Apple has hired Amber Cottle as its new chief lobbyist, reports Politico. Before joining the Cupertino company, Cottle spent time as the Democratic Staff Director on the Senate Finance Committee, giving her a unique perspective on how Washington politics affect companies like Apple. Prior to serving the Finance Committee, Cottle was the Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Investment.
Barack Obama’s second United States Presidential Inauguration will be held this morning at 11:30 a.m. EST in Washington DC. The event will feature music headliners like Beyoncé (National Anthem), James Taylor, and Kelly Clarkson. The President was actually sworn into office yesterday, but all festivities will be held today. There will also be a parade to round out the day’s celebrations. You can stream the event on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod with the Inaugural 2013 iOS app. The app was created by AT&T, but you can use it on any cellular carrier.
T-Mobile previously announced a $4 billion plan to improve its network, and the carrier is continuing expansion efforts today by revealing three new metro areas that now have enhanced coverage and faster speeds for unlocked devices like the iPhone.
Washington D.C.: Alexandria, VA; Arlington, VA; Chevy Chase, MD; Falls Church, VA; Laurel, MD; McLean, VA; and Silver Spring, MD.
Baltimore: Glen Burnie and Towson, MD
Houston: Cypress, Jersey Village, Humble, Kingwood, and The Woodlands.
“Customers in these areas can now bring their unlocked iPhones to T-Mobile, experience a significant speed boost on our network, while also saving up to $50/month compared to AT&T,” said Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray in a press release.
T-Mobile specifically noted in its announcement that the unlocked iPhone 4S running 4G HSPA+ on its 1900 network experienced 70 percent faster download speeds than the iPhone 4S on AT&T’s network during internal tests.
Despite rumors that T-Mobile is no longer using Apple or the iPhone in its “Unlimited & Unlocked” campaign, T-Mobile later confirmed its plans for unlocked iPhone customers would continue as planned. Today, the carrier announced improved coverage and speeds for customers using its iPhone-compatible 4G network in and around Kansas City. It also promised future announcements for Las Vegas and other markets later this year:
T-Mobile’s $4 billion plan to strengthen our already competitive 4G network is well underway. Today, I’m thrilled to announce that Kansas City is the latest market where T-Mobile customers will be able to benefit from enhanced voice and data coverage, as well as faster speeds on unlocked devices, including the iPhone… As T-Mobile network advancements continue in other cities, customers in some parts of Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and the New York metro area are already experiencing improved coverage and iPhone “speed sightings” on T-Mobile’s 4G network. Stay tuned – in addition to Kansas City and Las Vegas, T-Mobile will be announcing many other markets this year where we have strengthened our network.
customers and employees waiting for the Fifth Avenue Store to re-open
You might have heard there was a little trembler on the east coast earlier today. Perhaps due to the renovation of the glass cube overhead, we’re hearing that the whole 5th Avenue Store was evacuated and both customers and employees were relocated to Central Park while the structure was checked for damages (above).
Late last week, Verizon introduced a new 300MB data plan for $20/month for the carrier’s mid-Atlantic region. This covers Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and North Carolina. This special data plan tier is available in a limited test run from August 18th until September 30th. The idea for the plan, according to Verizon regional president Mike Maiorana is to welcome users from non-smartphones:
This is a great introductory plan for customers who have been contemplating moving from a basic phone to a smartphone but were hesitant because of cost, said Mike Maiorana, regional president in Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia. The $20 monthly access promotional plan is an opportunity for customers to learn the many benefits of having a smartphone with email and calendar functions, as well as Internet access and apps, at their fingertips
According to our sources, though, Verizon’s reasoning for the plan is not that simple. The company is actually going right after AT&T’s $15 data plan that provides users with 200MB of data usage per month. Verizon Wireless figures that an extra 100MB for only $5 is the more enticing deal. The plan also doubles as an easier route for parents to set young children up with a phone line on their Verizon plan. Because of this, Verizon Wireless currently plans to make this data plan a permanent and nationwide option by this holiday season. This could change at anytime, though, depending on response to the test-run.
