Several people are getting SMS messages from AT&T reminding them of the long-awaited “free wireless at Starbucks” plan. It was first announced in February with a target launch spring 2008, the service has been quietly running on and off since April, including two hours of daily access at any Starbucks store or AT&T hotspot.

T-Mobile users with existing hotspot accounts are supposed to have ongoing access to the network in Starbucks stores. The service has been available on a spotty basis, but this is an official “yes it’s working” announcement that has been a while in coming. Hopefully we can put an end to this chapter and the service stays on at long last.

For some users a smart phone is overkill. All some people want is the ability to send text messages and make phone calls. For this type of user, a fancy smartphone with word processing and other functions isn’t particularly appealing.

AT&T has announced a new Samsung handset called the Propel that is designed with the text user in mind. The phone has a full QWERTY keyboard in a vertical sliding design. Multiple color options are available and the handset can do email and offers 3G connectivity.

Samsung and AT&T have made it official. The i907 Epix looks nice and features Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2-megapixel cam, AGPS with AT&T Navigator, Video Share support, 320 x 320 2.5-inch touchscreen display, and an “optical mouse” for some reason. You can get it now for $99.99 on a two-year contract. One thing that you definitely notice about this one is the extra screen real estate that could have been…If not for the overly large area that displays the AT&T logo. Otherwise, it looks good.

Like a bitchy supermodel the Pantech Slate is claiming to be the world’s thinnest device with a QWERTY keypad. Priced at $49.99, you’ll need a two-year agreement and mail-in rebate for AT&T subscribers. Sporting black and royal blue, it comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera, instant messaging, Mobile Email and Bluetooth. It will be available by the end of this month.

You can bet that there are lots of iPhone fans out there counting down the days until Christmas hoping ol’ St. Nick will be stuffing an iPhone in their stocking. Last year there was a glut of holiday purchases for the original iPhone along with problems finding devices in some areas and crowded stores.

AT&T has announced that it is already gearing up for holiday sales of the iPhone 3G by streamlining the buying process and allowing shoppers to do the glut of the work online. AT&T has started a system that allows customers to pre-qualify for the iPhone online.

The iPhone is certainly one of the most talked about mobile phones among gadget hounds. Many were not happy when the original iPhone launched as an AT&T exclusive. When the iPhone 3G launched and AT&T began subsidizing some of the cost of the iPhone, people began to take a bit more notice of the handset.

According to market research firm NPD Group one in three iPhone 3G buyers have come to AT&T from other service providers. I am sure this is exactly what AT&T was hoping for when it agreed to subsidize the cost of the iPhone.

As the holidays grow nearer, we will see more and more handsets that are new announced in an attempt to grab the holiday dollars of shoppers. Most of the handsets will be exclusive to one provider or another. Pantech and AT&T announced their newest mobile phone today called the C610.

The handset is a flip-phone that offers a multiple multimedia features including GPS and 3G network access. Pantech says that the design of the handset emphasizes fashion and function. It looks rather plain to me, but is decent looking.

It’s getting to be more and more common for people to forgo the home phone line in favor of wireless only. The reason is that virtually everyone needs a cell phone, and only a few people need a landline. AT&T has announced a new device that makes having a landline in the home cool again.

The device is called AT&T HomeManager and in its initial launch HomeManager is available in nine markets including — Chicago, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, San Francisco, and LA. The system revolves around a 7-inch touch screen frame built by Samsung. The frame connects to a home broadband network and can be used to place and receive phone calls.

We have all ended up somewhere at one time or another where we didn’t have anything to do and were bored to tears. If you have a nice smart phone, you have a few options from playing games and watching YouTube videos to listening to music. AT&T customers with the right handset can even watch TV.

LG Mobile Phones and AT&T announced a new handset called the LG Invision, which is now the smallest mobile TV capable handset in America. The phone measures 4 inches tall by 2 inches wide and is less than 1/2 inch thick. The clear screen allows TV fans to enjoy TV programming — including college football games — on networks like CBS Mobile, ESPN Mobile, Fox Mobile, and NBC2GO.

Those wanting voice recognition for their iPhone may be in luck soon. AT&T has been working on a web-based platform called Speech Mashups. It works like this. The platform sends your speech to a remote server, translating commands to control your handset. Since it’s web-based, other devices aside from the iPhone will be able to use the technology as well.

It will be compatible with most browser-equipped AT&T handsets, wireless devices and even TV set-top boxes. You just need an Internet connection. One downside with the iPhone is that Speech Mashup can’t perform voice-dialing because it is compatible with web-coded apps only. Still, it’s a fascinating development.

Here’s some info on the BlackJack III. Apparently the carrier will be AT&T in October with a full version of Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. Word on the street is that it has a 3 MP camera, 528 Mhz processor, aGPS, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, and more. Apparently, it’s a “rebadged” version of the Samsung i788. The question is, how much do you want to pay and what is the price. It’s not for everyone, but I know some of you have been really waiting for it.

Those looking to up their fashion will like Samsung’s new BlackJack IIs in pink and blue. These are obviously geared toward fashionable geek girls and men who are ultra secure in their manhood. Or maybe those just looking for something different. These new models feature white fronts with color-coordinated keys and girlly designs on the back. They’ll cost you $99 each on contract.

AT&T and Pantech have teamed to release a phone developed on the “principles of Universal Design — the practice of designing products and applications that are usable by the most customers possible.” What this essentially means is the two are debuting the Pantech Breeze, a simplified flip-phone priced at around $80 before rebate.

The Pantech Breeze offers as key Universal Design features, according to AT&T, a clean and uncluttered design, simplified menus, an oversized display with large keypad and quick-call keys. This is all part of this GSM quad-band world phone’s design.

The new Mobile TV service from AT&T that we first talked about back in March is now available starting this week for customers in 58 select markets in the United States. The service from AT&T in conjunction with MediaFLO streams live TV with over 150 different programs to mobile phone customers.

The service initial will work with just two specific handsets offered from AT&T – the LG Vu and the Samsung Access. The Vu is an interactive touch screen phone that will display video and web pages, has a music player, a 2MP digital camera and Bluetooth. It goes for $299.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract.

When you say plasma display most of us immediately think of a big flat panel TV. In the home theater realm plasma is losing ground to LCD displays as LCDs improve in contrast and brightness. For years now LCD has been the dominate player in the cell phone industry for displays.

Panasonic and AbleComm announced today that Panasonic would be building a cell phone that uses a small plasma display to operate on the newly announced AT&T Mobile TV service. The small screen will require only 1.5 volts to operate and will require no special wiring or power supplies.