Well, the winds of change are blowing for those who are HTC Horizon and AT&T wireless customers with data packages.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, the company has announced that they're doing away with the flat rate unlimited data plans for their wireless users.

However, there's no reason to be overly concerned by the news headlines, as it looks as if this new structure will save you a substantial chunk of change on your monthly bill.

We here at HTC feel that AT&T has put together one of the fairest, most carefully considered plans in a long time and that our HTC Horizon customers will surely benefit from the change. And we're not just saying that due to our affiliation with AT&T.

Always the trendsetter, AT&T is the first company to introduce these capped data plans. The new rate structure, which began June 7, no longer offers the $30 plan for unlimited Internet use on a smartphone, including the ever-popular iPhone. Instead, now users have to gauge how much data you'll use a month, and commit to the appropriate number of megabytes a month, and worry about either going over or paying for capacity you never use, just like you do now with voice minutes.

First of all, if you're an existing AT&T/Horizon customer, the new plans are optional. You can stay grandfathered into your previous $30 unlimited plan if you like, even if you get a new phone.

If you're a new AT&T/Horizon customer, or an existing one who wants to save some money, here's the deal. There are two new capped Internet-service plans:

DataPlus costs $15 a month and gives you 200 megabytes' worth of data transfer.

To make it more simple, 200 megabytes worth of data transfer equals:

•Roughly 1,000 email messages without attachments, plus 150 that do have attachments

•400 Web-page views

•Posting 50 photos on Facebook and similar sites

•Watching 20 minutes of video from sites like YouTube or Hulu

If you use more than 200 megabytes, you're automatically billed $15 more that month for another 200.

DataPro costs $25 a month, which is still $5 less than the unlimited plan, and gives you ten times the data of the DataPlus plan, 2 GB. To simplify, this package allows for:

•10,000 e-mails without attachments and 1,500 with attachments

•4,000 Web page views

•500 photos posted to Facebook

•200 minutes of video

If you go over the limit, you're automatically billed $10 for another 1 gigabyte of data.

As a note for iPhone users, DataPro also entitles you to use your iPhone for tethering-that is, the phone acts a as an Internet antenna for your laptop, for $20 more.

To best determine which plan you may need, AT&T has developed a data calculator to see what your typical activity may require. It can be found at http://htcinc.net/wireless_data_calculator.cfm.

Until next time, feel free to share your thoughts on what's happening at HTC in the "talk back" section below.

Best, Tom

Here at HTC, we're more than just a cell phone provider in Horry County. We are also committed to sharing the latest and greatest technology trends for our customers. We're constantly scouring the Web to find out what's happening in technology and deliver it as added value to you. With this said, analyst firm Gartner released a report that highlights the up-and-coming mobile technologies that they predict will significantly impact the mobile industry over the course of the next 18 months. Some of the top technologies identified include the following: Bluetooth 3.0 Since we provide wireless calling plans, this is one is a hot item. Bluetooth 3.0 includes faster speeds, transferring files at 480 megabits per second in close proximity and 100 megabits per second at 33 feet. The technology is retro-compatible, allowing old devices to communicate with new ones.

This new technology allows you to roam a little further from your phone while using a Bluetooth headset and also includes the option of being able to print documents from your phone.

Mobile User Interfaces + Mobile Web/Widgets Mobile user interfaces and mobile web/widgets were listed separately, accounting for two items on the list, but in reality, they can be combined. Both of these items indicate how mobile computing is rapidly becoming a new platform for everything from consumer mobile apps to business-to-employee and business-to-consumer. Today's smartphones, like the iPhone, phones with the Android operating system and Blackberry, deliver significantly better interfaces for browsing the Web, therefore making it accessible to more people. Widget-like applications (think iPhone apps) are also sure to become more common in everyday life. However, the mobile Web still has challenges ahead, including a uniform set of standards for browser access to handset services like cameras or GPS.

Location Awareness Location sensing, powered by GPS, as well as Wi-Fi and triangulation, opens up new possibilities for social networking and presence applications via the mobile Web. Technology's earliest adopters are already familiar with social networks like Brightkite and Loopt which let you reveal your location to a network of friends. Newer technology is always advancing though. A great example is the iPhone IM client Palringo, which have added location services to their application, which allows users to see how far away their contacts are, therefore introducing a whole new dimension to mobile communication. We think that over the next few years, technology like this will become more commonplace, but it will also raise questions about privacy.

Near Field Communication (NFC) NFC is a technology that gives you, the consumer, the power to use your mobile phone for paying bills and other sundries. However, Gartner predicts that the move towards mobile payment systems won't occur this year in mature markets like the U.S. and Western Europe. Instead, NFC is more likely to take off in emerging markets such as India. Other uses of NFC technology includes the ability to transfer photos from phone to digital photo frames, will also remain elusive to more developed markets.

Display Technologies It's also predicted that display technologies will see improvements in the upcoming years. New technologies like active pixel displays, passive displays and pico projectors will have an impact. Pico projectors are tiny portable projectors that enable new mobile use cases. Instant presentations in informal settings could become more common when there isn't large, cumbersome equipment to set up. The different types of display technologies introduced in 2010 and beyond will surely become massively important differentiators between devices and will also impact user selection criterion, according to the Gartner study.

Until next time, feel free to share your thoughts on what's happening at HTC in the "talk back" section below.

Best, Tom

Being a premier cell phone provider in Horry County and through our partnership with AT&T, HTC is able to be at the forefront of providing the best cell service, cell technology and cell phone packages available in our coverage area.

Leading the way in new technology is the 3G network.

What's 3G technology? 3G technology is the latest in mobile communications and stands for "third generation." It is the natural evolution from analog cellular technology, which was generation one, and digital/PCS, which was generation two. The 3G technology was developed to deliver a true multimedia experience via cell phones, better known to us now as smartphones. It features increased bandwidth and transfer rates to accommodate Web-based applications and phone-based audio and video files.

Now in 2010, 3G networks have potential transfer speeds of up to 2 Mbps, or about 25 seconds to download a three minute MP3. By way of comparison, the fastest 2G phones could achieve was up to 144Kbps, or about eight minutes to download a three minute song. The high data rates of 3G are perfect for downloading information from the Web and sending and receiving large multimedia files.

In essence, smartphones are like mini-laptops and can accommodate broadband applications such as video conferencing, receiving streaming video from the Web, sending and receiving faxes and instantly downloading e-mail messages with attachments.

As mentioned earlier, our partnership with AT&T gives us access to the fastest 3G network nationwide. Currently the AT&T 3G network uses HSDPA/UMTS technology (High Speed Downlink Packet Access/Universal Mobile Telephone System), making it possible for those who have an HTC wireless calling plan to enjoy the variety of feature-rich wireless services previously mentioned. It also gives our users the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services, meaning that you can talk and use the Internet at the same time.

How awesome is that?

The HTC 3G network here in Horry County covers all of our incorporated towns including Loris, Conway, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach. Large parts of the Socastee area and Carolina Forest also are covered by our 3G network. Additionally, most of our major roads have long stretches of uninterrupted 3G coverage, including the entire length of Hwy 17 from Little River to Murrells Inlet. To see exactly where HTC has coverage, visit http://htcinc.net/wireless_coverage.cfm.

Until next time, feel free to share your thoughts on what's happening at HTC in the "comments" section below.

Best,

Tom

With the 2009 holiday season now behind us, our inaugural "Holiday Giftaway" scratch-off promotion has also come to a close.

We appreciate everyone who took part in this stellar promotion and hope that everyone who scratched a ticket took advantage of the instant win prizes.

Through this promotion, anyone who lives within the HTC service area had the chance to stop by any of HTC's 10 convenient locations to pick up their lucky scratch-off card for a chance to win. Each card was an instant winner and also rewarded more than 25 lucky customers with cool prizes like the Apple® iPhone®, the HTC Pure® PDA, security systems, netbooks, the Blackberry® Bold PDA, free DVR for a year and free subscriptions to Showtime and ESPN Full Court.

Also, there were more than 700 instant winner tickets redeemed for wireless accessory discounts of up to 50 percent.

But wait. Not only was every ticket a winner of some sort, we here at HTC also gave away some super grand prizes, including a flat panel television; a Sony Playstation 3® ; an XBOX 360® ; a Nintendo Wii® ; and a $500 Visa® gift card.

The winners of these prizes were:

• Lorene Fowler of Galivants Gerry – 42" LCD HDTV

• Grace Vought of Conway – $500 Visa gift card

• Lisa Holt of Conway – Gaming System

• Wanda Dawson of Conway – Gaming System

• Jerome Jackson of Loris – Gaming System

Congratulations to these folks! Here at HTC, we're counting down the days until next Holiday season when we can do this again.

Until next time, feel free to share your thoughts on what's happening at HTC in the "talk back" section below.

Best, Tom

Do you own an Apple iPhone 3GS? Are you considering purchasing one? Out of all the iPhone 3G's new features, the accessible GPS integrated with Google Maps may be the most useful app and may even change the way you live. Many people who own an iPhone 3G have yet to fully realize just how useful the phone can be. It's actually so much more than a phone.

Have you been running late for a meeting or other function and you're lost? Everyone occupied and you have no one to call? Has it ever happened to you before? Well, if you've got an iPhone 3GS, you'd not have to fret.

The best thing about using the GPS features of your iPhone 3G is that you don't have to shell out extra funds for a dedicated GPS device or an additional monthly subscription fee.

The only drawback? You don't get turn-by-turn voice directions or 3D navigation.

So basically, if you know how to read a map and know the difference between east and west, these features are superfluous anyway. There are some features that utilize Google Maps that might possibly make using the iPhone's GPS system superior to a dedicated GPS device or application.

An important thing to realize about the GPS feature on the iPhone is that the phone is a very dynamic device. After it focuses in on your location, it will update your position in real time if you keep Google Maps open. This allows you to use the iPhone 3G while driving to find where you're going.

The first step of using the GPS on the fly is to have the device determine your location. Tap Maps, and then tap the crosshair icon in the lower left hand corner of the screen. Sometimes you'll have to wait for a while as the iPhone determines your location. Once the crosshairs converge into a blue sphere, your location is accurate to about plus or minus 20 feet (more accurate on roads).

There are two methods in the next step of obtaining directions on the fly. The first one is if you know an address and the second if you don't know an address or even exactly where you're going.

For the first method of step two, tap "Directions" in the lower portion of the screen and type in the address in the "End" field. If you have the location bookmarked, tap the bookmark icon on the right hand portion of the field and tap the bookmarked location, then tap "Route."

For the second method of step two, tap "Search" at the bottom of the screen and perform a keyword search such as movies, restaurants, parks, or any other type of place that you might be interested in.

A number of pins that match your search field will drop onto the map around your location. Tap on one of them to bring up their name or, better yet tap on the sticky icon (application for putting Post-itTM note-like windows on the screen) on the lower right hand portion of the screen and then tap on "List" to see the names and addresses of all the places that match your search field. Whether you're in List or Map view, tap on the right pointing arrow icon (pin has to be selected already) for each place to bring up the details of that location and then tap "Directions to Here" at the bottom of the screen to move to the next screen and then tap "Route."

Next, follow the purple road. Simply zoom close enough to the map that you can read the street or route numbers and take the turns as the blue sphere approaches each intersection or exit. Tap the sticky icon on the lower right hand corner of the screen and tap "List" to bring up traditional Google Map turn by turn directions. Tap on any number to have Google Maps focus in on that step of the trip. After the route has been displayed in Map view, there are car, public transit and pedestrian icons at the top of the screen. Tap one of these to have the specific routes displayed. Please note that the public transit option will only work in cities that support this feature.

Until next time, feel free to share your thoughts on what's happening at HTC in the "talk back" section below.

Best, Tom

Can you believe it's November already? Before you know it, Thanksgiving, "Black Friday" and the Christmas season will all be upon us.

With the season also comes the time for giving. And this year, HTC has gifts for everyone within Horry and Georgetown counties that could net you a bundle of great prizes and discounts on HTC products and services.

Beginning Monday, November 16, HTC will kick off our "Holiday Giftaway" scratch-off promotion.

Through this promotion, anyone who lives within the HTC service area can stop by any of the 10 convenient HTC locations and pick up their lucky scratch-off card for a chance to win. Each card is an instant winner and affords you the opportunity to win cool prizes like an Apple® I-Phone®, an HTC Pure® PDA, a security system, netbooks, a Blackberry® Bold PDA, free DVR for a year or up to 50% off accessories.

After you redeem your instant win prize, you can turn the card in for a chance to win one of the five great grand prizes. These grand prizes included: a flat panel television; a Sony Playstation 3® ; an XBOX 360® ; a Nintendo Wii® ; and a $500 Visa® gift card.

For full contest details and rules, please click here .

And whatever you do, stop into your nearest HTC location so you don't miss your chance to win!

Until next time, feel free to share your thoughts on what's happening at HTC in the "talk back" section below.

Best, Tom

It's fast approaching the middle of October and that means that HTC's 2009 Annual Membership Meeting is just around the corner.

Taking place Tuesday, October 20 at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, this year's meeting will begin with registration at 5 p.m., entertainment kicking off at 5:15 p.m., and the Cooperative members-only business meeting at 7 p.m. All in all, we're looking forward to a great evening!

As part of the night's events, all registered members will have the opportunity to win some great door prizes. Prizes up for grabs include a flat screen television, an iPod Touch, HTC gift certificates, cash and a four-day/three-night cruise for two to the Bahamas. Also, two $2 bills will be given to every HTC member who registers prior to the beginning of the business meeting.

We're also looking forward to this year's entertainment, which will be provided by local celebrity Greg Rowles of WFXB's "Not The News." A former male vocalist of the year on TV's Star Search, Greg has become one of country music's most beloved performers. The Carolina Forest High School Show Choir will also be performing at this year's meeting.

The business portion of this year's meeting will include the election of three Board of Directors positions. These will include two seats for Conway District 1 and one seat for Green Sea District 3.

If you're a member of the Cooperative, you should have received your 2009 Annual Report in the mail in early September. The report details the current happenings at HTC, as well as a detailed look at the year's financials. It also includes your ticket to attend this year's Annual Meeting.

We're excited about this year's Annual Meeting and hope you can join us! For more information about the meeting or if you didn't receive your Annual Report, please call 365-2151.

Also, please remember that all Horry Telephone Cooperative members are encouraged to attend and participate. The business meeting begins promptly at 7:00 p.m.!

Until next time, feel free to share your thoughts on what's happening at HTC in the "talk back" section below.

Best, Tom

Are you a high school football fanatic? Can you sometimes not make it out on Friday night to watch your favorite team or school play? Well, now HTC has provided a solution to this dilemma for those who follow the Myrtle Beach Seahawks , Conway Tigers and Aynor Blue Jackets .

At HTC , we have more than 50 years of experience in providing the best, most reliable communications products available. These products include: cable television service; wireless cell phone service; high-speed Internet service; home security monitoring; and home phone service. Now you can add high school football broadcaster to the list!

Throughout the season, HTC will broadcast all four of the home football games of the Myrtle Beach Seahawks for the 2009 season at http://online.htcnetracer.net/ . Each home game will have a kickoff time of 7:30 p.m.

HTC will also be broadcasting the remaining four Conway Tigers home games this year, also at http://online.htcnetracer.net/ . Each home game will have a kickoff time of 7:30 p.m.

All of the games streamed live for both teams will also be housed online through the remainder of the 2009 season for repeat viewing.

In addition to Seahawks and Tigers coverage, HTC will be tape-delay airing home football games of the Aynor Blue Jackets on Sundays at 8 p.m. immediately following the previous Friday night's game on HTC Digital Cable channel 4. After airing on channel 4, the games will be available throughout the week on HTC's video-on-demand service.

We hope that you find this free-of-charge service very helpful during the 2009 gridiron season, especially if you can't make it out to the stadium on Friday night!

Until next time, feel free to let me know your thoughts on what's happening at HTC.

Best, Tom

Are you in need of a new, cutting-edge cell phone? Are you looking to add cable and drop your dish provider? What about a new home security system to keep criminals at bay?

If you're in the market for any of these services (and a few more) HTC is the perfect choice.

At HTC, we have more than 50 years of experience in providing the best, most reliable communications products available. These products include: cable television service; wireless cell phone service; Internet service; home security monitoring; and home phone service. And we've got our finger on the pulse of the needs of our customers.

We understand the communications needs of those in Horry and Georgetown counties because we work and live the areas we serve. Being a local provider with local customer service and local technicians, HTC is primed to handle all concerns, issues and installations of our family of products in a super-expedient manner.

In addition to being able to reach out to customers, HTC offers ten centrally located branch offices throughout Horry County to assist with communications needs. We invite you to stop by your local office and discover the complete line of communications products and services we have to offer.

In essence, our mission is to improve the quality of life in our communities. HTC is committed to providing the most reliable communications services possible, at the best possible value, and by working with others in the community we serve, helping to build a better society for all.

Until next time, feel free to let me know your thoughts on what's happening at HTC.

Best, Tom

The summer heat may still be sweltering outside, but very soon, the cool autumn breeze will be here and along with it will be college football.

We're excited to announce a new partnership with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to air SEC games during the 2009 NCAA Football season.

Beginning September 5 and carrying through championship weekend, a number of SEC games will be shown on HTC Digital Cable channel 4.

The first games scheduled are Western Carolina taking on Vanderbilt on September 5 at 7:30 p.m. On September 19, we will be airing Southeastern Louisiana versus < a href="http://www.olemiss.edu/"> Mississippi at 7:30 p.m.

We are currently working to finalize other dates and times for other exciting SEC football games for all of you college football fanatics out there. So, be sure to keep checking back here in the coming weeks for the entire rundown of the season's matchups. Also, please note that all games are subject to scheduling changes that may beyond our control.

In addition to this great addition to our fall SEC football line-up, don't forget that HTC also offers more college football action on ESPN Game Plan, the ESPN family of networks, VERSUS, the Big Ten Network and CBS College Sports Network all on HTC Digital Cable.

You can also check out great football programming online if you're a HTC Netracer subscriber. NetRacer is your headquarters for exclusive on-line content from ESPN360 and CBS College Sports XXL .

So, are you ready for some football?

Until next time, feel free to let me know your thoughts on what's happening at HTC.

Best, Tom