These days, voice is the tip of the iceberg. Carriers are always -- and we do mean always -- looking for crafty ways to boost their average revenue per user, and with everyone and their brother offering an unlimited voice plan at this point, it's about data and value-add services more than it ever has been before. To that end, Verizon and AT&T have embraced MediaFLO as a way to keep their subscribers entertained on the road to the tune of a few extra bucks per month. AT&T's service, simply christened Mobile TV, has just launched with a pair of devices from Samsung and LG; naturally, we wanted to know whether the phones were worth the $199 and $299 AT&T's asking, respectively -- but perhaps more importantly, we had to figure out whether the service was worth sucking another $15 a month out of our already-strained wallets.

We're not exactly sure what was going on with that whole on-again / off-again love affair with iPhones having gratis access to AT&T WiFi hotspots, but we're content with letting bygones be bygones. On the slightly tweaked iPhone "Plans" page, the carrier now lists "Access to AT&T WiFi hotspots" as an included feature along with call forwarding, 3-way calling and Caller ID. Sure, it's not a bona fide press release, but same difference, right?

[Via MacRumors]

Update: Oh, ha, it's gone again. We have a feeling it'll be back soon enough though.

MediaFLO is about to cut loose for AT&T customers this morning and we've got video to prove it. After the break you'll find Mobile TV running on LG's new $300 (2-year, after $100 rebate) Vu, one of just two Mobile TV compatible handsets launching on AT&T May 4th -- the other being the $200 (2-year, after $100 rebate) Samsung Access. Performance looks reasonably snappy when scrolling through the channel guide although some of the exclusive PIX and CNN Mobile Live content is not yet available. S'ok, AT&T has three more days to throw the big blue switch on the broadcast TV service which includes a $15/month unlimited Mobile TV access plan. Hear that Verizon? AT&T's about to step all over your portable TV game in the US market.

[Via MyFoxUtah]

The Vu is going to end up stealing the bulk of the spotlight when AT&T's initial Mobile TV devices launch in May, but the Samsung Access has one key advantage over its sexier stablemate: aggressive pricing. The wide-load candybar (thanks to the landscape display) will run $100 less than the Vu while offering the same quantity and quality of brainpower-sapping television. In fact, we imagine there'll be a contingent of folks who actually prefer the physical keypad (gasp!). We wish Samsung had put just a little bit more thought and energy into the Access' physical design -- there's no rule saying a $199 phone has to be ugly, last time we checked -- but it's functional, looks and feels solid, and you'll still manage to impress the neighbors when you fire up CNN. AT&T had a functional MediaFLO node in Las Vegas, as evidenced by the glorious footage we took in while hanging out at the Access' kiosk; hit the gallery for some more visuals of the device in action.

They haven't revealed anything we didn't already know, but AT&T's finally come out with a semi-firm date for the launch of its MediaFLO-powered mobile TV service which will be branded simply as "AT&T Mobile TV." It'll be available to subscribers in May -- no specific date just yet -- on two exclusive handsets, the Prada-esque LG Vu and the more pedestrian Samsung Access; the Vu features an expansive touchscreen and 2 megapixel camera, while the Access makes do with a smaller landscape display and a 1.3 megapixel sensor. Both feature Bluetooth and 3G data, but the real story here is Mobile TV itself, which will come with two new channels that are exclusive to AT&T (in other words, unavailable on the other live MediaFLO service, VCAST TV from Verizon). The latest, hottest way to burn productivity on the go gets real in just a few short weeks, folks, so finish up whatever remaining work you have now.

Sprint is rolling out WebCapTel, an extension of its existing CapTel service that shows hard-of-hearing callers what the person on the other end is saying in real time -- but this time around, special equipment isn't needed. As its name implies, WebCapTel works through any web browser using any phone, turning the call into text quickly enough so that callers are able to respond naturally and with their own voice. Pretty darned cool; in fact, we think we're going to give it a try ourselves to see how it does. It's available now for calls within the US, and even better, it's free.

Look out, world -- ACCESS has just announced that it's crawling even deeper in bed with MontaVista Software in order to "accelerate development of smart mobile devices." More specifically, the two have released a "pre-integrated software stack combining the ACCESS Linux Platform with the MontaVista Mobilinux operating system," which should purportedly hack down the engineering time required for DIY integration along with decreasing "associated costs and risks." Reportedly, the ALP-Mobilinux software stack is up for grabs right now on the Texas Instruments OMAP2430 processor, and while specifics are unfortunately absent, we are told that additional hardware platforms will be added in the months ahead.

C'mon -- hop in this nifty time machine here and float with us back to December of 2006. That month, friends, is when Palm initially stated that it was cooking up a Vista-savvy iteration of its Desktop synchronization software, and yet, here we are some 13 months later wondering what took so long. Nevertheless, a finalized version of Desktop 6.2 for Vista has finally been loosed (half a year after the beta was revealed, mind you), and even though it does play nice with 32-bit editions of Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate, 64-bit Vista / XP users are still left out in the cold. For Palm (and Vista) users out there willing to forgive the tardiness, go on and hit up the read link to get the 65.2MB file headed over.

[Via PDAStreet]

We already know that the Prada-esque LG CU920 Vu is one of AT&T's two launch handsets in support of its MediaFLO-based mobile TV rollout, but what's the other one the carrier mentions? Mobiledia has scored gorgeous shots of this not-so-gorgeous phone, the A827 "Access" from Samsung, and the combination of AT&T branding and a dedicated "TV" button next to the d-pad has us believing that it'll be stepping up to the plate for that role. Unlike the Vu, the Access seems to be a lower-end handset on account of a 1.3 megapixel cam, unremarkable design, and smallish display, so we're certainly hoping its price point reflects the specs accordingly. Good to see that AT&T wants to bring mobile TV to every price segment, we suppose.

[Thanks, Matt D.]

Well, would you look at that! ACCESS has finally landed a whale of a customer for its overdue, underloved ACCESS Linux Platform, the mobile software stack (and sort-of successor to Palm OS Garnet) that has failed to garner enough hardware partners to make a splash in the marketplace thus far. The Japanese firm is partnering with NTT DoCoMo and ESTEEMO -- NEC's joint venture with Panasonic -- to build a standard Linux stack that incorporates ALP while still using the carrier's existing Linux-based MOAP(L) platform. That's not all, though: they're tasked with making the new platform compatible with the LiMo Foundation's specifications, too. A tall order? Maybe, but it's likely an order that has to happen -- NTT DoCoMo's involved in all sorts of Linux initiatives, and it makes good sense to bite the bullet and have some company tie it all together. The one piece of the puzzle missing here is DoCoMo's tie-up with the Open Handset Alliance, and as far as we can tell, this announcement steers entirely clear of Android's domain. Confusing, yes -- but for a company used to releasing 23 handsets in one fell swoop, it's business as usual.

Opera Mini gets the lion's share of the attention among third-party browsers for Windows Mobile, but there are other contenders out there looking for a share of users' hearts and minds. Replacement browsers probably wouldn't be such a vibrant category on the platform if it weren't for Pocket Internet Explorer's utter ineptitude in its current iteration, but hey, it is what it is -- we're just happy that devs are out there coding up much better stuff (Microsoft included). Anyhoo, ACCESS has just taken the Technical Preview of its NetFront 3.4 release for Windows Mobile to the public with a couple awesome features in tow like visual bookmarks and full-page preview. NetFront powers the browsers on a number of phones from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and others, and we've generally found it to be good stuff; anyone give 3.4 a shot yet?

[Via jkOnTheRun and Brighthand]

Update: Turns out 3.4's been doing its thing for quite some time now; ACCESS has simply extended the expiration date through to February 29 of next year. Thanks, commenters!

Just in case you missed the mention in our post about Palm's Q1 FY08 conference call, or the earlier report about the company's new OS getting more delays, take notice: Ed Colligan did indeed confirm that we won't be seeing a new operating system on Palm devices until the end of next year. Of course, with a track record like this crew has, we're not holding our breath, and would seriously suggest you follow suit.

Read -- Palm admits new OS 18 months away
Read -- Colligan Talks About Next Generation Palm OS Progress

Our main man Ed Colligan is on the scene once again, this time giving some serious lip service to investors on the future of Palm and its "upcoming" new OS. According to reports, Ed informed the the crew of dudes and dudettes (via the company's Q1 FY08 conference call) that the Centro systems team and Foleo engineers are "totally focused" on delivering the Linux-based OS (Palm's in-house work, not ACCESS's ALP), and announced that it will be available by the end of the next calendar year. Fleshing out his bold statements, Colligan noted that the new platform will retain the ease of use and developer support of the badly ailing current Palm OS, and that it will enable the company to deliver the UI across various products, including Foleo-like devices. The Palm honcho went on to say that development has gone, "As well as possibly could be expected," and added that the company has no plans to hand over the smartphone market to anyone else, telling investors that its next generation of products will be "revolutionary device types." Just like Fox Mulder, we want to believe -- but it's going to take a lot more than honeyed words to hold our interest, Ed. Hey -- feel free to invite us over to the pad for some hands-on.

Emblaze Mobile, Israeli-based phone designers / makers, have inked a deal with Japanese powerhouse Sharp, and software developer ACCESS (of Palm OS fame, amongst others) to create a new mobile device which will "revolutionize mobile communication." You know... just a small goal. The companies plan to reveal this magical device sometime in 2008, which will be based around Sharp-developed hardware, and ACCESS-grown software (go figure). Guy Bernstein, CEO of Emblaze, says, "The device represents one of the most ambitious projects in the high-tech mobile industry." Of course, given that said device is still a total mystery, statements like that should be very easy to make. Your poker face is good, Guy, but let's see your cards.

The hits just don't seem to be stopping for Palm these days. In the last few weeks we've watched the Foleo debacle unravel, seen the underwhelming Treo 500v announcement, and gotten word that the Elevation Partners partial sale has gone through (a small ray of light, really) -- but it appears we're not done yet. According to a scathing report in The Guardian, Palm is now projecting a 12- to 18-month wait on the new, Linux-based version of its OS (Palm OS II to you and me), which is a considerable extension compared to the dates we heard back in July (which, of course, were just more delays in a long line of empty promises), and puts the oft-hindered software closer to a 2009 release. No offense guys, but you've been talking about this OS for about five years, all while Windows Mobile, RIM, and Symbian have lapped you... repeatedly. Maybe you can get the open source community to lend a hand? They're quite crafty.

[Via Brighthand]