Here is what Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, had to say about the proposal:

“New technologies create new risks, and we wanted to find a way to reduce the value of stolen smartphones. It’s just too easy for a thief to steal a phone and sell it on the black market. This program will make it a lot harder to do that. And the police departments we are working with tell us that it will significantly deter this kind of theft.”

The explosion of smartphone sales has also brought a nationwide surge in cell phone theft as an unfortunate side effect. Thieves are able to easily sell stolen mobile devices on online sites like Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay where it is harder for law enforcement to manage these type of transactions. While the exact details of the database have yet to be ironed out yet, we can now look for its creation in the near future. What do you think? Do you think a central database like this will actually deter criminals from stealing and selling stolen devices? Let us know in the comments below.

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Here’s what an Ma Bell spokesperson had to say officially about the policy change:

Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer’s account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.

It seems only fair that a customer who is in good-standing with a carrier has the option to use any SIM after their device is fully paid off. No official word on if this surprising policy change was pushed through by Apple or by AT&T, but we’re happy to see that change is on the very near horizon.

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Let us know what you think of it.

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On April 8th, the HTC Titan II will join the Nokia Lumia 900 as the first Windows Phone devices to feature AT&T’s 4G LTE data connections. While the Lumia 900 will sport the more affordable $99.99 price, maybe AT&T consumers will opt for the higher priced Titan II with its high-resolution 16-megapixel camera. On the other hand, the Lumia’s Carl Zeiss optics may win over the hearts of consumers despite its lower 8 megapixel camera. We’ll let the consumers decide when both phones launch.

If you’re still the proud owner of the first-gen Titan and you’re looking for a sensible replacement, then mark your calendar for April 8th and start thinking about what you are going to shoot with that impressive smartphone camera.

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Oh, did I mention? It should be available right now, here’s how to get it:

1. Make sure your battery is over 50% charged.

2. Connect to a Wifi network.

3. Go to Settings > About phone (or Update) > then Check for Update. If it doesn’t say you have an update available, give it a few hours and try again, should be rolling out to all devices ASAP.

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Anyone who completes the update will notice the “updated AT&T network indicator”. Essentially, now users will see a 4G icon whenever  HSPA+ coverage is available. Sadly, this doesn’t mean you will actually get faster network speeds, but at least you’ll feel cooler sporting a ’4G’ iPhone.

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“Your current, older-model 2G phone might not be able to make or receive calls and you may experience degradation of your wireless service in certain areas.”

Despite the letter all but saying the 2G network is being shut down, we’re betting it’s simply a matter of time before we see an official phasing out of the old trusty network. Considering the collapse of the T-Mobile acquisition and Verizon’s hunger for spectrum, Ma Bell is smart for deciding to utilize its GSM channels for HSPA+ and LTE service.

Currently, the letters have been issued to 2G users in the New York metro area, but we’re assuming other areas are soon to follow. AT&T is offering users a free upgrade to one of several phones, such as the Samsung Evergreen or the LG GU295–available for $9.99 and $19.99, respectively, with a contract.

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The new changes are a slight improvement from the earlier 2GB of full data speeds before throttling was enforced. AT&T users should note that these changes only apply to those still on an unlimited data plan, not those on AT&T’s tiered data plans.

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• 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display
• Android 2.3 Operating System
• 4GB internal memory that can be increased to 32GB via microSD
• 5MP rear-facing camera with flash and autofocus with 720p HD video capture (1.3 MP front facing)
• HSPA+ network support, WiFi, aGPS and Bluetooth connectivity
• 1650 mAh Battery

Besides what you read above, this strongphone is military spec 810f compliant – this means that the device can survive extreme temperatures unscathed, take a swim in waters of up to a meter for 30 minutes and repel dust and other natural factors.  All this sounds like qualities that every smartphone should have but don’t currently, still we have our hopes for the future in this regard.

You can snag this sturdy device for $99.99 on AT&T starting March 4th.

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As for the actual process of rooting, it’s seems as simple as loading a tar file on Odin and flashing it to your device, but we’ll get a How-To up soon to walk you through the whole process in case you are new to this.  Before actually doing it though, do know that this will increase your flash counter by 1, which Samsung could use to deny warranty if you ever needed it.  We’ll get you something that doesn’t do this as soon as something like that becomes available.

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