Regardless of whether you're loyal to Ma Bell or the Now Network, you can expect the same high-end design and fast performance, though battery life seems to vary modestly depending on the carrier.

ENGADGET: HTC One for AT&T and Sprint: what's different? Mobile

As Jacobson points out, the mobile commerce ecosystem includes payment processing network companies such as Mastercard (MA), Visa (V) and American Express (AXP) as well as point-of sale (POS) equipment companies like VeriFone (PAY) and NCR Corp. (NCR), which should help alleviate privacy and security concerns.

FORBES: Watching VeriFone as Mobile Payments Explode

Merely hours after Google and the city of Austin jointly made clear that Google Fiber would be hitting up local homes in mid-2014, Ma Bell has made public its "intent" to built a 1 Gigabit fiber network in the same area.

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