AT&T Planning to Make iPhone Work With U-Verse
AT&T has high hopes for their U-Verse service, which is AT&T’s fancy term for their high speed internet, TV, and voice telephone package. It all works over the Internet and some believe that this is the direction that television is headed. So how does the iPhone fit into all this?
Well, obviously we all know that AT&T is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone, so some high ranking suit probably thought it’d be a great idea to create synergy with their most popular phone and their next big money maker. How well will they play together? The iPhone’s U-Verse features will include having Visual Voicemail play through your TV, the option to download shows from your DVR to your iPhone, using the iPhone as a true remote, and even for giggles like hurling virtual tomatoes at the screen.
Sure, it may sound gimmicky but it looks to be good business for AT&T. And hey, throwing tomatoes? That’s always fun.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Sounds interesting. Will I have to use AT&T as my telephone provider or will this work with my current provider?
September 16th, 2008 at 9:27 am
This should be interesting… I hope it works with EDGE and 3G instead of the typical Wi-Fi only that Apple loves to pull with most of their apps. I also hope this isn’t a web app and is a stand alone app in the app store instead.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I’m only guessing here but my senses is that you’ll have to get the entire AT&T stack (phone, wireless, internet and TV service). While it’s probably going to cost it may have some benefits. Today, if you subscribe to AT&T for DSL 3.0 or above you get free WiFi at all AT&T hot spots and some free online content like ESPN 360 (which gives you access to live and recorded sporting events which are not covered in your area over the web). I’d look for more synergies between services for subscribers of all services besides this and I’d be shocked if this were an iPhone exclusive.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Will they let you make free VoIP calls over WiFi while at home with this package?
September 16th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Now this has pique my curiosity. I was a bit worried when I didn’t see this in the App Store. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the update
September 16th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I’m intrigued by the phrase “it all works over the Internet”.
Do you have reason to believe that any of this works over the Internet, as opposed to only within AT&T’s own private infrastructure between AT&T’s own servers and their own customers?
September 17th, 2008 at 4:03 am
I’ll wait for Slingbox to come out with their iPhone s/w Thank you. After you buy the device (for under $150), the rest is free. And you can even see your Tivo’d shows.
at&t, thanks but no thanks.