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T-Mobile 7.2Mbps HSPA rolling out now?

by Ross Miller posted Nov 4th 2009 at 11:27PM

Reports are coming in, by and large it seems via Android and Me, that T-Mobile's begun its rollout of its 7.2Mbps HSPA network for some extra speedy mobile browsing. We've done some testing in the listed cities, notably Chicago and New York, but so far are coming up with the usual, mundane speeds. It'd certainly make up for yesterday's snafu (almost), but at this point we're classifying as unconfirmed. Anyone else having better luck?

Read - 1MB mobile speed test
Read - Android and Me's report

T-Mobile USA down all over the place? (update: yes)

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 7:24PM

We're getting reports from sea to shining sea this evening that T-Mobile service is down or intermittent on both voice and data -- particularly bad timing in light of the recent Sidekick drama. We've tested in New York and it's definitely down for us -- both voice and data -- so how's service treating everyone out there?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: We just got an official statement from T-Mobile, and it's confirmed -- service is down. Here's the statement:

"T-Mobile customers may be experiencing service disruptions impacting voice and data. Our rapid response teams have been mobilized to restore service as quickly as possible. We will provide updates as more information is available."

Update 2: All service is now restored, according to the company -- they say about 5 percent of users were affected by the outage, though circumstantial evidence would certainly suggest that the number is higher (especially considering that New York City was one of the dead zones).

Motorola CLIQ lands in T-Mobile USA stores today

by Darren Murph posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 2:33PM

Motorola's Android-laden CLIQ has been available to existing T-Mobile USA users for a hot minute now, but not until today has the handset been widely available to all that care to take notice. Of course, the proper launch has been dampened somewhat by the emergence of the DROID (alongside Android 2.0), but hey, MOTOBLUR ain't nuthin' to scoff at, right? Feel free to locate your nearest T-Mob retail location, waltz in with $199.99 and get yours today.

T-Mobile nabs HTC's Touch HD2, schedules release for November

by Tim Stevens posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 7:58AM

WinMo folks, we wouldn't blame you for getting a bit of Android envy after last week's DROID onslaught, but if there's one thing that could make people pine for your OS it's HTC's HD2, and T-Mobile has just confirmed it's coming on November 9 -- a mere weekend after Moto's new hotness hits Verizon. Mind you, there is some confusion going on here, as the picture on T-Mo's site is of the old Touch HD, not the HD2 we met and loved, and the mention of "loads of applications to download from Android Market" is particularly perplexing. But, we've been told to go ahead and blame a bumbling marketeer rather than to expect some sort of cross-platform app marketplace love fest -- groovy as that may sound.

Update: We've also just learned that HTC is going to officially launch the HD2 on November 4 ahead of a November 11 release elsewhere. We're not entirely sure what there is left to learn about the thing, but we're always game for another press event.

Update 2: Just to clarify things, this is T-Mobile UK. Also, as many have pointed out in comments, we're now thinking the "09" above means 2009, not November 9, which likely points to a November 11 release. Surely you can swallow that DROID envy for another two days, yeah?

[Via WMPoweruser.com]

Android 2.0 ported to original T-Mobile G1 (video)

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 30th 2009 at 5:39AM

Did you hear? Google's got this little OS called Android that has reached the ripe, mature age of 2-point-Oh. With the giant eclair now sitting on Google's front lawn and the SDK out in the wilds, what was poor Akira Harada to do with all that code knowing that the Motorola Droid was still days away from shipping? Port it to the original Android device, the T-Mobile G1 / HTC Dream, naturally. It's a rough port, not even close to being optimized but it should whet your appetites for all those official updates and delicious home-cooked ROMs we expect to be arriving in the hallowed halls of the XDA forums in the days ahead. See it after the break... roll it!

Continue reading Android 2.0 ported to original T-Mobile G1 (video)

T-Mobile officially unveils $99 Even More, $79 Even More Plus plans and equipment installment option

by Ross Miller posted Oct 25th 2009 at 11:14AM

Right on schedule with the whispers, T-Mobile lifted the veil off of its new price plan tier structure, Even More and Even More Plus, and from the looks of it all those leaks were pretty much spot-on. The traditional Even More plan is a two-year commitment and discounted phone, with unlimited individual prices starting at $59 per month and going up to $99 if you want unlimited messaging and text, too. Even More Plus scrapes the device discount but offers unlimited individual prices at $49 for voice / $79 for everything. It looks like the only major differentiator is the subsidized handset, but here's where the numbers don't add up: even with the steep $350 discount on myTouch 3G, factoring in that $20 premium would pay for the phone during the 18th month, leaving six months and $120 of extra payments left that have no obvious justification to us. Additionally the FlexPay / equipment installment plan is now available, letting you break up the cost of your phone into interest-free monthly bills. It seems Even More's subsidized phones are offered over four installments (e.g. $37 per month for the $150 MyTouch 3G) while Even More Plus' is two installments (e.g. $25 per month for the same device at the $500 full price). Our initial takeaway from the price tiers is that T-Mobile is doing what it can to drive its consumers away from the traditional and over to the non-traditional (for US, at least) Even More Plus plan, but hey, we're not gonna argue over a beneficial contract-free plan, even if monthly phone payments keep us paying the company for at least 20 months. So T-Mo, any other Project Dark surprises in the cards? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

BlackBerry Bold 9700 gains FCC clearance in T-Mobile trim

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 11:54AM

You can't make heads or tails of what carrier might be getting this version of the Bold 9700 just by looking at the wireframe diagram buried in the ID label documentation, but here's an important clue: it got tested for WCDMA Band IV, also known as AWS -- so yeah, that would be a pretty solid indicator that this puppy is T-Mobile USA's version. You could spend literally hours thumbing through the hundreds of pages of RF test results here, so curl up on a cushy futon and geek out -- just do us a favor and don't actually print it out, okay?

T-Mobile's Project Dark: $99.99 unlimited on Even More, $79.99 on Even More Plus?

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 21st 2009 at 3:07PM

The details of T-Mobile's mysterious Project Dark definitely seem to be congealing around retooled handset billing and a set of new plans, and it looks like TmoNews might have the first word here on the all-important subject of plan pricing. Even More Plus, which would be contract-free and offer new handset FlexPay over four installments, is apparently tracking for a $79.99 all-you-can-eat package, $69.99 with 1,000 voice minutes, or $49.99 with unlimited voice and no data. Even More meanwhile, which basically amounts to new contract plan branding with traditional hardware subsidies, will come in at $99.99 for unlimited everything (mirroring Sprint's pricing) or $59.99 for unlimited voice alone. It seems strange that the contract pricing is higher than the prepaid, especially since Even More Plus apparently won't offer any hardware subsidies whatsoever, but we're sure we're going to find out how this all shakes out soon enough. Follow the break for another shot of the pricing grids.

Continue reading T-Mobile's Project Dark: $99.99 unlimited on Even More, $79.99 on Even More Plus?

T-Mobile posts Sidekick contact recovery instructions

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 20th 2009 at 6:24AM

That Microsoft / T-Mobile tag team has been doing a pretty decent job of cleaning up the disaster area left by the Sidekick data loss, and now the first item on the recovery menu is ready for collection. Sidekick users can hit up the My T-Mobile webpage to download their contacts and then restore them either to their Sidekick or whatever device they've replaced it with. Extensive how-to instructions are available at the read link, which also furnishes us with the reassurance that "Microsoft/Danger continues its efforts to recover pictures, calendar entries and to-do lists, which may be available in the future."

[Thanks, Abe G.]

T-Mobile Tap coming November 11, Samsung Behold II on November 18?

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 19th 2009 at 8:12PM

The CLIQ might be getting the lion's share of the Android spotlight on T-Mobile at the moment, but it's not the only Google-equipped gear in the carrier's pipeline -- the other big news there would be the Behold II from Samsung, a logical successor to the myTouch 3G with an AMOLED display and 5 megapixel cam. Seems like there's a little bit of a wait left, because TmoNews has scored some launch documentation suggesting that they're planning on a November 18 to get it pushed out to the public (and let's be honest, we'd all rather have that positively sick nasty myTouch Fender Limited Edition anyhow). Moving our attention downmarket, there's apparently a self-branded (read: a manufacturer you've never heard of) full touch device called the "Tap" that'll be hitting on the 11th of next month, likely slotting in below the Highlight in the carrier's range. No offense, there, Tap, but we're going to have to take a Behold II over ya.

Motorola CLIQ available to T-Mobile customers now, great masses November 2

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 19th 2009 at 4:56AM

Well now this is a pleasingly rapid transition from announcement to review samples to market availability. Motorola's Android-loving CLIQ (already on sale under the moniker DEXT in the UK), its QWERTY keyboard and all the apps you could desire are now ready to be had, should you already have an account with T-Mobile, the device's exclusive US carrier. It was expected that only pre-orders would be taken today, but it appears for all the world that T-Mobile is ready to start shipping the CLIQ to its loyal customers ahead of the November 2nd full release date. Prices start from the previously reported $199.99 on a two-year agreement -- a move that will give you plenty of time to wonder if you shouldn't have waited for more details about the Droid mashup from Verizon, Motorola, and Google.

Microsoft to restore remaining Sidekick contacts this week, other stuff 'shortly thereafter'

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 19th 2009 at 3:58AM

Sidekick users tend to be an active, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants bunch, so it's gotta hurt like the dickens when they don't have access to their schedules and little black books -- but hey, at least it's still recoverable, right? Microsoft has just posted a quick update to keep everyone abreast on the progress of its Sidekick data recovery, and it sounds like they'll be able to have remaining missing contacts back in action this week with the rest of the data -- to-dos, notes, photos, and the like -- following on "shortly thereafter." Anyone who didn't lose information in the debacle should be unaffected by the recovery process, but for those who did, these backup tapes couldn't possibly load into Danger's feisty data center fast enough.

T-Mobile's Project Dark includes option for buying phones in monthly installments?

by Ross Miller posted Oct 18th 2009 at 4:59PM

Still no confirmation on any all-you-can-eat data plans, but Boy Genius Report has some convincing screens that seem to reveal some other precepts of T-Mobile's enigmatic (and purportedly company-saving) Project Dark. Two new plans have emerged, Even More and Even More Plus. The former is the traditional two-year contract, along with options to do data only and get a subsidized phone. Even More Plus doesn't require a contract, going month-to-monthly instead, and subsequently the phone is full price. However, what's gonna be interesting to see is the FlexPay option, which allows you to pay for a device in monthly installments instead of upfront, a plan we've seen before in markets like Germany and Japan. In the example above, a $400 G1 on the non-contractual Even More Plus plan is divvied out to an initial $170 payment and 19 subsequent installments of $12.10, or $33.33 over three months after the related upfront cost. It's no game-changer on its own, but it's certainly an intriguing prospect that's gonna make some (initially) cash-strapped individuals very happy to be able to walk out with a decent Android device.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Entelligence: Cloud's illusions I recall

by Michael Gartenberg posted Oct 15th 2009 at 5:15PM

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

It's been the story of the week. T-Mobile Sidekick customers were told that all of their data might be lost and warned not to turn off their devices to prevent losing what's already on them. It's about the worst case nightmare scenario for any vendor and it underscored the weakness and vulnerability of cloud-based computing with no other means of backup and storage.

The Sidekick story is complicated, and there's much rumor and speculation as to what went wrong and how. To be clear, Sidekick is a T-Mobile branded-and-sold device and service, but the Sidekick technology comes from Danger, a former startup now owned by Microsoft, which T-Mobile pays to keep Sidekick going. Trust me, there's going to be lots of finger pointing and perhaps a few class-action lawsuits before this all comes to an end. While finger pointing is fun, it's not the issue. (And, as grandpa used to say, when you point your finger at someone else, three fingers point back at you.) Some argued with me last night that cloud computing is perfectly safe, it's the company deploying that you need to look to. OK. I accept that. Only thing is that Danger's been doing this pretty well since 2002 and at no point did I ever see a single warning from anyone that dealing with T-Mobile, Danger or Microsoft might be a bad idea when it comes to personal data solely living in the cloud.

Continue reading Entelligence: Cloud's illusions I recall

First Sidekick class-action lawsuits predictably get underway

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 15th 2009 at 1:26PM

Our usual rule is to ignore attention-seeking class-action lawsuits until they make it past the critical step of being certified by a judge, but we think it's pretty wild that the Sidekick debacle has already resulted in two separate suits in two different states. That's a turnaround time of just a few days, really -- and now that Microsoft is saying it can restore most of the lost data, it'll be interesting to see if these cases can push on past the early stages. Both the California and Washington state cases allege that T-Mobile misled customers into thinking their data was secure, but for some reason we're particularly amused at the California case filed by a mother whose aspiring model and singer-songwriter daughter lost "photos and song lyrics" she'd entrusted to her Sidekick -- honestly, what judge can't relate to her situation?