After two years of lightly treading in the Android waters, AT&T is finally ready to start swimming for the deep end of the pool. And almost as if it were pure coincidence, the carrier's broader ambitions come into light as it prepares to lose exclusivity of the iPhone.

Looking ahead, AT&T has plenty of Android on the roadmap for 2011, confirmed by a recently leaked internal document. The details uncovered by Phandroid indicate that the carrier plans to offer at least 12 new devices in the coming year, including a pair of exclusive smartphones.

Looking at AT&T's current lineup of Android phones, it's hard to get very excited. Sure, the Captivate is a great device, but it doesn't stand out from the other Galaxy S models of its time. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is fantastic hardware, but it's hindered by the outdated software. The rest of the roster is a lesson in smartphone mediocrity with assorted handsets from HTC and Motorola.

The near future looks to take sharp turn for the positive, however, with three new phones deserving of your attention.… Read more

Verizon Wireless today rolled out an update to its Samsung Continuum Android smartphone. It's not an OS upgrade, but you do get an impressive array of feature improvements and interface tweaks. We'll let Verizon's official list (PDF) speak for itself, so check it out below. As with other over-the-air updates, it will go out to users in stages. But if you'd rather not wait, you can initiate (PDF) the update yourself from your handset's Settings menu.

Reply/Forward Visual Voice Mail audio files as attachments using a variety of e-mail providers.

Improved Visual Voice Mail … Read more

Samsung's Galaxy Tab is now selling from T-Mobile for a new low of $249 after a $50 rebate. The only catch? You'll still have to opt for a two-year contract.

The price of the Galaxy Tab through T-Mobile is a significant drop from the $399 it originally cost when it made its debut in November. But the data plan will still set subscribers back $24.99 a month for 200MB worth of access and $39.99 for 5GB.

Samsung's 7-inch Tab is being offered by all of the core U.S. carriers, including T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, … Read more

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Two weeks ago, Verizon Wireless finally unveiled its long-rumored iPhone. The announcement, which came only days after Big Red staged a big presence at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, put an end to not only years of speculation, but also AT&T's exclusive hold on Apple's device.

Judging from my e-mail inbox, CNET readers are pretty excited about the Verizon iPhone, which is why I wanted to dedicate this edition of On Call to your questions. CNET … Read more

As anyone who has bought one can tell you, the cost of a smartphone is more than just the initial price of the device. You also have monthly payments to deal with, for voice minutes, text messages, and of course, data. You can choose to either be frugal if you can squeak on by with the bare minimum or you can go for the pricier package if you want unlimited everything.

In light of recent changes to smartphone data plans and in anticipation of potential new 4G plans, we've compiled and calculated the cheapest and most-expensive pricing plans below … Read more

Hot on the heels of its recent $10 increase for smartphone data plans, Sprint has announced another change, this time to its Premier loyalty program.

The Premier program is eligible to any customer who's been around for at least 10 years or who pays at least $69.99 a month for an individual plan and at least $99.99 a month for a family plan. One of the most lauded benefits of being in this program is the ability to upgrade a handset at the fully subsidized price after only 12 months under contract. Other benefits include discounts on … Read more

Keynotes at technology trade shows can be hit or miss. Sometimes you're privy to an hour of juicy news (Verizon at CES 2011) and other times you get only dancers, emcees in wolf hats, and an exec boasting about his fabulous company (Samsung at CES 2011).

CTIA 2011, however, promises a good show. On March 22 the opening day keynote will feature a round-table discussion with the CEOs of the four national cell phone carriers. That means you'll see Ralph de la Vegga of AT&T, Dan Hesse of Sprint Nextel, Philipp Humm of T-Mobile, and Dan … Read more

Moments after T-Mobile CEO Philipp Humm mentioned the upcoming Samsung Vibrant 4G at a press conference in New York, T-Mobile and Samsung confirmed the news in a press release.

The statement doesn't say much, which makes us think that Humm got ahead of himself in spilling the beans about the Vibrant. T-Mobile won't confirm specs or a release date at the time of this writing, though it promised to reveal more details in the coming weeks.

Yet, we do have an inkling of what the Vibrant 4G should offer. Compatibility with T-Mobile's HSPA+ 4G network is a … Read more

After a few episodes where Bonnie Bear had to stand in for the real Bonnie, we actually got to see and hear our favorite New Yorker this week. She was on hand to bring us the latest Sprint and Samsung news before Jessica and Nicole hashed it out over the BlackBerry Playbook. Elsewhere in the podcast, Kent threatened to use Benito's new phone to hammer a nail, Bonnie downplayed her Spanish prowess, and Jessica planned world domination.

News Will Sprint's next 'first' be a tablet? … Read more