AT&T

iTweakiOS has launched an AT&T carrier hack, which promises to deliver increased data speeds just like the previously released T-Mobile hack. Joe Brown and Sky Zangas, the developer team behind iTweakiOS, claim the new AT&T hack improves data performance on both LTE and HSPA+.

“Just like with the T-Mobile hack, this hack does the same. Band preferences were set to limit you to a certain band rather than the band giving off the strongest signal, when available, both with LTE and HSPA+.”

“This hack enables Release 9 DC-HSPA+ on the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, 4, and mini as well as enhancing LTE data and signal. Though AT&T is limited to HSPA+ 21, the device itself becomes more open to an increased amount of bandwidth thus allowing for better throughput of data and data connection. This is very convinient [sic] for users in areas that don’t yet have LTE coverage.”

Now iPhone fans looking for no-contract wireless service on the AT&T network can turn to Aio Wireless. The new company will offer different tiers based on individual markets, with unlimited text messages, voice and data. Data plans will include a specific amount of high-speed (4G HSPA+ where available) data with additional usage over the limit being throttled.

Currently the service is available in Houston, Orlando and Tampa, with other US cities coming soon. Three data tiers will be offered in each market, with pricing ranging from $35 for 100 MB of high-speed data to 7 GB for $70. Right now Aio offers customers in Houston a 100 MB plan for $35, while Orlando and Tampa customers can spend as little as $40 for a 250 MB plan. Unfortunately for iPhone owners, the lowest-priced tiers are not available with smartphones.

Mobile carrier AT&T is set to launch a new pre-paid cellular service named "All In One" on June 15th. The company plans to test the new plans in Florida and Texas before rolling out the program nationally. For those who don't like contracts and are looking for a more affordable data plan option on their mobile devices, AT&T will provide a competitive option.

Data tiers come in at $35 for feature phones, $50 for 2GB of smartphone data, or $70 for 5GB of smartphone data. All plans include unlimited voice and texting as part of the package. These new offerings are separate from AT&T's current pre-paid service known as GoPhone, which comes in at $65 per month with only 1GB of data and unlimited voice and texting

Wireless carrier AT&T is making progress on its goal to deliver 4G LTE service to over 300 million people by the end of 2014. The latest announcement brings the total number of markets with 4G LTE availability to 190 nationwide. LTE service has been expanded in Denver, Colorado, Louisville, Kentucky, Mount Vernon, Washington and Oxford, Mississippi.

For customers in six other cites, LTE has been switched on. These include Flint, Michigan, Kokomo, Indiana, Morgantown, West Virginia, Petersburg, Virginia, Shelbyville, Kentucky and Springfield Missouri. AT&T continues to be the second largest wireless carrier in the US, six years after it first launched the iPhone in an exclusive agreement with Apple.

Facebook today unveiled what CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the "next version" of the social networking site. Facebook Home is a new UI for Android devices that transforms a user's smartphone or tablet into a central hub for Facebook. When asked if Home will also be available for iOS devices Zuckerberg replied, “Apple is a very controlled environment". Meaning you will probably never see Home on your iPhone or iPad.

The Home interface is just too invasive for Apple's closed ecosystem. When installed, it takes over a device's lock screen, home screen and even notifications. This is something Apple would never allow. Zuckerberg said, Facebook has "great relationship with Apple", but that doesn't mean they will welcome a UI that overrides iOS. It's just not the way Apple does things.

T-Mobile not only announced that it was going to officially offer the iPhone 5, but the carrier explained it would fully support Wideband Audio. This marks the first time the feature touted by Apple at the iPhone 5 keynote event would be supported in the US. Now AT&T remarks that it too will roll out support for the feature, also known as HD Voice, later this year.

As AT&T continues to expand its LTE data network, the company plans to start sending voice calls over this network which will provide Wideband Audio capabilities for iPhone 5 owners. When Apple first announced the feature in fall 2012, only 20 carriers worldwide supported the feature. For its part, iPhone carrier Sprint is also planning to offer HD Voice down the line.

AT&T has responded to the smartphone unlocking controversy sweeping the nation. If you do not know the story, here is a quick recap: On January 26, 2013 the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemption that made unlocking your cellular phone legal expired. This made it illegal to unlock your device without your carrier's permission. Smartphone users responded by posting a petition on the White House's We the People website. The petition gained over 100,000 signatures before 30 days, which prompted an official response from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Genachowski said the ban “raises competition concerns,” as well as “innovation concerns", and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) responded by creating the Wireless Device Independence Act. This bill ensures people can unlock their devices without a carrier's permission.

The iPhone 5 can now be purchased unlocked in the U.S. via the Apple Store. An unlocked iPhone allows Apple customers to buy the device without agreeing to a two-year carrier contract, however, this also means users are stuck paying an unsubsidized price. Apple is offering the 16GB model for $649, the 32GB model for $749 and the 64GB model for $849.

The unlocked iPhone 5 only works with GSM wireless networks such as AT&T and T-Mobile (T-Mobile customers considering buying an unlocked iPhone 5 may want to wait until next week to see if the T-Mobile iPhone rumor is true). The unlocked iPhone 5 does not support CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint, and requires a nano-SIM card to work.

AT&T announced earlier this month that iOS 6 users with an LTE device and a "tiered data plan" would be allowed to use FaceTime over a cellular connection. While a step in the right direction, AT&T's new restrictions still left out those with grandfathered unlimited data plans and older devices. However, it looks like AT&T may have had a change of heart.

According to Cult of Mac and MacRumor forum users, grandfathered customers with unlimited data plans, and those with the iPhones 4S can now use FaceTime over a cellular connection. Cult of Mac reader Michael B. was one of the first to notice the change:

"I have AT&T grandfathered unlimited data. Rebooted my phone and now FaceTime is enabled. Woohoo! Looks like AT&T’s accountants figured out that they’ll make a bundle on overages with everyone making phone calls in High Def."

One of the advantages the iPhone 5 brings to users is high-speed LTE connectivity. Download speeds have been reported in some cites at over 20 Mbps, exceeding even some wired and wi-fi network connections. AT&T continues to build out its LTE capabilities for subscribers, all part of a $14 billion network expansion.

Nine new cities are now in the AT&T Mobility LTE fold, including Annapolis MD, Denver CO, Louisville KY, Milwaukee WI, Minneapolis, MN, Orlando FL, Provo UT, Tacoma WA and York PA. These additions to the network come hot on the heels of LTE service roll outs and expansions in Bakersfield CA, Little Rock AK and the Florida Keys.