MANNA's Pie in the Sky Fundraiser: A Huge Success

This holiday season, Car-Tel Communications participated as a pick-up site for MANNA’s Pie in the Sky fundraiser. Thanks to everyone who purchased a pie, the fundraiser was a huge success! Over $200,000 was raised, and every dollar goes straight toward MANNA’s mission of providing food and nourishment to individuals who are battling life-threatening illnesses.

We truly appreciate all of your contributions, and the invaluable work that MANNA does to improve peoples’ lives in our community.

AT&T's LTE Network

What's LTE Anyway?

Over the past year...
the LTE network revolution has been all over the news, but for the average smartphone/tablet user, all of these high-tech abbreviations might be a little confusing. LTE is one abbreviation you definitely want to know and understand; it stands for Long Term Evolution, and it is the new standard for speed in the network technologies of the future.


HSPA
The 3G technology that powers AT&T’s fast mobile broadband network today.
HSPA+
Technology that enables 4G speeds up to 4x faster than AT&T's already fast mobile broadband network.
LTE Long Term Evolution. Speeds up to 10x faster than 3G, with continuous improvement of speed, performance, and accessibility.



AT&T already has nationwide 4G coverage...
bringing faster speeds to more than 200 million Americans. With the introduction of 4G LTE, AT&T is also the only carrier that offers two layers of network technology that deliver 4G speeds: LTE and HSPA+. Why does that matter? You'll enjoy fast 4G speeds on both the HSPA+ network and on the LTE network where available. That means a smoother, more consistent 4G experience overall.

LTE is the primary technology behind 4G – the evolution of 3G networks. Where 3G made mobile data a reality, 4G will make it a much better one. LTE has been in development for around 10 years now, and has begun to see its first worldwide releases. AT&T has launched 4G LTE in 9 cities and plans to reach 70 million Americans by the end of 2011. That coverage will continue to expand in the next few years and is planned to be largely complete by the end of 2013. We anticipate LTE coverage in the Philadelphia area by mid 2012.

Boiled down to its basics...
...here is what LTE does:
• Much faster upload and download speeds than 3G. Under ideal conditions, LTE can easily reach download speeds of over 150 megabits per second, and upload speeds of over 80 megabits per second.
• More capacity than 3G – an LTE network can support more users in a single area.
• Larger cell size. A single LTE cell tower can cover up to 100km. While that size will be greatly diminished in a heavy urban area, it’s still a lot better than 3G.
• Compatability. LTE is designed to be compatible with existing standards.
• Ease of upgrade. Part of the reason it has taken so long to develop LTE is that it is planning for the future of network technology. The networks are being designed so that implementing upgrades further down the line will be much easier.

Because LTE is the new standard for 4G network speed and performance, purchasing a 4G LTE phone at your next upgrade is a smart investment for the future. Check out AT&T’s first ever 4G LTE Smartphones, the HTC Vivid™ and the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket™. As 4G networks continue their Long Term Evolution into the future, don’t be left behind.

College basketball fans can now catch all 63 games of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship from the first round through the national championship even when they’re not in front of a TV. AT&T^* (NYSE:T) today announced live NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball coverage available on AT&T Mobile TV as the result of AT&T’s agreement with CBS and FLO TV , which powers AT&T Mobile TV.

Beginning March 19 – the beginning of the first round – AT&T Mobile TV subscribers will be able to catch every shot, steal, slam dunk and buzzer-beater directly from their cell phones through up to four additional seasonal channels aired by FLO TV. Coverage will include game highlights, score recaps and analysis from CBS Sports in broadcast quality on users’ cell phones — similar to the experience of watching from their home TVs.

AT&T is offering new AT&T Mobile TV subscribers a two-month free trial**, as well as a special promotion on one of its most popular AT&T Mobile TV compatible handsets, the LG Vu, currently on sale for $49.99 after mail-in rebate.

In addition to exclusive coverage of the men’s tournament, subscribers enjoy mobile access to full-length television programming and sporting events from several leading entertainment brands.

Introducing the NEW HTC FUZE!!

Go the next level with the HTC FUZE(TM) now featuring a sleek new touch screen design. The multi-faceted HTC FUZE(TM) is a 3G Windows Mobile® smartphone brought to you by AT&T, allowing you access to the world and a host of world class features. This powerful smartphone fuses technology with style. The large 2.8 inch VGA touch screen includes HTC's one touch TouchFlo(TM) 3D user interface for quick access to your favorite features. The FUZE is capable of supporting up to 32 GB in expandable MicroSD memory, so storing music, video, pictures, and any other file is no problem! This powerful smartphone is equipped with a productivity software suite, including Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and Microsoft Office Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, and OneNote Mobile. Wi-Fi, E-mail, Bluetooth®, and GPS navigation add to the rich feature set making the HTC FUZE(TM) the ultimate mobile smartphone.
Want to know more?
Visit, call, or e-mail your local Car-Tel representative and ask how the HTC FUZE(TM) can meet your needs.
Happy Texting!

Blackberry Application Alert!

SlingPlayer™ Mobile lets you watch and control your home TV and DVR via your Slingbox™ on your BlackBerry® smartphone. The Slingbox™ is a home device from Sling Media that lets you watch your television programming via the internet on connected devices such as computers and cell phones. Picture watching your favorite shows and movies on your Blackberry® during the morning drive to work, or waiting for the kids’ soccer practice to end!

It is strongly recommend that when connecting to your Slingbox you use a 3G cellular or WiFi connection that meets Sling Media’s minimum network download speed requirements.

Currently recommended Blackberry® handsets include:

· Blackberry® 9000 Bold

· Blackberry® 8820

· Blackberry® 8320 Curve

· Blackberry® 8120 Pearl

Requirements:

· A PC on your home network with SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows installed for:

· Setting up Internet Viewing on your Slingbox

· Managing Slingbox and Mobile Favorites with your Sling Account

· A high-speed (broadband) Internet connection of at least 256Kb upstream speed at home

Note: SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows is required for creating and editing your Mobile Favorites lists. If you have a Mac OS computer, you are welcome to download and use SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry®, but you will not have access to Favorites within the application.

Just one more way Blackberry® makes life easier.

Come in to Car-Tel and ask about the others!

Until then, Happy Texting!

Your Driver Just Hit a Tree....

Vehicle tracking is an old trick at this point, but that's not to say there's no demand out there in the enterprise space. Announced today, the TeleNav Vehicle Tracker has been added to the carrier's portfolio of enterprise mobility services. Said GPS-enabled device can be hard-wired or embedded onto a vehicle to provide "companies of all sizes with a hassle-free method for monitoring and managing fleet operations." Specifically, it can log and report via email or SMS (on AT&T's network, obviously) when an employee violates an established policy (speed, stop time, mileage, etc.) and provide "detailed information about vehicle activity, including whether the engine is turned on or doors are open." The tracker will run customers $399, with a monthly service fee of around $34 per device. Happy Texting!!

2G Network Gets a New Set of Wheels

There’s a light for people who haven’t upgraded to a 3G phone yet!!! The EDGE network is receiving another power boost. Nokia Siemens Networks has successfully tested a software-only upgrade to the 2G network. “Downlink Dual Carrier” software should increase the legacy EDGE network speeds to 592kbps on the downlink. This is the second upgrade the EDGE network has seen in its’ existence, and it promises to be a quick, easy, and painless conversion. Although 3G is still far faster, this upgrade will improve network speeds in areas where the newer networks haven’t reached as of yet. So, your wait will become slightly easier if you haven’t reached the date for your upgrade eligibility. Need to know when you can upgrade? E-mail contact@car-tel.com with Upgrade Eligibility in the subject line for more information. You can also visit www.car-tel.com for store contact information, and speak directly with your local Car-Tel communications representative. Happy Texting!