plans
Latest
T-Mobile tweaks its One plan to address your complaints
T-Mobile's One plan rubbed a lot of people the wrong way: sure, you got unlimited on-device data, but anything better than 480p video or 2G hotspot tethering was going to cost you an arm and a leg. The (un) carrier isn't deaf to your complaints, though. It's modifying its strategy to not only tackle key gripes with the One plan, but add a second plan that covers what gaps are left. The base One plan (still $70 per month for the first line) now includes 512Kbps unlimited hotspot data instead of 128Kbps -- still pokey, but you can at least do more than check your email. Also, October will bring the option of daily HD passes that, at $3 per day, are decidedly more affordable when you only want high-quality video for a weekend trip.
Sprint's new Unlimited Freedom plan is unlimited with a catch
Hot on the heels of T-Mobile's new unlimited data plan, Sprint is launching a new Unlimited Freedom plan for $100.
AT&T unveils 'overage-free' phone plans to counter Verizon
No, the big US carriers aren't done shadowing each other's moves yet. AT&T has responded to Verizon's new phone plans with Mobile Share Advantage plans that scrap overages and increase the data you can get, but carry their share of catches. Prices now start at $30 per month (plus $20 per phone) for 1GB of data with unlimited US talk and text, and you won't wake up to a horrific bill if you underestimate your needs. As with Verizon, you'll be throttled to 128Kbps for the remainder of the month if you hit your data cap -- you can drop $20 for an extra 10GB if you can't imagine going without streaming videos for a few days.
AT&T's prepaid GoPhone plans get 1GB of extra data
AT&T definitely isn't being stingy with data on GoPhone these days. In the wake of healthy improvements over the past year, the carrier is raising its data caps by 1GB across the board as of May 27th. If you're on the $45 plan, you'll get 3GB of full-speed data to play with instead of 2GB; roll with the $60 plan and you'll get 6GB instead of the current 5GB. You'll still get $5 off your bill if you agree to automatic refills, to boot. While this isn't the absolute lowest price you can pay for gigs' worth of data (just ask T-Mobile users on the coveted $30/5GB plan), it's a solid bargain if you need unlimited calls and texts at the same time.
AT&T streamlines its smartphone installment plans
AT&T's current Next installment plans are a little bewildering, to put it mildly. Do you want to trade in at 12, 18 or 24 months? How about a downpayment and installments for 28 months? Mercifully, the carrier knows what a mess it made. As of June 9th, it's streamlining its installment plans to give you just two choices. The first, Next Every Year, is for habitual upgraders: you can get a new phone every 12 months if you agree to a 2-year payment plan. The regular option, just called Next, lets you upgrade every 2 years if you're willing to make payments over 30 months.
T-Mobile will give you an extra $200 to switch from Sprint
T-Mobile's ongoing feud with Sprint continues to have some benefits for your bottom line... and this time, T-Mobile is trying to tempt you with cold, hard cash. As of November 26th, the carrier is running a month-long promo that promises an extra $200 (on top of the existing credit) for every phone line you bring over from one of Sprint's networks, whether it's a prepaid Boost plan or a full-fledged subscription. You don't need to trade in your old gear, either. The move is a bit sneaky given that T-Mobile just hiked its unlimited data rates -- you may well be paying more per month if you truly need unlimited access. If you're already interested in jumping ship, though, this should make the transition that much easier.[Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Sprint plan gives you perpetual iPhone upgrades
Sprint isn't going to let T-Mobile's iPhone upgrade promo go unanswered. It's launching iPhone Forever, a payment plan that lets you upgrade iPhones at any time without facing an up-front payment or a rate hike. So long as you're willing to shell out $22 per month on top of your service plan ($15 if you take advantage of a pre-2016 promo rate), you can upgrade to the newest iPhone on a whim. This theoretically saves you a ton of cash if you always have to own Apple's latest and greatest.
AT&T tweaks mobile data plans to match T-Mobile
With T-Mobile now behind it as the nation's third largest carrier, AT&T has updated its wireless data plans (below) to give you a bit more data for a bit less money. Unsurprisingly, the benefits get juicier if you spend more -- there's 5GB more data if you spend $100 for 15GB, but the 5GB plan is just a dollar per gigabyte less than the previous $70/6GB one. In total you'll now spend $75 per month for 5GB including the access charge, compared to $70 with T-Mobile. That might stop some folks from straying to Legere's flashy network, especially given AT&T's overall superior coverage.
Sprint's 'all-in' plan gives you a phone and service for $80 (update)
Sprint has been experimenting with including phone leases in your plan for a while, and it's clearly enraptured with the idea -- enough so that it's making the lease a part of its everyday service. The carrier's new All-In plan gives you a phone and the usual unlimited data, messaging and voice for $80 per month. In theory, you never have to worry about installment plans or up-front device costs again -- you just choose a recent phone (currently the One M9, iPhone 6 or Galaxy S6) and trade it in every couple of years. It's not as sweet as some of Sprint's earlier offerings, but it's still cheaper than bigger rivals if you're looking for both a lot of data and regular hardware upgrades.
T-Mobile lets you roll over your unused prepaid data
T-Mobile's Data Stash is helpful if you want to save unused bandwidth on a regular plan, but wouldn't it make more sense if you're on prepaid service, where every gigabyte is precious? Apparently, the carrier agrees: as of March 22nd, it'll let you use Data Stash with prepaid Simple Choice phone plans. Like before, you'll start out with a 10GB reserve of full-speed mobile internet access. Once that runs out, you'll bank any leftover data for up to a year. While this probably won't be big enough to get you to switch carriers (not when AT&T and others are improving their no-contract data options), you'll at least have a better reason to choose Magenta's network if you're still on the fence.
EverQuest producer's letter looks to the year ahead
The luster on 2015 has come off at least a little bit by now, but that doesn't mean that it's too late for the EverQuest team to start looking to the year ahead, and it's going to be a big one for this classic MMO. The most recent producer's letter looks to the upcoming year, starting with Erollisi day to serve as a suspiciously similar substitute to Valentine's Day. You know how these things work. Moving along through the year, the development team is looking forward to celebrating the game's 16th anniversary, along with an improved looting system and a stream of steady updates to the game. There's a lot of life left in the original EQ, even with the next big installments of the series just around the corner. If you'd like to see what the next year will hold, read the full letter.
WildStar outlines its plans for the future of PvP
Do you want to smash faces on Nexus? Do you not give the smallest toss about being able to unravel ancient mysteries so long as you can find the opposite faction and crack their collective skulls? Then good news, cupcake: WildStar still has PvP on its docket. A new post outlines the game's plans for PvP in 2015, starting with new daily and weekly PvP quests in the next major patch to the game. What else is coming in 2015? How about gear sets that can be purchased with gold, a removal of rating from higher-tier PvP sets, the end of season 1, and same-faction battlegrounds? Because those are all in the pipeline, along with bigger improvements for later in the year. If you just can't get enough of that factional warfare, check out the full post and get ready to carve up the other side. [Thanks to Cap for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: What MMOs will you be playing in 2015?
This is it, folks, the end of 2014. As we count down the final hours and minutes of the year, 2015 looms ahead of us full of possibilities and potential. So we might as well ask, what MMOs will you be playing next year? Maybe you'll continue your journeys in your current favorite games. Maybe you'll be looking at accomplishing goals in other MMOs. Or maybe you'll be anticipating diving into one of the newer titles that are on the way. What do you think you'll be doing come 2015? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Shroud of the Avatar lays out plans for early 2015
If stated plans are any indication, Shroud of the Avatar is in for a busy first few months of the new year. In a recent newsletter, the team recapped the "flexible" schedule for the game's early 2015 updates. January's Release 14 will expand zone connections, add in the Shardfall biome, begin testing on a new version of Unity, and add things like player banks, an encumbrance system, and in-game pledge rewards. February's Release 15 has its eye on several new mainland areas including the Necropolis, more magic spells, housing fees, dyeable outfits, teachable emotes, and crafting skills. Finally, March's Release 16 is going to add Steam achievements, a cover system in combat, and localization. The team also released one of the backer rewards, a cover version of the classic Ultima Stones theme by the band The Space Bards, and you can listen to it after the break!
O2 launches shared data plans for gadget-lovers and families
New mobile tariffs often aren't the easiest things to get your head around, but thankfully, O2's not putting too much pressure on our grey matter this morning. Joining EE and Vodafone, O2 has today launched a couple of relatively simple data-sharing plans for individuals and families alike. Anyone on an O2 Refresh contract with 1GB of data per month or more can now share that allowance with other SIM-slotted devices. Pricing for this new "Sharer Plan" starts at £6 per month, with the cost added to your existing monthly bill. Under the "Family Sharer Plan," new contracts that include between 1GB and 8GB of data can share it across up to ten devices. Each additional SIM costs an extra £15 per month, and comes with unlimited minutes and texts (you also get a £25 restaurant voucher if you take out a plan with at least two voice-enabled SIMs). If data is all that's required, additional connections start at £6 per month. Both of these sharing options are now available in-store and over the phone today, but not online just yet.
AT&T's new travel plans let you text as much as you want
AT&T's international cellphone plans have become more affordable over time, but they've still been wildly expensive in some cases -- besides the low data caps, even frequent texting can cost a lot of money. Things just got a little more reasonable with the carrier's new Passport plans, however. The smartphone add-ons still ask you to pay between $30 to $120 per month for a paltry 120MB to 800MB of data, but they now include unlimited SMS messaging and WiFi service (on Android and iOS) in the bargain. In short, you won't run into any nasty overage fees simply because you got into a deep text conversation or uploaded too many vacation photos through one of AT&T's hotspot partners. These new one-time tiers are available now, and regular Global plans have received a matching upgrade if you routinely venture abroad. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
The road ahead for Darkfall Unholy Wars
Darkfall Unholy Wars has seen its ups and downs during its operation, but the latest post from the team is about moving forward. The development team's roadmap was shared with players over the weekend, providing a peek at what's coming in the future to make the game more interesting. No dates are included with the roadmap, as it's focused on concepts rather than specifics, but it still includes plenty of things for veteran players to be excited about. Among the large-scale changes planned for the game in the future are improvements to the AI and PvE combat in general, along with systems to help players more firmly align themselves within the game world. The developers would like to minimize instant travel while promoting fast travel where possible, creating a more localized economic model that emphasizes journeying between markets. There's also an ongoing commitment to keeping all combinations of skills and powers viable, supporting a wide variety of playstyles. Take a look at the full roadmap for more details on what's coming around the bend.
T-Mobile wants to give your iPad a ton of data for $10
The battle for the loyalty of tablet users sees another shot fired today, as T-Mobile has announced a deal that duplicates the data allowance of any phone plan if you add a tablet. For the US$10 monthly tablet fee, whatever data plan you currently have for your smartphone will be duplicated on your tablet for no additional plan cost. For example, if you have a plan that includes 5 GB of data for your smartphone, adding a tablet for $10 a month will include another 5 GB of data, for use with your tablet. Any cellular-equipped tablet is eligible for the deal, which starts on September 3rd. If you already have a T-Mobile Simple Choice Plan and want to get some cellular data support for your tablet, it's hard to argue with a deal like this. Of course, if you're currently with a different wireless provider, you'll want to take a look at T-Mobiles plans before deciding whether or not it will pay to switch. [via Engadget]
AT&T adds more data and a hotspot option to prepaid GoPhone plans
AT&T is adding more data to its GoPhone prepaid smartphone plans without raising monthly fees in the process. If you're currently paying $60 a month for 2GB, your allotment will jump to 2.5 gigs, while those on the $40, 250MB plan will now get 500MB per month. More data is only part of the value proposition for GoPhone customers, though; the new 2.5GB plan will now offer the ability to use your phone as a WiFi hotspot.
EE adds new entry-level 4G tariffs starting at £14 per month
Yesterday, the cheapest way to hop on UK carrier EE's LTE network, with smartphone for keeps, would set you back £19 per month. Today, call it £14, as EE's introduced a pair of lower price tiers in its 24-month, handset-included plans. For that £14, you get 500 minutes, 500MB of data, and unlimited texts. That would've been the same as the £19 per month plan (just with half the minutes) yesterday, but today £19 gets you 1GB of data. The situation is a little different for EE's "double-speed" Extra tariffs. Nothing changes to any of the existing plans, so the new £22 per month option, which gets you 1000 minutes and 2GB of data, just sits in behind the 4GB for £27 tier. Now, these cheaper plans are going to be offset by steeper handset costs, but there are still some thrifty choices. The Alcatel One Touch Idol S is free from £14 per month, as will EE's own Kestrel when it launches, with other phones starting at £20 upfront.
