AT&T flings cellphone network wide open

AT&T FLINGS CELLPHONE NETWORK WIDE OPEN
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Leslie Cauley]
Starting immediately, AT&T customers can ditch their AT&T phones and use any wireless phone, device and software application from any maker — think smartphones, e-mail and music downloading. And they don't have to sign a contract. AT&T's push to give consumers maximum control of their wireless worlds is being driven, in part, by Google. The tech giant is a monster in the Internet search business for personal computers, and is hoping to replicate that success in the wireless market. Google recently announced plans to link arms with more than two dozen wireless companies, including Sprint, with the goal of developing an operating system that lets consumers use any application on mobile devices, much as they now do on PCs. Other partners include Japanese cellphone giant DoCoMo and handset maker Samsung. AT&T for years kept quiet the fact that wireless customers had the option of using devices and applications other than those offered by AT&T. But now salespeople in AT&T phone stores will make sure that consumers "know all their options" before making a final purchase.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20071206/1b_att06.art.htm