Live Coverage

Live from the AT&T Developer Summit at CES 2012

By: Zach Epstein | Jan 9th, 2012 at 11:55AM

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Filed Under: Live Coverage

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show doesn’t officially begin until Tuesday, but the action started over the weekend and things will really start to pick up today. LG’s press conference (11:00 a.m. Eastern/8:00 a.m. Pacific) kicked things off earlier this morning, and Samsung (5:00 p.m. Eastern/2:00 p.m. Pacific) and Nokia (6:00 p.m. Eastern/3:00 p.m. Pacific) both have big events scheduled for later today. There’s also Steve Ballmer’s keynote (9:30 p.m. Eastern/6:30 p.m. Pacific) this evening and it will be his last for the foreseeable future. There’s plenty going on indeed — we’ll be covering all the big events — and right now we’re excited to be bringing you live coverage of the AT&T Developer Summit, where CEO Ralph de la Vega will be joined by CMO David Christopher, CTO John Donovan and others. AT&T’s 4G LTE service is alive and kicking here in Las Vegas and we expect LTE to be a hot topic. We also expect the company to take the wraps off of a new device or two, so hit the jump and tune in for all of AT&T’s announcements as they break.

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11:58AM:Ok, we're just a few minutes from kick off and the theater here at the Palms is definitely filling up fast.

12:05PM:It looks like we're ready to go — things are starting off with a quick promo video about AT&T's developer programs.

12:07PM:AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega is now taking the stage.

12:08PM:This year's summit is once again sold out — there are close to 2,500 guests from 33 different countries in attendance.

12:09PM:Mobile gaming, "major new announcements" and plenty more are in store, de la Vega says.

12:10PM:AT&T believes the mobile experience has become a central part of users' lives, and developers play a huge role in driving that experience.

12:11PM:"What's good for developers is good for customers," and AT&T is dedicated to helping developers bring apps to market quickly and easily.

12:12PM:CMO David Christopher is now taking the stage.

12:12PM:AT&T was the first carrier to launch a developer program, and it launched 11 years before the iPhone was released.

12:13PM:"We believe applications are one of the primary reasons people buy smartphones." AT&T's developer program has had a huge year according to Christopher.

12:15PM:AT&T API Platform is the first big announcement. It utilizes HTML5 and is a set of tools and SDKs that make developing for AT&T platforms simple yet robust.

12:16PM:The new API platform is all about HTML5. AT&T thinks HTML5 is the answer to addressing fragmentation in the smartphone market. Creating a variety of native apps is difficult, while nearly every major smartphone platform supports HTML5 now.

12:18PM:Christopher is now going through the available APIs. Payments, U-verse, MMS/SMS, Location, Device capabilities and AT&T mHealth are the available APIs for now.

12:21PM:Sorry guys, having some connectivity issues. Joe Tafoya is on stage now to talk about his company Viva Vision.

12:22PM:The company had early access to AT&T's APIs and we're seeing a demo of an HTML5 app called JET that uses multiple AT&T APIs.

12:29PM:The app works with phones and tablets, and it can stream videos right from a U-verse subscriber's library over Wi-Fi or 3G.

12:31PM:99 dollars will get developers access to AT&T's new APIs for a year — that's a limited time offer and no word on future pricing

12:32PM:John Donovan, AT&T CTO, is now on stage to discuss AT&T 4G.

12:33PM:Fast and high quality broadband connectivity is crucial to the success of apps, which are becoming increasingly dependent on fast data connections.

12:35PM:AT&T made 150,000 total network improvements last year, and call retention has now surpassed 99% according to Donovan.

12:39PM:Today, AT&T is also announcing "AT&T Cloud Architect" — a solution that provides fully customizable cloud-based services on which developers can build their own solutions.

12:41PM:Developers will be able to build and scale in real time, and app environments are fully customizable. AT&T calls it the "dynamic cloud." AT&T will also offer hourly and monthly rates depending on developers' needs.

12:43PM:Jim Curry, OpenStack's "Chief Stacker" is now on stage for a quick chat.

12:46PM:AT&T added Visual Voicemail for the iPhone in 2009, which was its first network API. During that year, AT&T's network handled 300 million API calls. In 2012, that figure is expected to reach 10 billion.

12:51PM:AT&T opened three Foundry centers for development last year — one in Palo Alto, one in Plano, TX and one in Israel.

12:55PM:Jeff Bradley is taking the stage now, AT&T's SVP of consumer markets, to talk about AT&T's Power Your Future contest. Here are the finalized for the contest, which asked developers to make environmentally conscious apps.

12:56PM:AT&T gave People Power a huge opportunity according to the company's CEO. The firm's app addresses global climate change, and its goal is to address the drain of power resulting from leaving gadgets plugged in when they're not in use.

1:00PM:The app includes a reminder function that helps users unplug their devices to conserve energy, and it has an automation feature that allows users to cut power to devices from a mobile device. Energy savings can amount to as much as 10-20%.

1:06PM:ARO helping both companies better optimize their apps by minimizing traffic and reducing battery consumption.

1:10PM:ARO is available staring today at developer.att.com/ARO. The company will also open-source the ARO code later this year.

1:12PM:The new AppCenter offers a magazine-like environment that better-facilitates app discovery.

1:12PM:The beta supports HTML5 and Android from the get go (beta is available today) and more platforms are coming.

1:14PM:AT&T hosted a "hackathon" last night that called on devs to build new apps using the new APIs. Devs had just 12 hours to code, and the developers with the three best results are on stage now. They're going to pitch us their apps and the audience will choose a winner.

1:16PM:The second app is HopiChest, a personal health tracking app for kids.

1:17PM:The app allows kids to log their health history, and it features Twitter integration and a rewards system that provides motivation for kids to use the app.

1:19PM:The app lets users to monitor and compare their own sleep habits with average habits and then make adjustments to improve their sleeping habits.

1:19PM:The audience is now voting for their favorite app, and votes are being made via text.

1:20PM:The votes are being texted in, and the results will be shared in a few minutes.

1:20PM:Now AT&T's Glenn Lurie is taking the stage to discuss gaming.

1:22PM:AT&T's vision is to wirelessly connect devices and make them more valuable to customers. Gaming will play a huge role in the mobile experience moving forward.

1:24PM:The global gaming industry is estimated to to have generated $69 billion in 2011 but mobile was only a small portion of that. That is going to change dramatically starting this year, Lurie says.

1:25PM:Sony deputy president Kuni Suzuki is now on stage to discuss the PlayStation Vita, which will launch with embedded 3G on AT&T's network later this quarter.

1:26PM:Sony is committed to driving innovation and leading the charge with connected mobile devices.

1:31PM:The Vita features a vibrant 4-inch OLED display and both 3G and Wi-Fi support. It launched toward the end of last year in Japan.

1:32PM:The Vita for AT&T will launch next month on February 22nd.

1:34PM:The Vita will come with two session-based data plans. 250MB for 14.99 and 2GB for 25 per month, no contract required.

1:35PM:Ralph de la Vega is back on now, and it looks like device announcements are finally coming.

1:36PM:Before we get to devices though, the results are in from the audience poll and we're about to find out who won the dev hackathon.

1:37PM:The winner is... Action X-Ray. The dev who built it will win 5,000 and several other prizes including a featured spot in AT&T's AppCenter.

1:39PM:Ok, it's finally time to see some new devices!

1:41PM:First up... Six new Android devices! The Sony Xperia Ion, an AT&T exclusive is up first.

1:41PM:The Ion launches in the second quarter but no word on pricing.

1:42PM:Next up is the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD. It's basically a Skyrocket with the newer HD Super AMOLED Display.

1:43PM:The Samsung Galaxy Note is now official as well. Samsung's W P Hong in on stage to unveil it.

1:44PM:The Galaxy Note is a monster smartphone that features a 5.3-inch display and it will also be an AT&T exclusive.

1:46PM:The Note delivers the core benefits of a tablet, a smartphone and a user notebook. It supports finger input and stylus input as well.

1:46PM:The stylus is billed as an "S-pen." It delivers fast, responsive performance unlike any previous stylus.

1:49PM:The next three devices are all about bringing LTE to the masses. First is the Samsung Exhilerate, which is made from recycled materials.

1:50PM:Now we have the Pantech Element, which BGR scooped last week, and finally the Pantech Burst.

1:51PM:The Burst and the Exhilarate will launch for less than $50 when they launch in the coming weeks. There's also a promo that bundles the Element tablet and the Pantech Burst for just $249.99 on contract.

1:52PM:The Pantech Element is the first waterproof Android tablet and the Burst is the first truly affordable LTE smartphone.

1:54PM:The Element features a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a lightweight design and 100Mbps max download speed.

1:54PM:It also supports upload speeds of up to 50Mbps. Other specs include an 8-inch XGA display and enhanced haptic feedback.

1:57PM:To wrap things up, de la Vega wants to tal about Windows Phone. People are "raving about the great experience."

1:57PM:AT&T sell more Windows Phones than any other carrier, and it will be the first to offer an LTE Windows Phone.

1:58PM:Steve Ballmer is now on stage to introduce a new phone (and yell at us, of course).

1:59PM:Ballmer says AT&T has been a tremendous partner for Microsoft, and the first batch of LTE phones on AT&T will be available "very soon."

2:00PM:Windows Phone is all about connecting to other people and to the important information in people's lives.

2:05PM:Aaaaaand after a hell of a canned Windows Phone sales pitch, it looks like we're almost ready to see some new devices.

2:06PM:Nope, now we've moved on to a canned Windows 8 sales pitch.

2:07PM:Windows 8 beta is just weeks away, and it will be released in February.

2:07PM:Ok — de la Vega is back to announce the carrier's new Windows Phones.

2:08PM:The HTC Inspire 4G was AT&T's best-selling Android phone last year, and the first new Windows Phone announcement comes from HTC's Peter Chou.

2:09PM:Microsoft and HTC have had a close relationship for more than a decade, and Windows Phone is the latest step in the companies' relationship.

2:11PM:And finally, the device — the HTC Titan 2.

2:12PM:The phone looks exactly like the Titan, which Chou says people have loved thus far. The Titan II does improve things in certain areas though... How does a 16 megapixel camera sound?

2:13PM:"The Titan II is packed with advanced technology," Chou says.

2:14PM:The Titan II is a showcase of HTC's design and innovation, Microsoft's software, and AT&T's "incredible" LTE network.

2:16PM:Chou says the Titan II is his personal device. "Steve [Ballmer] loves to talk blah blah blah blah" Chou said, "but the OS is so smooth. The crowd loved the blahs — Steve, not so much.

2:16PM:Now coming on Stage, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop.

2:17PM:There is a big shift going on in the mobile industry, from a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems.

2:19PM:In October, Nokia unveiled the Lumia 710 and the Lumia 800. "The first real Windows Phones." Nokia will announce "more details" about Nokia's U.S. reentry strategy this afternoon. The company's first LTE phone will be unveiled later today, and it'll be an AT&T device.

2:21PM:Nokia is big on developers according to Elop. It looks like he recognizes the lack of apps on the Windows Phone platform — though it is growing, of course — and Nokia is going to be very proactive in wrangling devs.

2:22PM:"We will enter the North American market in a big way," Elop says, and now we're wrapping things up.

Tags: 4G LTE, Android, CES 2012, CES2012, live blog, live coverage, liveblog, Smartphones, Windows Phone

Zach Epstein

Zach Epstein is the Executive Editor of BGR. He has 10 years of industry experience, first in marketing and business development with two private Telcos, then as a writer and editor covering business, technology and telecommunications.