I really like the direction you are headed with this logo. It somewhat reminds me of the AT&T logo, which I really like. I don't know if it is an optical illusion, but rather than looking circular, this one looks kind of deformed, which I don't care for. While I don't want the AT&T logo, using that as a style guide might help with improving this one more to my liking. Thanks
I like the look for both entry 55 & 56. I think the orange in #56 grabs me more, but I prefer the open circle effect you created in #55. A blending of these two could be really interesting.