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Motorola Bali and Rambler flip phones hitting Boost Mobile on August 11
Boost Mobile does a fine enough job advertising its $50 monthly unlimited plan, but how's about the phone selection? If you're a fan of flips, Motorola has a new duo headed to the aforesaid operator next month. First up is the Rambler (shown right), which boasts a full QWERTY keypad, integrated 1.3 megapixel camera with video capture, stereo Bluetooth, IM / email capability and inbuilt GPS. The Bali, on the other hand, rocks a more traditional input surface along with an MP3 player, external touch controls and a microSD slot. Both handsets will go on sale August 11th, with the Rambler running $99.99 and the Bali $149.99. Who said Boost never gave you more (keys) for less (dough)?
LightSquared does LTE and satellite connectivity wholesale, Nokia Siemens to do the heavy lifting (video)
Chances are you're a little sick of different carriers having different qualities of service in different areas of the country, and have probably wondered at some point: "Can't we all just get along?" The answer is no, we can't, but LightSquared is looking to launch something of an alternative. It's starting a multi-billion dollar wholesale LTE deployment that will run coast-to-coast in the United States, covering 90 percent of the population by 2015. It will also mix that in with satellite connectivity somehow, pledging true nationwide coverage. Nokia Siemens Networks will be laying the groundwork, a $7 billion project that will surely be aided by that company's recent acquisition of Motorola's networking bits, and the total rollout is estimated to create 100,000 jobs -- good news regardless of your carrier allegiance. Anyone who wants to offer connectivity to their customers can buy some bandwidth and pass it along, meaning we could see the rebirth of the MVNO. After watching the inspirational video after the break, we're firmly sure that anything is possible.
Best Buy Connect wireless service is official, offers contract-free plans
We'll admit that we never took Best Buy as the kind of company to sell its own wireless service, but you know what Best Buy does sell? Laptops with unlocked WWAN modems, and to that end, the retailer's Best Buy Connect offering seems to be a pretty attractive one. Monthly plan pricing is about what you'd expect from anyone else, and you'll be able to choose between two-year, one-year, and contract-free packages for the same price -- the only difference is how much subsidy they'll throw in for you upfront. On a two-year deal, you'll get $275 off the compatible laptop of your choice, which compares favorably against all of its competitors -- AT&T at $150, Verizon at $200, and Sprint at $250 -- while you'll pay $60 for 5GB of data, $40 for 500MB, or $30 for 250MB (only available without a contract). Sure, you might not attract the glitz, glamor, and curious stares that a high-fashion name brand like Verizon might... but seriously, who are we kidding? Data is data, and if this works well, it sounds like a square deal. Hit up the source link for all the details. [Thanks, Christian]
Global Verge wins $43 million lawsuit against mystery MVNO Zer01
When we first heard about Zer01 it was set to launch at a time when other MVNOs were disappearing. (Remember Amp'd Mobile, or Helio?) Zer01 was pledging unlimited voice and data for just $69.99 a month, before most other carriers had their $99 plans, but ultimately never delivered a thing. Apparently Global Verge was similarly left in the dark, but unlike the rest of us it had invested $170,000 in Zer01 in exchange for selling wireless services as part of its multi-level marketing company. Global Verge had been allowing its "e-associates" (people who pay for the right to hawk Global Verge's wares) to shill for Zer01 wireless, which of course never delivered a single call. There are accusations flying fast and frantic about which of the two companies is the worst offender here, but the District Court in Clark County, Nevada at least believes that it's Zer01 reneging on its promises, awarding $43 million to Global Verge for breach of contract and various other legal wrongdoings. Congrats, GV, and good luck collecting.
Peek teams up with FON to liberate Europe... from roaming charges
Although the bright and cheerful Peek (and its somewhat ill-advised Twitter-centric brother) has long been a source of fascination for us, we realize that for most Americans a dedicated email device doesn't make too much sense. Now, in the same way that Hendrix had to go to London to find critical acceptance, it looks like FON CEO Martin Varsavsky thinks the device might be a winner overseas -- nothing less than a heroic "pan-European email machine that avoids [data] roaming charges." According to the man's blog, the PeekFon will cost €99 (roughly $145), including six months unlimited service, courtesy of a new MVNO called Spotnik. After that, you'll need to pay as you go to the tune of €12.90 (roughly $19) a month. Sick of those insane roaming charges? Curious? European? Varsavsky shares his feelings on the subject after the break.
Simple Mobile springs to life with $40 unlimited voice plan?
The once-burgeoning MVNO industry may be down, but it's not out -- apparently -- on news today that newcomer Simple Mobile is planning to offer GSM-based contract-free plans ranging from $40 for unlimited voice to $50 for unlimited voice and text plus a meager 20MB of data per month (you can upgrade to 40MB for another $5 a month). In theory, it sounds brilliant -- all-you-can-eat minutes, no contracts, bring your own phone (if you don't want one of the six snoozers they offer directly) -- but we can't find a way to sign up for the service, so this might devolve into another Zer01-esque debacle unless we actually hear of people using and enjoying it. It's clearly not for data-heavy folks, but if this pans out, we can see it stealing some business from the regional value leaders like Cricket at the very least. [Via Phone Scoop]
No-contract $30 / $45 Straight Talk wireless plans storm Walmart
Remember when TracFone horrified the world with its Straight Talk phone selection back in July? Clearly the suits in Bentonville weren't so scared, as now Walmart is latching on to that very plan and claiming it as its own. In over 3,200 of the outfit's retail stores across America, consumers will be able to snag an admittedly pathetic cellie and a rather decent calling plan for just $30 a month. Three Hamiltons gets you 1,000 voice minutes, 1,000 texts and 30MB of mobile web access, not to mention nationwide coverage and free 411 calls. If that's not quite enough, a $45 per month option provides unlimited everything (voice / SMS / mobile web). Of course, the price of using an antediluvian LG 220, LG Slider 290 or Samsung 451 can't be measured in mere dollars, but hey, humiliation's only temporary -- right? %Gallery-75572%
NTT DoCoMo might just enter the US cellphone market, MVNO graveyard wishes it luck
If you've paid any attention whatsoever to the goings-on in the American cellphone market, you'd know that ponying up the dough to start an MVNO here is probably not your best shot at striking it rich. One after another has fallen flat, even ones that had millions (and millions) in marketing dollars behind 'em. That said, Japan's own NTT DoCoMo is mulling the possibility of fully entering the US cell market next year, offering up smartphones and "other high-performance handsets with its i-mode mobile internet service." We're told that the operator may start as an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), leasing capacity from T-Mobile USA or AT&T until it decides on its next move. Call us crazy, but we're guessing it just might have a shot here on US soil if it snags the iPhone, enables all those 3G services that have been running for years on other platforms and only charges one (as opposed to three or four) human limbs for a monthly plan.[Thanks, shinbunboi]
Qwest's wireless service says goodnight on October 31
They've taken their time, but Qwest is finally winding down its Sprint-based MVNO offering and kicking subscribers off the last shreds of its network over the next couple months. To be exact, every last customer will have be off the airwaves by October 31 -- and to really drive the point home, outgoing calls will be rerouted to customer service for friendly reminders starting next month (don't worry, you're allowed to complete your call after the reminder's over). The good news is that Qwest is waiving ETFs for folks porting away -- they frickin' better be -- and the company has hooked up with Verizon as an affiliate, so you can still work with 'em to manage your wireless life if you're so inclined.
HP to sell contract-free, WWAN-equipped PCs in Japan
In a presumed effort to shake up the Japanese wireless industry and provide consumers with 3G-equipped PCs that aren't tied to multi-year contracts, Hewlett-Packard has quietly announced a deal with Japan Communications that will allow its machines to be sold with SIM cards that can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis. For those unaware, JCI leases network space from NTT DoCoMo, and as part of the agreement, HP will not only get to choose which devices can connect, but it'll get to keep a nice slice of the mobile data revenue as well. Here's the crazy part: the initial wave of netbooks will be sold for between $50 and $100 sans contract. That's about what users pay in America now for subsidized WWAN-ready netbooks, but there's a two-year contract tagging along. If all goes well, we could even see full-sized laptops, smartphones and digital cameras hop on the same bandwagon, but for now, we'll be keenly watching how brisk sales are when things kick off next month.
Sprint acquires Virgin Mobile USA for a cool $483m
Remember Virgin Mobile? Sure you do -- not long ago the last-man-standing MVNO snapped up Helio, and seemed ready to take its place as one of the few boutique prepaid operations still... er, operating. Well that appears to be all but done and done, as Sprint has just announced a "definitive agreement" to purchase the company for $483 million worth of sweet, succulent stock (which looks to be right about what it was valued at to begin with). It looks like Sprint will pair the acquisition with its Boost Mobile brand, which till now was in direct competition with VM. It's not quite rival city, however, Virgin Mobile USA was launched as a joint venture with Sprint, and the MVNO glides on Dan Hesse's network as it is. Still, it does seem to be another indicator that the days of the MVNO are certainly on the wane, though Sprint now looks to own the space -- what little there is.
Blyk hooking up with Orange in UK?
Blyk's efforts to bring its ads-for-minutes business model to new carriers seemingly continue, but one market where we really wouldn't have expected it to concentrate its initial push is the UK. The company's British MVNO is, after all, its first live network anywhere in the world -- and seeing how they already have that infrastructure in place, the payoff for signing a carrier deal seems lower. That said, there are some synergies here: the MVNO already runs on Orange's airwaves, and rumor has it that the deal -- which has apparently been in the negotiation phase for months now -- would include a transfer of Blyk's sales team. Interestingly, the current buzz has new subscribers being offered £15 worth of credit (about $24) in exchange for receiving ads, a shift from Blyk's original strategy of trading a fixed number of voice minutes and texts. That would give Orange more flexibility to adjust voice and text charges without shifting the value of its Blyk-based customers' deals, and considering that Blyk was apparently unable to garner enough advertiser interest in its original plan, it'll be interesting to see whether the tweak ends up working out in Orange's favor.[Via mocoNews]
TracFone's $45 Straight Talk unlimited plan punishes you with brutal hardware
They say "there's no such thing as a free lunch." They also say "there's no such thing as an unlimited contract-free $45 monthly unlimited plan that offers awesome phones," so we're not terribly surprised to see that TracFone's new blowout offering -- dubbed Straight Talk -- is rife with ancient Motorolas (with a RAZR V3a thrown in for good measure, of course) and an LG flip that we're pretty sure we saw McClane use in the first Die Hard. Then again, the plan becomes the one of the cheapest for unlimited voice and text anywhere -- and if you're less heavy on the minutes you can even step down to 1,000 minutes and 1,000 texts for $30 -- so we'll let it slide. But seriously, TracFone, we expect a V9 by 2012.[Via Phone Scoop]
Zer01 "launches," still not really available to end users
Upstart Zer01 has been touting its so-called "Veritable Mobile Convergence" technology since early in the year, promising to attach to all sorts of carriers with which it has agreements around the world to bring unlimited data and calling to the masses, and now they've launched -- sort of. It turns out that the company is actually looking for partners that'll resell the service, which focuses on data and uses VoIP to deliver on its promises; what that means to anyone navigating to the site right now to sign up for a new line is that... well, you can't. You'll need to buy service through a distributor, and since Zer01 doesn't have a distributor network yet, that's a little hard to do -- so for all practical purposes, the wait for cheap wireless data nirvana continues.
Virgin Mobile getting contract-free data card next month
Were it not for Helio, Virgin wouldn't be a carrier that we'd associate with anything other than the most basic handsets -- and data cards certainly don't seem like they'd be on any company exec's mind. Thing is, direct competitor Cricket recently got into this game with a $40 unlimited contract-free data plan, so it's a segment that's getting more difficult to ignore -- even in the most heavily value-weighted side of the business. We've nabbed a screen shot out of Best Buy's inventory system that shows a "Broadband 2GO" device (at least, we think that's what it says) scheduled to hit shelves on June 14 for $149.99 -- not the cheapest modem in the world, but again, there's no contract involved here. Data is data, so if the reception's good and the speeds are decent, why not?[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Blyk shelves plans to expand to other markets, focuses on carrier partnerships
Relabeling its first (and only) live network as a "proof of concept," Blyk CEO Antti Öhrling has told mocoNews that the fledgling MVNO -- which trades a handful of voice minutes and text messages per month for a subscriber's agreement to put up with on-device advertising -- has stopped efforts to expand to other countries. It seems the new game plan involves sacking up with other carriers to license its technology, which'll probably cost Blyk a whole heck of a lot less than setting up new MVNO deals and running operations everywhere they go. That said, users of Blyk's UK network needn't fear; there's apparently no plan to shutter the service, though odds are good they'll be transferred to another carrier should the company find a suitable partner. It's a lot of work for 43 minutes a month, isn't it?
Zer01 Mobile's a nomad, will roam with a variety of carriers
It won't make much of a difference to the end user -- all they'll care is that they're getting unlimited voice and data for under $70 a month -- but it turns out that Zer01 Mobile's upcoming VoIP-based service won't be using AT&T alone to provide service. Instead, it'll have service agreements in place with a number of GSM carriers -- nationals and regionals alike, we'd imagine -- in an effort to keep its costs low. Because all voice calls will travel over VoIP instead of GSM or UMTS proper, it seems like things could get a little dicey if you find yourself on a crappy EDGE (or worse yet, GPRS) connection, but hey, just keep telling yourself: "$69.95."
Virgin Mobile planning to add a little touch to its lineup
Virgin Mobile's CEO, Dan Schulman, stated while at the Dow Jones Wireless Innovations Conference last week that Virgin's planning on adding some more touchscreen to its world. What sets is, of course, your and our first question, but sadly it's one we don't have an answer for, yet. Though whatever it or they end up being, he went on to say that it is part of a move to smarter phones targeted at low to middle-income youth on prepaid. Of course, Virgin's core business is the prepaid world, though contracts are always available if you're inspired to stick about. With CTIA just around the corner, we're thinking we could hear a little more then.[Via Crave]
Zer01 is the new, contract-less MVNO that will bring VOIP to the mobile masses
2008 marked the end for many a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), most going under in a flood of bankruptcies or getting consumed but their parent networks. It sure seems like no company in its right mind would want to wade back into that graveyard, but Zer01 is thinking differently, pledging to launch a new network within a network next month at CTIA 2009. Its services will be provided by AT&T, but it'll undercut the competition with a combination of a $69.95 monthly unlimited voice and data plan and a complete lack of contracts, as well as unlimited international calling (to 40 countries) for just an extra $10. What's the catch? The company will rely on a VOIP application for routing of all calls, and right now that app only works on Windows Mobile. That'll be a roadblock for many, and given AT&T's somewhat limited (and generally flaky) 3G data coverage we're a little concerned about call quality, but just the same can't wait to see how this one turns out.[Via Unwired View and PC Magazine]
Helio Ocean 2 finds itself in Mr. Blurrycam's hands
Our friend Mr. Blurrycam has come through once again, this time with a handful of Helio Ocean 2 snapshots. Aside from a blurry close-up of the on-screen calendar, there isn't much here that we haven't already seen in finer detail from the FCC. It's apparently got a 3 megapixel camera, which is what we reported initially but not what was listed in the FCC-submitted user manual. Our tipster says it's expected to launch early or mid-February for release, which jives with other rumors we've heard. Hit up the gallery for more pics.%Gallery-42799%
