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T-Mobile's no-contract attitude brings in another 2.4 million customers
So, now we know where all those disgruntled Sprint customers have been going. In total, 2.4 million people joined T-Mobile USA's network in the first quarter of this year, with around half of those opting for the carrier's "Un-carrier" style plans, which do away with service contracts and instead provide straight-up financing to those looking for a new handset. Despite being reprimanded by an industry watchdog for its aggressive and not-wholly-accurate marketing, T-Mo actually managed to beat its last bumper quarter in terms of new subscribers, at a time when the other, bigger networks saw much smaller increases -- AT&T and Verizon each only added around half a million new postpaid customers last quarter, for example. Curiously, on the financial side of things, T-Mobile actually reported a drop in earnings -- which it blamed on the fact that it's having to expand so quickly. Another curiosity: If some of this growth really has been happening at Sprint's expense, then pretty soon it may not matter.
AT&T-owned Aio Wireless launches prepaid service in Houston, Orlando and Tampa
Aio Wireless, a prepaid subsidiary of AT&T, is launching with a nationwide "unlimited" voice and data service. (As is so often the case, that buzzword comes in quotes because speeds will be throttled once you meet your plan's data cap.) The three plans range from $35 to $70 per month, and 4G downloads will reportedly top off at 4 Mbps. Customers can either choose from Aio's modest selection of handsets -- including the iPhone 5 and the Lumia 620 -- or bring a compatible, unlocked device of their own. The service will kick off in Houston, Orlando and Tampa, with additional markets launching later this year. Head past the break for the full press info.
Sprint confirms pay-as-you-go service, promises not to throttle speeds or cap data
Word of a Sprint pay-as-you-go service crossed our desks just yesterday in the form of a leaked slide, and now Big Yellow has confirmed to FierceWireless that the effort, dubbed Sprint As You Go, will launch on January 25th. The Now Network's new initiative will offer a $70 monthly plan for smartphones and a $50-a-month plan for feature phones. Both options won't offer premium features such as WiFi tethering and Sprint Navigation, but Sprint says customers will see neither hide nor hair of data caps or speed throttling. As for hardware, the smartphone tier includes the LTE-enabled Samsung Victory at $250 and the LG Optimus Elite for $150. On the feature phone end of the spectrum, Samsung's Array and M400 handsets are available on the service (presumably ringing up at $80 and $50, respectively). Angling to take advantage of Sprint's new offer? You'll have to forgo online shopping this time, as the firm is making the offer available exclusively through it's brick-and-mortar Sprint Stores.
VMK preps Africa-designed Elikia smartphone with $170 price, fast track for apps
Congo-based VMK has been blazing a trail for mobile devices in Africa: its Way-C tablet proved that the continent could go its own way without leaning on Asia or Europe. The company promised several months ago to address the same gap with smartphones, and the result is here in the form of the Elikia ("Hope"). The hardware won't shake the cellular world's foundations with its 3.5-inch (and 480 x 320) display, 512MB of RAM, a 650MHz processor and both 5-megapixel rear as well as front VGA cameras, but that's not the point -- at $170 US off-contract, it's much more within the reach of Congo residents, and it even uses the unofficial Holo Launcher to bring a taste of Android 4.0 to what's really Android 2.3 underneath. There's also a minor revolution in app purchasing. As Google Play won't take Congo's credit cards, VMK has its own app store and prepaid gift cards to give the country a similar experience. You'll have to sign on to local carriers Airtel, MTN or Warid to use an Elikia in the near future, but we're hoping the phone expands its reach and levels the playing field. %Gallery-164749%
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 packing 4G LTE comes to Verizon on August 17th
Verizon subscribers jonesing for a 7-inch LTE tablet won't have to consider springing for the pricey Galaxy Tab 7.7 any longer. The carrier just revealed plans to offer up a 4G-equipped (and previously hinted) version of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 starting on August 17th. There's no revolution under the hood outside of the cellular link: it's still toting Android 4.0, the rear 3.2-megapixel and front VGA cameras, a (slightly faster) 1.2GHz dual-core chip and a somewhat thin 8GB of built-in memory. At the $350 contract-free asking price, however, the tinier Galaxy Tab is low-hanging fruit for data lovers.
Ting becomes first US MVNO to hop the Galaxy S III bandwagon, outlines its device roadmap
Ting has drawn a lot of attention among MVNOs for its unique mix-and-match approach to contract-free plans, but it's had to contend with some rather middling phones inherited from its network partner Sprint. That gap in high-end phones will narrow before the summer's up: Ting plans to carry the Galaxy S III within three to six weeks, becoming the first virtual carrier in the US to tout Samsung's flagship. Its version is identical to the Sprint model and will even cost $20 less when you skip Sprint's two-year term, at $529 for a 16GB edition and $579 for its 32GB cousin. If that doesn't satisfy the appetite, Ting is also giving a peek at its menu for the months ahead. Along with adopting LTE this year to make that Galaxy S III hum, the carrier expects to bring in a more moderately-priced LTE phone, a hotspot, an accessible phone and a budget slider. We wouldn't base any carrier switches around an iPhone or Windows Phone option, though. There's only "some progress" coaxing a deal out of Apple, and a Windows Phone is most likely to wait until the first quarter of 2013.
BlackBerry PlayBook with 4G LTE may reach Bell by July 31st, 1.5GHz chip tagging along for the ride
RIM has been planning a 4G-capable BlackBerry PlayBook for so long that CEO Thorsten Heins' promises of a 2012 launch still made it feel distant. If Bell Canada information breezing past MobileSyrup's desk is any indicator, though, the launch is coming sooner than Heins implied -- just one week away, as of this writing. The slip has at least the one carrier reportedly offering an LTE-equipped, 32GB version of the 7-inch tablet on July 31st at a price of $550 Canadian ($540 US) without a contract. And yes, it would get that rumored 1.5GHz processor upgrade if there's any substance to the story. We'd still prefer to see the tablet jump to BlackBerry 10 more than anything, especially at that kind of price, but the RIM faithful could still find something to cheer if they're looking for a truly definitive PlayBook to make the BB10 wait feel shorter.
Motorola MOTOSMART comes to UK in July: we go hands-on
Motorola isn't letting the Atrix HD hog all the spotlight today. If you'd like your smartphone a little more to-the-point, the MOTOSMART distills just about everything cellular to its fundamentals. It's as frugal as can be -- the tiny full-touch phone packs a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 display, a 3-megapixel rear camera and the same MotoSwitch-layered Android 2.3 we saw half a year ago with the MOTOLUXE. Then again, that essentialism is really the focus, isn't it? The MOTOSMART will cost just £100 ($155) SIM-free when it hits T-Mobile UK and other parts of Europe by the end of the month, so the barrier to entry is more like a speed bump. Click past the break for the video, some brief impressions, and the source for the hard details in the Italian-only listing that Motorola has so far.
Prepaid MiFi coming to Walmart, starting at $10 for 100MB with no expiry
Hot on the heels of T-Mobile's new 4G prepaid options, Walmart has paired with TruConnect to offer a MiFi for "casual users." The service -- called Internet on the Go -- appears to be based on Sprint's 3G network (with no mention of LTE on the horizon) and claims to have 97 percent coverage as a result. It requires a MiFi 2200 made by Novatel, which can cope with up to five devices over WiFi and to which you then add a minimum of $10 for 100MB or up to $45 for 1GB. That's not cheap by any means, and the PR below doesn't actually specify the price of the dongle itself -- but at least the service looks flexible, as you can also choose automatic online refills at $20 for 450MB. And the last bit of good news? You can burn through those rations as quickly or as slowly as you please, because there's no time limit so long as you use the service at least once per year.
AT&T's iPhone unlocking process simple but time-consuming
AT&T began unlocking iPhones this weekend. The unlocking process is being described as easy but long, according to a report on Electronista and forum posts at iMore. Customers only need to provide their phone's IMEI to AT&T online or in a store, and then they wait for Apple to unlock the phone. This wait period may be as short as a few minutes or as long as four to six days. Most customers are being told to expect to wait up to 72 hours for the unlock to go through Apple's system. Keep in mind that only iPhones that are out of contract are eligible for an unlock; alternatively, the customer can pay out the contract kill fee and then request the unlock. Phones that are still covered by a two-year AT&T agreement are not eligible.
AT&T to begin unlocking off-contract iPhones April 8
AT&T confirmed today that it will unlock customers' post-contract iPhones starting Sunday, April 8. AT&T told Engadget, Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer's account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee. This is good news for customers who travel abroad. When they reach their destination, customers will be able to purchase a less-expensive SIM from a local carrier, instead of subscribing to an AT&T international plan. We've asked AT&T to clarify if this will be only for the iPhone 4S, or other models as well, but at this time haven't received a reply.
Virgin Mobile scores the Alcatel OneTouch Venture, can be yours March 15th for $100
Alcatel OneTouch isn't a heavy hitter in the States, but that doesn't stop it from doing its darndest to push devices here with a little help from distributor PCD. The Venture is the latest model and is heading to Virgin Mobile on March 15th with an option to pre-order right now. What it's got is actually not too shabby for a $100 prepaid messaging device: Android 2.3, 2.8-inch touchscreen, 600MHz single-core CPU, 2MP camera with LED flash and 512MB of RAM. If you're intrigued, head to the source link below to take the next step.
ZTE Warp hands-on (video)
We're here at the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC, where Boost Mobile is showing off its latest prepaid Android smartphone running on Sprint's 3G CDMA network, the ZTE warp. If you'll recall, this 1GHz Gingerbread 2.3.5-equipped device dropped on November 2nd for $250, only to receive a price drop to $200 days later. Boost is citing the Warp's 4.3-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display as the largest of its current offerings, along with its 5-megapixel, LED flash-equipped camera (raising the count up from the two on its $229 Samsung Transform Ultra). The phone is Android Market-compatible and comes with 4GB of internal storage and a 2GB microSD card, which can be maxed out to 32GB. So, did the Warp feel worthy of its moniker in the few minutes we spent with it? Join us past the break for our impressions. %Gallery-138713%
Motorola Triumph for Virgin Mobile goes up for pre-order at Best Buy for $300
Fans of Virgin Mobile's prepaid plans were mighty jazzed over the Motorola Triumph, a 4.1-inch, vanilla Froyo-packing handset that might seem ho-hum on paper, but is a marked improvement over what you'd normally be able to score without the shackles of a two-year service agreement. At the time, more than a few of our readers swore that once they dutifully fulfilled their contractual obligations, a Motorola handset sans Motoblur would be enough to send them packing to Virgin. Well, it's time to put your money where your mouth is: she's up for pre-order at Best Buy for $299.99. In the world of unlocked phones, of course, that's a steal. Why, the Droid Charge costs the same with a two-year contract, and the (admittedly higher-end) Dell Venue fetches $500 unlocked, with the iPhone 4 topping it at $649. Order now and you're in for several weeks of thumb-twiddling -- Best Buy estimates it'll arrive sometime between July 19th and July 26th. As always, commitment-phobes, hit the source link to order and peep the spec list while you're at it.
Mobilicity launches two sub-$150 QWERTY phones: Nokia E73 and Samsung G-Touch
Mobilicity seems like a carrier on the move -- at least as far as new set launches are concerned -- and today's news sees two more sets added to the stockpile. Say hello to two new QWERTY phones, Canada -- well new to Mobilicity, anyway: the Nokia E73 and the Samsung G-Touch. We've seen both of these sets floating about on T-Mobile's gentle AWS waves for quite some time, but as a refresher, the G-Touch features a slide out QWERTY keypad, 2 megapixel shooter, ActiveSync support for your corporate mail, Bluetooth, WiFi, and will set you back $139. The Nokia E73 also packs a QWERTY keyboard (which we absolutely love by the way), a 5 megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, and that handy little trackpad for navigation, all for $149. It's also worth remembering that Mobilicity doesn't deal in contracts so these sets are free and clear from day one. If any of this interests you, wander on over to the Mobilicity pages for the rest of the dirt.
More Verizon Unleashed phones popping up, pricing confirmed
This morning's 'Unleashed' tipster has let loose a few more branded phone snapshots from his local Best Buy, further confirming Verizon's new contract free $50 unlimited talk, text, and mobile web plan. These new shots show off the same price structure we saw leaked earlier this month, as well as two more handsets: an LG Accolade, and a Pantech Caper -- both priced at $79.99. This seems a bit steep for the Accolade, a run of the mill flip phone, as this morning's tip priced the more capable LG Cosmos featurephone at a mere $39.99. Take your grain of salt, and check out the gallery below. [Thanks, Anonymous] %Gallery-122115%
First Verizon Unleashed phone gets pictured, priced at Best Buy
When a screenshot of Verizon's new 'Unleashed' pricing plan surfaced, we held our breath to see if this contract-free $50 unlimited talk and text plan was in fact too good to be true. As it turns out, more evidence has been unearthed that lends credence to the rumor. A tipster snapped the above photo of the LG Cosmos donning Unleashed attire at a local Best Buy, and went out of their way to note that the phone was priced at $39.99. We like what we're seeing here; for a full messaging phone without commitment, this is definitely an aggressive price. No additional pricing details were leaked, but we're sure savvy international texters will notice that the packaging specifically promises the option of unlimited messaging to Mexico and Canada. If the 'Unleashed' phones are already making their way into Best Buy, this could very well mean an impending launch is coming sooner than we expected. We'll continue keeping you up-to-date as we hear more. [Thanks, Anonymous]
AT&T jacking some no-contract smartphone prices to keep pace with new early upgrade fee
If you thought that the newly-increased $200 early upgrade fee for existing AT&T customers looking to re-up their handsets was painful enough, turns out the company seems to have swept another price increase under the rug at the same time. In the latest in-store displays valid for the period ending November 6, a bunch of smartphones are showing no-commitment (that is, no-contract) pricing anywhere from $100 to $150 higher than they were previously. Why? To make sure that the early upgrade price is still less than (or equal to) the no-commitment price, since it wouldn't make any sense to charge a current subscriber more for hardware without a contract than it would a new one. Here are some examples: Palm Pre Plus: $299.99 before, $399.99 now HTC Aria: $329.99 before, $429.99 now Sony Ericsson Vivaz: $279.99 before, $429.99 now Palm Pixi Plus: $229.99 before, $379.99 now Motorola Backflip: $249.99 before, $349.99 now Some pricing remains unchanged -- the Samsung Captivate, for instance, which is still $499.99 -- but that's simply because the new line price plus the early upgrade fee are still well less than that rather hefty sum. At any rate, it's a bummer that AT&T is penalizing people who just want to buy a phone without signing up for a contract here... and it's pretty hilarious to see ancient hardware like the Backflip go up by a hundred bucks this late in the game. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Official: Apple now offering iPhones contract free (updated: not unlocked)
We heard from 9 to 5 Mac that Apple was due to begin selling a contract-free variant of the iPhone in the near future "at list price." And guess what happened when we inquired to an Apple store? That's right folks -- you can now pick one up for $499 (3G), $599, or $699 (3GS). We've confirmed this info at no less than five stores, so you should be hearing the same message at your local Appletorium. Given the current unfriendly climate between Apple and Google, this could be seen as nasty jab, though the devices are still carrier-locked to AT&T, so you're not being given much freedom... and it's certainly not much of a statement. In many parts of Europe (France and Poland, for example) you can pick up the carrier-unattached device (and we mean totally unlocked), but that doesn't appear to be the case here. Update: We're getting mixed reports on the unlock status of these phones. One store says yes to the unlock, while others are saying they're still AT&T-locked devices being sold off contract. We're digging for more info on this now, so stay tuned. Update 2: It's looking like those initial reports of unlocked devices are inaccurate. It sounds like these devices are still locked to AT&T -- so you're just looking at an off contract pricing scheme. Which is also totally lame.
