Samsung on Friday unveiled a new free music service for its phones that it touts as a significant improvement from the apps already on the market.

The South Korean gadget maker’s Milk Music service, which launched in the U.S. on Friday, includes over 200 stations and 13 million songs. It’s designed to be extremely fast, easy to use and highly customizable.

But the new service enters an already crowded space. There are numerous streaming music services, including Pandora, Spotify and Apple Inc.’s iTunes Radio.

“We feel that while the music space is very competitive there is room for improvement,” said Daren Tsui, vice president of music at Samsung Media Solutions.

Samsung’s app features a large wheel reminiscent of an old-fashioned radio tuner. Users can spin through various genres of music to find something they like. Favorite stations can be added to a “My Stations” section, while individual songs can be tagged as favorites or put on a list never to be played.

Milk is powered by Slacker, which operates its own streaming music service. But unlike Slacker, Milk is ad-free at no cost. While Slacker does offer a basic service for free, it charges users $4 a month to remove advertising.

U.S. users can now download the Milk app from Google Play. It works on most of Samsung’s Galaxy line of phones, but isn’t compatible with devices made by other companies.

In a move to bring customers a wider variety of remote TV viewing options, DISH (NASDAQ: DISH) today announced that its recently upgraded DISH Anywhere™ app is now available for download on Kindle Fire HDX tablets. The app, previously only available on Android and iOS devices, gives DISH customers the ability to watch all of their live TV programs, DVR recordings and thousands of On Demand titles on-the-go.

“After launching the newest version of the pay-TV industry’s only all-in-one app for remote television viewing earlier this year, we have delivered on our promise to extend the app’s availability to Kindle Fire owners,” said Jimshade Chaudhari, Director of Product Management at DISH. “By offering DISH Anywhere to this new group of tablet owners, we continue to show that we are dedicated to the expanding mobile market by allowing our customers to watch everything, anywhere no matter what mobile device they are using.”

Through the DISH Anywhere app, DISH Hopper® with Sling® DVR owners can view live, recorded and video-on-demand content at home or remotely from their smart phones and tablets when connected to either Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G connection. Additionally, the app gives users the ability to view program guides, set recordings and manage their DVRs.

DISH recently announced the integration of the Hopper Transfers™ feature with the DISH Anywhere app during the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. The app now allows users to transfer recorded content from their Hopper with Sling DVRs to their mobile devices for viewing when an Internet connection is not available.

The DISH Anywhere app is available to download for free via the iTunes Store, Google Play and the Amazon Appstore.

Last month, AT&T announced its best-ever pricing plans for families and small businesses and great international offers. Starting this past Sunday, AT&T will extend savings to customers with one and two lines with the introduction of a new lower priced 2GB Mobile Share Value plan starting at $65 a month, which is $15 off the current 2GB plan for one smartphone with no annual service contract.

New and existing AT&T consumer and business customers will see great value in this plan, which includes domestic unlimited talk and text, as well as unlimited international messaging from the U.S. to select countries2– all on AT&T’s award-winning 4G LTE network. AT&T customers with a compatible device may also sign up for 50GB of cloud storage at no additional charge.4 

Need more than 2 lines?

Our Mobile Share Value Plans for families and businesses start at $145 for 10GB of data and 3 smartphone lines with no annual service contracts.

Additionally, AT&T recently added unlimited international messaging (text, picture and video) to all Mobile Share Value plans for no additional cost. Unlimited international messaging includes messages sent from the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands to more than 190 countries for text messages and 120 countries for picture & video messages.

With Mobile Share Value plans, eligible customers can choose to purchase a phone with an AT&T NextSM installment agreement with no annual service contract and no down payment.  And with AT&T NextSM, qualified customers can get a new smartphone every year. Visit a store or att.com/next for plan details and conditions. Mobile Share Value plan customers can additionally bring their own device or purchase a phone at full retail price. Customers may also choose from a larger amount of data if needed.

“We’re continuing the trend of offering more value to our new and existing customers. Not only are families and small businesses able to save more on their monthly data plans, we’re now delivering that same great value to individual customers on the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility. “We’re delivering more savings for customers across the board – backed by award-winning customer service – with AT&T the value keeps getting better.”

With 50GB of cloud storage from AT&T Locker, customers can keep more than 30,000 pictures safe and secure in the network and access them across multiple connected devices. With AT&T Locker’s cloud storage, customers can store photos, videos, music and documents.

And, for a limited time, all new and existing AT&T customers receive a $100 bill credit for each new qualified line of postpaid wireless service added – whether a smartphone, tablet, feature phone, mobile hotspot or AT&T Wireless Home Phone.

To complement these great new plans, AT&T offers customers award-winning customer service. The company recently outperformed competitors for the second time in a row in studies measuring customer service and the wireless purchase experience. J.D. Power awarded AT&T the “Highest Ranked Customer Service Performance Among Full-Service Wireless Providers” and “Highest Satisfaction with the Purchase Experience among Full-Service Wireless Providers” in their 2014, Volume 1 studies.6

1. AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
2.  Comparison excludes Corporate Responsibility User/Individual Responsibility User accounts.
3. Unlimited Messaging applies only to AT&T’s Short Messaging Service and Multimedia Messaging Service. Other messaging may incur data charges. Service restrictions apply. Visit att.com/text2world for plan details.
4. Usage from wireless device may consume data.  US based customers only. Storage amounts subject to change or  discontinuance. For terms, see att.com/wirelesslegal. Data rates apply.
5. Offer ends 3/31/14. GoPhone®, Machine-to-Machine, Enterprise on Demand & activations on BusinessConnect plans not included.  Must keep svc/ good standing for 45 days. Credit rec’d w/in 3 bill cycles. Activation/early termination/other fees and restr. apply.  Visit att.com/100credit for full requirements.
6. AT&T received the highest numerical score among full service wireless providers in the proprietary J.D. Power 2013 (Vol. 2) and 2014 (Vol. 1) Wireless Customer Care Full Service and Full Service Wireless Purchase Experience Studies SM. Study based on 7,195 (Customer Care) and 8,525 (Purchase Experience) consumer responses measuring 4 full service wireless providers and measures opinions of consumers who purchased a wireless product or service within last 6 months.  Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed July-December 2013.  Your experiences may vary.  Visit jdpower.com.
LTE Reliability claim:  Based on independent 3d-party data for nationwide 4G LTE networks. Lt’d 4G LTE avail.

In 2014 Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday March 9, 2014 at 2:00 a.m. local time.  Clocks will shift forward 1 hour, making the local time 3:00 a.m.

Daylight Saving Time Begins: Calendar, History, start date & Facts

Daylight Saving Time Begins history, fun facts, events and quotes. What day does Daylight Saving Time begin shown on a calendar for this year and next.

1. Talk for less: $20.00 for Unlimited Nationwide calling

2. Keep your existing home number

3. Use your existing home phone

4. Utilize your AT&T wireless network

5. It’s easy to set up—takes just seconds!

6. It includes Call Waiting, Calling Number ID, Voicemail and more

7. It’s portable: Use it wherever you have a power outlet

8. 411, 611 and 911 services included

9. 3.5-hour backup battery

10. It’s just smart to have a home phone!

For more information, go to http://www.onestop.biz/home-phone.html.

$20.00/month plan for Unlimited Nationwide calling. AT&T Wireless Home Phone device is free with two-year wireless agreement with qualified monthly voice plan. Not compatible with services requiring data or messaging. DSL customers, contact your provider before transferring a phone number to ensure uninterrupted DSL Internet service. Wireless Home Phone is a Commercial Mobile Radio Service and may be used with home phone equipment or may be taken on vacation, in an RV or a hotel. Service is consistent with other AT&T wireless devices, and may not be equivalent to landline phone service. 911 calls routed based on the wireless network’s automatic location technology, but you may have to provide your home address to emergency responders. Landline home phone equipment is not included. Activation fee up to $36/line. Geographic, usage, and other restrictions apply. Coverage and services not available everywhere. Taxes and other charges apply.

In response to consumer input, DISH added new functionality to its second-screen iPad app, DISH Explorer, giving customers using the Hopper™ Whole-Home HD DVR the ability to control the TV’s volume and power from their iPad. The app update, available immediately in the iTunes store, also brings users personalized program recommendations based on viewing habits.

Launched in 2013, DISH Explorer is a second-screen app that combines program-discovery tools, social media engagement and remote-control capabilities on the iPad. By highlighting the most popular programs on TV using real-time TV viewing trends and its integration with Facebook and Twitter, consumers have a more intuitive and social TV experience.

“Over the past year, DISH Explorer has become the highest-rated second-screen app for iPad, in part because we continue to make updates our customers want,” said Jimshade Chaudhari, Director of Product Management at DISH. “While DISH Explorer has had native control of Hopper capabilities such as search, record and channel navigation, consumers also want to use the app to turn their TVs on and off and control the volume, now they can.”

In addition to the TV control feature, DISH also added a new “Picked for Me” section offering personalized program recommendations based on viewing habits.

Since its introduction at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show, DISH Explorer has continued to grow in popularity. In its first year, active users of DISH Explorer have grown by 225 percent. The dramatic spike in the app’s use can be partially attributed to the growing adoption of second screens. According to a recent Nielsen survey, nearly half of smartphone and tablet owners use a second-screen while watching TV every day.

The updated version of the highly rated app that combines program-discovery tools, social media engagement and remote-control capabilities is available for iPads in the iTunes store.

What’s your broken phone story? Share you story on our Facebook page for a chance to win a t-shirt.

Stop by our store today to have Mobile Protection Pack added to your AT&T service during open enrollment. Only available for a limited time.

How do you protect your device today?
Mobile Protection Pack gives you the peace of mind that your investment is protected for as long you have your device. It helps reduce potential future out-of-pocket costs for its replacement in the event you lose or damage your phone. 

INTRODUCING HTC ADVANTAGE

When you buy the best it should stay that way. Step-up to the HTC One® or HTC One Mini and enjoy these benefits.

• Cracked screen? HTC has you covered with a free one-time screen replacement within the first 6 months of ownership.
• Want the latest Android update? We are committed to keeping you current.
• Need more storage? Get 25GB to 50GB free additional Google Drive™ depending on the device you purchase.

For more information check out http://www.htc.com/us/go/advantage/.

Find this post on our Facebook page and tell us what your favorite smartphone non-gaming app is for a chance to win a t-shirt.

We will choose the winner at random on February 28th.

3 reasons to stay on top of those app updates.

Having great apps at your fingertips boosts your productivity. But out-of-date apps can put you behind the curve in more ways than one. Here are a few good reasons to take the time to do those updates.

1. Protect yourself Avoiding security updates can render your mobile data vulnerable. Some prominent app updates this year have made it harder for hackers to access items like logins and IP addresses.

2. Get the bugs out The more complicated the app, the more likely the bug. Crashes and stalls can make you vulnerable to data loss and lowered productivity. If an app developer took the time to fix something, it’s likely worth your time.

3. Access new features App developers are constantly adding new features. This might mean new content for a news app, new ways to track runs on a fitness app or even mobile deals and perks. You don’t want to miss out because you’re not updating your apps regularly.