. That is unless of course they have a buddy with an iPhone on AT&T.
Written by iPhone News on May 16th, 2008 with no comments.
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This week started off slow as far as iPhone news, but by the end of the week, things had picked up considerably. A very interesting piece of information was found in the Network.plist file of the latest beta of iPhone firmware 2.0. The option to toggle 3G on and off. It is suggested that the preference will not show up on EDGE only devices, and that is what we would figure.
The ongoing flip flopping of the AT&T free WiFi continues. This is the second time the free WiFi has been pulled. AT&T is saying that the listing on their website showing the WiFi access was a human error. This is the 4th human error then apparently. When will the craziness end?
There is some serious iPhone shortages going around the last few days. There are no iPhones left in the U.K. or the online Apple store. The shortage is rumored to be Apple preparing for the 3G iPhone by clearing the shelves of the current stock.
Pictures of what is rumored to be the 3G iPhone surfaced on a phone forum based in China. In th photos, the device is glossy white, as opposed to the rumored glossy black. The device fits the description of the rumored dimensions. It is larger in the middle than at the sides, and the bottom is redesigned to fit the rumored dimensions.
The 5th beta of the iPhone SDK was released this week. It was not immediately known what improvements there were, but we have a small list now. Some of the new features that were found include the option for push email. It is the smallest SDK yet, weighing in at only 1.08GB. There were some minor changes to certain libraries as well.
We round out the week in review with the news of the Installer application getting an update. The update brings application search to Installer. Although as of now the search function needs a little improvement, it is a good idea and is very useful.
Written by Chase Higgins on May 11th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on iPhone 3rd Party Apps and Cingular / AT&T and wifi and 3G iPhone and iPhone SDK and Featured and iPhone archive and Weekly Rewind.
AT&T have finally spoken up on the puzzle of their on-again, off-again inclusive WiFi offer. According to spokesperson Fletcher Cook, the posting of the offer on AT&T’s site was “a human error.” However, it apparently echoes the carrier’s long-time intention to offer free WiFi to iPhone and other WiFi-equipped devices.
“Our Wi-Fi network is a great way of differentiating the AT&T network and giving customers another reason to choose us over a competitor” Fletcher Cook, AT&T
However Cook would not confirm when the offer would be officially unveiled, and interviewer Saul Hansell of the NYT didn’t push him on why, if the first time was a mistake, it was then added again before being rapidly pulled. The consensus at the time was that AT&T were having problems limiting access solely to the iPhone. Many users discovered that they could, by changing their browser’s UserAgent string and entering an authentic iPhone number, get free WiFi without being iPhone owners.
Written by Chris Davies on May 10th, 2008 with no comments.
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If anyone can decipher AT&T’s stance on iPhone WiFi, please let me know. The carrier has again pulled inclusive WiFi from the iPhone contract, after briefly reinstating it. No comment from AT&T as to the reason for the change, but it’s presumed that they’re still having problems limiting the WiFi access solely to Apple’s cellphone.
When AT&T first added the WiFi offer, at the beginning of May, it was found that owners of other devices could access the service without necessarily having an iPhone themselves. Instead, by faking their browser’s user agent string and putting in a friend’s iPhone number, they could use any cellphone or laptop. AT&T yanked the service a few days later.
After its brief reappearance yesterday, we’re uncertain whether AT&T will offer WiFi again. Interestingly, the UK version of the iPhone was sold with free WiFi access from launch, partly to make up for carrier O2’s developing EDGE data network.
Written by Chris Davies on May 9th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Apple iPhone and Cingular / AT&T and wifi and iPhone archive.
The free WiFi at AT&T hotspots for the iPhone has been an interesting and on going saga. It has been confusing, with AT&T allowing free WiFi access, then just as fast, taking it away. Either way, it is back now, and more than that, it is official. Hopefully this time it is here to stay.
It seems that now, the access to the WiFi is included with iPhone plans. That is about as official as it can get, and in light of this, it is most likely you will not see AT&T disable it again. It is still not known if AT&T will deploy extra security measures, as anyone with a little know how can get free WiFi on there laptop using this offering.
The service is available at all of the 17,000 AT&T hot spots in the U.S. To use the service, all you have to do is connect to the hot spot using your iPhone. You will be presented with a screen that will ask you for your phone number. The number must be linked to a valid AT&T account, that has an iPhone active on it. This means that people with a jailbroken iPhone can not use the service. That is unless of course they have a buddy with an iPhone on AT&T.
[Via Mac Rumors]
Written by Chase Higgins on May 9th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Cingular / AT&T and wifi and Starbucks and Carriers and iPhone archive.
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