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AT&T Introduces New Home Manager System
Brings wireless functionality to landline service....

Apparently, AT&T's "three screen initiative" (linking TV, Internet & cellphone) is actually a four screen initiative if you include the company's new Home Manager system. The system, like the Verizon iobi and Embarq eGo services, is intended to keep people from dropping their landlines and going cell only by incorporating more mobile phone like features. With a $299 price tag for the Samsung-made device (plus $69 for each additional handset), it's unlikely to sway those who dropped their landline to save money, but it might appeal to someone who already has AT&T services from shifting to cable VoIP. Maybe. Some of the functionality:

quote:
Click for full size
Address Book Synchronizing - synchs address books across the touch screen and home handset with AT&T mobile phone contacts

Web Based Information Listings - access to weather, e-mail, stock profiles, sports, news, photos, movie listings, recipes and more

AT&T Yellow Pages - free, unlimited access to White Pages and Yellow Pages online directories, which can also be uploaded to cell phones and email

Visual Voice Mail - see and listen to messages via a single wireline-wireless mailbox on both the touch screen and cordless handset, which is compatible with AT&T U-verse Voice and AT&T Unified Messaging

Digital Picture Frame – displays digital photos on the frame as a slide show or screen saver


A lame effort to try and keep AT&T's dying landline offerings relevant and bundled customers loyal, or a useful integration of AT&T services? If you can't decide, here's the AT&T press release, a demo, a blog entry at Telecompetitor (who alerted us to the new device), and here's a video unboxing and review of the unit hooked in to a customer's U-Verse setup. Note that the touch-screen device will sync your AT&T wireless phone data, but the service is not compatible with the iPhone. One bit of good news is there's no monthly fees for the device.

So far the Home Manager service is only available in nine AT&T markets: Chicago; Atlanta; Austin, Texas; San Antonio; Houston; Dallas; San Francisco; San Diego and Los Angeles.
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baineschile
2600 ways to live
Premium Member
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI

baineschile

Premium Member

Just need one more thing...

A biotech company to invent a USB port that we can stick in our skin, and wire to our brains

Duramax08
To The Moon
Premium Member
join:2008-08-03
San Antonio, TX

Duramax08

Premium Member

Re: Just need one more thing...

Maybe even processors in our brain. Intel Inside Anyone?

sapo
Cruising Down Memory Lane
Premium Member
join:2002-09-16
Sacramento, CA

sapo to baineschile

Premium Member

to baineschile
I personally am waiting for a bluetooth headset integrated into our heads.

ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium Member
join:2001-08-02
La Porte, IN

ztmike

Premium Member

Dandy

That's all nice and dandy..but what about the internet speeds of U-Verse?

supergirl
join:2007-03-20
Pensacola, FL

supergirl

Member

Re: Dandy

said by ztmike:

That's all nice and dandy..but what about the internet speeds of U-Verse?
Hey, 1.5 megs is all anyone will ever need. -Former AT&T CEO.

ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium Member
join:2001-08-02
La Porte, IN

ztmike

Premium Member

Re: Dandy

said by supergirl:
said by ztmike:

That's all nice and dandy..but what about the internet speeds of U-Verse?
Hey, 1.5 megs is all anyone will ever need. -Former AT&T CEO.
I have 1meg upload now from Comcast and it still takes a long time uploading medium sized files.

At&t doesn't offer u-verse here either, just their slow dsl packages.

gdm
MVM
join:2001-06-15
Mchenry, IL

gdm

MVM

Re: Dandy

AT&T offers 4 Internet packages with U-Verse

10 down 1.5 up = $55
6 down 1 up = $40
3 down 1 up = $30
1.5 down 1 up = $25

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Re: Dandy

Aren't they changing it to
6.1-10 down, 1.5 up = $55 ?

jimbo48
join:2000-11-17
Asheville, NC

jimbo48 to gdm

Member

to gdm

AT&T offers 4 Internet packages with U-Verse-LMAO

AT&T offers 4 Internet packages with U-Verse only in areas where they have competition that is hitting their bottom line. AT&T doesn't offer anything but a degraded DSL 1.5 line, no Uverse, a mediocre Cell service(read expensive and nothing to write home about) in my area and I'm less 30 miles form San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Why don't they offer so little if anything for ISP service- NO pressure in the form of meaningful competition is my belief. Cable is only offering UVerse performance Cable Internet and over-compressed video at premium prices and the infrastructure is so antiquated it would cost too much to upgrade to 21st century technology.
Ah but someday we will/may have choices that matter---Hope springs eternal
Moffetts
join:2005-05-09
San Mateo, CA

Moffetts to supergirl

Member

to supergirl
Heh, I don't even have that.

supergirl
join:2007-03-20
Pensacola, FL

supergirl

Member

Re: Dandy

said by Moffetts:

Heh, I don't even have that.
Hey, I've actually been on T3 line. Now, that's the Internet.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx

Premium Member

Re: Dandy

said by supergirl:

Hey, I've actually been on T3 line. Now, that's the Internet.
I remember back in the late 90's, most of us were still stuck on dialup and used to joke about how great it would be to have a T1 line installed at our house.

Now, I cringe when I need to download something at the office on that slow T1.

-- Rob
ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

1 recommendation

ISurfTooMuch

Member

Why?

Exactly what does this bring to the table that a computer doesn't? I suppose that it gives you access the AT&T's phone directories without needing Internet access, but how many people are going to drop that much money on this box so they can do that? The marketing is all wrong, since those who know how to access electronic services likely already have Internet access, and those who don't know how are the least likely to have access and the least likely to want this service.

If they offer free e-mail access to all the popular sites like Yahoo, Gmail. Hotmail, etc. with this device, then they might get some take-up from people getting it for their non-tech-savvy parents or grandparents so they can have e-mail, but I don't see that feature being included.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx

Premium Member

Re: Why?

Exactly.

I don't understand who their target customer is with this. It sort of looks like something you'd see in a high end home (like a Crestron remote), but without any of the really cool features, and it only supports a single line, which would make it a non-starter for a lot of those sorts of homes.

It's too high tech for Grandma or "non-internet" people.

It might be a nifty next-gen cordless phone replacement, but it's way, way, way too expensive.

Like the U-verse interactive apps, they seem to think everyone needs more access to yellowpages, the weather, and their pictures. I have all those things on the internet and on my cell phone now. I don't need them on my TV or some big bulky touch screen device sitting on my end table. If I'm going to have a device like that I want it to be able to fully control everything, not just the phone.

ReVeLaTeD
Premium Member
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA

ReVeLaTeD

Premium Member

Re: Why?

said by djrobx:

Exactly.

I don't understand who their target customer is with this. It sort of looks like something you'd see in a high end home (like a Crestron remote), but without any of the really cool features, and it only supports a single line, which would make it a non-starter for a lot of those sorts of homes.

It's too high tech for Grandma or "non-internet" people.

It might be a nifty next-gen cordless phone replacement, but it's way, way, way too expensive.

Like the U-verse interactive apps, they seem to think everyone needs more access to yellowpages, the weather, and their pictures. I have all those things on the internet and on my cell phone now. I don't need them on my TV or some big bulky touch screen device sitting on my end table. If I'm going to have a device like that I want it to be able to fully control everything, not just the phone.

The target customer is the nerd who wants ready access to these utilities without having to deal with the nightmare that is Windows, or Mac incompatibilities. It's brilliant if you think about it.

The real problem: the device should be free or rented, like other provider-provided devices. The upfront cost is DEFINITELY a deterrent.

arizona
@bellsouth.net

arizona to djrobx

Anon

to djrobx
said by djrobx:

...
Like the U-verse interactive apps, they seem to think everyone needs more access to yellowpages, the weather, and their pictures. I have all those things on the internet and on my cell phone now. I don't need them on my TV or some big bulky touch screen device sitting on my end table.
...
Well we have, and we do come up with other imaginative products. Its just that, for the most part, people do want access to the [phone]book, the weather, and their pictures. In as many ways as they can get it.

supergirl
join:2007-03-20
Pensacola, FL

supergirl to ISurfTooMuch

Member

to ISurfTooMuch
All I can say to this is....ROFLMAO! WHAT ANOTHER STUPID IDEA FROM THE DEATHSTAR. Has anyone at AT&T ever visted Download.com?

By the way, Google can go this for nothing. Right on your cellphone too.

Sashimi
@bellsouth.net

Sashimi

Anon

Re: Why?

Super Girl you can replace the three VOIPs you are using with POTS and Skype.