AT&T and T-Mobile merger officially called off

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

In what should be viewed as a big win for consumers and choice in the mobile technology space, AT&T has rescinded its takeover bid of $39 billion for T-Mobile. A mix of consumer and grass roots activism coupled with a negative viewpoint from the justice department forced AT&T to re-consider. Had this merger went through, AT&T would have surpassed Verizon as the largest carrier in the U.S.

For more details, here is a good write-up from BusinessWeek.

About the author:

Dr. Riley Alexander is a pathology resident at Indiana University School of Medicine, blog "addict" and avid follower of technology. His primary interests revolve around how technology, especially mobile, will create increased efficiency, enhanced physician education and better delivery of care in the medical field. Dr. Alexander is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine with a combined MD/MBA, in partnership with IU's Kelley School of Business. Due to this, he is also very interested in management, healthcare policy and non-clinical aspects of the medical field and enjoys exploring non-clinical opportunities for medical students, residents and physicians. He completed his undergraduate education at IU-Bloomington.

AT&T Names Chief Medical Information Officer

This came out earlier this week. I want to congratulate Geeta on this new position!

AT&T Names Chief Medical Information Officer
Respected Physician Reinforces AT&T ForHealth Industry Expertise, Momentum in Delivering Solutions to Patients and Institutions, Physicians Who Treat Them

Continuing its strong momentum in delivering healthcare solutions to patients and the institutions that serve them, AT&T* today announced the appointment of Geeta Nayyar, M.D., M.B.A. as the company’s first Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO).

As CMIO, Dr. Nayyar will guide the overall AT&T ForHealthSM strategy by providing industry expertise in evidence-based medicine, health outcomes, disease management and wellness. She will also help translate healthcare issues and technology implications with a wide range of stakeholders including physicians, patients, providers, policymakers and consumers. Dr. Nayyar complements AT&T’s deep bench of healthcare industry experts in the AT&T ForHealth practice area focused on delivering advanced IT solutions to healthcare industry businesses.

HHS, American Association of Diabetes Educators and AT&T Announce mHealth Initiative to Deliver Diabetes Self-Management Training

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Minority Health, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) and AT&T* today announced an initiative to evaluate the use of mobile devices to deliver Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) within an underserved minority community in Dallas, Texas.

DSMT is a collaborative process through which people with or at risk for diabetes gain the knowledge and skills needed to modify behavior and successfully self-manage the disease and its related chronic conditions. DSMT must be prescribed by a Medicare beneficiary's healthcare provider in order to be eligible for Medicare reimbursement.

HP Veer 4G: smallest 4G smartphone on the planet

The HP Veer 4G is the smallest 4G smartphone and it's on the AT&T network. It looks like a mini Palm Pre.

HP Veer gives you an advanced browser and 4G speeds for a fantastic web experience. Notifications instantly display messages, reminders, and Facebook® updates. And there are thousands of popular apps at your fingertips. Plus a full keyboard for firing off messages and a vivid touchscreen that responds to your gestures. Never before has a smartphone done so much and felt so small.

The Veer runs HP webOS (previously known as Palm webOS). By the way, did you notice that the URL Palm.com no longer exists? It redirects to hpwebos.com now.

Let the FCC know what you think of the AT&T/T-Mobile merger

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

As most of you are aware, AT&T has filed to purchase T-Mobile from its parent company, Deustche Telekom. This would, in essence, give AT&T a monopoly on the GSM mobile spectrum in the U.S. It is a merger that makes it hard to imagine of being to benefit to consumers in the long run.

If you're strongly inclined to voice your opinion on this matter to the FCC...well, you can. Through their Electronic Comment Filing System (found here), you can post your public filing/comment.

Note the link directs you to the appropriate filing, 11-65, in case you are wondering when you follow it.

AT&T to acquire T-Mobile

AT&T is acquiring T-Mobile for $39 billion. This will make them the largest wireless provider in the United States and place some serious competition on Verizon Wireless. So, what's going to happen to Sprint?

AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile Open Mobile Health Expo with Keynote

AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile Open Mobile Health Expo with Keynote on the Impact of Cellular on Mobile Healthcare

Mobile health in the military expert Dr. Ward Casscells will deliver closing keynote

AUSTIN, Tex. – September 22, 2010 – Mobile Health Expo, the only event focusing on the convergence of mobile technology and healthcare across the entire mobile health ecosystem, today announced details on two of the event keynotes. In the opening keynote on Tuesday, October 19th, speakers from AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile will be discussing M2M in healthcare and how the cellular telecommunications industry is assisting in the development of mobile healthcare.

Dr. Ward Casscells will close the event with a keynote address on mobile health in the military. Dr. Casscells is the John E. Tyson Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Public Health, and Vice President for External Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. From 2007-2009, he was the former Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) where he was credited with turning around a struggling $45 billion health and education system with 137,000 employees, 10 million patients in 900 clinics and hospitals in 100 countries.

Another AT&T Android smartphone: HTC Aria

AT&T customers have the luxury to choose smartphones from any operating system. If you're an Apple iPhone fan, then you can get the old iPhone or the new iPhone 4. Prefer Google Android? No problem! Now you have several Android smartphone options. The HTC Aria is a nice light smartphone that's arriving on the AT&T network on June 20. Of course, a significant percentage of AT&T customers will probably get drawn to the iPhone 4 given all the hype and the nice features, but if you're a serious Google fan or if you'd rather run Android, then the Aria could be a nice option.

Dell fans will have the option of the Dell Aero. Meanwhile, the MOTOROLA BACKFLIP™ will remain the first Android smartphone on the AT&T network.

If you're on AT&T, which smartphone will you get? If you're a medical student and you're on a limited budget, then go with a device that isn't too expensive. You'll probably end up getting a new smartphone before residency, so don't make a huge investment right now when you don't have the funds.

HTC Droid Incredible vs. Apple iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo 4G

The other day, someone asked me to compare the HTC Droid Incredible to the new Apple iPhone 4. Then, another person said, "what about the Sprint Evo 4G?" So, let's take a brief look at these top 3 smartphones:

First, they all have super-fast internal processors. Whether you've got the A4 or the Snapdragon, you're going to have a very fast smartphone.

• Droid Incredible: Very fast, still using the 3G Verizon Wireless network, allows tethering (including Wi-Fi hotspot), great camera, and runs Android. Expandable memory (up to 32GB microSD) and you can remove the battery.
• Apple iPhone 4: Still using a 3G network, great design, only on AT&T, video conferencing appears to be limited to Wi-Fi for now so that front-facing camera may not be that useful, and AT&T to offer tethering sometime in the future (when?). Can't expand the memory or change the battery yourself. How will AT&T's network improve? Will we continue to see all those dropped calls?
• HTC Evo 4G: First (and currently the only) smartphone on a 4G network. Limited to the Sprint network (which is currently the only 4G network). Very large screen and running the Android OS.  Expandable memory (up to 32GB microSD) and you can remove the battery.
  

So, is there a verdict? If you can't switch networks, then I think it's easy to say that you should have an easy time choosing your next smartphone. If you're open to switching, then it gets much more complicated.

If you want the fastest smartphone with 4G data speeds, then the Evo 4G is your clear answer. However, if you want to stay current on the Apple iPhone OS which currently offers the widest selection of medical apps, then go with the new iPhone 4. The Droid Incredible is a great phone for Verizon customers and the Verizon Wireless network has been rated as one of the best wireless networks in America. My family has been with Verizon for over 10 years and we've been happy with their coverage. If coverage is important, then go with Verizon.

Apple iPhone exclusive to AT&T until 2012

Those of you waiting for a Verizon iPhone will need to wait past 2010. That's when the exclusivity arrangement between AT&T and Apple will end. So, all those rumors about the Verizon iPhone are simply dead rumors now. Here comes the twist (according to Engadget):

an ongoing California class-action lawsuit filed in 2007 claims that Apple and AT&T illegally exerted a monopoly over iPhone service by telling customers the iPhone's required service contract was two years long when the Apple / AT&T exclusivity deal was actually for five years -- thus requiring buyers to re-up with AT&T for three years (and not, say, T-Mobile) if they wanted to keep using the iPhone.

So, what's going to happen? I don't think anyone on Verizon will see a CDMA iPhone. Maybe when the iPhone 4G comes out, mobile phones will be compatible across all the major networks. Maybe the differences between GSM vs. CDMA will disappear. Maybe users will somehow "hack" the upcoming iPhones so that they can work on the Verizon network. Maybe...

If you're on Verizon, go with Android. Or, switch to AT&T if you really want the iPhone.

webOS coming to AT&T (Palm Pre Plus)

webOS isn't dead since HP acquired Palm. It looks like webOS is coming to the AT&T network. As predicted, by the end of 2010, I think that we may see every major smartphone OS on every major wireless network here in the United States. The only uncertainty revolves around the iPhone: will it appear on Verizon and T-Mobile?

According to several rumors, the Palm Pre Plus is coming to AT&T on May 14. Given that Europe has already seen a GSM Palm Pre, this isn't a surprise. I'm still waiting for the next Palm to be branded as an HP smartphone. Maybe HP will maintain the Palm brand.

When will iPhone tethering become available?

Here's one of the biggest complaints I hear from people who switch to the Apple iPhone: "I can't tether."

Tethering is when you use your smartphone as a wireless modem for your laptop, tablet, netbook, or desktop. It's a great way to get online without using a dedicated wireless card.

If you're someone who used to tether with a Treo, a BlackBerry, a Windows Mobile, or an Android smartphone, you'll miss the ability to tether if you get an iPhone. AT&T has been talking about tethering for a while now, but I don't think their network can handle that level of data bandwidth if a significant percentage of iPhone users started to tether with their iPhones.

The nice thing about having a Windows Mobile phone is that I can still tether. When I'm using an Android smartphone, I can tether. If I switch to a BlackBerry device, I can tether. The Apple iPhone 3GS is capable of tethering, but AT&T is not allowing it, so it's a useless feature on the iPhone. When will tethering become available on the iPhone?

Will we see a Verizon iPhone this year?

This question has been in the air for a few years now. Is 2010 the year when we'll see the Apple iPhone appear on the Verizon network? Last year, I think I would have said, "yes, we'll see an iPhone on Verizon in 2009." Well, it's now 2010 and there's still no iPhone on the Verizon network.

My gut tells me that we won't see the iPhone until 2011. I think it will be the iPhone 4G. I don't think we'll see a CDMA version of the iPhone 3G on the Verizon network. It's just a gut feeling, but I think Verizon is probably going to be in a better position to push the Android OS through smartphones like the Motorola Droid, the Motorola Endeavor, the Google Nexus One, the HTC Incredible, the HTC Droid Eris, and others. I don't think they should get "distracted" by the Apple iPhone this year. This way, if AT&T continues to suffer network problems due to the heightened bandwidth usage caused by the iPhone and iPad, then AT&T customers will be very eager to switch to Verizon next year.

Would you leave AT&T and switch to Verizon for better iPhone features?

The current iPhone 3GS on AT&T does not allow tethering. The current iPhone has been plagued with connectivity issues on the AT&T network and has been blamed as the source for dropped calls and sluggish network performance on the AT&T network.

If Verizon got the iPhone, would you switch from AT&T to Verizon? What if the Verizon iPhone allows you to tether? What if the Verizon iPhone has a faster connection? What if...

I realize that these are many "what if's," but they could come true. When will the iPhone arrive on the Verizon Wireless network? Will it be in 2010? Will it be a 4G smartphone? Will it have features that you won't find on the AT&T version? Will it be limited to CDMA or will it be a World Phone with GSM capabilities?

Palm Pre Plus on AT&T and Verizon

The folks at Engadget have written up a nice blog post comparing the GSM Palm Pre on the AT&T network against the CDMA Palm Pre on the Verizon network. They should be the same phone, right?  Well, not exactly. They both run webOS, but the AT&T network isn't the same as the Verizon Wireless network. I don't mean to suggest that one is better than the other because your coverage may vary depending on where you live. Plus, these networks will be undergoing some significant changes over the next 24 months, so get ready for 4G speeds! (not sure when we'll see the first 4G smartphones, but I'm sure by the end of 2011 we'll have a good idea of what to expect).

Speaking of 4G and upgraded networks, if you're satisfied with your current smartphone and you think you can use it for the next 12 months or so, I'd suggest that you wait for a 4G smartphone. If you don't wait, you'll wish you had waited. I know some people who are waiting for the iPhone 4G.

Dell Aero running Android coming to AT&T

The Dell Aero may be the second Android smartphone to reach AT&T.  It looks like Dell rebranded the Mini 3 and called it the Aero for AT&T.

2010 should be a very interesting year as we see more Android smartphones emerge on the market. We're also going to see a few new BlackBerry models and Windows Phone 7 Series should come out by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Apple iPhone 3GS will probably remain unchanged.

From 3G to 4G networks

In different parts of the country, you can experience a 4G network which is much faster than the current 3G network. 4G refers to the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards.

According some news the other day, Verizon will probably roll out 4G networks by the middle of 2011. Sprint currently has a 4G network in several places in the U.S.

The next Apple iPhone will probably be a 4G model. When will AT&T be set up for 4G? How about T-Mobile?

As wireless standards continue to evolve, we can anticipate faster data transmission which will lead to more capable smartphones. This means more broadband access, more streaming video, faster file uploads and downloads, and 

AT&T gets its first Android smartphone: Motorola Backflip

If you're an AT&T customer and you've been waiting for an Android smartphone, your wait is now over. The Motorola Backflip running Google Android is now available on AT&T. This device leverages a unique flip QWERTY keyboard (it's not a slider, it's a clamshell-type of design) and BACKTRACK navigation. You'll have to swing by your local AT&T store to try it. The Motorola Backflip also features MOTOBLUR, so it's great for social media enthusiasts. 

Now, if you're a physician (or any other health care professional) on the AT&T network, should you go with the Apple iPhone or this new Motorola Backflip running Android? 

HP iPAQ Glisten

One of my first PDAs was an HP (Compaq at the time) iPaq. It was a revolutionary device, but it wasn't a smartphone. It ran Windows Mobile (Pocket PC at the time) and it was considered a "state of the art" piece of technology.

Today, we live with so many smartphone options. My wife and I both used to have a Palm Treo and I still see that many health care professionals are using the Treo. Well, if you like the Treo form factor (touch screen plus QWERTY keyboard in a "candybar" model), then you may also like the HP iPaq Glisten on AT&T. This 3G smartphone runs Windows Mobile and it resembles a BlackBerry. However, the touch screen feature makes it easy to navigate on this device.

If you're a former BlackBerry user and if you're switching to Windows Mobile, this may be the device for you.

3G Wireless Performance Tests by PC World

PC World has released their "3G Wireless Performance Tests" and they've given AT&T the highest ranking. I find that rather ironic given all the recent complaints about the reliability of the AT&T network. Maybe PC World ran their tests before the Apple iPhone spread across the 13 different cities tested by PC World. Or, maybe the editors (and testers) at PC World have a bias. Maybe these test results are very representative of the 13 cities tested. Who knows. I haven't performed 3G head-to-head studies, so I have no data.

In any case, it's an interesting study and you can read about it here. Since PC World isn't a peer-reviewed journal, I doubt that we'll see many editorials or comments regarding the study design, methodology, data collection, possibilities of bias, etc.