Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, providing coverage across the nation, today announced that three new handsets – the LG Scoop, red BlackBerry Pearl 8130, and the Samsung Muse – plan to be available in Alltel retail stores and online at www.alltel.com/style during the first quarter of 2008. Whether into music, messaging or quick access to applications on the go, such as e-mail and the Internet, Alltel customers can choose from an extensive lineup of phones in brilliant colors to find one that fits their unique personality.
“Alltel strives to provide customers with phones that have the most innovative technology and allows them to express their individual style,” said Brian Ullem, vice president of device strategy for Alltel Wireless. “Our phone lineup delivers a variety of functions, from music to messaging, which will give our customers the ultimate wireless experience.”
Messaging Made Quick and Easy
For people who stay connected through text messaging, the LG Scoop allows customers to take it easy on their thumbs with a messaging-friendly QWERTY keyboard and chat-style IM. Offered in three colors including citrus orange, slate gray and turquoise blue, the LG Scoop has AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger pre-loaded, so there is never a missed message. The phone also features a 1.3 MP camera with video capabilities and is Celltop-ready as well as Bluetooth capable. The LG Scoop is the ideal phone to use Alltel’s new service, Axcess Voice2TXT, which converts incoming voicemails to text and sends them to the customer’s text inbox. With the QWERTY keyboard, users of this phone will be able to easily and discretely respond to voicemails.
Coolest Smartphone is Now Red Hot
The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 smartphone, now available in red, gives customers an exceptional mobile experience with powerful communications and multimedia capabilities. This sleek, eye-catching smartphone offers e-mail, fast HTML Web browsing, a 2 MP camera with flash and video capture, GPS capabilities, Bluetooth wireless technology and microSD expandable memory. With the stylish red BlackBerry Pearl 8130, customers can multi-task like a pro, and look good while doing it. This smartphone is available for pre-order at www.alltel.com/style.
When Music is Your Inspiration
The Samsung Muse sports a fresh look and a stimulating sound to satisfy all who find inspiration in music. With the Samsung Muse, those passionate about music always have their favorite tunes within reach. Users can customize the phone with a dedicated music key for ringtones, XM Radio Mobile and easy access to the MP3 player. The modern design, available in midnight blue, also features a 2 MP camera with video capabilities, GPS capabilities and is preloaded with Axcess Mobile Guide and Stereo Bluetooth technology. Multimedia fans can also enjoy streaming music from their PC using Music Powered by Celltop along with premium preloaded applications like Axcess TV and Search.
Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, today announced that it is the first U.S-based carrier to offer small business customers SalesNOW®, a contact, activity and deal management software designed for the BlackBerry® and the Web. SalesNOW utilizes the functionality of the BlackBerry to provide customers with the ability to manage their sales data in the palm of their hands.
With the SalesNOW application, professionals can track and manage their contacts, deals, activities and e-mails as well as access and share information with their entire sales team. Customers can perform these activities on their BlackBerry or on the Web through an individual, secure SalesNOW account. Changes the user makes within SalesNOW on the BlackBerry are automatically synced to SalesNOW on the Web and vice versa. The application also allows sales teams to provide up-to-date information on sales activity, view and print weekly activity reports, collaborate on team forecasts, track sale details and next steps on business deals.
Additionally, SalesNOW enhances administrative time management and productivity by giving users the ability to update graphical reports and dashboards, which allows professionals to focus on building quality customer relationships.
“SalesNOW allows our small business customers to better manage their workload no matter where they are,” said David Maddox, director of advanced data solutions for Alltel Wireless. “This innovative solution is the ultimate sales tool for the mobile professional and demonstrates Alltel’s commitment to deliver the most beneficial business applications available today.”
The software is available for $25 per month for individual users or $40 per month for enterprise users with qualifying smart choice data plan on all Alltel Wireless BlackBerry smartphones. For more information, or to purchase SalesNOW and subscribe to the service, visit www.alltelsolutions.com or consult with an Alltel Business Representative by calling 888-4AT-BIZZ.
On alltelsolutions.com, business customers can find an array of solutions to fit every business need. Alltel recently launched several products to assist its customers in their daily tasks, including Alltel WiFi, an easy-to-use solution that instantly provides customers with laptop access to thousands of hotspots, and TimecardGPS, an application that enables users to track employee locations, record shift time and capture job or work order information.
Alltel also offers its business customers with smartphone devices “smart choice packs” a special rate plan, which provides national voice minutes with an unlimited data plan and features such as “My Circle,” an industry-defining feature giving customers on varying calling plans the freedom of unlimited calling to and from five, 10 or 20 numbers on any network for free.
The iPhone has been doing an impressive job at hitting Steve Jobs self-made goal of 10 million in its first year with making the halfway point in December of 2007. Sending PocketPC, err, Windows Mobile devices scrambling, popular hardware maker HTC quickly answered Apple’s call for ease with the the Touch. While attempting to fix many of Microsoft’s ills on the mobile platform, it’s still no iPhone. But still, a nice phone in itself and now Alltel users can have one.
The following is the press release sent to SvenOnTech today.
The compact and stylish HTC Touch provides customers with a new way to stay connected and access music, photos, information, games and more. This sophisticated smartphone is easy to operate by using a finger to simply swipe or tap the innovative touch-screen “cube” interface. Alltel’s HTC Touch features four panels on the “cube,” including an Alltel-exclusive panel that provides customers with quick access to the latest smartphone applications to personalize their phones and help do more on the go. Customers can also customize the phone with ringtones, themes and games, in addition to pre-programmed links to shopping applications.
The additional panels provide easy access to contacts, including the ability to assign photos to each name; allow users to launch their applications at the touch of a button; and launch the HTC Touch’s multimedia functions, such as the music player, photos and video, with a tap of the finger.
The smartphone also provides access to Alltel applications, including the new Voice2TXT service from Spinvox that converts incoming voicemails to text and sends them to the customer’s text inbox, allowing them to discretely respond to voicemails via text messages without dialing their phone.
“The HTC Touch provides our customers with the information they want, and the personalization they desire, right at their fingertips,” states Brian Ullem, director of device strategy for Alltel Wireless. “This elegant, modern smartphone is perfect for style-conscious buyers who want the functionality of a PDA with swift access to their photos, videos, music and more.”
The HTC Touch features a 2MP camera with video, Windows Media Player, a MicroSD memory card slot, Bluetooth Wireless Technology and Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional. It is also preloaded with a variety of applications on the Alltel exclusive fourth panel of the “cube,” including:
Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, providing coverage across the country, and SpinVox, the leading provider of Voice-to-Screen™ messaging, today launched a new service called Voice2TXT. The launch makes Alltel Wireless the first of the five largest U.S. carriers to offer its customers the ability to receive voicemails in text form.
Voice2TXT is available on any Alltel Wireless SMS text message capable phone and quickly converts incoming voicemails to text messages in the customer’s inbox. This innovative service allows the user to discretely respond to voicemails in any setting without having to dial and listen to voicemail messages. Voice2TXT also allows customers to store and forward converted voicemails as regular text messages as well as retrieve the original voicemail should they choose to do so.
“Our customers will appreciate the fact that they no longer have to wait for the opportune time to listen to a voicemail” said Craig Kirkland, director of messaging and voice services for Alltel Wireless. “With Voice2TXT, our customers have an easier way to manage their voicemails via text messages when they are in a meeting, on the go or anyplace where they cannot or do not wish to use traditional voicemail.”
“SpinVox’s Voicemail-to-Text technology gives Alltel customers the opportunity to enjoy a real visual voicemail experience from coast to coast,” said Christina Domecq, co-founder and CEO of SpinVox. “As the first major innovation in voicemail in decades, Voice2TXT as delivered by SpinVox eliminates the frustrations with dialing into voicemail by offering a discreet, efficient alternative – eliminating the need to search for a pen to write down the details of a message or navigate through a voicemail service.”
The service is available in a variety of pricing options: $4.99 per month for 20 voicemail conversions (each additional is 25 cents); $9.99 per month for 50 conversions (each additional is 20 cents); and $19.99 per month for 100 conversions (each additional is 10 cents). For more information on this innovative new feature, please visit www.alltel.com/voice2txt.
Alltel Wireless also offers features including “My Circle,” allowing customers to choose who they call for free – any 10 numbers, any network; and Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their rate plan any time, without extending their contract.
Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, providing coverage across the nation, today announced the availability of TimecardGPS, an application that enables users to track an employee’s location, record shift time and capture job or work order information from LBS-enabled wireless phones.
The TimecardGPS application, available for $12.49 per handset per month, allows business professionals to increase productivity by using their wireless device to perform a variety of important tasks, including:
Tracking – Enables supervisors to request field workers’ locations, track movement and set up “smart fences” to determine employee location
Team Clock-in and Out – Allows a supervisor to clock-in and clock-out employees as well as capture individual task information on a single wireless device
Real-time job tracking – Sends real-time job information from field workers to employers, complete with tasks, subtasks and editable fields
Customized reports – Supplies electronic reports with payroll, job costing and productivity information
Web log-in – Provides real-time access to field workers’ positions, timesheet and job information via the Internet
“In today’s fast-paced business environment, there is a need for supervisors to have rapid access to information regarding their field employees and their progress,” said David Maddox, director of advanced data solutions for Alltel Wireless. “The TimecardGPS application provides a supervisor instant information on an employee’s exact location and job completion data.”
For more information on TimecardGPS, please visit www.alltelsolutions.com/timecardgps.
Whether staying in a hotel, waiting for a flight or drinking a latte at the local coffee shop, Alltel customers can now connect to the Internet virtually anywhere. Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network providing coverage across the nation, today launched Alltel Wi-Fi, an easy-to-use solution powered by Boingo Wireless that instantly provides customers with laptop access to thousands of hotspots throughout North and South America. Alltel also provides wireless broadband access via Alltel Wireless Internet service, allowing customers to access the Internet from their laptop or smartphone at speeds of up to 2.4 Mbps on its nationwide data network.
Through Alltel’s relationship with Boingo, the world’s largest network of Wi-Fi hotspots, Alltel customers will be able to enjoy a fast connection all over the country. To provide customers with maximum coverage, Alltel is offering a Wi-Fi and EVDO Wireless Internet “bundle,” delivering unlimited Wi-Fi access from any supported hotspot starting as low as $9.99 per month, in addition to the customers’ Wireless Internet Plan. Pre-paid Wi-Fi cards are available at Alltel Wireless retail stores for $19.99 per week or $9.99 per day. Additionally, users can purchase Wi-Fi access at https://wifi.alltel.com.
“Wi-Fi is an excellent complement to Alltel’s existing portfolio of wireless internet solutions and is a good fit with Alltel’s strategy to provide customers with more ways to connect wirelessly to the Internet, email, or corporate intranet,” said David Maddox, director of product marketing for Alltel Wireless. “Alltel customers will get the best available wireless broadband connection throughout the country with EVDO and Wi-Fi from Alltel.”
Would you like to watch NBC’s “The Office” at your office? Or do you just need a TV escape on your lunch break? Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, today announced Axcess TV on Demand, an application that provides more than 200 on-demand video clips for customers to view whenever they want and wherever they are.
Customers who subscribe to the basic package, for $3.99 per month, will receive content from NBC News, NBC Entertainment, FOXSports.com, Discovery Mobile, and MTV Networks’ MTV, VH1, and COMEDY CENTRAL. Axcess TV on Demand programs include clips from “The Tonight Show,” “The Office,” “Last Comic Standing,” “My Super Sweet 16,” “Best Week Ever,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “FOX Wire,” “FOX Rewind, ” “Dirty Jobs” and much more.
In addition to the basic package, Alltel Wireless offers a premium version of Axcess TV on Demand for an added $5.99 per month. Premium customers will receive extra content clips from the channels available in the basic package plus programming from NBC Sports, “Access Hollywood,” IGN Entertainment, BravoToGo, USA Mobile, SCI FI Channel, Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, MTV Networks’ CMT, Spike, Nickelodeon and more. Axcess TV on Demand is available on select video-capable handsets.
“Axcess TV on Demand provides our customers with an easy way to watch videos at a great value,” said Wade McGill, senior vice president of wireless product management for Alltel. “Wherever our customers may be, they will be able to tune into their favorite shows at a price that everyone can afford.”
Alltel Wireless offers exclusive features including “My Circle,” allowing customers to choose who they call for free – any 10 numbers, any network; Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their rate plan any time, without extending their contract; and Celltop, a patent-pending technology offering customers an easier way to access, manage and organize a wide range of information already available on their phones.
Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, and NBC Universal (NBCU), one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies, today announced a partnership that will bring network content to Alltel Wireless customers. The agreement includes distribution of NBCU’s eleven video on-demand channels, mobile Web sites, ringtones, ringbacks and wallpapers. The content will be available via Alltel’s Axcess data services.
All of NBCU’s short-form video channels including NBC News, Access Hollywood, Telemundo, mun2, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Bravo, SCI FI Channel, USA Network and digital originals from dotcomedy.com will be available to Alltel Wireless customers. Full episodes of NBC’s critically acclaimed “Friday Night Lights” will also be available on demand.
Alltel Wireless customers will also have access to NBCU’s suite of mobile Web sites. The sites include NBC Network, NBC Sports, “Heroes,” “The Office,” Bravo, MSNBC, The SCI-FI Channel and USA Network. Alltel and NBCU plan on making additional sites and content available in the future.
“NBC Universal is committed to offering its programming on a variety of platforms,” said Jean-Briac (JB) Perrette, president, NBC Universal Digital Distribution. “This agreement with Alltel provides their customers with a robust line-up of NBC Universal content, easily available to watch and view in a way that’s convenient to them.”
“The relationship with NBCU provides an amazing array of entertainment and information, right to our customers’ phones,” said Wade McGill, senior vice president of wireless product management for Alltel Wireless. “We look forward to expanding our relationship with NBCU over the coming months and to offering customers even more content and choice in their wireless experience.”
Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, today announced that it is the first carrier to launch MyEconoday®, an application providing Alltel customers immediate access to up-to-date economic indicator reports, as well as dates and times of economic and corporate events. MyEconoday for Alltel delivers the information automatically to the corresponding date and time in a user’s Outlook® or BlackBerry® calendar. These events become a part of customers’ daily schedule, making it easier than ever before to stay informed of market activity.
“Information is one of the highest priorities to our customers,” said Wade McGill, senior vice president of product management for Alltel Wireless. “In the financial industry, fast, up-to-date information is not only important, it’s critical. MyEconoday provides customers with information on the latest market events when it happens, wherever they are.”
Alltel’s MyEconoday provides users with two options to gain access to key market-moving information. Subscribers can sync their Alltel mobile devices to their Outlook calendar or have the information delivered wirelessly to their BlackBerry calendar. Unique to MyEconoday is the ability to customize the received information delivered to an investor’s calendar. Simple online customization gives subscribers the ability to focus on those indicators and events of interest to them. Customers can try MyEconoday by downloading a free 15-day trial at www.alltel.com/econoday. Read the rest of this entry »
Alltel Wireless customers now can access the Internet and corporate networks through their data-card equipped laptops in the nation’s major metropolitan areas, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, at broadband speeds.
“Alltel customers now enjoy the unprecedented freedom and power of a truly nationwide wireless broadband network,” said Elisabeth Owen, president of business solutions for Alltel Wireless. “Alltel customers with data-card equipped laptops can stay connected to corporate network and enterprise applications while doing business in the cities that drive the U.S. economy.”
Alltel’s roaming agreements give its customers access to wireless broadband service in the nation’s largest population centers, including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston and San Francisco.
In 2006, Alltel expanded its own next-generation EVDO (evolution data optimized) network in more than half its markets. The company will continue to aggressively build out its EVDO network in 2007.
Alltel customers have unlimited wireless access to the Internet at speeds comparable to wired broadband connections such as cable modem or DSL. EVDO technology makes it easy for customers to surf the Web, access e-mail and calendars and download large, graphic-rich files while on the go. Using the service, customers can access advanced applications at average speeds of 400 to 700 Kbps with maximum speeds of up to 2.4 Mbps.
To use the wireless data service on their laptops, customers will need a data card, which is available from Alltel with a two-year service agreement. Alltel’s national unlimited data plan is available for $59.99. Where EVDO service is not available, data-card equipped laptops will hand off to 1X service, which delivers speeds up to 144 Kbps.
Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has 12 million wireless customers.