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Virgin Mobile's "Totally Unlimited" turns off the meter for $79.99 a month
Virgin Mobile has always positioned itself as a super-crazy-value carrier in the US, and that trend certainly continues with its latest plan option, "Totally Unlimited". The idea's about as simple as the name implies -- the MVNO hooks you up with unlimited calling at any time of day or night for a shade under $80 a month, which already positions it favorably against all the nationals and major regionals -- but the coup de grace has to be the contract-free nature of the whole thing. When you sign up, Virgin doesn't want your soul for two years, and it doesn't even want your credit card if you'd prefer to pay your dues with a crumpled-up wad of cash every month (where you got that money is none of our business, after all). Unlimited text and pixture messaging can be added for another $10 monthly, which ends up pitting Virgin squarely against the $89.99 plan offered by one of its corporate parents, Sprint (which doesn't actually own much of Virgin Mobile anymore, so we guess there's probably not too much love lost there). Look for Totally Unlimited to hit the streets on July 1.
PS3 Fanboy is live at the MGS4 Times Square launch event
If you can't make it to the big Metal Gear Solid 4 event in Times Square (or any of Gamestop's midnight launches, for that matter), our fine friends at PS3 Fanboy are live at the event right now, uploading pictures to share the experience with you. Go check it out.
SK Telecom says talk of Virgin Mobile takeover of Helio is "groundless"
Well, it looks like the struggling Helio may not be falling under the Virgin Mobile umbrella quite just yet, with the MVNO's parent company, SK Telecom, now calling such speculation ""groundless." An SK Telecom spokesperson further added that it was not in "any sort of talks" with Virgin and that it remains "committed" to Helio, although the company did seemingly leave the door open somewhat by saying it is "actively seeking opportunities" to expand its service in the U.S. Muddling the situation a bit further, Reuters reported on Friday that the two companies were in fact in "early talks" about a deal, although the source behind that story was apparently unable to confirm whether the deal was actually a merger or a purchase, or one of a number of "other possibilities."
Virgin Mobile's first quarter earnings: down, but good times supposedly ahead
Virgin Mobile's warnings of a bleak quarter were pretty dead-on, with a mere 17,772 net adds coming on board during the three-month time frame ending March 31 -- not quite the blockbuster 309,721 reported in the same period a year ago. Similarly, revenue and income both took a dive, supposedly in part due to a big marketing push focused on the MVNO's new pricing plans. If there's a silver lining on the dark, rumbling cloud, though, it's that the CEO believes they'll start to see some positive growth again in the third quarter after a weak second (for his sake, we hope he's right). Also notable was a mention that although the company had no strategic partnerships, alliances, or investments to announce, it was definitely open to "non-organic growth" in the form of another MVNO or "capability." Wonder what he may have been talking about there?[Via mocoNews]
Motorola RAZR 2 V9m in the mix for Virgin Mobile Canada
In case you hadn't noticed, Virgin Mobile rocks an ever-so-slightly higher end lineup north of the border than it does in the US, and to that end, it's just released the RAZR 2 V9m. We all know the drill here by now: 2 inch external QVGA display with music controls, 2.2 inch internal QVGA display, stereo Bluetooth, EV-DO, microSD expansion, and a 2 megapixel camera, all of which are ready to sit just above the KRZR in Virgin's stable. Grab it now for $149 CAD (about $147) on a three-year deal.[Via Mobile In Canada]
Virgin Mobile retools prepaid and monthly plans, still no contracts
MVNO Virgin Mobile is taking a rather unusual approach to advertising its new plan features and pricing structures unveiled today, pointing out that they provide "smarter choices in a tough economy." For monthly plans, those "smarter choices" include unlimited nights and weekends starting at 7pm (well, we suppose weekends start at 12am, but you get what we mean) and unlimited messaging for a reasonable $10 monthly. Prepaid plans, meanwhile, are now offering the capability to "roll forward" up to 5,000 unused minutes when the account is re-upped within 30 days. Minute packs are now available in $20, $30, and $50 increments equaling 200, 400, and 1,000 minutes, respectively, knocking the per-minute price down to 5 cents at the highest level. The new goodies are all available immediately.[Via Phone Scoop and MobileTechNews]
Virgin Mobile Flare: not bad for 30 bucks
Virgin Mobile's slowly (and we do mean slowly) moving into the 21st century with its ultra-cheap prepaid offerings; in the past they've frequently foregone features most of us consider standard like Bluetooth and external displays in an effort to keep the sticker shock to a minimum, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Virgin's getting close to being able to offer a circa-2008 feature set in 2008. Here we have the Flare courtesy of LG, a glossy lil' flip that serves up a color screen out front, Bluetooth, speakerphone, and mobile web access for a penny shy of $30 -- contract-free. The FCC filing (it's the LX175) reveals a lack of EV-DO, but seriously, what do you expect for the price?[Thanks, Eric C.]
Everyone else sued over picture caller ID
A four-pack of carriers is getting sued over the infringement of three 2007 patents that appear to center around the concept of picture caller ID -- but here's the best part, it's actually a different dude from a different company than the one that sued Apple. US Cellular, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Helio are all named in the suit, suggesting that either the remainder of major US carriers have already licensed the technology, or this so-called Intellect Wireless just has a very bizarre way of choosing its defendants. So here's our question: what picture caller ID technology was patented by some random company in 2007 that these guys could possibly be violating?
Virgin Mobile launches in India, but don't call it an MVNO
Emphasizing that Virgin Mobile India's launch is a "brand franchise," not an MVNO, Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson has unveiled the partnership with Tata Teleservices to bring the company's marque to a range of CDMA handsets in one of the world's largest and fastest-growing mobile markets. The franchising scheme is an interesting one because it allows both Tata and Virgin to hook up with other partners, and indeed, Branson has already said that he'll be shopping the service to GSM carriers later this year. As part of the launch, Virgin Mobile is touting ten "industry firsts" -- and while most of them are marketing mumbo jumbo, it's notable that every single phone offered by the carrier MVNO brand features a color display and FM radio. The service is available now.[Via mocoNews]
Virgin's coconut-powered 747 completes first flight
Finally, mankind has the answer to that eternal question, how many coconuts does it take to go from London to Amsterdam? The answer: 150,000 -- converted into biofuel and poured into a special 747, of course. Virgin Atlantic completed its first biofuel tests yesterday with solid results, using a mix of 20 percent coconut oil and 80 percent jet fuel to power a 747 -- a first for the airline industry. There's still a long way to go, of course -- only one of the jet's four tanks carried the alternative fuel, and even Richard Branson admits that giant coconut plantations devoted to airline fuel probably aren't workable -- but despite harsh criticism from skeptics, it's still an impressive achievement. Branson says that although this test didn't use a viable fuel, it's a landmark proof-of-concept -- and that next-generation biofuels made from algae may one day power all our aircraft. Sure, that'd be nice, but we'll stick with tiki-power -- anyone have a drink umbrella?[Via The Register]
Virgin Mobile deploys automated phone activation
Who wants to talk to customer service if they don't have to? Lucky Virgin Mobile customers (and soon-to-be customers) just got a free pass to spend a little less time on the horn with company reps thanks to the MVNO's deployment of Telespree's over-the-air provisioning wizardry. Apparently, the entire process now requires zero human intervention from beginning to end for both new customers and upgrades alike. Kinda ironic that we're buying a phone to talk to others and we no longer have to talk to others, isn't it?
Lawsuit claims Virgin Mobile told a little lie to boost IPO showing
Virgin Mobile's October IPO raked in a solid $412.5 million -- a little bit off its highest estimate, yeah, but still boatloads (and when we say "boatloads," we mean "hundreds of millions of dollars") higher than what it had thought it could get when it first announced its intentions to go public. A new class action suit alleges that the $412.5M figure was inflated, though, by Virgin's fudging of third quarter revenue figures which conveniently have since been revised down to indicate a $7.3M loss. Unfortunate coincidence? Maybe, but Virgin's stock fell a solid 14.4 percent on news of the redone numbers, so we can understand that a few shareholders might be grumbling about the sitch. Meanwhile, the MVNO's form letter reaction to the news is in full effect, claiming that the lawsuit is "completely without merit," so we're guessing this one's gonna be tied up in the legal system for a hot minute or two.
CoX: Mender Silos has a puzzle for you
"Old Man Stauf built a house, and filled it with his toys. Six guests all came one night, their screams the only noise." So began The 7th Guest, lo these many years ago. Now NCsoft provides the residents of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles with an equally intriguing time-related puzzle in the new trailer for Issue 11, provided to us by the mysterious Mender Silos, the founder and visionary of Ouroboros. Aside from showcasing some of the powers and regions accessible in the new chapter, tantalizing hints of a puzzle -- and of the game's future direction -- are revealed.Who is our greatest enemy, how will we be able to set aside our differences with our current foes, and what is causing all of the temporal anomalies? We have the questions, and now we need the answers: if we don't find them, then our world -- our future -- is doomed. Discuss amongst yourselves the mysteries. What are the secrets hidden within Issue 11: A Stitch in Time? Only time will tell.
Virgin Mobile's IPO nets $412.5M, not quite what it hoped for
It seems the $467.5 million Virgin thought it could muster in its IPO filing was a little optimistic -- though it still fared far better than it thought it would a few months back. Shares of Virgin Mobile started trading today on the New York Stock Exchange at $15 a share; multiply that by 27.5 million and you arrive at a healthy $412.5 million in proceeds. Most of the money is earmarked to repay debts and to buy back 16.7 percent of Sprint's ownership, making the relatively successful prepaid MVNO a more independent entity. No word yet on whether it can spare a few dimes to research bringing higher-tech handsets to its lineup, unfortunately (bear in mind this is the carrier that just discovered Bluetooth a few months back).[Via mocoNews]
Virgin Mobile finally files for IPO, looking for $467.5M
It may not be quite the $506 million it was looking for a few months ago, but $467.5 million still seems like a princely take for a young MVNO that had expected a mere $100 million when it initially announced plans to file for an IPO early this year. The initial public offering for 27.5 million shares of "VM" has finally been filed, with Virgin Mobile looking to pocket $15 to $17 per share. Revenues from the sale will go toward paying back debt and "general purposes," which we're guessing -- nay, hoping -- equates to reinvestment in the company's offerings (bear in mind that this is the same Virgin Mobile that started offering its first Bluetooth enabled handset just a few weeks back). The move will reduce ownership by both of the company's corporate parents; Sprint's stake falls from 47 percent to 17.2 percent, while Virgin Group drops from 47 percent to 35.7 percent. It's been stated that Virgin Group won't see any cash from the IPO, so we're guessing Sprint will considering its far lower post-IPO share. Cha-ching! [Via Phone Scoop]
Virgin Digital packs up its DRM and goes home
We haven't heard a lot from Virgin Digital since it launched way back in 2004 (save for the odd squabble with Apple), but we'd be remiss if we didn't note the service's passing, which the company has now made official. According to IDG News, Virgin Digital actually stopped selling tracks in the U.K. last Friday, with the entire service set to be shut down on October 19th. In the meantime, existing customers will be able to enjoy the fruits of their monthly subscription while it lasts, with those that have more than one month of outstanding subscriptions able to get a refund. That doesn't apply to anyone with unused credits for downloads, however, who are advised to use 'em up or lose 'em. All of this follows Virgin Digital's departure from the US market earlier this year, when it packed up shop and left its customers to Napster. While Virgin seems to be staying mum on the exact reasons for the service's closure, as IDG News points out, its reliance on iPod-unfriendly DRM certainly doesn't seem to have helped matters.
Kyocera's Wild Card for Virgin Mobile does 3G
Bluetooth fever: catch it! Virgin finally caught wind of this newfangled Bluetooth standard with its most recent release, the Super Slice, and we're glad to see the trend continues. Hints of the Switch_Back's replacement -- christened "Wild Card" apparently -- are starting to circulate around Virgin's US site, and fans of the original are probably going to like what they see. The center d-pad placement on the QWERTY keyboard and the smallish innter display both carry over, while Bluetooth is a key add-on. It gets better, though: the Wild Card looks set to possibly become Virgin's first 3G device, with "high-speed data service" specifically mentioned on page 9 of the user's manual. Bleeding edge, eh? What's next, Virgin, a 2 megapixel cam?[Thanks, Mitchell K.]Read - Small picture of the Wild CardRead - Kyocera Wild Card user's manual [Warning: PDF link]
AirCell set to hook up Virgin America with in-flight broadband
Fresh from inking a deal with American Airlines, relative newcomer AirCell is now set to bring its in-flight internet knowhow to Virgin America, with the pair officially announcing the partnership today. In addition to letting passengers use their own personal WiFi-equipped devices on flights, the service will also be used to provide broadband internet to Virgin's RED in-flight entertainment system, which we recently got to check out first hand. Just don't expect to be able to do that right away, with the service only "anticipated" to roll out across Virgin's entire fleet "sometime in 2008."
Virgin Mobile intros Super Slice, its first Bluetooth phone
Would ya believe Virgin is just now getting down with that whole Bluetooth fad? No, seriously, it's true, and it has a name: Super Slice. As the moniker implies, the 10.2mm thick candybar is the successor to last year's Slice, a phone also sourced from UTStarcom. Features include a VGA cam, up to 270 minutes of talk time, speakerphone, a fresh user interface, and a refreshing price: $59.99 contract free (Virgin's prepaid, after all) when it rolls out to shelves in the middle of the month.
LG says "Aloha" to Virgin Mobile
Pardon the pun -- it can't be helped. Virgin Mobile is known for keeping its handsets on the lower end, owing largely to the fact that the MVNO does the lion's share of its business with prepaid accounts (read: contract-free phones). In fact, two of its existing clamshells lack an external display -- a nearly standard feature on all but the most inexpensive flips -- so it comes as no surprise that the newly-introduced LG Aloha is in the same vein. Features include a color display, speakerphone, and support for up to 199 contacts, but that's about it -- if you need a camera or Bluetooth, look elsewhere. Grab it starting in September for $34.99.[Via Phone Scoop]
