T-Mobile’s Simple Choice – Is It Really All Unlimited Everything?
March 28th, 2013 by Analie
Did you also hear that T-Mobile is no longer requiring 2 year contracts for service for a high-end smartphone? What is this simple choice they’re offering consumers? Did you hear about T-Mobile and Metro PCS merging? Don’t get confused, this does not mean that they are a prepaid service carrier. Let’s breakdown what T-Mobile recently announced and what that means for future service.
If you caught the event, you might have seen President and CEO of T-Mobile John Legere go on and on about how wireless carriers screw over their customers. He tried to explain the complexity of contracts and what they mean. He even went on to say unless you’re part of the industry, you just won’t get how it works. So instead he decided to officially announce T-Mobile’s new way of providing service and how that is going to work. They called it T-Mobile Unleashed. And what they were unleashing was their new “Simple Choice” service (includes monthly plans and device purchases).
What Does T-Mobile’s Simple Choice Mean?
What T-Mobile is doing with Simple Choice is killing their contract requirements. One of the major points of the event was the emphasis that even though they were no longer requiring contracts, the carrier did not go prepaid. You have a choice in which device you get, how you pay it off, what plan you choose, and how long you stay with T-Mobile. Is that simple enough in your book?
How Does T-Mobile Simple Choice Work?
Simple Choice Plan: Individual Line – Unlimited Talk + Text + Web
T-Mobile has always been very generous with their plans in my book. Yes, I know they didn’t really have any flagship devices and they don’t offer 4G LTE. But their pricing was a steal compared to other carriers. Now with Simple Choice Plans, you get unlimited talk, unlimited text, unlimited surf, and the (downloadable) data varies on your pricing point.
- $50 Simple Choice Plan: Besides the unlimited talk, unlimited text, unlimited surf, you get 500 MB of high speed data. Smartphone Mobile Hotspot (SMH) and Tethering are no extra charge. But if you pass the 500 MB limit, you’re brought down to 2G speed (edge).
- $60 Simple Choice Plan: You get everything the $50 plan offers plus 2 GB more of data for a total of 2.5 GB of data. This plan also includes After the 2.5 GB you’re going back down to 2G
- $70 Simple Choice Plan: With this plan you get unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited data. However you do not have the Smartphone Mobile Hotspot / tethering feature at no charge. You can tether for up to 500 MB. You can pay extra for more SMH coverage.
Simple Choice Plan: Family Line – Unlimited Talk + Text + Web
If you’d like to transfer over multiple lines to T-Mobile, it will be anywhere from $10 – $50 more per line.
- If you’re adding a line with 500 mb of data, it’s $10 more.
- If you’re adding a line with 2 GB of data, it’s $30 more.
- If you’re adding a line with unlimited data, it’s $50 more.
How are those numbers adding up for you?
Purchasing a Device To Use With Your Simple Choice Plan(s):
You have a few choices when it comes to the phone you use with T-Mobile. You can put a down payment for a phone (if your credit qualifies), and pay it off within 24 months in monthly installments from $10 and up. If your credit doesn’t qualify, you have to pay for the device in full upfront. You can also bring your device to be connected with T-Mobile service.
For Example: If you’d like to get the new BlackBerry Z10, you can put $99 down and pay the rest off in monthly installments of $18/month. So if you had the $60 simple choice plan, and $18 payment for your BlackBerry Z10; your monthly total would be $78. Once you finish paying off the phone in total, you will just be charged your monthly service charge of $60. When it comes to paying off your phone, you can pay it off as fast as you’d like.
Is T-Mobile’s Simple Choice UnCarrier Plans A Suitable Choice For You?
T-Mobile is focusing on those consumers who hate contracts but don’t want to sacrifice the choice of getting high-end smartphones. Simple Choice is also for those who want 4G LTE coverage. There is currently 4G LTE coverage in Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, and Washington DC. If you’d like to check coverage in your area, you can check HERE. With the BlackBerry Z10 available, the Samsung Galaxy S4 coming in Q2, the HTC One hopefully next month and the finally the Apple iPhone 5 available for the carrier, T-Mobile is giving the consumer a real option. You can stop the service whenever you please without termination fees. There is rarely smartphone exclusivity with a carrier anymore. You have to see how much you data you use and see if it’s worth going over.
Are you intrigued by the Simple Choice offered by T-Mobile? Do you think their 4G LTE will provide great speeds once it goes nationwide? What will stop you from going to T-Mobile? What features are appealing?
T-Mobile – Simple Choice – HTC One – 4G LTE – Speed Test
Alicia Keys, Blackberry Creative Director Still Using An iPhone
February 12th, 2013 by Christen
Alicia Keys’ Blackberry use (or lack thereof) could land her in a world of trouble. Discover why this “Girl On Fire” could find herself in an unemployment line soon below…
Alicia Keys and Blackberry could be heading for trouble, all because of Twitter…
This girl could get Fiiiiiiiiiii-YAHed! New BlackBerry creative director Alicia Keys may not have been the best choice for the role, since she can’t stop tweeting from her iPhone. On Monday, less than two weeks after Blackberry announced that the singer would be joining the company during the BlackBerry 10 launch event, she tweeted a Drake lyric from her iPhone instead of from a BlackBerry device, the tech blog Pocket-lint pointed out.
Alicia Keys tweet…. not from Blackberry
Eight hours later, likely realizing her betrayal of Blackberry, Keys deleted the offending tweet and wrote, “What the h*ll?!!!! Looks like I’ve been hacked… I like @Drake but that wasn’t my tweet 
”
(Nice recovery Alicia….NOT!)
Sure, maybe Keys was actually hacked, but why would a hacker just post a song lyric? A Blackberry spokesperson told CNBC that “Alicia Keys no longer has an iPhone.” Before being hired by BlackBerry, Keys made a habit of tweeting from her iPhone. She will still need another phone to post to Instagram, as she likes to do, since BlackBerry 10 still lacks an Instagram app. Someone definitely needs to be policing Alicia Keys’ Blackberry use (almost making it mandatory to over-share her love for the device.) Do I smell an Alicia Keys Blackberry commercial soon?
THIS GIRL…… can’t catch a break!
What do you think? Was Alicia Keys’ Blackberry really hacked? Should Blackberry be concerned with Alicia Keys’ indiscretions? Have you bought a Blackberry because of Alicia Keys yet?
An Amazon Smart Phone In The Works… Really?
January 31st, 2013 by Tech Staff
Yes, Really! Why shouldn’t they. Amazon, the biggest e-commerce retailer, transformed itself from a book e-tailer to the titan of the purchasing web. They are a digital content powerhouse. I suspect this new smart phone will be so integrated with Amazon services. They have a huge market share in cloud storage services, you can download digital content such as books, digital music and video effortlessly, and not to mention Kindle e-Reader and Kindle Fire tablets. The own the e-commerce sites Zappos.com, Endless.com, Shopbop.com.
This will be a huge disruption in the smart phone field and all the major tech websites are abuzz. It’s going to be the clash of the titans – Amazon, Google, and Apple. Could the recent fight between Amazon and Apple precipitate this new service?
According to TheEconomist.com, “The most hard-fought battle between them so far has been in the e-book market. Amazon accounted for some two-thirds of all digital-book downloads in America last year. Apple accounted for just 5%, but it has been trying to woo publishers away from Amazon with an aggressive strategy that gives them more freedom to determine e-book prices than under Amazon’s terms.”
In 2011, Amazon and Apple were at odds over the percentage that Apples requires when users buy products through their iPhone or iPad apps. The Daily Beast Reported “This all started because booksellers found a clever way to sidestep Apple’s rules about selling stuff on its platform. If a developer wants to sell something via an iPad app—it’s called an “in-app purchase”—the transaction must go through Apple, which keeps 30 percent of the money and passes 70 percent on to the developer. Here’s what Amazon and the others do: when you order a book using, say, the Kindle app on the iPad, you’re taken to a Web browser and the transaction takes place there, not inside the Kindle app itself. That way the 30 percent doesn’t go to Apple.” Seeing this, Apple then blocked the link to Amazon’s website in all e-books from the Kindle App. This prevents you from loading amazon.comand purchasing a book with all the proceeds going directly to Amazon.
Back to the Smart Phone – The Rumors are:
· – Reports claim Amazon is working with Foxconn, the same manufacturer for Apple.
· - The smart phone is expected to be available summer/fall of this year.
· – The smart phone will run the Android-based operating system like the Kindle Fire Tablet.
· - It will have 3D mapping from UpNext Software company.
· - The smart phone is priced low from $100 to $200 – Amazon expects to make profits from digital content services not from the price of the phone.
With all the services that Amazon offers would you purchase this smart phone?
When The Fat Lady Sings: The Pentagon Considers Apple, Android over Blackberry
November 1st, 2012 by Christen
In case you didn’t think the mobile takeover was real, the U.S. Government is considering leaving it’s archaic standard of RIM and Blackberry devices and opting for Apple or Android instead. In a quest for a larger, mature app ecosystems – The U.S. Government has officially announced that they’re accepting applications for new service providers that can manage keeping their defense secrets – A SECRET.
TechCrunch reports The U.S. Government will now be looking into solutions for provisioning iOS and Android devices in addition to those featuring RIM’s BlackBerry OS, according to a new report from Reuters. That means RIM will no longer have the exclusive contract for smartphone devices at the U.S. Defense Department, though it will remain another option.
A posting for the Defense Information Systems Agency is looking for companies to submit applications detailing how they can provide software to monitor and enforce strict security measures required for sensitive defense-related operations. The potential size of any arrangement with the Defense Department is huge: it could span 8 million devices all told. But the DOD doesn’t mean RIM is left out in the cold; in fact, BlackBerry’s Mobile Fusion cross-platform mobile device management solution is among the software solutions that could theoretically meet the needs of the DOD.
RIM said that it will be offering Fusion as a potential solution for consideration, in an interview with Reuters. And while other organizations like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have announced they’ll switch entirely to iPhone, BlackBerry still probably won’t kicked out of the Pentagon altogether, at least in the immediate future, so while this is a blow, it isn’t a knock-out punch quite yet.
What do you think? Could you be seeing our Commander in Chief President Obama on #TeamApple or #TeamAndroid soon? Which device do you think he prefers?
Now You Can Stream Over 30 Million Songs With XBox Music Live
October 15th, 2012 by ChristenYour Microsoft XBox is becoming more of a complete entertainment console that your originally thought. Long gone are the days of your Xbox just being a gaming system. Now it’s a complete entertainment system for every member of the family! Xbox Music will launch later this month with hopes of making a dent in the digital music industry.
Microsoft will roll out the new music streaming service to many customers on Tuesday as part of an update to the Xbox gaming console, and then the company will release it as a built-in feature on Windows 8 PCs and tablets starting on Oct. 26.
Xbox Live was first announced at an event in June of this year. The service will let users stream more than 30 million tracks worldwide across Microsoft’s ecosystem of Windows 8 mobile devices and PCs, as well as the Xbox. Think of it as Microsoft’s in-house version of Spotify.
Customers will have the option to stream music for free (with ads) or else pay $9.99 a month for an unlimited streaming subscription. Microsoft will also let customers purchase songs through Xbox Music for $0.99, which will operate similarly to Apple’s and Amazon’s music stores. What’s more, Microsoft plans to roll out a feature that will let users scan and match tracks they already have in their music collections and make these available for streaming from the cloud, just like with iTunes Match.
For Microsoft, Xbox Music represents a kind of do-over in the music market. The service will replace the Zune Marketplace, Microsoft’s online store for music and other entertainment offerings. Microsoft discontinued the Zune last year after the music player failed to compete against the iPod.
With Xbox Music, Microsoft appears to be acknowledging just how important it is to have a viable music service for mobile devices — like the soon-to-launch Surface tablet – in order to compete against similar offerings from Amazon and Apple.
If you currently own an Xbox, would you consider subscribing to Xbox Music unlimited subscription? Depending on your sounds system, it could eliminate ever having to buy another CD or MP3 again… What do you think? Sound off below…
Windows x HTC SIGNATURE Smartphone(s) Has Arrived…
September 19th, 2012 by Christen
Today’s Windows HTC 8 Announcement Event in NYC
A truly simplistic & design focused smartphone has arrived compliments of Windows and HTC. The Windows Phone 8X by HTC and the Windows Phone 8S by HTC are a unique mix of the majority of features that consumers know, love & lust for today. These phones have eye-catching designs, Beats Audio technology for studio-quality sound, and an impressive set of front and back cameras. “Pairing HTC’s beautiful new Windows Phone 8X and 8S with our brand is a big milestone for both companies,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. “Together we are offering customers a clear choice and a truly unique experience. I’m thrilled to take our longstanding partnership to the next level.”
Windows Phone 8X by HTC
Windows Phone 8S by HTC
One of my favorite features of the Windows phones are the easy to use Live Tiles. HTC created the Windows Phone 8X and 8S to blend the virtual and the physical utilizing a three dimensional, pure uni-body design based on the Windows Phone Live Tiles. Perfectly sculpted with a smooth taper making them feel unbelievably thin in your hand from every end, angle, top and bottom. Even the home & side camera buttons are flush & fluid in design making this device feel absolutely uniform in the palm of your hand. We all know how much customization is important when owning a smartphone device. Since your device is usually an extension of it’s owning, it’s only right that HTC is bringing bold, sophisticated and adventurous colors in a premium matte finish.
Windows Phone 8X by HTC bursting in color
“We’ve been inspired by Windows Phone 8 to create new smartphones that give the platform the iconic design and personality it deserves,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “Windows Phone has clearly emerged as one of the top mobile ecosystems and is competitive against any other smartphone platform in the world.” As the first ‘SIGNATURE’ devices with “Windows Phone” right in the name both Windows Phones were designed to match Windows and HTC’s design and personality. Nothing screams personality quite like Beats Audio – exclusively available on HTC smartphones, provides authentic, studio-quality sound that delivers the spirit of the original recording. For the first time, HTC is introducing a 2.1MP, 88° ultra-wide angle front-facing camera that captures more people at once and also supports 1080p video capture. The rear camera sports an 8MP CMOS sensor with backside-illumination (BSI) for improved low-light performance and a dedicated imaging chip. A physical and almost invisible shutter button makes it quick and easy to capture spontaneous action, even if the phone is locked.
The Windows Phone 8X by HTC and the Windows Phone 8S by HTC will be available beginning in November through more than 150 carriers in 50+ countries including AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA. No pricing is available yet, but will be announced soon.
What do you think? Is this a Windows phone fit for your personality and style?
See more photos from today’s Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC announcement event below…
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- Windows Phone 8S by HTC
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- Windows Phone 8X by HTC
World Report: Who’s Winning The Battle? Team Android or Team iPhone
May 24th, 2012 by Tech Staff
If you’ve been throwing up your geeky gang signs, claiming Team iPhone or Team Android – we have a startling report to share. After analyzing a more international look at smartphone market share for the start of 2012, and IDC is now more than willing to oblige in the age old battle of who’s outranging who. In case you’d thought Android’s relentless march upwards was just an American thing, Google’s OS has jumped from 36.1 percent of the world’s share a year ago to exactly 59 percent in the first quarter of this year. That’s nearly two thirds of all smartphones, folks. As we’ve seen in the past, Android is siphoning off legacy users looking for something fresher: Symbian and the BlackBerry have both lost more than half of their share in one year’s time, while Linux (led mostly by Bada) and Windows Mobile / Phone together lost small pieces of the pie despite raw shipment numbers going up. As for Apple? Even with all the heat in the kitchen, the iPhone’s share grew to 23 percent, leading to a staggering 82 percent of smartphone buyers siding with the smartphone giant.
Do you currently own an Android or iPhone device? Which one do you prefer and why? Sound off below…
It’s Smart, Sleek And Coming To Human Hands Near You…The Samsung Galaxy S III
May 5th, 2012 by Tech Staff“Samsung GALAXY S III just gets us. Little things, like staying awake when you look at it and keeping track of loved ones. Designed for humans, it goes beyond smart and fulfills your needs by thinking as you think, acting as you act.” – That’s a bold statement, but the new Samsung GALAXY S III dubs itself as just that. (Intelligent, Share-worthy, greatness.)
The same kind of focus that Samsung put into interaction for their Smart TVs is found in different forms on the Galaxy S III. Why not get a response from your phone? Tell it to wake up! Even better, you can tell GALAXY S III to turn off the alarm for a few minutes and let yourself sleep a bit more. Answer your phone (or reject a call), turn your music up (or down), and even tell the camera when to shoot all with the power of your voice.
The (live tiles) Windows inspired “Social Tag” that the new GALAXY S III has is very reminiscent of Facebook tagging & live tiles – all within the convenience of your in-device photo album. According to Samsung, Now it’s even easier to keep track of friends and loved ones. Social tag lets you link the faces in your photo album with their social media streams. Once it’s set, all you have to do is look at their pictures and you’ll see their current status appear. Tagging is also an important feature of the S III. Facial recognition can scan your photos for faces, then connect the faces it finds to corresponding friends in your social networking profiles. Smart stay is a facial recognition feature that prevents the screen from dimming or turning off if the S III’s camera detects your face – ideal if you’re reading or watching a movie and don’t want to touch your screen every few seconds. Direct call will automatically call a number that you are texting, should you change your mind mid-text. While texting a message to another person, raising the phone up to your ear will automatically call that person’s number, instead.
It’s Picture-in-Picture for your smartphone! PopUp Play = Any videos played on the S III can be popped out and viewed in thumbnail mode while you engage with other apps on the phone. Talk about multitasking on a smartphone device!
AllShare Cast is a pretty solid feature, allowing you to connect the S III to any device in the home using Wi-Fi. The second device’s screen will display whatever is on the S III’s screen, in real-time. Group Cast works in a similar way, and allows you to share your screen with multiple friends’ devices nearby. The S III can also be used as a video game controller, though that’s something that certainly calls for more explanation down the road, as to how that will work and for what devices or consoles.
The Samsung GALAXY S III stats:
The Galaxy S III has a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display in 1280 x 720 resolution, and is powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Samsung’s own quad-core 1.4 GHz Exynos 4 Cortex A9 processor. It has 1080p recording and playback capabilities. Recording is handled by the 8 MP camera on the back, which is complemented by a 1.9 MP front-facing camera. There will be 4G compatibility – whether or not you’ll get an LTE-ready phone (as opposed to HSPA+) will depend on where you live. The S III weighs in at 133 grams, and is housed in a 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm frame. It also packs an impressively powerful 2100 mAh battery.
When will it be available? Well our European friends can get their hands on it by the end of this month, there has been no official date announced for a US release or price, but it will be here sooner than you think…
Are you a Samsung fan? Would you buy the new Samsung GALAXY S III?
The Samsung Rugby Smart By AT&T Takes A Licking And Keeps On Ticking…(GIVEAWAY)
March 29th, 2012 by Christen
Once in a while you hear of urban myths that seem too good to be true! The new Samsung Rugby Smart by AT&T is definitely one of them…but this urban legend of a shockproof, dustproof & waterproof smartphone is actually true indeed! The Rugby Smart device is the latest addition to the Samsung & Android family weighing only 4.4 ounces with rubberized grips on the side and tough, scratch-resistant glass up front covering a 480 x 800 Super AMOLED 3.7″ panel. The Samsung Rugby Smart offers brilliant, vibrant color and clarity that make it easy to read indoors and outdoors (although if you’re reading it outdoors, you may want to steer clear of direct sunlight because this strong screen comes with a bit of a glare.) The display is protected by a strengthened glass that resists damage from bumps, drops and scratches. It’s talk time / use time gets a gold star (especially after lasting more than 10hrs of use in a busy day – it definitely gave me a reason to smile!) It’s 5-megapixel camera and video quality isn’t nothing to sneeze at either, but more than anything – my interest was in the claim that the Rugby Smart is a shockproof, dustproof, and waterproof device!
Upon unboxing the Samsung Rugby Smart, I immediately began my mission to abuse this device and take it beyond the point of no return! As an aunt with very inquisitive nieces and nephews – I’m always in need of a device that can take a licking and keep on ticking. (I’m talking about a phone that can be fumbled, multiple times without the uncomfortable pangs of cracked or shattered screens.) As you can see below, I subjected this device to the harsh elements of staircases, street curbs & subway platforms – not to mention dunking the phone in water as if it was a Chips Ahoy cookie in from of a full glass of milk.
Check out additional details, video demonstration and giveaway details below…
Learn more about the Samsung Rugby Smart by AT&T and find out how you could WIN a Samsung Rugby Smart of your own below…
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