Filed under: iPhone
Reuters: AT&T planning to integrate iPhone with U-verse
Reuters is reporting that AT&T is planning to capitalize on their iPhone exclusivity in the US and link it with their broadband and video service U-verse. Eventually this could allow U-verse subscribers to listen to their iPhone voicemail on their TVs or download shows from their DVRs to their iPhones. And taking a page from Apple, they're also talking about a remote control application for the iPhone to control the DVR, etc.I think this sounds like an interesting value-added addition for AT&T customers. The main problem is that U-verse just isn't that widely available. Would you switch to U-verse to get this kind of iPhone integration?
[via MacNN]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Craig said 3:16PM on 9-16-2008
I was just saying to myself, "man, what a pain in the ass reaching in my pocket and pulling out my phone to check my visual voicemail, what if instead I could just go into the living room, sit down on the couch, turn on the TV and cable box, and hear my voicemail that way? how much simpler my life could be..."
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ericdano said 3:21PM on 9-16-2008
No way. I tried U-Verse in December. It was terrible. TV channel selection sucked. The boxes they give you are huge and look like they are from the early 90s, plus you have to make space for a huge router box. And, they have announced speed limits on their U-Verse network.
PLUS.....you cannot have another service connected to the same residence. So, if you are in a roommate situation, you are screwed.
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Danny Zumwalt said 4:58PM on 9-16-2008
In December huh? You mean as in nearly a year ago? Hmm.. as far as I know, U-verse service is still relatively young. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of changes and improvements have come along in 10 months.
robogobo said 7:54PM on 9-16-2008
Danny you had me thinking you were going to say something.
Bibz said 10:13PM on 9-17-2008
You must have tried something else. I have Uverse, and the boxes are very small. You must have had AT&T's satellite service. Uverse has more HD channels than most cable providers.
The service was rough at first, but has improved significantly in the last 6 months. Total Home DVR is rolling out soon which lets you watch shows from the main DVR on any box in your house. (no I don't work for Uverse, I'm just a happy customer)
Le Big Mac said 3:21PM on 9-16-2008
How can I switch to uverse if it's not available in my area?
And, no, I would rather a solution that did not lock every possible service into a single carrier.
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Jeremy Combs said 3:24PM on 9-16-2008
It sounds great until AT&T does their typical 'It will cost $50 a month for this service'
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Nate said 4:35PM on 9-16-2008
Yep really. I would enjoy this service if it was included with my already outrageous iPhone bill but if AT&T expects me to pay more for this service they can kiss my *SS.
It might be in their best interest to add value to their iPhone plans. Well... Maybe not until 2010...
Gar said 3:48PM on 9-16-2008
Interesting point from a co-worker. U-Verse = DRM by Microsoft. Is Apple going to lic that technology in order to play?
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Patrick said 4:03PM on 9-16-2008
As far as I'm concerned, any competition with Time Warner and the other cable companies is good. Would this along get me to switch – no. But, Time Warner's horrid customer service has already had me look into U-Verse. It's not available to me yet, but the idea of sending my shows to my phone (slingbox-style) would really tempt me.
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Jason said 8:51PM on 9-16-2008
if it competes with verizon's tv on your cellphone platform, now i think you're talking about something that really has legs.
anything else is a pretty small base of users, i think.
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Poot said 4:05PM on 9-16-2008
I have an iphone. I was forced to jump in bed with ATT for that one. That's as far as I willing want to go.
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Troy said 4:05PM on 9-16-2008
The question isn't will iPhone subscribers switch to U-verse, the question is will U-verse users drop their current cell phone to switch to an iPhone. I think your much more likely to see somebody who already has U-Verse decide to switch to an iPhone because of the added functionality you can get than the other way around. When people find a television package they are happy with they tend not to want to change it but people are constantly switching their cell phones and providers.
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tony d said 4:18PM on 9-16-2008
I'm ready to ditch Comcast here. We just got AT&T's U-Verse here in southern Indiana. But its is a choice of the lesser of two evils.
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shan said 4:24PM on 9-16-2008
I already have an iPhone and AT&T's Dish Network service. For me, this feature would make me re-consider my plans to switch to cable & Tivo.
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Adrienne said 4:57PM on 9-16-2008
I'm more than ready to ditch Cox. We should be able to in the next month.
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Patrick said 4:58PM on 9-16-2008
It might be a possibility if AT&T manages to get DVR software that isn't pre-beta quality. Shows cutting out mid-recording, season passes that aren't, random crashes, and the _biggest_ one: the ability to have more than 1 DVR per home. I really wanted to like U-Verse when we tried it because the 5LNB dish we have for HD DirecTV support is far more weather influenced than the old 3LNB dish was, but the software just wasn't up to par.
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Nick said 5:31PM on 9-16-2008
No, they will not get me to switch from my beloved DirecTV to a crummy cable service just so I can location-shift my shows from a 47" screen to a 4" screen.
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Al said 5:33PM on 9-16-2008
Well, seeing as I already have U-verse service, and my wife already has an iPhone, I will be looking forward to any enhancements AT&T will make to either U-Verse and iPhone service.
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Benny Hanna said 5:45PM on 9-16-2008
ROFLMAO, AT&T is having a hard time with 3G and now this. OMG this is just too stupid. Better do a peepee test on the corporate execs.
Cant get the iPhone fixed, signals dropping up and down and all that 3G is in such a limited area.
WTF AT&T, you wont allow tethering on the iPhone and rape people on txt msg's
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