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T-Mobile will pay off devices for switchers and keep promo plans for good
Most of John Legere's time spent on stage dealt with T-Mobile's bid to play nice with businesses, but average consumers just got a few bones here, too. First up is Carrier Freedom, a new spin on the company's Contract Freedom initiative that'll see T-Mobile pay not just your early termination fees, but remaining payments on your phone if you're stuck in a plan like AT&T's Jump or Verizon's Edge. As long as you owe your current carrier $650 or less, you're golden. That's solid news for new, would-be T-Mobile customers, but Legere outed what he calls the "Un-contract" for customers who already bleed magenta. If you've already landed yourself one of T-Mobile's cushy promotional plans, congratulations -- they're going permanent as of March 22.
T-Mobile courts the business world with simple pricing, free website
The last few times T-Mobile's CEO went off on an Uncarrier spree, he revealed a way to bank the data people paid for but didn't use, and eased up its credit requirements for new phone buyers. Now, at a cozy studio space in New York City, John Legere has a new Uncarrier 9.0 initiative to show off and it's a little different than what we're used to: It's meant to make pairing businesses with T-Mobile service less of a pain in the ass than it normally is.
Here's a sideways glance at Samsung's Galaxy S6
Now we know there's some metal in there, but Samsung's recent video teaser didn't really give us a clear look at its new Galaxy phone. Fortunately, T-Mobile's got you covered, even if it's not quite the whole deal. While promoting a sign-up page for interested parties, the carrier also threw in the above image to whet appetites. So now we're confused: another teaser video suggested a more typically screened device without the curved display of the Galaxy Edge, but maybe Samsung's got two S6 devices. Or maybe it'll only have the one curved side, unlike early reports. Who knows? (Aside from the Samsung execs and, most likely, T-Mobile CEO John Legere.) We've reached peak teaser levels now, so barring an incidental complete leak, you'll have to wait seven more days for all the answers, curved edges and all.
WSJ: Google to resurrect mobile payments with Softcard purchase
Don't call it a comeback. Okay, maybe you should: Google wants to revive Wallet after seeing how popular Apple Pay has been, according to The Wall Street Journal. To do so, Mountain View is apparently in the early stages of a deal to take ownership of the carrier-owned Softcard as part of this Lazarus act for its mobile payment system. Previously, carriers in the United States were reticent to preload Wallet onto their devices because, at the time, they were trying to launch ISIS, going so far as to block the chip that stores credit card info. Times are different now, as WSJ tells it, because neither AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon gets a cut from Cupertino with surprise hit Apple Pay -- something that'd change by working with Google. How's that? The internet behemoth will reportedly pay them to feature Wallet on their Android phones and give them a bigger cut of the money it makes off of ads that live inside mobile searches.
T-Mobile will ignore bad credit if you're loyal and want a new phone
And the Un-carrier march continues unabated. This time, T-Mobile CEO John Legere address the consumer masses via YouTube to launch a new initiative that aims to help put a smartphone in the hands of anyone who wants one... and can pay their bills. Starting on January 25, T-Mobile's going to put less stock in your credit history and pay more attention to your payment history. If you've paid your dues on time over the past 12 months, you'll qualify for all those sweet, sweet no-money-down phone deals even if your FICO score looks a bit troubled. And new customers with less than sterling credit? They'll have to wait the 12 months before they get access to T-Mobile's carefully calculated largesse. Simple, no?
T-Mobile will let you bank your unused data come January 2015
T-Mobile's latest Uncarrier announcement might lack the pomp and circumstance of a big media event, but CEO John Legere's conversation with Yahoo Tech's David Pogue is already proving fruitful. Once January rolls around, T-Mobile customers will be able to roll over their unused data into what T-Mobile calls a Data Stash for up to a year, and the carrier will give its subscribers "up to" 10GB of free data in their new stashes just to get things started. There's no cap on how big your stash can swell either, though T-Mobile's recent wideband LTE launches (in a nutshell: you get faster LTE without having to buy a new phone) might make it a little tougher to keep extra data around to bank.
T-Mobile's Nexus 9 comes with LTE and a $600 price tag (update: AT&T too)
The Nexus 9 didn't completely knock our socks off, but HTC's inaugural Lollipop tablet just got a little better... if you're willing to pay a premium, anyway. T-Mobile's now selling an LTE-enabled version of the tablet on its enthusiast-only Underground store for $600, or $25 a month for the next two years if smaller, drawn-out payments are more your speed. Other than its compatibility with T-Mobile's LTE network, this version of the tablet is identical to the $479, 32GB WiFi model we reviewed last month, but we're still curious what those faster data speeds mean for this little guy's battery life. Nothing good, we'd wager. And if you're not the biggest fan of T-Mobile's posturing? Fair enough: It shouldn't take too long for an unlocked model to pop up in the Google Play Store, though the tab will make an appearance there before the holidays is anyone's guess. Update: Not ready to go magenta? AT&T writes in to note that this slate is compatible with its LTE network as well, and available via the Google Play store for the same $600 price. There's a $100 credit available if you're willing to lock things down with a two-year contract, and prices start at $10 per month if you're adding it to an existing plan.
France's Iliad calls it quits on trying to buy T-Mobile USA
AT&T wanted to buy T-Mobile USA. That fell apart. Then, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son wanted Sprint to merge with it. No dice. Most recently, Iliad (the owners of a French wireless carrier called Free) wanted to acquire a 67% stake in it. You can probably guess what happened: Iliad announced that it's officially dropping its bid for T-Mobile, despite repeatedly claiming it'd "accelerate T-Mobile US' transformation". If we're being honest, Iliad never had the cash on hand to counter Sprint's coffers -- that may explain why neither T-Mobile's board nor folks at Deutsche Telekom didn't really give them the time of day. The Ilium team must be bummed, but no matter: T-Mobile's on the upswing now as it is. At last count, the magenta-hued carrier picked up over 2.5 million subscribers over the first half of the year, enough to let it crow about being the country's fastest growing carrier. Thought's not to say that Deutsche Telekom won't still try to offload it, though -- now it's going to wait for a spectrum auction later this fall before it decides what to do next.
Why T-Mobile wants to give you a wireless router for free
If you're a T-Mobile customer, your company just gave you a very unexpected gift at yesterday's UnCarrier event: a wireless router. Yes, a fully functioning, magenta-branded, ASUS-built router, which can do essentially everything your current router can do -- and if yours is old, this will likely do even more. The device, which would cost roughly $200 if you purchased it on Amazon without T-Mobile's tweaks, only requires a $25 deposit, which gets returned to you once you're done using it. The company is going all-in on its commitment to providing every subscriber and every carrier-branded smartphone with free WiFi calling, and the router -- called the T-Mobile Personal CellSpot -- is the icing on the cake. But, you may ask, why is this a thing that's happening in the year 2014, especially when most of us already have access to a router (and thus, WiFi calling) nearly everywhere we go?
T-Mobile's next UnCarrier move: WiFi calling and texting for everyone
It seems as though T-Mobile is speeding up on this whole UnCarrier thing. Speaking in San Francisco -- not in Vegas, where the other carriers are hanging out at CTIA -- CEO John Legere and Friends announced its latest move: Free WiFi calling and texting to all customers and corporate accounts. From here on out, every smartphone the carrier sells will come with the capability, and if you don't have one already, you're eligible to get one through T-Mobile's Jump early upgrade program. A nice benefit of this feature is a seamless transition from the network's Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) coverage to your WiFi network.
Alcatel OneTouch's Fierce 2 and Evolve 2 are now available on T-Mobile
Alcatel OneTouch may have displayed a number of new devices last week at IFA, but it turns out the company is not quite done showing off its goods just yet. Here at CTIA, the company showed us two more handsets -- the Fierce 2 and the Evolve 2 -- both of which were actually announced a couple of weeks ago but are only just going on sale today. The Fierce 2 is the slightly nicer mid-level model while the Evolve 2 is meant to be a budget entry-level smartphone.
Bring a friend to T-Mobile and you'll both get unlimited data for a year
T-Mobile's approach when it comes to luring new customers continues to nab loads of users. This time around, the so-called UnCarrier is offering a year of unlimited data on its LTE network for customers that convince friends to make the switch from Sprint, AT&T or Verizon. And yes, the acquaintance that actually has to sign the papers gets the same 12-month deal. The limited-time offer takes aim at Sprint's recent efforts to lure customers from rival carriers with increased data allotments for families, and follows the yellow-hued network ending its quest to purchase T-Mobile earlier this month. [Photo credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO]
Engadget Daily: NVIDIA Shield review, HTC's Zoe app and more!
Today, we review the NVIDIA Shield tablet, take a ride in a Manchester United-themed Mini Cooper, get productive with a tablet keyboard case and more! Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Sprint reportedly withdraws its bid to buy T-Mobile (updated)
Softbank-owned Sprint has reportedly changed its mind about buying T-Mobile US, according to the Wall Street Journal. It seems a bit surprising, given the amount of time and energy Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son has put into pursuing the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the US -- committing to buy the company for as much as $40 billion. That said, the alleged reasons behind the decision to withdraw a bid make sense: Sprint faces too much of a challenge getting the deal over the necessary regulatory hurdles. The company likely came to this conclusion after a long series of meetings with government officials, who reportedly expressed concern that such a deal would take a toll on competition in the US wireless industry. Sprint declined to comment, but the Journal reports that the carrier plans to make an announcement early tomorrow.
Sprint's proposed T-Mobile buyout now faces a competing offer from Iliad
Sprint isn't the only company hoping to shell out billions for the privilege of scooping up T-Mobile's US branch; according to the Wall Street Journal, a French company called Iliad wants in on the action as well. Iliad, which owns a mobile operator in France known as Free, recently made a bid to counter the reported $32 billion offer T-Mobile is already entertaining with Sprint's parent company Softbank. The terms of the deal are unknown, and it's unclear how Iliad can pay for such a transaction, since its market value of $16 billion is merely half of what Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son is putting on the table.
Engadget Daily: Tesla's Model 3, new buyer's guides and more!
Elon Musk reveals Tesla's latest electric vehicle, we show off our new buyer's guides, discover we still have a lot to learn about stem cells and take a trip to Taiwan with T-Mobile's new global roaming plan. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Exploring Asia with T-Mobile's free global roaming
On a mild fall day last October, I attended a free Shakira concert in New York City, along with thousands of screaming fans and T-Mobile customers. The occasion? T-Mobile's Un-carrier 3.0 event, where CEO John Legere announced a shockingly generous benefit for Simple Choice customers. Anyone on a $50-and-up monthly plan would have access to unlimited data and texting in more than 120 countries around the world. As a frequent traveler, I was ecstatic -- I spend hundreds of dollars on local SIM cards or roaming products every year -- but as with anything that sounds too good to be true, there was a catch here.
FTC says T-Mobile has let text message scams run wild (Update: T-Mobile responds)
Is your cell phone bill running a little high? You might be suffering from unauthorized third-party charges, a type of text messaging subscription scam that bills users for SMS-delivered celebrity gossip, horoscopes, quizzes and other content. Consumers can choose to sign up to these services manually, but are often duped into signing up to them through fraudulent and deceptive advertisements -- causing charges in upwards of $9.99 to appear on their phone bill without their authorization. It's a practice the Federal Trade Commission calls "cramming," and it says T-Mobile as been allowing these scammers to charge its customers unchecked for far too long. Now the FTC is taking the carrier to court, demanding it issue refunds to the customers it failed to protect.
Weekends with Engadget: Amazon's Fire Phone, 3D-printed body parts and more!
This week, we went hands-on with Amazon's Fire Phone, learned about T-Mobile Test Drive, investigated laser-cut clothing and more! Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last seven days. Oh, and be sure to subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
Engadget Daily: Amazon's ultimate weapon, T-Mobile Test Drive and more!
Today, we take a deeper look at Amazon Firefly, learn about T-Mobile Test Drive, review the ASUS Padfone X and investigate the biggest third-party games from this year's E3 event. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
