The deal will have to get the government’s stamp of approval before becoming final, but should the acquisition pass FCC scrutiny it would make AT&T the largest US mobile network, and the only US GSM mobile network.

AT&T had roughly 95 million wireless customers at the end of 2010, and combined with T-Mobile’s nearly 34 million, AT&T-Mobile would have approximately 129 million customers to Verizon’s 94 million. {Business Insider} Sprint, the only other major mobile carrier has approximately 50 million customers, and is a CDMA network like Verizon, which could make them an acquisition target if Verizon decides to compete with AT&T on similar terms.

For T-Mobile customers there will be advantages and disadvantages should the deal be approved. The positives include access to more devices, including the iPhone, which could mean benefits for Apple as well if 34 million customers suddenly have the ability to upgrade or switch to the device. Also, AT&T’s 4G LTE wireless would be available to T-Mobile customers. Not included in the press release, but something worth considering is that adding T-Mobile’s towers might help AT&T with reliability which is notoriously spotty in major cities like New York and San Francisco.

Now, the negatives, and the things that we hope government bodies will cover. In general, fewer networks means less choice for consumers and the risk of higher prices. T-Mobile’s prices in many cases are significantly lower than AT&T’s. In our smartphone network comparison, we found T-Mobile to be as much as $800 less expensive than AT&T on a 2-year contract. If they’re acquired by AT&T, there would be no reason for them to offer lower pricing. It would also mean that AT&T would become the only GSM network in the US, which could mean international carriers (many of whom run on GSM networks) would have only one partner option for roaming. Which in turn could spell higher rates for Americans roaming abroad and foreigners roaming in the US.

If AT&T does acquire T-Mobile, they’ll offer consumers faster wireless and more devices, but it’s very likely to come at a price.

So how did that first week go?

According to Wired, data from the Speedtest.net iPhone app shows that AT&T iPhone data transfer rates were roughly 2 times faster than those of the Verizon iPhone.

There are a few caveats though; the post notes “results did not provide data on coverage reliability or dropped connections,” and the number of AT&T phones providing data outnumbered the Verizon iPhones providing data 3 to 1.

When it comes to sales of that Verizon iPhone, it’s still attractive to new buyers but not in the overwhelming numbers many anticipated.

Boy Genius Report published sales figures from the first 5 days of the Verizon iPhone’s initial launch that “are performing a little under what Apple and Verizon anticipated.”

• Thursday: Verizon = 909, AT&T = 539
• Friday: Verizon = 916, AT&T = 680
• Saturday: Verizon = 660, AT&T = 471
• Sunday: Verizon = 796, AT&T = 701
• Monday: Verizon = 711, AT&T = 618

On the first day, the five Apple stores included in this data (including “very, very prominent” Apple stores which we can guess refer to their San Francisco and New York stores) were selling 68% more Verizon iPhones than AT&T iPhones, but by that Monday the difference in sales shrunk considerably, though the Verizon iPhone is still slightly more popular.

Perhaps that’s because AT&T’s fees helped to stem any mass exodus of customers. According to BGR:

30% of people buying Verizon iPhones were Android users, just over 25% of people buying iPhone 4 were BlackBerry users, and only 14% of people buying the Verizon iPhone were AT&T iPhone owners. The remaining percent didnâ€t want to say, didnâ€t have a smartphone, or didnâ€t have a phone prior to making their iPhone 4 purchases last week.

Now these numbers don’t take into account the estimated 550,000 pre-sales made online, or sales from Verizon stores, but overall it seems to actually be a good thing for Apple.

The fact that people are still buying AT&T iPhones with 2 options available means that even if demand is less than anticipated, the Verizon iPhone represents a new market, not one entirely cannibalized from existing AT&T customers. The real test will come when the next generation iPhones are released though.

The main difference between the US and European is that the US version of the Galaxy Tab loses the voice functionality that can be found in the European versions.  The US Galaxy Tab will be available on all US carriers, but those contracts will be data-only, so you can’t use the Galaxy Tab as a huge smartphone (which would have been cool).  The only option you have is to use Skype (assuming you have a Verizon Tab), or video-conferencing apps like Fring or Qik. {Engadget}

If you’d rather not be tethered to a two-year contract on a data-only tablet, Samsung has said a WiFi only version is in the works as well.  The WiFi only version would be more expensive, since it lacks the subsidy the carriers would provide.  Note that those prices have not yet been announced.  Also, the Galaxy Tab will work on 3G networks, but not Sprint’s 4G network, so you’re probably best just sticking with a Verizon version for pure coverage availability and the exclusive apps.

Speaking of prices, the only ones we have for the Galaxy Tab are for accessories and they’re quite expensive to say the least.  The cheapest accessory announced by Samsung is the Desktop Dock, which will prop the device up to make it easier to view content, and charge the device.  The Desktop Dock also includes an HDMI port, and will cost $49.99.  The other two accessories are the Keyboard Dock (has a full-size keyboard, and includes a stereo output jack), and the Car/GPS Dock (seems self-explanatory), both of which cost $99.99 each.  By comparison, Apple charges $29 for an iPad Dock and $69 for an iPad Keyboard Dock.

To better compete with the iPad, Samsung has added the Media Hub to the US version of the device (replacing the Reader Hub), which will give users a chance to buy or rent movies and TV shows.  Samsung has announced that it will have next-day content available from MTV Networks, NBC, Universal and Paramount at launch.  The content will be viewable on any Media Hub device (read: Galaxy S devices), and can be output via HDMI to be viewed on a TV screen.  Not as universal as the iTunes Store, but it’s a nice addition.

Oh yeah, the device itself is pretty good as well.  Dual cameras (5 MP on the back, and 1.3 MP on the front), Android 2.2,  and a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024×600 (better pixel-density than the iPad, but still lacking compared to the iPhone 4).  It weighs about 13 ounces, and is only 12 mm thick, so slightly heavier and thicker than the newest Amazon Kindle.

The BlackBerry Torch looks like RIM decided to do it’s own riff on the Palm Pre form factor, and it actually turned out pretty well.  It has a 3.2-inch touchscreen, with the ubiquitous four BlackBerry buttons and trackpad beneath it.  The introduction of the trackpad makes it obvious RIM is moving away from the ill-fated Storm and it’s ridiculous click-screen.  Instead, the Torch has a normal multi-touch capacitive touchscreen.  It still has an on-screen keyboard, but RIM knows it’s users prefer it’s great physical keyboard, so it included on that slides beneath the screen.

With the Torch, RIM is happy to tout the Universal Search available in BlackBerry 6.  Universal Search will search everything on the phone (email, music, apps, App World) as well as the internet.  RIM has also included a feature not even Apple has been able to figure out yet: wireless syncing of media to devices via WiFi.  In one last innovation in BlackBerry 6, RIM has enabled a two finger tap to select and move multiple items or folders around on the phone.  The browser is finally WebKit-based like the browsers on iOS, Android and WebOS devices.  It also compresses data two to three times normal, which would help keep data usage down.  The downside is it seems there is no way to make the browser fool websites into thinking it’s a desktop browser, which would keep many sites to the stripped-down mobile versions. {PC Mag}

For the device itself, while the form factor and OS are exciting, the specs aren’t.  The 3.2-inch screen has a resolution of a measly 480×360, whereas most smartphones now have screens with a resolution of 800×480.  The processor is also lagging behind, running at just 624 MHz compared to the 1 GHz processor in most other flagship smartphones.  Out of the box, the Torch will have 8 GB of storage, 4 GB of built-in storage plus a 4 GB micro SD card which can be replaced with cards of up to 32 GB {Gizmodo}.  That’s a bit of a letdown, and can make the phone lag quite a bit.  Still, it’s not the worst iPhone/Android challenger that RIM could have come up with, and one we wouldn’t mind having some time to play with.

BlackBerry Bold 9700

$49.99 {Amazon}
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the most expensive smartphone on this list, at $49.99.  As with most BlackBerrys, the Bold 9700 isn’t terribly exciting.  It has a 2.4-inch screen, and a full QWERTY keyboard, and has the newer trackpad rather than scroll button that’s been met with mixed reactions.  Be forewarned: it will likely be obsolete after the BlackBerry and AT&T press conference on August 3rd, where we’ll hopefully see a phone running the new BlackBerry 6.  But for now, and for under $50, the Bold 9700 is still a pretty good choice.

Motorola Backflip

$0.01 {Amazon}
The Backflip is a strange phone.  You’ve probably seen the advertisements on TV touting the phone’s social networking capability using the Motoblur features.  What isn’t clear is that the phone’s design is a bit… backwards.  When folded closed, the keyboard is directly opposite the touchscreen rathe than sliding underneath the screen like it’s sister phone, the T-Mobile Cliq.  Behind the screen when the keyboard is folded out is a touchpad, with can be a bit confusing to use.  It still runs on Android 1.5, but will be updated to Android 2.1 within a few months.  For those who like to spend a lot of time on social networks, the Backflip is still a good choice.

Dell has been touting it’s massive Streak smartphone for quite some time now.  The phone has been out in the UK for some time now, and is supposed to be coming to the US in “late July.”  It’s late July now, and we haven’t heard a lot from Dell about the release of the product.

On Tuesday Dell posted a video on YouTube announcing that, as rumored, the US version of the Dell Streak will only be available on AT&T’s network.  So it looks like that for now those hoping to get the 5-inch smartphone/tablet on T-Mobile will just have to wait, or deal with EDGE data.  The video also showed off the Streak running it’s customized skin on top of Android 2.1.  The phone will ship (and has shipped in the UK) running on Android 1.6, and an update to Froyo has been promised for shortly after launch.

On the same day Dell posted and took down a blog post detailing the pricing of the Dell Streak.  Before it was taken down sites like Engadget and Boy Genius Report were able to pull the important information.  It looks like Dell is planning on selling the Streak on AT&T for $299 with a two-year contract.  For those who don’t want to buy a contract, or just want to use the phone as a small Wi-Fi tablet (not a terrible idea for those who hate the iPad), it will be available unlocked for $529.  It seems a bit expensive, but given that the phone is almost in the realm of a tablet, and the unlocked Nexus One ran for $580, it’s not a terrible price by any means.

As for that “late July” time frame, we have no idea.  There’s still a few days left for Dell to release the smartphone, but it seems almost unlikely it’ll be out before the end of the month.  If you can’t wait for the phone, you can always sign up with Dell to be notified when it finally does go up for sale.

With the new iPhone 4, the EVO 4G, Droid X, and Samsung Galaxy S among other still-great phones like the Google Nexus One, choosing a new phone can be tough.  Sure, each phone has their own strong points, but as important as the specs of the phone can be, there’s also network costs to keep in mind.  Comparing the phones themselves is more of a personal choice, whether you personally like the design of the phone, feature set, or the OS (though that’s usually a 1 of 3 choice of Android, BlackBerry or iOS).

Sprint’s EVO 4G and AT&T’s iPhone 4 are probably the most closely matched phones when it comes down to features, but when it comes to the network, which will really cost more in the long run? We took a look at the main carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon.  AT&T and T-Mobile are both GSM networks so the phones will work outside of the US, and you may even be able to get away with swapping out the SIM card when roaming internationally for a less exorbitant bill.  Sprint and Verizon, however, will not work outside of the US, but have 3G across their entire network. Something to consider if you’re waiting on the Verizon iPhone and travel internationally. Here’s our roundup of what smartphones will really cost you by network – including a look at the Pay-as-You-Go networks you may not have considered.

Table updated to correct discrepancies in maximum pricing

Pay As You Go: Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile

There are also smaller pay-as-you go carriers to consider. They charge a lot less for service and don’t require contracts, though service can be spotty at times. Boost charges $60 a month for a BlackBerry with unlimited everything, with a BlackBerry 8330 costing $250. That’s $1,690 should you choose to keep the phone for two years.

Virgin Mobile, on the other hand offers a great deal of $35 a month for a BlackBerry with 300 minutes and unlimited SMS and data, with a BlackBerry 8530 costing $299 on the service.  That comes out to the cheapest of all possible options at $1,140 for two years.  These types of services really donâ€t have any type of insurance on their phones though, so keep a close eye on your phone during that time.

Both Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile run on top of the Sprint network: so don’t count on being able to roam internationally with the plans, but if you like Sprint’s network otherwise either will save you quite a bit in the long run.

Apple initially issued a statement that all phones have spots on them where holding them will cause signal degradation.  The newest response from Apple reads almost like a parody of the issues.  Apple is now saying that plenty of users are happy with the iPhone 4 and how well it picks up signal over previous versions.  It then goes on to say essentially “yeah, those bars aren’t right, so we’re gonna fix them.”  The claim is that the iPhone 4 as well as the iPhone 3G and 3GS report signal in an inaccurate manner.  The fix then will be to follow AT&T’s guidelines on how the bars should actually work. {Apple}

The fix will come via a software update in the coming weeks, and will apparently show users that where they thought they had great service is probably an area with fairly weak service.  Of course, this doesn’t mean that gripping your iPhone 4 won’t degrade the signal, it probably will, but at least it won’t decrease dramatically according to what Apple is saying.

After having an iPhone 4 since launch, the issue is definitely real.  It’s fairly easy to duplicate the problem that many are showing, even if just as a demonstration.  After buying a recommended Apple bumper, which was recommended (and also adds a nice bit of color) when the issue first arose, the Death Grip is no more.  The phone now gets perfect reception for both the cell network and WiFi (it used to lose one bar) no matter how it’s held.

Still, this points to a design/hardware issue. It’s great that the bumper, or a LiveStrong bracelet as some have found {The iPhone Guru}, can give an uninterrupted connection, but Apple should make it a standard, free part of the package.

Want an international iPhone? Don't count on it with a Verizon iPhone

Now unless a manufacturing change is planned, you’d still have to learn how to hold your iPhone 4 (really, why should a phone require more instruction than most newborns come with?) in that special way that doesn’t kill reception due to the poor antenna placement. But assuming Apple loosens their stance on free bumpers (no free bumpers for you! {Boy Genius Report}), or that the Help Wanted postings for antenna developers {GeekSugar} produce an actual fix instead of denials of the problem, there’s still an issue.

If you travel internationally, an AT&T iPhone may be a better option than on on Verizon, and it comes down to the network. While many of Verizon’s customers are fans of the service across their CDMA network {Wikipedia}, AT&T’s GSM network {Wikipedia} is actually the more popular option around the world.

In many countries in Europe, CDMA networks simply don’t exist. Want to take your iPhone on a trip to London? Paris? While you may be able to get limited use by picking up on a wi-fi signal, you’d be out of luck for actually making calls or sending text messages with any reliability. If you’ve ever tried to take a Sprint phone out of the country, the experience is pretty much the same.

Now that’s not to say, AT&T makes international roaming a walk in the park. While you can expect your phone to work with on of AT&T’s international roaming partners, the over the air updates they use to ensure iPhones aren’t jailbroken mean that you’re pretty much restricted to the partner they choose, and the rates may not be all that great. Data plans in particular, can cost as much as you paid for the phone itself with even moderate use.

It’s not a flaw that’s unique to AT&T. Even though T-Mobile, the other US carrier with a GSM network, has a large network in Europe, roaming outside the country can still cost hundreds of dollars. At the end of the day, however, you at least have the option.

Now if your jaunts outside the States are limited to a brief vacation every other year, the offer of a Verizon iPhone is probably still strong. But if you’re as international as the iPhone 4 is, you might already be with the right carrier.

If despite the antenna problems, and rather ambivalent customer service, you’re still crazy about the iPhone 4, not a fan of AT&T, but need the freedom of a GSM network, there is an option. While countries like Hong Kong get unlocked iPhones by default, that’s quite a plane ride for a phone. Canadian and UK customers though, are also part of the unlocked phone club and can purchase the iPhone 4 legally unlocked and contract free. If you have a friend, or even just a mailing address in either country, you just may be able to have it all.

Now come concerns about privacy when using Face Time – the video chat application, and exactly how much AT&T and Apple know about you. According to an anonymous Apple employee, iOS4 means that if you were hoping to jailbreak your phone to run unauthorized apps, you’ll have to do it every week. Network updates are delivered over the air (OTA), and let both AT&T and Apple know if you’ve tried to unlock your phone. If you have? No customer service for you, and count on being locked out every 1-2 weeks if AT&T isn’t your carrier.

Early iPhone 4 recipients were the guinea pigs to test the updates, and ensure that the rush of users activating the phone didn’t bring down the OTA update system. Guess they’ve learned something from the pre-order debacle.

The issue that may cause users the most concern, however, are the unencrypted updates sent to Apple about who users are talking to and where they are.

“I will let you off with one last bit of information if your gonna write a story on this and that is Facetime, the iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 Wifi video connecting. The issue is with Wifi is that anyone can get on a Wifi Signal and potentially see what the viewers and broadcasters are looking at without them know, now Apple will deny this and say its not our problem you where not on a secure connection, in my mind I think that its all bullshit.

People should be able to have some type of security during those calls. Worst yet is once a person connects to another person on FaceTime it for some reason non of us in the office can figure out, sends us APPLE a message and says those two people are connecting via Facetime and gives out their location to us. So for whatever reason we need that information just blows my mind. As a consumer why would you need to let Apple know that you are connecting with a person via FaceTime, its non of Appleâ€s business.” {Addictive Tips}

Now to play devil’s advocate, there are some valid reasons for monitoring usage of the FaceTime service. It could be to help law enforcement, in the event that the information is needed to track down a criminal, it could be for less noble business purposes of monitoring usage at a geographic level.

But whatever the good reasons, it raises concern over the just plain creepy prospect of Apple spying on your calls. According to the Addictive Tips source, many Apple employees are passing on an upgrade to iOS4 over the concerns.

Then there’s the issue of the oversharers. Location based social networking has safety issues and oversharing on video chat might be cause for concern here as well. Now the Apple employee didn’t say that Apple can actually see or store the content of video chats (and for all of the issues that surround storing that data, we don’t think it’s likely they’d try); but for teens who already send “sexts” (sexually charged text messages and photos), could sex videos be next? While oversharing isn’t limited to the young, and the prospect of dirty video chat likely won’t be either, the unencrypted wi-fi connection means that the person on the other end of your chat may not be the only one to see what you send. {SFGate}

Keep it clean, Big Brother is watching.