Finding the best mobile phone deals isn’t always easy, and with so many service providers claiming to offer cheap phone plans, it can be hard to find the right plan for you. We’re here to make the decision simple and painless with our PhoneSale guide to cheap phone plans.
There are two main types of phone plans available:
Pay Monthly Phones - Pay monthly phone plans are contract based, where a set rate is agreed with by the service provider. These plans are normally 1 to 2 years depending on the provider’s terms and conditions. With pay monthly plans, you are often offered a choice of cell phone devices, which may be anything from cheap touch screen phones, to the latest and greatest Android or iPhone.
Usually monthly commitment plans will bundle multiple features and charge premiums depending on your usage of them. This can mean more monitoring responsibility if you’re on a budget.
Pay As You Go Phones – Pay as you go plans are simply that. You top up your phone credit as and when needed. This plan does not tie you into a long term contract, and is much more flexible. Rates for texting and other internet surfing tend to be higher than monthly bundled plans, but there’s no worry for anything like overage concerns.
Some pay monthly and pay as you go cheap phone plans that are worth checking out include;
AT&T
Individual Plans – AT&T offer a range of individual plans for both the casual and frequent user. Family Plans – The AT&T family plans enable you to share your minutes with up to five other lines, for a single low cost monthly payment plan. Prepaid Plans – The AT&T prepaid plans have no long term contracts, deposits, or credit checks, making them ideal for those who want a hassle free plan. Data Plans – These plans allow you to send a receive email, as well as browse the internet from virtually anywhere.
Verizon
Single Line Plans – Choose your minutes, data, and messaging. Plans start from as little as $39.99 Family Share Plan – Choose how many minutes you need a month and share them with your family. Starting from $69.98. Prepaid Plans – Pay as you go by day or month plan. Choices, freedom, and flexibility. Mobile Broadband Plans – Get all the data you need for your iPad, netbook, tablet, and USB modem.
Sprint
Sprint has wide range of cheap phone plans to suit each individual need and requirement. Whether you are looking for unlimited internet access, plentiful minutes or text messages, long distance calling privileges, or a plan to sit in with you family, Sprint will have something to suit you at an affordable price.
With endless mobile phone options available on the market, it can be almost impossible to decide which one would be considered the best to buy. From CDMA to GSM, 4G to HSPA+ the vocabulary can be daunting and the differences much more difficult to spot. The PhoneSale team has compiled a list of what we consider the best mobile phones of 2012, with the intent of making it easier for you to choose the right smartphone device to match your needs.
Best Camera Phone
Apple iPhone 4S –
The Apple iPhone 4S has an incredible camera and an ultra fast processor. The phone features an 8 megapixel camera which offers an amazing flash, autofocus, f/2.4 aperture lens, and to top it all off a CMOS backside illuminated sensor, which enables 73 percent more light than the previous model. The camera is excellent in low light conditions, and the image quality is brighter, sharper, and less pixilated.
Best Tmobile Phone
HTC Amaze 4G -
The HTC Amaze 4G offers a super sharp LCD touch screen, a premium chassis, and an impressive dual core processor. It is a beautifully designed smartphone, with an 8 megapixel camera that touts numerous advanced settings and shooting modes. This sturdy handset is a little on the heavy side, but all of its impressive features easily make up for that. The super LCD touch screen is truly eye catching, and is perfect for web browsing, messaging, and all other multimedia functionality.
Best Verizon Phones
Motorola Droid Razr Maxx –
The Motorola Droid Razr Maxx is slim, attractive, and durable in design. It has powerful multimedia capabilities and excellent security features. The phone has fast Verizon 4G/LTE data speeds and a 1.2GHzdual core processor.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus –
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus combines the speed of the Verizon LTE network with the power of the Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The phones screen is impeccable with excellent high quality display and brightness, and the internal performance is top notch.
Best Sprint Phone
Samsung Epic 4G Touch –
The Samsung Epic 4G Touch offers incredible performance, beautiful display, and an excellent multimedia experience. This Android smartphone has a 4.5 inch screen, 4G capabilities, and 1.2GHz dual core processor.
Best AT&T Phone
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket –
The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is ideal for those living in an area which has access to the AT&T’s LTE network. The beautiful 4.5 inch screen has a super AMOLED plus display which is sharp and bright, making it perfect for taking advantage of all its multimedia capabilities. It has an amazing 1.5GHz dual core processor, NFC chip, and 8 megapixel camera.
Phones to look forward to:
2012 looks to be an interesting year for phones, with quad-core models heading out to the mass market in droves. The most exciting prospect is that these devices will have an ability to completely replace the home PC.
We're especially excited about the release of Samsung's Galaxy S III series along with Apple's iPhone 5 on the high-end phone line. On the budget end, we expect quite a few impressive prepaid smartphones coming out of both Nokia through their Windows platform and Chinese buzzmaker Huawei with Android.
The future of phones look bright, but if you need to purchase a great phone now, the list we've showcased are some of the most solid device's we've seen.
People wish to unlock cell phones for a number of reasons, the main two being that it enables you to easily switch service providers, and allows you to buy pre-loaded sim cards for use when travelling abroad.
Most cell phones are tethered to a particular service provider, but if you want the freedom to change, then you need to learn how to unlock a phone.
Mobile phone unlocking is actually a lot easier than you may imagine. The process is fairly simple and you do not need any specialist technical knowledge to get the job done.
Important Note: This is a general guide of how other users are unlocking their phones. We do not claim any responsibility for unlocking your Android, iPhone or other device. In the end make sure you tread carefully as failures or mistakes can have you end up with a 'bricked' (non-working) device.
How to Unlock Your Android
Unlocking phones for Android users is a popular option as it allows the consumer to get the most out of their mobile device.
Firstly you will need a GSM provider such as T-mobile, Fido, AT&T, and Rogers. Secondly you will need to get an unlock code from the current network carrier, or shop online and purchase a code from a trusted provider.
Once you have the code the rest of the process is easy. All you need is your IMEI number which is found through the Android’s internal settings, the unlock code, and your new sim.
How to Unlock Your iPhone
Unlocking your iPhone can be risky, which is why it is important to properly research your unlocking options. There are numerous people on the web offering advice on how to unlock your iPhone, but many of these methods are not very safe, efficient, or reliable.
One of the most popular software available for unlocking iPhones is Redsn0w. There are a range of Redsn0w tutorials on YouTube that explain how to perform the unlock.
How to Unlock Other Phones
For many phones all you will need to do is enter a numeric code. For a certain fee some service providers will give you the proper code so you can have an unlocked cell phone without any extra effort. Depending on the model of cell phone you have, there are also a number of third party companies that will provide unlock phone codes from as little as $5 to around $25.
And that's it for our general primer on how to unlock a cell phone. Stay-tuned for detailed postings later.
Losing or misplacing your cell phone can be traumatic, and more often than not you will experience that sinking feeling in your stomach, as the prospect of ever finding it again slips further and further away.
Not only are you losing your cell phone, you are also losing all your personal information that is stored inside the device itself, including contacts, text messages, as well as private information that is stored in many of the smartphone apps these days.
Knowing how to find a lost cell phone is not as difficult as you may think. Luckily there are many great apps available to help you locate your phone. They work by tracking your cell phones internal GPS system, and more often than not pinpoint the missing cell phones location, usually within a few meters.
Some of these apps even allow you to remotely erase all personal data from the phone, and even cell phone spying is possible by taking a snapshot photo of the person using the phone if a front facing camera is featured.
Even if you have never installed any apps on your cell phone prior to its loss, these apps can help you to recover the device in no time at all. Thanks to these innovative applications, you no longer have to rely on pressing call and hoping to hear the phone ringing under a pile of dirty laundry.
If you want to ensure you know how to track a cell phone incase the occasion ever arises, then check out the following apps;
Track and Find Android
Wheres My Droid – This free cell phone finder app is by far the best deal for Android users, it is easy to set up and allows you to pinpoint your cell phones location, via a series of text messages that reveals the longitude and latitude, provides a Google map link, and shows the nearest address. Even if your phone is on silent you can turn on the ringer and turn it up to full blast. For remote wipe all you need to do is purchase the pro version from within the app for $4.
Plan B – If you lost your phone before installing any precautionary measures, then there is always Plan B. This app can be remotely installed via the Android market website.
Track and Find iPhone
Find My iPhone – Simply install the Find My iPhone app on any iOS device and sign in with your Apple ID. This cell phone locator app will display a map with your phones location, and allows you to display a message, play a sound, remotely lock, or wipe all data.
Other Phones
There are also a number of other great apps for non Android of iPhone devices, that some phone providers supply to their customers including;
• Sprint’s Family Locater
• AT&T’s FamilyMap
• Verizon’s Family Locater
• Blackberry’s Berry Locater
• Microsoft’s My Phone
Regardless of your situation, there's nothing more relieving than being able to find your expensive and personally-crucial lost phone. Though these apps may provide a solution, it's important to plan ahead, install these services before-hand and hope you'll never have to use them at all. In the end, it's better to spend pocket change to keep your device safe, than having to buy a new phone.
Wireless Dat Service (WDS) released a study that found Android devices costing wireless carriers billions in repairs 'as they try to evolve their customer service strategies to keep pace with the rapidly growing ecosystem.' WDS teams around the world conducted a study over the past year analyzing over 600,000 customer service calls. The study, entitled Controlling the Android, revealed the potential downside to the rapid adoption of Google's Android operating system across numerous wireless manufacturers and carriers alike.
WDS found that hardware failures among Android devices were more common than that of iPhone and Blackberry devices, most likely due to the sheer volume of phones across all makes running Google's operating system. As opposed to Android's open-source software, Apple and RIM's operating systems are developed in-house, allowing more control over user error.
Many Android devices are in fact low-end to appeal to consumers not wanting to spend money on super-smartphones with the latest technologies. Google's reach across manufacturers and consumers with Android allows for installation on low- and high-end devices. Not all manufacturers guarantee that their devices will get the latest iteration of Android, such as the upcoming 'Ice Cream Sandwich' update.
The result? Angry phone calls from consumers to wireless carriers and manufacturers asking why their hardware can't keep up with the latest technologies, thus prompting customer service departments to revamp their systems and spend even more funds to appeal to such inquiries, on top of other hardware failures. If these customers get too angry, they may take their business elsewhere. Newer low-end operating systems, as seen with Windows Phone 7.5 'Mango' may become an increasingly appealing choice for these customers.
However, Google's widespread reach with Android devices has been their key success, with Mobiledia stating the following: 'This widespread availability gives Android an advantage, helping it launch devices powered by the OS into the top spot in the competitive smartphone market. Earlier this year, Google announced over 500,000 Android devices are activated daily.'
Google has opted to give customers $10 if they use Google Wallet to experience paying everyday vendors with one's smartphone. Due to lackluster adoption rates, Google is ramping up its Hamiltonian promotion for its mobile payment service at select stores across five major US cities and at participating merchants such as Walgreens, Jamba Juice, Footlocker, and Peet's Coffee & Tea.
Do you live in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Washington, D.C.? Between now and January 12, Google, Sprint, and Samsung representatives will hold demos at the aforementioned franchises (and other locations to be determined) to demonstrate Google Wallet on Samsung Nexus S demo phones.
'We're excited to give you a chance to try out Google Wallet and experience paying with a mobile phone,' said Google in their official blog.
Google's limited release of Google Wallet on Samsung Nexus S phones using the Sprint network has resulted in less than ideal adoption rates for the corporation. Google Wallet terminals are only available at a limited number of Google-partnered merchants in an even more limited number of cities-- another reason why people most likely haven't even seen the service in action.
Mobiledia reports on a few more downsides to Google Wallet. 'Wallet is also limited in that it supports just two payment methods, Citi MasterCard and Google pre-paid cards. Rival mobile payment companies Square and PayPal, which don't use NFC technology in their systems, allow all major credit cards, putting Wallet at a possible disadvantage. But the search giant reported licensing Visa's PayWave, which would let Wallet work at thousands of payment terminals already equipped with Visa technology. Google also says it has plans to bring Visa, Discover and American Express on board in the future.'
By having live demos coupled with the rise of NFC-equipped phones released in the near future, Google may find more potential customers as their demos commence throughout the holiday season. In addition to this, Google's partnerships with more and more established services will help to spread adoption of Google Wallet and other NFC services.
The NFC Forum, an industry group for the promotion of NFC technologies, has recently gained support from Isis, a coalition of credit card companies, carriers, and smartphone manufacturers. With more major corporations within the industry promoting mobile payments, it is still to early to tell the future of Google Wallet. Standardization of NFC technology by these groups may result in adoption of NFC-enabled payment terminals at more and more vendors.
As HTC phones become more popular stateside, the handset manufacturer aims to lure iPhone customers and other potential smartphone shoppers with a 70% spike in shipments, as cited by the company's third quarter earnings. Despite a recent loss in the heated Apple Patent Cases, the 'Tiny Giant' of a phonemaker isn't doing so bad in the numbers that count.
Mobiledia cites HTC's successes as a result of the company moving to differentiate its offerings with other Android-based smartphones as well as to lure potential iPhone customers as those waiting for Apple's latest 4S device are experiencing the expected wait times as seen with other iPhone launches. 'HTC pumped eight new smartphones into the market during the third quarter, putting new offerings in front of eager customers who had grown tired of waiting for the iPhone 4S.'
HTC is also trying to be more self-reliant and more of a namesake outside of 'yet another Android phone manufacturer.' One-third of the third quarter sales was attributed to the sale of Windows phones, with the latest 'Mango' operating system update offering future support that may switch potential iPhone customers to Windows Phone-based HTC devices.
HTC also signed content deals akin to what's seen with the likes of similar wireless corporations. HTC announced deals with competative streaming services, such as video streaming by Saffron and Onlive mobile gaming. Onlive, for example, could be in direct competition with the XBOX Live services that Microsoft will release in the near future for Windows Phones. In addition to the above, HTC has also partnered with the NFC forum, furthering HTC's plan to deliver high-end features with their devices off the bat with NFC-embedded phones not yet experienced by iPhone customers.
HTC, like Samsung and many others involved in the wireless industry, has been in legal bouts with Apple over patents. As the appeal of other potential smartphones such as HTC's EVO 3D pull iPhone customers away from Apple's coffers, HTC continues to make a name for itself by any (legal) means necessary.
BlueStacks App Player allows you to enjoy the latest app releases of Android on Windows machines, using the comfort of your large screen or faster hardware compared to your phone.
BlueStacks has been released as an alpha, to have those on Windows 7 try apps from their Android phone on a PC using BlueStacks Cloud Connect. Ten pre-loaded apps are available upon downloading BlueStacks, allowing you to trying Android on Windows 7 netbooks, tablets, laptops, and PCs. The alpha stages allow up to 26 more apps to be installed, with more to follow in the future.
Upon installation, an Android gadget is placed on your desktop, where you can launch apps from Words With Friends to Pulse News. BlueStacks displays Android on Windows, in virtualized and full-screen glory, bringing your apps to dimensions unlike before.
Company CEO and co-founder Rosen Sharma, previously McAfee's chief technology officer, said he got the idea from his daughter: 'She went to a Netbook, and she wanted the same apps on it.'
Not until BlueStacks were you able to run phone apps normally for Android on Windows devices. Numerous HTC, Samsung, and other Android users may have a two way portal, flawlessly syncing apps to PCs. Sending apps from your phone to PC requires the BlueStacks Cloud Connect App from the Android Market. You will be given a unique pin number to connect devices and allow you to sync apps accordingly.
'Developers have an opportunity here, as BlueStacks touts, because the App Player opens up Android space to over a billion PC users, and it does not require any additional work because the apps can run unmodified on the Windows PC,' according to a ZDNet article.
In a market that is hot for Apple, Google may push more developments like BlueStacks. Android on Windows may provide Google an unexpected boost in users previously on devices without the Android OS.
Many, upon news of the iPhone 4S release, were disheartened to hear that the newest Apple device did not look so new at first glance. Though the hardware is still only comparable to that of the high-end smartphone market and nothing too revolutionary, the iPhone 4S' software end is quite the contrary.
Siri was introduced as Apple's new 'virtual intelligent assistant' providing iPhone 4S users a new method of interaction with their phone and its apps using voice commands. Texts, emails, calendar dates, and directions are amongst the basic commands one can alter or create by simply commandingf with Siri. Apple turns up the dial with Siri as your commands are tied in with location-based recommendations and searches that highlight upon keywords in your voice search.
The iPhone 4S release and Apple's preview of Siri spell potential trouble for Google, according to some media outlets and analysts. Google currently has Voice Actions for Android that allows you to take basic voice control with your phone by allowing you to say simple strings to get you cut-and-dry results. Voice commands such as 'navigate to X' will open up Google Maps to navigate you to X on your HTC, Samsung, or otherwise.
Though the iPhone 4S release will not immediately include Siri, the personal assistant promised by Apple may not only one-up Voice Actions for Android, but even Google's entire suite of search engines. In Apple's official commercial, questions such as 'How is the traffic in this area?' will prompt Siri to pull up a map with GPS data tracking the traffic. From there, you'll be able to ask Siri to notify someone that you are running late via text and change the calendar engagement with yet another command.
Siri may pose a bit of a threat to Google by altering the way one searches for things on their phone, and even allowing for convenient searches by making use of natural voice recognition. However, Google's slew of services such as Places, which works in tandem with Maps, Plus, and Offers, 'allows businesses to pay for higher placement [and] was born almost entirely out of watching how and what users search for on their mobile devices,' according to Ars Technica. 'Mobile ads attached to those queries are exploding right now—arguably moreso than just regular browser ads—and while Google doesn't live or die by that revenue alone, it's certainly not something to be taken lightly.'
As the iPhone 4S release looms, time will tell as to whether or not Google will suffer from Siri's amazing abilities.
US Senators have introduced a bill requiring mobile carriers to define 4G technology once and for all, giving the federal government more regulatory fuel to the wildfire of cutthroat wireless competition.
Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, as well as Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, aim to quash the confusion regarding wireless carriers' loose definition of 4G technology and speeds by introducing a bill to disclose information on 'true' 4G phone releases and network experiences.
The bill would force carriers to provide details on anything marketed as 4G technology such as guaranteed data speeds, network reliability, and even conditions that could affect services touted by 4G technology. The Federal Communications Commission would evaluate the speed of 4G services for the top wireless carriers in the US, if the bill is passed by the Senate. 'In an era when one in five phones sold is labeled 4G and carriers are scrambling to build or expand 4G networks, this step by federal regulators may slow down an industry that is defined by speed,' according to Mobiledia.
So the question is, what do phones like the Motorola Droid Bionic and Samsung Epic 4G have in common if they are both sold as 4G technology?
True 4G technology was originally accepted by the wireless industry as speeds of 100mbps or greater, allowing HSPA+, WiMAX, and LTE to bear the 4G label on networks and devices alike. 4G experiences differ; however, as variable conditions like weather and terrain greatly affect the 100mbps minimum speeds. 4G technology, in turn, is mainly available in major cities and wireless markets where carriers set up optimized networks as opposed to outlying areas with lower profit returns.
'Wireless providers need to make sure their customers can count on the speed, reliability, and the price they were promised when they signed up,' said Senator Franken in regards with the proposed bill. 'And if they can't fulfill their promise, they need to be held accountable.'
While the race to the fastest phones and networks is underway, the federal government looks to regulate carriers' lackadaisical labeling of 4G technology, despite varied results.
Aside from the iPhone 4S launch that is sure to generate revenue for the top-tier wireless carrier, AT&T released news on its near-future debut of slimmer LTE phones based on new technology not found in the devices of its top competitor, Verizon.
The phones are set to launch in the fourth quarter of this year, though AT&T did not say which manufacturers are making the technology in question. The phones will be using a feature called 'circuit-switch fallback' or CSFB, allowing phones to run 4G LTE speeds normally and switch back to 3G when LTE coverage is unavailable.
Compared to Verizon's 4G LTE phones, AT&T's LTE phones do not use separate 4G and 3G devices, each of which require separate power sources. CSFB allows manufacturers to make slimmer phone bodies that require less power.Verizon is already a year into its 4G LTE network, which gave its customers a 'true' 4G experience compared to HSPA+ and WiMAX that allow for 4G benchmarks, but are not truly a new generation of wireless technology.
In an interview with CNET, Ralph de La Vega (chief executive of AT&T's wireless and consumer arm) claims that AT&T will be the first network to boast CSFB technology in a move to better compete with Verizon's largely established 4G LTE phone lineup and customer base.
Sprint has also been making moves with the rollout of its own LTE network, partnering with LightSquared. Provided that government regulators approve LightSquared's plans to extend existing LTE networks, Sprint too will be able to compete in an upgraded wireless market. T-Mobile has updated its network as well, as its future is uncertain pending the federal decision on the legality of their acquisition by AT&T.
HTC? Motorola? Samsung? It is your time to shine. As people await news on the next batch of catwalk-slim smartphones, AT&T will surely announce official releases of their LTE phones and network availability.
Sprint customers will be glad to hear that 4G LTE network technology will be available to them over the next couple of years as the accompany plans an aggressive deployment of Sprint 4G networks consolidated under its 'Network Vision' plans.
While looking to keep up with AT&T's commencement of 4G LTE services and Verizon's already established networks, Sprint has partnered with LightSquared to enhance its network and keep competitive in the wireless market.
“Our progress deploying Network Vision enables Sprint to extend and evolve our 4G leadership and to improve the experience for 3G customers. Our next-generation network and cutting-edge device lineup, combined with the industry’s best pricing plans, give Sprint customers the best experience in wireless,” according to Sprint CEO Dan Hesse.
Sprint's goal is to consolidate its multiple network technologies into one with increased efficiency and enhanced coverage. Sprint 4G LTE is preceded by Clearwire WiMAX 4G, based on devices such as the HTC EVO 4G, Samsung Epic 4G Touch, and Nexus 4G -- all of which Sprint is committed to covering through 2012.
Sprint has cleared hurdles to establish its new services, combining its old networks under one LTE-optimized umbrella. According to Engadget, the conversion from CDMA to LTE is under way as Sprint 4G cell sites are currently making the switch with the assistance of Samsung, Alcatel Lucent and Ericsson.
'The companies have partnered with Sprint to install multimode 3G and 4G base stations to handle the network's future traffic, essential for deploying the multitude of frequencies required by hosted devices.'
This is especially of note as Sprint is looking to take steps towards using Wi-Fi offloading to relieve network congestion and allow for a more efficient mobile experience. However, investors did not respond positively to the Sprint 4G LTE announcement, as the company looks to fund its costly endeavor while effectively cutting off its once lucrative partnership with Clearwire. Regardless, the network carrier seems determined to regain market share from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile by branding Sprint 4G and packaging it as a solid wireless experience.
You and your friends may text each other to see what's up and perhaps plan an outing, while others around the globe in developing countries send text messages for health-related services.
mHealth Alliance and other related programs send text messages to remind patients about upcoming health evaluations, available vaccinations, and informative texts as to preventing disease.
In Africa, for example, the spread of malaria is abated by healthcare workers as they send text messages to people regarding vaccination reminders and tips on how to deal with disease transmitters such as mosquitoes.
Mobiledia cites the Kenyan Medical Research Institute's success story with keeping malaria away from the population. 'The program resulted in a 25 percent patient improvement rate, as opposed to programs that did not utilize a text messaging system.'
While those with healthcare in developed countries worry about co-pay or whether or not their next booster shot will sting, developing countries are showing perseverance with what little resources are given to them.
In developing countries such as India, this means that pregnant women can receive text messages from their healthcare providers who in turn send text messages back for dietary and child-rearing opinions. However, said women cannot benefit from these text messages if their cell phone batteries are out of power. Solutions exist, such as bicycles that generate power for your cell phone while riding, can be applied to rural areas with little electricity for use of cell phone chargers.
Large organizations have been making steps towards improving global health by establishing basic technology systems in developing countries. At a recent mHealth summit, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation proposed a system where a global database registers birth data to be sent to a central health agency. The child's growth is monitored by the agency, who uses the database to send text messages to the child's parents for appointment reminders and healthy living tips. Clinics nearby can be recommended by the database so that the parents know exactly what they need to do to care for their child, despite less-than-ideal conditions in their community.
Next time you send text messages to your friends, keep in mind that the same technology is saving countless lives across the globe.
The iPhone 4S, a welcomed upgrade for some and a disappointment for others, was unveiled during Apple's 'Let's Talk iPhone' event. Engadget released a comparison chart that we at PhoneSale feel our readers may benefit from reading when comparing top shelf phones from all makes.
Compared in the chart were three of the latest smartphones touting the latest technologies expected from manufacturers: the Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Titan, and Motorola Droid Bionic. Each of them sport different features for different customers, and knowing their key strengths and weaknesses can give you a better grasp of the current competition.
Platform: The iPhone 4S brings iOS 5 to the table, promising cutting edge services like iCloud and Siri. The former wirelessly pushes media from your iCloud account to all wireless Apple devices, while the latter acts as a personal assistant that will get things done for you just by asking, according to Apple.
The HTC Titan is one of the first stateside handsets that comes native with the Windows Phone 7 'Mango' update. The Droid Bionic and Galaxy S II both use their own flavors of Android 2.3.4.
Processor: One of the biggest complaints about the iPhone 4S across the board is that it did not live up to the hype a rumored iPhone 5 would have brought to the table against the non-Apple powerhouses. With a dual-core A5 processor, Apple boasts that their new iPhone is seven times faster than the previous iPhone 4 model.
Though Apple touts these improvements, raw processing speed falls short of the competition. The iPhone 4S is only said to have 1GHz of processing power, compared to the 1.5GHz Snapdragon processors used by the Galaxy S II and the Titan.
Battery: iPhone 4S offers a quoted max talk time of 8 hours on 3G and 14 hours on 2G. Other than the Bionic clocking in at 10.8 hours for 3G talk time, the iPhone 4S offers more airtime and even media playback time (40 hours audio, 10 hours video) than its contenders. The real downside to any Apple phone released is their embedded battery -- the others have removable batteries for easy replacement or backup usage.
Storage capacity and memory: Apple does not allow you to alter the internal memory on any iPhone to date, but does expand the 4S to a maximum of 64GB. Samsung's contender is comparable coming out of the box with 16 or 32GB internal with microSDHC expansion. The Droid Bionic also supports microSDHC expansion with a cool 16GB out of the box. The Titan is overshadowed at a standard 16GB internal with no expansion capabilities.
Memory-wise, the iPhone 4S and Titan have 512MB compared to 1GB on the Bionic and Galaxy S II.
Dimensions and weight: The iPhone 4S is the smallest by dimension and a mid-range weight compared to the Galaxy S II, Titan, and Droid Bionic. It also has the smallest screen real estate at 3.5 inches, compared to well over 4 inches a piece for the other phones.
As the iPhone 4S is slated for release on the 14th of October, it gives consumers time to weigh the newest smartphone contender in the ring. Will the iPhone 4S hold up with the rest?
Owners of HTC phones beware: Android Police has reported on security flaws that expose personal data on devices using recent versions of the HTC Sense user interface.
HTC released an update on its Sense software that adds logging tools for gathering personal information and usage data, for a reason that HTC has not disclosed at this time. The flaw allows apps that request a common permission to access information such as phone numbers, user accounts, email addresses, and location data -- all of which are vulnerable without an official patch from HTC or rooting the device, according to the Android Police report.
Affected HTC phones, including the EVO 4G, EVO 3D, and Thunderbolt, are vulnerable to outside user access as a result of HTC's Sense update. A full list detailing in-depth tech analysis and specific phones affected are found on the Android Police report, however they have noted that the security flaw only concerns those on a 'stock' version of HTC Sense.
The news comes in light due to a growing number of unauthorized, malware-infested apps making their way onto the Android Marketplace. As the Marketplace does not officially moderate content like Apple's App Store, many apps slip past security and cause numerous issues for Android users.
Apple iOS is a more secured yet limited operating system compared to the open-source nature of Android, which is why iPhone and iPad users have little concern over viruses such as GGTracker and Zeus Trojan. Access to such sensitive data could lead to identity theft across the HTC devices affected and result in customer dissatisfaction with HTC and Google's Android OS if the breach is not patched up.
“HTC takes our customers' security very seriously, and we are working to investigate this claim as quickly as possible. We will provide an update as soon as we're able to determine the accuracy of the claim and what steps, if any, need to be taken,” says HTC concerning the security flaw.
News of Apple's October 4th unveiling event continues to trend news media, but Apple may want to consider what the consumers want as a recent study finds that consumers are willing to switch with an iPhone 5 that is caught up with current technologies offered by other manufacturers.
InMobi, a worldwide mobile advertising network, released findings in their iPhone-focused study entitled 'iPhone 5 and the Mobile Market' detailing customer expectations for the upcoming Apple launch. As a result of their study, 41 percent of mobile users in the United States, Canada, and Mexico plan to buy the newest iPhone.
Additionally, 52 percent of BlackBerry and 27 percent of Android users polled by InMobi planned to switch to the iPhone 5. For current iPhone 4 and prior owners, 51 percent plan to switch to the new Apple phone.
'However, if Apple only unveils a product update—akin to the 3GS version of the iPhone that Apple released in 2009—interest in the new smartphone will be significantly lower, with fewer than 15% of consumers likely to actively pursue the new handset,' says InMobi's press release.
The study is significant, but adds to the sea of speculation as known for any of Apple's scheduled unveiling dates. While rumors are one thing, actual releases are another -- many industry analysts and those claiming to have insider information are uncertain as to Apple releasing a new, up-to-date iPhone 5 or a rehashed iPhone '4S' model. The study finds that customers looking for a new iPhone 5 to replace their current phone are looking for 'improved battery life; increased processing speed; higher-quality screen resolution; and stronger phone service.'
iPhone proponents, such as Ben Miller, have taken the rumors and gotten a bit creative in speculation for Apple's proposed October 4th unveiling. Though inoperable, Ben used all the known hardware components and specification leaks to mock up something for fans to oggle over before official plans are even announced. According to Mobiledia, 'Consensus grows over the iPhone 5's features, including an A5 processor, an 8-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video capture, possibly a slimmer design, and a larger screen. The latter two are suggested in Miller's model.'
Apple has a lot riding on its future announcement, as these hopeful next-generation iPhone consumers constitute what may be the company's re-captured market share in the light of Google's Android OS success.
The NFC Forum released news on a standardization protocol allowing phones enabled with NFC more cross-platform compatibility amongst users and simplified development for app developers.
The NFC Forum's standardization protocol was published in their '16th specification' of the non-profit's continued advances with NFC technology. Called SNEP or Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol, peer-to-peer data exchanges can be made between NFC enabled devices, regardless of make. Examples in which SNEP could be used are highlighted on the NFC Forum's release.
Simplified transfer of contact information - one person's phone can be configured to automatically send business card information when an NFC peer-to-peer connection is established. The recipient doesn't have to do anything other than to accept the business card and allow it to be entered into his phone book.
Collecting movie posters for later use - a consumer can retrieve and store movie posters with NFC tags onto an NFC-enabled phone while just passing by. Back home, the consumer can display the movie information on a flat-screen TV and navigate to the films' web pages, simply by tapping the phone to an NFC-enabled TV remote control.
SNEP would give phones from different manufacturers and mobile operating systems the ability to seamlessly exchange data. This could be done without apps like Bump, which does not use NFC allows phones to have a similar functionality to SNEP. Whether your phone says iPhone, BlackBerry, Samsung, or HTC -- all future phones with NFC technology will have some common ground to exchange data upon.
Business with advertisements, such as a URL to their website or special offers for services, can enable NFC tags within their media. These tags can be picked up by NFC enabled phones or other devices to spread business' communications with ease. NFC World sees this technology as an impetus for viral transfer of information, as the same format is being used for NFC tag reading and writing with SNEP technology. Information collected from tags can be exchanged between other NFC phones, allowing viral marketing or promotional material to be spread by proximity of NFC users.
Gizmodo mentions, 'This will be especially helpful for enabling a more robust set of fancy two-way connection features, like a geotagged receipt from Starbucks on your phone.'
As app builders begin using NFC protocol and standardizations from the development communities, a future filled with NFC functions awaits our phones.
HTC Cell Phones has launched a counter claim against Apple in the form of an official International Trade Commission investigation, striking back in an ongoing patent infringements case between the companies. While Apple was the first to file claims against HTC for twenty iPhone patents, HTC has retaliated by requesting the ITC investigate the Taiwanese company's own claims against Apple.
The ITC released a press release stating that though they have agreed to launch an investigation on Apple, the case still needs a proper administrative law judge and hearing thereafter to proceed.
The investigation spans Apple's offerings of computers, tablets, and smartphones. The ITC has the ability to block imports of products or devices it deems unfair to trade practice or import law, though the process can be long and drawn-out. Although Apple is headquartered stateside in Cupertino, CA, many of its device's components rely on international manufacturers.
Business Week previously reported on the patents in question:
'The patents in the ITC case relate to an interface that lets the user add identifiers such as .com or .org; an interface that enlarges characters being typed; a way to display information on mobile devices; and status bars that let a user check phone calls, text messages or calendar events.'
HTC's complaints, however, are fueled by their recent acquisition of properties on behalf of Google earlier this year. CNET details the tangled web of lawsuits between mobile giants as one that spans beyond Apple and HTC.
'The legal battle is of special interest, given the inclusion of Android devices that have been targeted in separate lawsuits, as well as ITC complaints targeting Android partners Samsung Electronics and Motorola Mobility, which is being sold to Android maker Google.'
What do HTC and Apple have to say about this mess? HTC's statement in regards to the ITC case is matter-of-fact:
“HTC will continue to protect its patented inventions against infringement from Apple until such infringement stops. We believe that we have an obligation to protect our business, our industry partners and our customers, who love using our products.”
Apple position? 'We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours,' said Steve Jobs, while still working at Apple, in regards to the company's initial claims against HTC.
With the wireless industry being as complex as it is, consumers find it harder and harder to filter media hype from fact. For every consumer, there is a wireless device, and for every wireless device, is a myriad of companies, acquisitions, and mergers. As with any product or service, wireless providers continuously one-up one another in order to claim the highest market share. Such one-uppery results in the dissolution of former flagship devices as seen with RIM and Blackberry, or the amalgamation of greats such as AT&T and Apple.
A recent feature by Fierce Wireless details the ten controversial (and brilliant) wireless business ideas over the past decade, of which we will review ideas that resulted in the wireless landscape as we know and deal with today.
In 2007, Apple's decision to sell the iPhone through AT&T first was a commercial success as AT&T piggy-backed on Apple's successes. Increased adoption of the iPhone, however, led to unprecedented network strain, so much so that some high-volume markets experienced frequently dropped or unsuccessful calls. This led to AT&T switching to tiered data which saw the beginning of usage-based smartphone data plans as opposed to the previously unlimited options, which most wireless providers have opted for in recent times. 'Sprint Nextel is now the only Tier 1 carrier that offers unlimited smartphone data, and while Sprint plans to keep that offering executives have indicated that they might have to change that at some point.'
In 2008,Motorola betting the farm on Android was seen as serious risk due to shoddy sales and performance prior to their announcement.Motorola saw significant success after the original Droid smartphone which touted Google's Android OS. Verizon Wireless and Motorola helped popularize Android-based phones due to a multi-million dollar marketing plan and Android's open-source programming, allowing a variety of handsets to compete with the likes of Nokia, Samsung, RIM, and Apple. Once the world's number two handset maker in the world, Motorola is now number nine behind manufacturers such as HTC and Huawei due to successful sales of their lower price point Android phones. 'The company's Android positioning also likely helped Google move in as a suitor; Google plans to acquire Motorola for $12.5 billion.'
In 2010, T-Mobile's decision to market HSPA+ as '4G' turned the tables as companies (namely AT&T) were reluctant to call the technology a significant upgrade over 3G. T-Mobile attracted attention with their slightly faster network speeds by giving it the '4G' moniker as a brilliant marketing maneuver due to the fact that consumers had little clue as to what the differences were between '3G' and '4G' networks. Ultimately the other carriers followed suit and began to use '4G' more freely. 'The compatibility of their network approaches was one of the justifications AT&T gave for its proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile.'
With mergers, acquisitions, lawsuits and technological advances abound, only time (not rumors) will tell the next happenings in the wireless industry.
Contrary to the recommendation of financial advisers around the globe, BlackBerry phones have been found to be adopted primarily by those of the highest average incomes. The study, conducted by Prosper Mobile Insights, found that the wealthiest income brackets were the most likely to own a BlackBerry phone over that of iPhone and Android owners respectively.
Prosper Mobile Insights' semi-annual Simultaneous Media Usage Survey defines a wealthy household as one that brings in an income of $150,000 or more a year. Within the top income bracket, 11.3 percent of smartphone owners have a BlackBerry, whereas 10.9 own iPhones and 7.2 own an Android-based device.
BlackBerry owners in the $100,000 to $149,999-a-year category take a lead of21.2 percent whereas 19.1 percent own iPhones and 15.8 percent own Androids.
iPhones command the $75,000 to $99,999 a year income; 19.6 percent have Apple's phone, 18.7 percent, a BlackBerry, and 18.2 percent, Android.
Android picks up the rest, from $74,999 a year and less with 23.7 percent, 22.4 percent for iPhone, and 21.2 percent for BlackBerry.
As originally reported by MSNBC's Technolog, these findings are indications as to the type of person more inclined to own RIM's BlackBerry phone. Once trusted as the foremost provider of enterprise-centric phones, 'BlackBerry' is synonymous with 'poor investment' and 'unknown future' as increasing competition from Android and iOS devices continue to blow RIM out of the competition.
The iPhone tends to provide the customer a consumer-friendly package that has an app for everything life throws at you, despite its considerable price tag. Android phones are not limited to one line of handsets or carriers for that matter, with manufacturers all across the globe using the Google-based operating system for the most entry level smartphone to the omniscient powerhouse that Google is known to provide. Consumers tend to choose iPhone when they want a solid experience, but lack much of the open-source benefits from which Android phones get their renown.
RIM currently sits at the bottom of the barrel in the world of mobile phones, next to the likes of Windows phones who have yet to find their niche amongst the modern consumer. RIM looks to release a complete overhaul of its BlackBerry OS with QNX. In addition to this, it has been reported that future BlackBerry phones will be NFC-embedded as they have recently partnered with HID Global to make their phones more appealing to those rolling out NFC technologies within their enterprise.
Google has been hard at work, with its nose in almost everyone's business. From its invite-only to public release stages, Google+ has been experiencing a slew of updates to keep competitive -- 100 and counting according to the official blog. Update #92 is the one everyone wants to hangout with.
92. Hangouts on your phone
In life we connect with others in all sorts of places, at all different times. And the connections you make unexpectedly are often the ones you remember the most. We think Hangouts should keep pace with how you socialize in the real-world, so today we’re launching it on the one device that's always by your side: your mobile phone.
Up until public release, Hangouts were only available via desktop, allowing web cams to connect circles of friends with access to features like Google Docs, desktop sharing, and a communal sketchpad. One of the newest features, Hangouts On Air, allows one to broadcast live to a total of nine people within your circles. Such features expand upon current video conferencing services, such as with Skype and USTREAM.
Mobile Hangouts are currently available for users on Android 2.3+ devices; good news for those who own phones with front-facing cameras such as HTC Thunderbolts and Motorola Droid Bionics. Unfortunately, iOS circles will have to wait for their Google+ apps to allow for the new features (though FaceTime is always there to keep company).
Google continues to +1 the likes of Facebook and Twitter, gleaning from said companies' successes. Obviously this is a two-way street -- as an answer to Google+ Circles, Facebook released smarter friends lists and the ability to subscribe to public or private updates viewable in its ever-expanding News Feed. Google+ experienced an extremely high user adoption rate, however most people never did more than update their basic information and organize their circles of friends doing the same.
Hangouts may be the trump card that Google must take advantage of early on in order to keep its social media endeavors afloat.
In a move that many media outlets call a push towards widespread 4G adoption, Verizon Wireless has announced network 'optimization' for the top five percent of its unlimited 3G customer base.
Network optimization, as Verizon calls it, is a trend that wireless providers have turned to in order to relieve network congestion. Many news outlets and analyists are quick to call it throttling due to its cap on the top percentile of network data users, slowing 3G to unbearable speeds by modern standards. Unlimited data users are confused as to carriers' definition of 'unlimited' since it has become a trend to penalize those who use an excess of 2GB of network data.
Verizon's disclosure explains to the consumer that unlike throttling, the network will only cap speeds so long as congestion persists. Once a period of high network traffic is over, speeds will return to normal to those affected. However, it is not necessarily known when a nearby cell tower is overloaded and for how long.
Activities such as HD video streaming, constant online gaming, and excessive downloading will lead to exceeding the 2GB limit; however, this is only limited to those utilizing 3G networks. Customers on 4G networks and other tiered plans will feel no such effects from Verizon's change in network management. It is also something to note that the above wireless activities can still be done, free of cellular carrier charges, over WiFi.
Currently the Motorola Droid Bionic, LG Revolution, Samsung Droid Charge, and HTC Thunderbolt phones utilize Verizon Wireless' brand of 4G LTE. Are you a voracious Verizon Wireless data consumer looking to upgrade? PhoneSale has 4G LTE-ready Verizon cell phones in stock to benefit from 'optimization-free' wireless usage.
According to PC World, 'Although throttling is bad news for unlimited data users, and the phrase 'network optimization' is basically PR spin, Verizon still deserves some credit for explaining its policies in plain English on a Web page. AT&T has not done the same.' AT&T will enact a similar 'network management plan' on October 1st. T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile already reduce wireless speeds for those who exceed data limits on their unlimited plans.
Smartphones are undoubtedly the modern Swiss Army knife, and we grow more reliant on them as technology continues to cram functionality into our trusty devices. We walk about our daily lives with, say holders for our LG Cell Phones, cradling our treasured tech, GPS at the ready for when we are lost or looking for a bite to eat. Our tip is calculated by the smartphone. So are our social lives.
There are many who feel that smartphones and all other mobile devices are the bane of basic human contact. Proximity and intimacy are slowly being replaced by cell phone hands-free sets and front-facing cameras.
One designer at the Berlin University of Arts thought upon this and took the 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' approach to the lack of emotional response to one's text or call. As a result, Fabian Hemmen crammed three sensory functions into prototype smartphones revealed at the latest TEDxBerlin conference: breathing, holding, and kissing.
“Mobile phones use so little of our sensory abilities. They are great for information exchange - text, video, and speech - but they provide no feeling of nearness,” said Hemmen, quoted at New Scientist.
One of the prototypes replicates hand-holding to various degrees, by use of force sensors attached to the smartphone and a strap worn by the user. The second prototype, receives breaths of air via pressure sensor and sends it back to a significant other via a jet on their handset.
The third replicates kissing. A moisture sensor on the sender's phone receives the kiss and transmits it to the receiver, who receives the kiss on a motorized sponge that pushes on a semi-permeable membrane.
Debate is hot regarding whether or not such features are so necessary to everyday smartphone communication. Why kiss cold plastic when warm flesh is but a drive home?
'It starts the discussion about how we actually want to communicate in the future,' says Hemmen in response to skeptics of his prototypes.
Many are enamored over the fact that their smartphone handles a lot of their day to day needs. Should we really go as far to have them replace the more intimate aspects of human living? The trend is not only seen in phones, but increasingly in all aspects of modern technology.
Should we simply 'join 'em' if it means to take over yet another function we as people have innately? We have already given reign over most of our logic to computers. Should we endow our smartphones with our emotions?
Mobile messaging has a new contender from the Samsung side of the ring: ChatON. As boasted by Samsung (on their SamsungTomorrow Youtube channel), ChatON is a global mobile communication service that can be utilized in 120 countries and currently supporting 62 languages. Not only this, but the app is available across all major mobile devices. Available for smartphones and feature phones alike, as Samsung strategically allows functionality for its premier messenger service on Android, iOS, Blackberry, and even the PC using a web-based client.
Currently RIM's Blackberry Messenger is the choice app for use with other Blackberry users. iPhone users are looking forward to the forthcoming iMessage app which will integrate mobile messaging within iOS platform devices. Facebook and Google have updated their messaging services via Facebook Message and Google+.
ChatON's advantage, however, is the fact that it is not linked to any one platform or phone, but will be available across all for free. Smartphones and feature phones from different networks will be able to communicate using ChatON not only between each other, but also with PCs using a to-be-released web-client. Samsung foresees the day where proprietary messaging is nixed for global communications.
Samsung brings multimedia, messages, and communication to the next tier with ChatON. Ho Soo Lee, Head of Media Solution Center at Samsung Electronics stated in a recent ChatON press release, “Users around the world can now enjoy easier and richer interactivity with whoever they want, in the format they want—this is mobile communication reinvented and democratized.”
Pause for a moment and imagine a new mobile communication experience using your iPhone or Blackberry with the ChatON service, complete with:
Group chat with the ability to chat to multiple buddies and share multimedia with them simultaneously
Multimedia has the option to be sent with location and calendar information for easier meetups
Trunk allows you to quickly access previously sent multimedia which can be commented upon by chat members or published to Samsung's web client
Animated messaging service (AMS) allowing one to personalize multimedia messages with music, animated text, hand-drawn messages, and videos
Interaction rankings which show you who you've secretly had a crush on. Or to show when it's time to ChatON the next person.
Forget that Facebook or twitter app--when it comes to staying in contact, conducting business and using that front-facing iPad or Android camera, the PhoneSale team believes there's nothing that does better than the video chat and voip options on the Skype Mobile App.
Skype Limited, makers of the awesome application once tethered to computers has managed to come a long way in just a few short years. First plagued by limitations set by various phone companies (aka fat-cats screaming), the gutsy company has now come to terms with service providers, coming pre-loaded in smartphones and services everywhere, this includes the notoriously picky Verizon.
With wifi and/or 4G enabled and now coming standard in most phones ranging from HTC to Samsung, Skype Mobile is poised to become the quintessential great app to have on our cell phones, letting us talk all night with other Skype subscribers for free.
You can do a lot with free: This is an incredible app for students who travel internationally and cannot afford to spend $1000 on cell phone bills--that money could be better spent on traveling (aka wine). Since Skype Mobile allows for international and even domestic long distance for free or for pennies, it makes for a great tool in keeping the folks that are far away much closer without any impact to your bank account .
Not limited to those behind a computer, smartphones and Skype Mobile are perfect together: other users can make free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls over 3G and WiFi, which is extremely convenient. When we want to share great news sometimes we really want to do it in person. Even though we can’t be there physically this app makes it seem like we are actually there. With this app we can make video calls on and talk with people on our android, PC, Mac or a Skype-enabled TV. This app really makes being away from home less stressful because at least now home can be brought to you (even if only in video form, but hey, we'll take it).
Skype Mobile has provided an update to its Android application that adds the video chatting feature to a large number of new Android handsets. Skype notes that Gingerbread is required to use the video chat features. Owners of the following android phones are encouraged to make sure their system is up to date. So please download the Gingerbread update before downloading this Skype update. The new handsets that are capable of getting this awesome Skype app upgrade are as follows: the Acer A5; the HTC Desire, Thunderbolt, Sensation, EVO 4G, EVO 3D, Incredible S, Desire HD, Flyer; the LG Revolution; the Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S II, Droid Charge, Galaxy Tab; and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, Xperia ray, and Xperia mini pro. The update is free to install which means it is a must have. If by updating this app we can see the people we miss the most in the world while traveling, it is something we need to download to our cell phones.
So the question is: Why haven't you downloaded it yet?
Do you remember when you parents told you not to stand so close to the microware because it could cause cancer? Now parents have moved on to ask if the younger generations will be more susceptible to cancerous brain tumors because of cell phone use.
With young people using cell phones you would think they would be more susceptible to those dangers. As a young person with a developing nervous systems and smaller
head circumference, it would appear that radio frequency electromagnetic fields would penetrate more deeply. But in a recent study the contrary is found.
Swiss researchers found that children and adolescents who use mobile phones are not at a statistically significant increased risk of brain cancer compared with people their own age who do not use the mobile devices. In this one of a kind study, researchers reviewed the medical records of children aged 7 to 19 years with brain tumors. These medical records identified through population registries. To find out more information about the children, face-to-face interviews were conducted to learn more about the participants’ mobile phone usage.
According to the research, patients with brain tumors were not statistically more likely to have been regular mobile phone users than the controls. 265 (75.3%) of case patients
and 466 controls (72.1%) reported having spoken on a mobile phone more than 20 times before the time when the case patient was diagnosed. This study aims to show that there
is no significant increase in getting childhood brain cancer by using a phone.
Some parents may fear that their children will still develop brain cancer from using a cell phone. What precautions can a child take to lessen the effects of the radio frequency on
their brain? Pediatricians have been suggesting to parent that if a child uses a hands free device the child will receive less radio frequency at their head. The lower the exposure the radio frequency the less like the child is to be made susceptible to a brain tumor. If a hands free device is a great investment to make if it can help prevent brain cancer.
What do you imagine buying when you go to your local 7-Eleven? Do visions of Slim Jim's and Slurpees flash in your head?
The average person stops at 7-Eleven to buy things like snack foods and drinks, right?
Things may be changing.
When you now go to 7-Eleven you may be able to purchase a different type of product not commonly seen at convenience stores.
No, no, it is not that bacon-flavored taquito you have been dreaming of (Though that would be amazing. Get on it 7-Eleven!). This product is not edible for most, but it's definitely useful.
In what seems to be a surprise move, T-Mobile USA has announced that it will now sell one of its prepaid handsets at 7-Eleven convenience stores. The reason for the new product coming to the store is a result of RadioShack Corp. last week saying it would take the T-Mobile cell phone off its shelf. The wireless provider has announced that 7-Eleven, Inc. stores will be offering the LG GS170 instead, for a mere $29.99. To make for an even better deal than free Slurpee day, 7-Eleven will halve the price on the cell phone for customers who buy a $50 airtime card during this August.
Have you ever been on vacation and found your phone submerged in water? Now all will be well: Simple pop into your neighborhood 7-Eleven and buy a temporary phone.
The LG GS170 that 7-Eleven is selling has none of the capabilities of the iPhone or Android device, but it will suffice in a jam, and who knows, this could open up a whole new world for cell phone subscriptions.
Or if you don’t want to buy an emergency phone like this you might want to invest in a cell phone case for your phone.
Now its seems that you can buy all you will ever need for a car trip at one convenience store. Some people may wonder if this product is too far out of the comfort zone of the things that 7-Eleven sells. We agree, it may be a stretch when you think the stores focus is usually on food and beverages, but we also ask: Why not?
Maybe 7-Eleven is trying to broaden its public appeal. It may one day be able to become a true one-stop shop, replacing Walmarts and Best Buys all around the country. But for now we're sure the majority of consumers will be happy as long as 7-Eleven keeps those Slurpees churning fresh daily.
We're sure the store knows which product lines will maximize their profits, and if this T-mobile venture turns out to be one of those products, one day this convenience store may be able to broaden its electronic selection like unlocked cell phones.
One of the most dangerous things you can do while driving is texting.
Texting takes your focus away from the road and-more importantly-it takes your eyes away from the road.
In Pasco County, Florida a school bus driver by the name of Dolores Conley was fired today due to multiple, repeated violations she'd commited by texting and making calls on her phone while driving children to school.
Heather Fiorentino, the school's Superintendent, recommended the firing only after the driver had repeatededly been using her cell phone while driving children.
Would you feel safe having your child on a bus with this woman? Would you feel safe knowing that the school only put her on suspension after her 5th violation of the district cell phone rules?
I can understand that driving a bus full of children may drive anyone up the wall, but there are so many cheap cell phone accessories that can make driving and talking on the phone safe and sane. Anything else is just pure insanity.
Don't get me wrong, I love speaking on the phone, and I have all the conversations to my heart's content while driving, but I keep my eyes on the road instead of on my screen. It's called being responsible-any accident can involve other people.
I used to always fiddle around on my phone while at an intersection, and on retrospect now know that I was very fortunate to not get into an accident during one my dumber moments.
By having a Bluetooth headset I feel a lot safer behind the wheel, and am able to avoid getting a ticket while driving with all these new safety laws.
I know it was bad that I texted while driving but what I find even more appalling is when the police force does it. Can you see the irony when a cop is writing up a ticket for someone using a cell phone while driving, when a few minutes before that same exact officer was just in his squad car texting?
I saw it happen last week and was amazed. These police officers are supposed to be setting a good example of how to behave while driving. The rules about cell phone use while driving should apply to everyone. You would think that for all the taxes we pay, emergency personnel would be provided Hands-Free devices while on duty. If the reason these laws require we use these devices are to prevent accidents, we should all have them.
Earlier this week it was reported that 9 different states attorneys general subpoenaed both Sprint and AT&T in relation to the latter's proposed takeover of T-Mobile. While it is important to note that individual power to block the merger, they do hold a certain degree of influence over the FCC.
The nine states involved are Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.
Each state is requesting the same data that both companies have already provided to the FCC. Amongst that data, and what appears to be the focus, is information regarding how often customers switch carriers in each individual state.
The thinking behind requesting this data is that it will paint a clearer picture of realistic competition vs. perceived competition.
It doesn't take a math major to understand that the merger of #2 and #4 national carriers would eliminate 25% of the competition. AT&T has always contended that the merger is necessary in order to provide better coverage in rural areas and improve performance in current markets.
Sprint vehemently contends that these claims are false, and has openly stated that the merger would create an oligopoly, and leave them so far behind that they wouldn't be able to compete and would likely need to sell themselves.
'It's hard to see how four companies going down to three, basically less competition, would benefit consumers,' said a spokesperson for the Minnesota Attorney General.
Every other state involved in the subpoenas were keeping their cards much closer to the vest, but it's safe to say that they wouldn't be as keen to launch an investigation into the merger if they thought everything was clearly in the best interest of the public.
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has long argued that reduced competition would inevitably lead to higher prices for consumers. He also claims that by leaving so much power in the hands of just two carriers, they would have little incentive to implement new innovations in handsets and networks.
It is still unclear what AT&T would do with T-Mobile if a merger went through. T-Mobile posted a significant loss of customers last quarter though, and industry experts believe it is in anticipation of AT&T taking over.
Back in March, AT&T put a deal on the table that would see them purchase T-Mobile for $39 billion. While AT&T is confident that the merger will pass federal regulators in Q1 2012, the growing scrutiny and outspoken criticism of the deal from both sides of congress would indicate that things are far from assured.
It has been a long time since RIM was even able to hint at anything remotely close to good news. But shareholders got a taste today as the Canadian based company announced that 7 new Blackberry phones were coming to market in the next few months.
Shareholders didn't really get much more information than that though. One can speculate that the Blackberry Bold 9900 will be one of the 7 phones. And RIM is also famous for putting out the same exact phone on different networks and calling them slightly different things. For example, the Bold 9900 will also have a variant called the Bold 9930.
How many of the 7 new phones will actually be virtual clones of another with a different radio remains to be seen. But considering the fact that RIM hasn't put out a new phone since 2010, anything new would be a welcome reprieve for the beleaguered company.
All the new devices will run Blackberry 7, RIM's newest OS. As of yet, there are no devices running this platform, but according to co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, it is a clear jump in generation from previous Blackberries.
It wasn't all rainbows and fairy dust at the shareholders meeting today though. Despite the news of a new lineup of phones, shareholders continue to pressure the company to restructure management. After reading this article from BGR, it really isn't too hard to understand why the shareholders would be looking for new leadership.
In short, the article paints a picture of a management team that simply refused to innovate, much less follow the trends. It's that same management structure that investors are pushing to have removed, or at the very least shuffled into new roles within the company. Investors have put enough pressure on that the board of directors have agreed to at least investigate the current structure and see if there really is a need for co-CEOs.
Whether or not a change at the top is made, most industry analysts believe that this next spate of phones will either make or break the company. The fact that RIM claims to have 7 new phones more or less ready to roll out in the next few weeks to months was definitely a surprise. The fact that they wouldn't elaborate was much less surprising.
For a company that once ruled the smartphone universe, it would appear as though the fate of RIM rests firmly on these new mystery phones.
We're never ones to beat a dead horse here at that Phone Sale blog, but when a soap opera is unfolding before your eyes, it's really hard to ignore it. It's kind of like staring at a car accident as you drive past. We know it's perverse, but the ongoing feud between Apple and the rest of the universe is moving at a breakneck speed recently.
If you saw yesterday's blog, you know that Apple has now drug HTC into the fray, filing a complaint with the ITC in hopes of having all HTC electronic devices banned from the US. Naturally, HTC felt a need to respond.
'HTC is disappointed at Apple's constant attempts at litigations instead of competing fairly in the market,' said Grace Lei, HTC's general counsel. Those words are unsurprisingly similar to a response Samsung gave in regards to their current legal battles with Apple.
Both companies essentially are suggesting that Apple would rather rely on lawyers than engineers to compete in the ever increasingly competitive cell phone market.
Apple has been getting beaten pretty badly in court recently in patent suits, and today, their legal team had a massive shakeup. Apple's top patent lawyer, Chip Lutton, Jr. has left the company. No reason's have been given as to why the sudden departure of Apple's top patent lawyer while the company is embroiled in a spate of patent lawsuits.
Perhaps he was forced out by Apple execs based on recent courtroom results?
Apple may see more of their legal team leave, or at least be forced to the sidelines. Samsung has demanded that the legal counsel represented Apple in their lawsuit be disqualified due to the fact that the same legal team represented Samsung earlier this year in a different patent lawsuit between Samsung and Sony.
The patent that was in dispute between Sony and Samusng is one of the patents that Samsung is suing Apple over.
To say that there is an ethical conflict of interest doesn't really seem that farfetched in this instance. Apple's legal team claims that the pace with which technology moves renders any supposed inside information they may have about Samsung's patent obsolete.
A judge will decide if that is the case or not on August 18th. If the judge should find in favor of Samsung it would deal a massive blow to Apple's legal defense.
Perhaps Chip left because he saw the writing on the wall. Things certainly look bleak Apple in the courtroom.
We’re about one lawsuit away from getting to the point where you will need a law degree and a supercomputer just to keep track of all the various lawsuits that Apple is currently involved in. We blogged last week about the injunction that Apple filed with the ITC, attempting to block the sale of 4 popular Samsung phones.
Maybe things were getting a little awkward or Apple simply wanted a new dance partner in court, but today they filed a similar injunction against all HTC phones. The actual complaint is a bit more vague than that, asking for a ban on the import of all “personal electronic devices.”
In what has become pretty much standard operating procedure, HTC has filed a counter complaint with the ITC, asking that all Apple devices be banned.
The entire feud revolves around what every other cellular lawsuit revolves around – patent infringement.
If Apple’s track record in recent patent lawsuits is any indication of how their cases against Samsung and HTC will go, well, they shouldn’t be putting any champagne on ice.
In terms of lawsuits against fellow handset manufacturers, Apple already threw in the towel against Nokia. Their patent suits against companies not directly tied into the cell phone universe have been even less successful.
Apple recently sued Amazon to try and block them from calling their application store the Appstore. Apple lost that suit. Not deterred, Apple recently filed pretty much the exact same lawsuit against a third party app store.
Within the past year, Apple themselves have lost two patent infringement cases. A few months ago a court determined that Kodak had not violated any of Apple’s patents regarding image previewing. Within the past week, Apple was actually found guilty of patent infringement against a company called Personal Audio to the tune of $8 million. They were additionally fined $10,000 by a judge for filing a 6,300 page response to the suit. Apparently the judge felt that 6,300 pages was a bit excessive.
Apple is also indirectly involved in another patent dispute between Lodsys and developers in the Apple App Store. The case revolves around in app payments, and Apple has stepped in saying that their patents also cover independent developers.
But the biggest blow in Apple’s patent legal battles might come from an antitrust investigation. A consortium of Google competitors recently teamed up to buy a slew of Nortel patents for $4.5 billion. Amongst other, the consortium consists of Apple, RIM (makers of Blackberry) and Microsoft. All three are in direct competition with Google’s Android operating system.
Needless to say, Apple’s legal battles are far from being settled. In fact, they only seem to be picking up steam. Unfortunately for Apple, the fact that they will sue pretty much everyone for anything only helps their rivals build cases against them, even when Apple has a legitimate case.
Apple either needs a new legal strategy or some new lawyers, because they’ve been taken to the woodshed in court this past year.
While the debate surrounded whether or not cell phone use increases the risk of cancer (the latest reports says no), what can’t be debated is that cell phone use absolutely increases your odds of getting in a car accident.
A study done by the Governor Highway Safety Association (GSHA) determined that using a cell phone while driving is responsible for up to 25% of all auto accidents nationwide. That is a staggeringly high figure.
While talking on the phone was found to be more dangerous, with or without a Bluetooth headset, the real culprit is texting while driving.
To date, nine states have implemented some form of distracted driving laws, requiring drivers to go hands free in order to avoid a ticket. Since those laws first went into effect, the GHSA has determined that hand held use of cell phones has decreased by as much as 50% in those states.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t sufficient data to suggest that cell phone texting bans have reduced traffic accidents or injuries.
Not surprisingly, teenagers are at the highest risk of getting into an accident while using a cell phone. The GHSA recommended that a ban on all cell phone use be implemented nationwide for young drivers. Similar laws imposed upon young drivers, including curfews and requiring an adult to be present in the vehicle if more than one teenager is in the vehicle.
As far as adult drivers are concerned, the GHSA is more hesitant in passing down any recommendations for cell phone bans. They do universally think that texting while driving should be banned nationwide. As far as cell phone use in general, the GHSA recommends that states without distracted driving laws wait until more data can be collected by the states with distracted driving laws.
It’s been about a year since states first started implementing distracted driving laws.
The dangers of cell phone use on the roads isn’t limited to just drivers. New York lawmakers are looking into banning the use of cell phones while crossing the street, as distracted pedestrians have on more than one occasion wandered into oncoming traffic. Hawaii lawmakers have also explored pedestrian bans on cell phone use.
Bicyclists have also been the target of distracted cell phone use laws in more than one state.
The real question becomes where the line is eventually drawn. With smartphones replacing everything from MP3 players to GPS devices, cell phone use in a car encompasses so much more than talking and texting.
Will using your cell phone as a GPS unit or as an alternative to your car stero be considered a violation of a cell phone ban. That clearly is a subject that will be debated by lawmakers. But there is at least one blogger out there that hopes a universal ban on cell phone use of any kind isn’t passed.
What do you think? Should there be a ban on all cell phone use in cars?
It should come as no surprise that Sprint is vehemently opposed to the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. Should the merger get FCC approval, Sprint would basically become an afterthought in the US mobile world as Verizon and AT&T would own more than 80% of the total market.
However, if recent speculation is true, Sprint may have an ace up their sleeve.
According to a Citadel Securities analyst, Sprint will be adding the iPhone to its lineup of phones as early as this winter. Given the fact that Sprint is the last major carrier to offer truly unlimited data plans and their rates are cheaper than Verizon or AT&T’s, and suddenly the little guy is a lot more attractive of an option for consumers.
Whether Sprint would get the new iPhone, which is rumored to be arriving in September or they get a beefed up iPhone 4 isn’t clear. One of the most persistent and credible rumors surrounding the iPhone 5 is that it will have a radio capable of working on all four major US networks.
That of course would open up the possibility that not only Sprint, but T-Mobile will get the iPhone 5 before the end of 2011.
Should speculation turn to fact, the benefits that Sprint would reap are obvious. Verizon just got the iPhone this year, and are expected to sell more than 11 million units before the end of the year. Even though a roll out on
Sprint would likely be a much smaller scale, there can be no doubt about that.
What might be lost is the potential gains for Apple. There is a reason why Apple is developing a phone that can work on each network: distribution.
When the iPhone first came out, Android didn’t exist and the Blackberry was so completely different in design and function that Apple really had no competition. Signing an exclusivity agreement with AT&T made sense. Today, Android is dominating the Smartphone market, and seems to be snowballing at a pace that Apple can’t even match.
By moving onto each network, Apple opens up their device to nearly 100 million potential customers. The demand is definitely there. Earlier this month T-Mobile reported that there are an estimated 1 million unlocked iPhones currently running on their network.
To say that Samsung has been having a bad couple of weeks would be a bit of an understatement. Yesterday we outlined their legal battles with Apple. In short, Apple is trying to block the sale of their four most popular devices in the United States.
Today we found out that Microsoft is demanding a $15 royalty fee for every Samsung Android phone sold.
This was first reported by Reuters, and stems from several patents owned by Microsoft that they licensee out to various Android manufacturers. Considering that Samsung recently became the top cell phone manufacturer in the world that would be a pretty sizable chunk of change.
The Galaxy S II, which has yet to even arrive in the US, sold 3 million units in its first 55 days of existence. That would be $45 million going into Microsoft’s pockets on the sale of one phone, over two months, that hasn’t even arrived in the biggest market on the planet yet.
Considering the fact that HTC recently agreed to a $5 royalty fee for every HTC Android phone sold, it’s a safe bet that the $15 figure thrown at Samsung is more of a negotiating tactic than anything else.
What Microsoft is probably more interested in is growing their own mobile platform, Windows Phone 7. It is highly likely that Microsoft will be willing to come down on their royalty fees so long as Samsung agrees to put more resources towards developing new WP7 devices.
Currently Samsung has just one WP7 device for sale in the US, the Samsung Focus, which can be found on the AT&T network. By contract, HTC has four devices, one for each of the major carrier, including the only CDMA WP7 phones in the US.
Based on that, it should come as no surprise that HTC was able to negotiate much better terms with regards to their royalty payments. It also stands to reason that we’ll be seeing a couple more WP7 phones with the Samsung label attached moving forward and that $15 royalty fee to drop significantly.
By now, anyone who follows the wonderful world of mobile technology knows that Apple and Samsung are embroiled in a rather heated legal battle. It would actually be fair to say that the legal battle has escalated to a full on world war, as the two companies have lawsuits pending in 5 different countries on three continents (Germany, UK, South Korea, Japan and the United States).
Everything pretty much boils down to patent lawsuits and accusations of being a copy cat. Apple claims that Samsung is copying them. Samsung says that Apple is the actual copying culprit.
Last week, Samsung filed an injunction request with the ITC in the US in an attempt to block the import of all Apple iOS devices. That would include all iPhones, iPads, and iPods.
Naturally such an action couldn’t be allowed to happen without an equal but opposite counteraction. Today, Apple filed a similar injunction request, asking that all Galaxy Tabs, Infuse 4G phones, Droid Charge Phones and Galaxy S 4G phones be pulled from shelves.
Just as the injunction filed by Samsung is likely to be granted, it seems very unlikely that Apple’s request will get too long of a look from a judge.
Apple has a long history of suing anyone who even reads one of their patents, let alone puts out a product even remotely similar to one of theirs.
Samsung has been somewhat tongue in cheek about the whole thing, claiming that Apple’s copyist claims area an attempt to avoid competition in the market.
Obviously if either injunction actually comes to pass it would have massive implications for both companies.
New rumors surfaced that Apple is set to ship 15 million iPhone 5s worldwide this September. Obviously an injunction against them would put a huge dent in those numbers.
By contrast, the phones that Apple is trying to block are amongst the most popular Samsung phones on the market here in the US. Samsung’s most popular phone ever is the Galaxy s II. It has sold 3 million units worldwide in just 55 days. It has yet to even reach US soil yet, which would definitely balloon those numbers significantly. However, it would be more surprising if Apple didn’t add that phone to their lawsuit than if they didn’t.
While protecting your intellectual property is important for any company, this soap opera between Samsung and Apple is starting to feel more like two children bickering than anything else.
It has now been 4 months since AT&T fist announced their intention to buy out T-Mobile. In that time members of both houses of congress have taken sides, at least one high ranking FCC official has expressed concern over the merger, and various tech giants like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg have backed the merger.
This week, several consumer advocacy groups have sent letters to the FCC, urging them to block this merger. Amongst the groups speaking out against the merger are the New America Foundation,
Public Knowledge and Free Press.
In their letters, the consumer advocacy groups ask FCC chairman to travel the country and host field hearings to gauge the concerns of the public. Should Chairman Genechowski acquiesce to the requests, it wouldn’t be anything new. The FCC held field hearing around the country in relation to the NBC and Comcast merger.
The obvious concerns amongst consumers is that should the merger go through AT&T and Verizon would control 80% of the total cell phone market. With that much control, the fear is that they would raise monthly rate plans, leaving consumers little choice but to pay whatever that are told. A second concern is that under a duopoly, there would be little reason for either behemoth to innovate, causing the US to fall even further behind other countries.
AT&T insists that the merger is absolutely necessary if they are to keep up with spectrum demand and if they are to roll out 4G coverage in more areas and improve coverage in rural areas.
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse insists that AT&T’s motives are more sinister and claims that AT&T simply isn’t maximizing the potential of their current network.
Whatever the FCC ultimately decides, it is highly unlikely that any decision will come before next year. On the surface, public opinion certainly is leaning against the merger. But public opinion isn’t necessarily the driving force behind what that FCC decides.
We very well could end up with a merger that coincides with heavy federal regulation in order to assuage consumer fears. This is definitely something that we will be keeping a close eye on as everything unfolds.
It’s been looming on the horizon for some time now, but it is finally here. For the first time in US history, smartphone sales have outpaced feature phone sales.
Nielsen research released their most recent survey of US mobile customers and found that 55% of new cell phone purchases were smartphones.
Overall smartphone penetration still lags behind feature phones. Only 38% of all active cell phones in the US are smartphones. But smartphone sales have been trending up for some time now. The 55% figure is a 34 point jump from this time last year.
Nielsen further broke down the smartphone market. No surprises there, as Android phones still reign supreme with a comfortable 38% share of the total smartphone market in the US. Apple’s iOS is in second with a 27% share, up 2% since the last survey was released.
Blackberry phones remain in third place with 21%, but those numbers are a bit deceiving. Blackberry has been bleeding market share for several quarters now.
Windows Mobile currently holds a 9% share of the US market. Those numbers don’t include Windows Phone 7, which currently holds just a 1% share. Those numbers have to be discouraging as Microsoft has invested quite a bit in hopes of becoming a dominant player in the mobile market.
HP’s WebOS currently sits on 2%. HP made noise earlier this week when they announced that they are in conversations with several third part manufacturers to license out their mobile OS. Samsung’s name has been most linked to a potential licensing agreement. HP would become the first phone manufacturer to license out their proprietary OS to a third party manufacturer.
RIM may want to keep a close eye on this development, as they desperately need to find a new direction due to their slipping grasp on the business market.
With 68% of the mobile market still using feature phones, there is plenty of room for growth for any of the aforementioned smartphone platforms. Can Blackberry turn things around and remain a significant challenger to Android and Apple? Can HP or Microsoft step up and grab a chunk of that potential market share? Or are Google and Apple destined to absolutely dominate the US smartphone market? The picture should begin to clear up over the course of the last half of the year.
HP seems to be reading the writing on the wall, and is in advanced negotiations to put its proprietary mobile OS, WebOS, into third party devices.
HP bought Palm last year and has transitioned away from the Palm brand name. They’ve released a couple of new phones, and their table device, known as the Slate, has gotten rave reviews. Despite that, HP sits in obscurity in terms of smartphone market share. WebOS lags far behind industry leaders like Android, iOS and Blackberry OS. They even trail Windows Phone 7 and Nokia’s Symbian, both of whom hold less than 5% of the total market.
By getting their OS on third party phones, the hope obviously is that they will have a larger presence on store shelves and will gain some momentum in the fight for relevance in the US market. In theory, it’s a good idea. Quite frankly, no real harm can come from it. The problem is, any manufacturer they approach will likely treat their OS as a third option behind Android and WP7.
One of the main reasons that Microsoft chose to partner with Nokia is because the Finnish manufacturer would be exclusively producing WP7 handsets.
Samsung is one of the manufacturers rumored to be in advanced discussions with HP. Samsung’s cash cow currently is the Android operating system. To date, Samsung has only put out one WP7 device in the US, so it is entirely possible that HP could elbow their way into the #2 slot at Samsung.
If worse comes to worst, they could always hire pitchman Manny Paquiao to go from one manufacturer to the next and bully them into making WebOS phones. Hopefully things won’t come to that though.
You might know Tom Tom as a GPS unit manufacturer. For the second straight month, they have reduced their sales forecasts. There can be no doubt that there is a direct correlation between reduced forecasts and the ever growing smartphone market.
Smartphones are incredible devices. And they could spell the end of several hand held electronic devices that we use every single day. Here is a list of 5 devices you probably have somewhere in your house that are facing extinction.
GPS Units – We hinted at this already, but GPS units are very quickly becoming obsolete. When you take the relatively high price (a good GPS unit will set you back $100+) and the monthly subscription service, there really doesn’t seem to be much sense in investing in one, when smartphones already come equipped with the same technology.
Android phones have several free options, including services like Google Maps preinstalled on most phones. The iPhone has a pay service GPS app, but are supposedly developing a proprietary GPS navigation app that will also be free. Blackberry and Windows both offer turn by turn directions as well.
MP3 Players – The boombox gained in popularity in the 80’s and eventually led to the development of the Walkman. That eventually evolved into the Discman, which gave way to the MP3 player. But now, our phones not only have the ability to play our favorite music thanks to removable memory cards, but they can also stream internet radio through apps like Pandora, Slacker and Rhapsody.
The iPhone has the ability to download your iTunes, essentially making it an iPod. In addition, you can purchase songs online and download them directly to your smartphone, cutting out the need to sync your phone with your computer.
Digital Cameras – It wasn’t that long ago that the phone on your camera was good for the obligatory self portrait on MySpace or Facebook. These days, phones are getting more and more sophisticated. Most models these days are equipped with 8 megapixel shooters, flash, optical zoom and multiple camera options for different types of lighting and scenarios.
There are even cameras on phones that have 3D capabilities, rapid-fire mode (to shoot multiple photos in a quick burst) and panoramic options. We’re getting to a point where there is very little that a point and shoot digital camera can to that a high end smartphone isn’t also capable of accomplishing. Couple that with the fact that every smartphone out there allows you to instantly post photos to social networking sites or e-mail them to friends and family, and there is reason to believe that the digital camera is going the way of the Dodo.
Handheld Video Game Players – The Gameboy from Nintendo was the first handheld gaming device. Since then, we’ve seen several evolutions. The latest evolution has moved to cell phones. Ranging from racing games to sports game to first person shooters, there are thousands of games available for the iPhone and Android operating systems.
And we’re not talking about Angry Birds levels of sophistication. Some games not only rival their handheld counterparts, they downright put them to shame. There is already a third party accessory market for phone gaming, and the XPeria Play from Sony has a slide out game pad. Take into account that the games are either free, or much cheaper to download, and it’s a recipe for the end of handheld gaming devices.
Digital Recording Devices – Long a staple amongst reporters and students alike, these devices are all but obsolete now thanks to various recording apps on cell phones. Most phones these days come pre-equipped with the apps and have the same playback quality as any digital recorder.
The limitations of these devices boils down to the battery life of the phone. And unless you are sitting in a 8 hour lecture, odds are that you are going to record every word of your Philosophy 101 professor’s take on Plato and Socrates.
Outside of AT&T or T-Mobile executives, there really hasn’t been an outpouring of support for the two telecom’s pending merger. In fact, there has been some pretty vocal opposition. Sprint is naturally leading the charge, but even members of both houses of congress and members of the FCC have voiced concern over what would create a duopoly in terms of US cellular carrers.
However, today, a letter signed by 66 democrats in the House of Representatives was sent over to the FCC, strongly urging the approval of the merger. Without too much digging, thanks to sites like OpenSecrets.com, one quickly discovers that AT&T was one of the largest campaign contributors to the letter’s author, Representative G.K. Butterfield (D, N.C.).
That aside, what the letter says is true. A merger would allow for better 4G coverage nationwide, and would improve coverage in rural and underserved areas. And while rolling out this coverage, it would create jobs in those areas.
There are also some undeniable drawbacks that are hard to quantify. A merger would likely mean the elimination of some jobs. There would inevitably be some crossover in certain departments as well as the closure of several T-Mobile retail locations. Whether the jobs created minus the jobs eliminated would be a net gain or net loss remains to be seen.
The creation of a duopoly most likely would mean less innovation in new devices and less competition, which would likely lead to increased prices for consumers.
Obviously AT&T is lobbying hard for this merger. They stand to lose $6 billion in guaranteed payouts to T-Mobile should it fall through. They have hired a number of lobbyists to try and push support for the merger, today’s letter being the first evidence of their efforts.
In fairness to AT&T, there is nothing unusual or dastardly going on. Whether this letter passes the smell test or not, there are some truths and positives that a AT&T/T-Mobile merger would provide. The real question, and the only question that matters as far as the FCC is concerned, is do the positives outweigh any potential negatives.
Hopefully that is the only thing that the FCC focuses on when this merger comes before a vote.
It wasn’t long ago that Apple started to sell unlocked iPhones in their stores directly to customers. It seemed somewhat strange as there are only two GSM carriers in the US, T-Mobile and AT&T. AT&T already has the iPhone, and the unlocked version Apple is selling would only work on T-Mobile’s prepaid network. But obviously there was a demand for it, otherwise Apple wouldn’t have bothered.
Yesterday we found out just how huge of a demand there is. Before the Pepcom event, a T-Mobile spokesman announced that there are currently more than 1 million iPhones that call the T-Mobile network home. Considering that T-Mobile only has about 35 million total subscribers, that is a relatively huge chunk. Further break that down to the number of smartphone users, and you can further speculate that about 1 in 15 smartphones on the T-Mobile network are iPhones.
The spokesman went on to say that the majority of the unlocked iPhones are pre iPhone 4 models, but that still is extremely impressive.
Rumors have been swirling that Apple could be releasing a quad band iPhone as early as September that would work on any of the 4 major networks. T-Mobile’s spokesman had no comment regarding that rumor. Industry insiders are speculating that the rumored device would be dubbed the iPhone 4S, and would essentially just be a slightly tweaked version of the current iPhone.
T-Mobile is also the target of a merger with AT&T. Many speculate that T-Mobile would become the bargain branch of AT&T, and would start selling older versions of the iPhone on their network at cheaper prices.
No matter what the case turns out to be, it appears as though the iPhone has landed in a big way on the T-Mobile network. Even if it did have to sneak in through the back door to get there.
There is very little that is assured when it pertains to the pending merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. The merger is facing steep criticism and opposition. One thing that we do know is that if the merger does go through, T-Mobile retail stores would be a major casualty.
A merger would mean that AT&T owns 9,200 retail locations. That is a combination of AT&T and T-Mobile stores. What is more interesting is that as it turns out, nearly half of all T-Mobile stores are within a mile of an AT&T store. Needless to say, in order to cut some fat, AT&T plans on shuttering several T-Mobile retail locations.
Right now, about one third of all T-Mobile stores are franchised out to private owners. And a lot of those owners are reading the writing on the wall and selling rather than waiting for the axe to drop.
Despite the inevitability, T-Mobile still needs to operate as though the merger won’t go through, and plans to open 200 new privately owned T-Mobile locations before the end of the year. They are even signing the leases to ease the financial risk on private franchisees should their locations close down.
The implications of this are rather obvious as thousands of people would lose their jobs at the retail level. But AT&T also plans to merge various departments like marketing, which would lead to even more layoffs.
AT&T claims that it needs the merger in order to improve spectrum to provide more widespread 4G coverage. Sprint, who would stand to be by far the biggest loser in all of this, argues that AT&T could easily accomplish the same thing without purchasing T-Mobile. What is so easily lost in the technical side is the human loss. Whether or not that is something that gets considered by the FCC as they review this pending merger remains to be seen.
But it is important to note that it isn’t just customers that will affected by the merger, positively or negatively. There are people whose jobs, and in turn livelihoods, are on the line as well.
It will be interesting to see how all this plays out, and we’ll surely keep you all informed of each development here at the Phone Sale blog.
A recent study by Nielsen came out suggesting that in the past year mobile data usage has doubled. That figure is based on individual data usage to, not total data usage. That number really isn’t that surprising. But what is troubling for consumers is the fact that data plans are becoming more and more restrictive.
AT&T blamed a lot of the network issues on data hungry iPhone users, claiming they simply didn’t have the spectrum to keep up. They were the first of the major carriers to drop unlimited data plans and move to tiered pricing. If a customer exceeds their data limit in a given month, they will be charged overage fees.
T-Mobile has followed suit, rolling over pseudo unlimited plans. Essentially, when a customer reaches their monthly data limit, their data speeds will be throttled until their next billing cycle begins.
In two weeks, Verizon will put an end to their unlimited data plans, also opting for tiered pricing and overage fees for excessive data users.
Sprint will officially be the last of the major carriers to offer truly unlimited data plans, but who knows how long they can keep that up before being forced to make a switch themselves.
There are several no contract cell phone providers that still offer unlimited plans. AT&T’s prepaid segment just unveiled an unlimited plan for $50 per month. Of course, that internet access applies to feature phones only. If you go the smartphone route, extra charges apply.
Boost Mobile also offers an unlimited everything plan for $50/mo, while Metro PCS has a $60 plan for unlimited everything.
While the prepaid options are clearly more affordable and seem to offer better data access, there are some drawbacks. The obvious one is coverage. Some of the prepaid options aren’t available in all markets. And of course the phones aren’t subsidized, so you need to plunk down a larger sum of cash up front in order to enjoy all of that unlimited awesomeness.
What one should really take away from this is that it is important to keep an eye on your data usage, especially if you are with AT&T or Verizon, as you may be in for a huge surprise when your bill arrives in the mail.
The makers of the Titanic decided that life boats were more of a decoration than a necessity. That decision didn’t work out to well for them. Apparently RIM co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Basillie think that Blackberry is too big to fail, and have steered their company into a whole bunch of giant icebergs just to find out for sure.
Just in case you currently run a cell phone manufacturing company or you are looking to start one, here is a handy dandy guide on what not to do.
1) Don’t release a new device for months, and when you do, make sure it is already completely obsolete – The Blackberry Bold 9900 is hitting T-Mobile shelves sometime in August. The last phone that RIM put out was back in December. For the math majors out there, that would mark an 8 month gap between phones. While some of the specs on the 9900 compare favorably to some of the latest Android devices. It still just seems to be a slightly re-tooled version of their older phones. Which in fairness, it is. But that simply doesn’t cut it these days, especially considering the pace with which Android phones are flooding the market. That might have something to do with the double digit market share that Blackberry has conceded over the past few quarters.
2) Put out buggy phones with software glitches and force the carriers to take it or leave it – The Playbook, Blackberry’s tablet seemed to have software and hardware problems pretty much from the outset. That let to tepid sales and at least one major recall. That appears to be RIM company policy, as reports have surfaced that RIM rushes devices to carriers and tries to bully them into placing inferior product on the shelves. While putting out a phone every eight months can hardly be called “rushing” things, it appears as though the folks at RIM know their devices are flawed and simply don’t care. They want their products on store shelves so they can generate some sales just to try and stay afloat until the end of the year.
3) Fudge the numbers – Sales down? Revenues and profits down as well? No problem. Just lie about it on your quarterly report to investors. At least, that is what a class action lawsuit filed against RIM by a group of investors is alleging. That news led to a steep drop in RIM stock prices, and those numbers have continued to spiral out of control. It was recently reported that their 6th largest investor has announced their plans to dump all their shares. Three months ago, RIM stock was trading at just under $65/share. Today, they are hovering just below $26/share.
4) Stick your finger in your ears and shout pretending like nothing is wrong – Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis did the business equivalent of this live on the BBC, storming off the stage when the questions started to get a little rough. They are now labeling a call for massive layoffs as restructuring and eliminating redundancies. In other words, the giant is in some serious trouble and everyone knows it.
Unfortunately, for RIM’s employees, it appears as though Lazaridis and Basillie are too proud to admit it. In their minds, so long as the band is still playing, the ship isn’t sinking.
None of this even addresses the fact that both the US government and multiple major corporate entities are starting to look towards Apple and Android as potential replacements for Blackberries. The one place that Blackberry seemed to have a firm grasp is quickly slipping.
Couple that with the fact that Blackberry has yet to put out a single phone that actually appeals to the mass consumer (they think they have, but they really haven’t) shows that they aren’t really tuned in to what people want.
There was a time when Blackberry was virtually the only game in town when it came to smartphones. But the iPhone changed the game and Android upped the ante. There was also a time when Palm ruled the business world. Their inability to innovate and understand the changing tides has dropped them into virtual obscurity. In fact, the Palm brand no long exists. It was bought by HP.
RIM is very quickly hurtling down a path that will leave them little options but to sell to a bigger player, and they are quickly approaching the point where slamming on the breaks and turning things around simply won’t be an option.
Yesterday we looked at one side of the WP7 argument, giving the top three reasons why WP7 was doomed to fail as a mobile platform. But there is a flipside to every coin. Today we are going to look at that other side. There is a reason why IDC is predicting so much growth for this platform over the next four years.
Here are the top 3 reasons why Microsoft is going to defy the critics and become a major player in the US smartphone market.
1. The User Experience – Microsoft picked a rather strange marketing slogan right out of the gate: “The phone to save you from your phone.” People love their phones. The real meaning behind that slogan was that the WP7 platform makes everything easier. Pretty much every established tech blog on the internet gave the WP7 user interface rave reviews. And consumers that have given the platform a shot almost universally say it is a much better user experience.
The majority of Americans don’t own smartphones. It’s easy to forget that early adopters of the Android platform were demographically “tech geeks.” Apple iPhone users, have a reputation of being Apple loyalists. Those that haven’t jumped on the smartphone bandwagon yet probably haven’t done so because they aren’t really that comfortable or interested in new technology. For them, the simplest phone will probably be the phone they choose. And right now, WP7 is the most intuitive mobile OS out there.
2. Business Integration – This is rarely brought up in most circles. Blackberry has more or less owned the business world from a mobile perspective, but their grip is slipping. But when it comes to actual business computing, Microsoft’s Office Suite is king. To say that they dominate the business world would suggest that there is really any other platform out there that is a legit contender. There isn’t.
What mobile platform is more poised for seamless integration with Microsoft Office than Microsoft’s mobile platform? The ability to incorporate Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook to a mobile device at an intimate level is a powerful advantage that WP7 has over every other mobile platform. We are already seeing several government and Fortune 500 companies move away from Blackberry and investigate other options. Microsoft’s mobile platform would seem like a perfect fit.
3. Nokia – Yes, we know. Yesterday we said that they were a reason why WP7 will fail. And they still very well could be. But Nokia could be the factor that really helps WP7 starts gaining some momentum. Let’s start with the fact that Nokia makes some incredible phones. Their fall from grace in the US wasn’t because they made shoddy products. It was because they arrived late to the party and were slow to adapt. They will also be the only manufacturer that will be producing WP7 devices as their primary mobile OS. Nokia has a lot riding on their partnership with Microsoft, so expect a real commitment to churn out high quality phones at a rapid pace.
They also claim that they are going to renew and revive their relationships with carriers to get their phones more prominent placement online and offline. The fact that they are shuttering their proprietary online stores shows demonstrates that commitment, as carriers will soon be their only option.
It will take a perfect storm for WP7 to explode in the way that IDC is predicting. But it is possible.
A recent IDC report predicts that Microsoft’s WP7 mobile platform will capture 20% of the market by 2015 and be the second most popular mobile OS behind Android. Those are some lofty predictions given the fact that WP7 phones currently hold less than 5% of the smartphone market.
Here are three reasons why the IDC predictions are wrong about WP7
1. Apps – When push comes to shove, every cell phone out there can make phone calls and send texts. The reason people gravitate towards smartphones is the extra things that they can do. That’s where apps come in. We get the fact that WP7 is the newest kid on the block, so we wouldn’t expect the number of apps in their store to compare to the Android Market or App Store. But even taking that into account, the growth rate has been tepid at best.
Furthermore, developers are going to go where the money is, and that is with the currently popular mobile platforms. WP7 will remain an afterthought until WP7 becomes more popular. And WP7 isn’t likely to become more popular until more apps start flooding its marketplace. Catch 22
2. Carriers – Try to remember the last time you saw a WP7 device promoted in any sort of carrier sponsored advertisement. AT&T ran some in 2010 right when WP7 first came out, and that is about it. The simple fact is, if carriers aren’t making money off of a particular platform, they aren’t likely to pour money into promoting said platform. And they aren’t likely to clear too much shelf space either.
There is no equal opportunity when it comes to smartphones. It’s free market capitalism. It’s no small coincidence that Nokia phones have become all but nonexistent on the four major carriers. We’re also seeing Blackberry phones' getting less and less attention from the major carriers as their sales continue to slip.
3. Nokia – It’s kind of crazy to think that Microsoft has pinned their future on a cell phone manufacturer that has more or less fallen off the map here in the US. You can see why they did it. Nokia will be the only manufacturer that will treat WP7 as its top platform. That’s important. Unfortunately, Nokia is almost completely irrelevant in the US market now. It will be very difficult, no matter how good their WP7 phones might end up being, for them to re-establish themselves in the US.
Apple made some noise this week as they have started to sell unlocked iPhone 4s at their retail stores. Its news that has gotten a lot of folks excited, and a lot of folks wondering what an unlocked phone is. But before you run out and slap down $650-$750 of your hard earned cash on an Apple retail counter, it might be best to learn a few of the pros and cons of unlocked phones so you can make an educated decision. Here are a few things to consider.
An unlocked phone DOES NOT mean it will work on any network – This is absolutely the most important thing you need to understand before buying any unlocked device. An unlocked cell phone will only work on GSM networks. But that does mean that they will work on any GSM network in the world.
Here in the US, we’re talking about AT&T and T-Mobile. Internationally, GSM is more or less the standard, meaning an unlocked device will work in virtually any country on the planet.
If you travel abroad a lot, avoiding international roaming charges by purchasing pay as you go SIM cards will save you enough money in and of itself to pay for the phone.
Sticker Shock – Unlocked phones aren’t subsidized by carriers for the simple reason that having an unlocked phone means that you don’t have to sign a contract to get you phone and roam from one carrier to the next with the same device. Hence the higher initial price tag.
Where the benefit comes in is in the resale value. Because you aren’t locked into a contract, when you get bored of your current device, you can simply sell it online and apply that cash towards the purchase of a new phone without incurring a penalty for terminating your contract early, or upgrading early.
Essentially, you can upgrade your phone every 12 months for about the same cost as someone on contract can upgrade their contract every 24 months. There’s just a little more work on the consumer end to make this happen.
Just like with any purchase, it’s always smart to do a little homework first. This blog is a great starting point. For more in depth analysis you can check out our unlocked cell phone guide at the PhoneSale.com homepage.
Today, T-Mobile announced that they will be giving away 1 year of free data to anyone who signs up for a new two year contract on Father’s day. It’s a nice promotion, and it got us to wondering what the best phones for dads are. Heading into Father’s Day, here is our list of the top phones for dad on each of the major carriers.
A recent study revealed that the average age of gamers was 37. When it comes to gaming there is no phone quite like the Sony Xperia Play. Dubbed the “PlayStation” phone, this phone comes with a slide out game control pad and has exclusive access to dozens of PlayStation games. Running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and rocking a 4.0” display, this phone is a whole lot more than just a toy.
Don’t get dad another wallet. Instead, pick up the Google Nexus S. It is equipped with NFC capabilities, meaning dad can leave his wallet at home and use this phone to pay for goods and services. While made by Samsung, the Nexus S runs a pure version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) the way Google intended it. No proprietary user interface changes on this phone. What it does have is an amazing 4.0” AMOLED display and a 1-gigahertz processor.
The aluminum design has a definite masculine look and feel, perfect for dads. On the inside, this phone is also a beast. Sporting an 8.0 megapixel camera, dad will be able to capture all those special photos and videos and show them off to his co-workers and friends on the Inspire 4G’s giant 4.3” display. It also comes with Sense, which can pinpoint the phone’s location on a map should dad ever misplace his phone.
If dad is into speed, then this is the phone for him. Its dual core processor lets dad run multiple apps without slowing down to phone. Steam highlights of the big game or seamlessly stream music while working in the garage; this is a great phone for any dad. A front facing camera allows for video calling with the old man if you are on the other side of the country or just around the corner.
So there you have it. The best phones for dad on each of the big 4 networks. If there is another phone out there for dads that we forgot to include, please feel free to leave us a comment and let us know.
Last week, before we departed for the weekend, we touched on a report from IDC that claimed Microsoft’s WP7 mobile platform could nab as much as 20% of the US market by 2015. Considering where WP7 currently sits (well below 5%), that is a very bold claim.
In fact, IDC is predicting that WP7 will be the second most popular mobile platform in the next 4 years. They project Android to continue their meteoric growth, gobbling up nearly 45% of the market by 2015. Blackberry phones, by contrast, are expected to continue to fall.
Surprisingly, IDC also predicts that Apple’s iOS will also lose market share, dropping to approximately 17% in the same time frame.
The biggest reason for the predicted growth of WP7 is the impending release of Mango. It is the most recent update to their mobile OS, and experts have been raving about it. Couple that with Nokia’s partnership, and things are at least looking positive.
But an annual growth rate of 82% seems to be a little bit extreme.
Another thing working in Microsoft’s favor is that total smartphone use is also expected to see a sharp increase in the next year. IDC predicts that smartphones will make up 55% of all phones in circulation by the end of 2011.
As more people toss away their feature phones, there will be more customers yet to latch onto and become loyal to a particular mobile OS. This provides Microsoft with an opportunity to try and snag those new adopters and grow their platform.
While the IDC report does seem to be a little over ambitious, there are definitely signs that point to at least an uptick in the WP7 platform. Only time will tell.
Nokia CEO Steven Elop is talking to anyone who will listen to him. He has been at the helm of the embattled cell phone manufacturer for barely 6 months and is anxious to turn perceptions around. Having coming under fire internally for dumping the Finnish company’s proprietary smartphone platform and externally for choosing Windows Phone 7 over Android, Elop has seen the company’s stocks and revenues drop each quarter since he took over. But the former Microsoft man knew all along that things would get worse before they got better.
For years, Nokia phones absolutely dominated both the US and worldwide cell phone market. However, as the smartphone revolution began, Nokia’s relevance quickly faded here in the US. Now you can barely find more than one Nokia phone on any of the four major carriers.
Nokia is now hanging their hopes on the Windows Phone 7 platform; a decision that has been largely criticized. WP7 devices have hardly been moving off the shelves, so for one struggling company to marry themselves to another company struggling to carve out a share of the pie, well, it seems a bit off.
The funny thing is, customers have been surveyed, and they actually prefer the WP7 interface over Android and Apple’s iOS. Where Microsoft falls short is in hardware. Due to the popularity of Android, companies put their best foot forward with Android Devices treat WP7 almost as an afterthought.
Nokia will be the first cell phone manufacturer whose main smartphone focus will be WP7 phones. It’s a distinction not lost on industry experts like IDC, who predict that the WP7 platform could grow to a 20% market share by 2015 should Nokia’s transition go smoothly. That would nearly quadruple WP7’s current share.
The real obstacle facing Nokia and Microsoft is convincing carriers to make shelf space for their phones. The pair will have to hit a couple early home runs to get the ball rolling, otherwise they might find themselves running in place.
In the wake of news that Facebook and Microsoft are both backing the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, Verizon has slid somewhat under the radar regarding a potential spectrum trade deal with US Cellular.
The two telecoms submitted paperwork to the FCC requesting the trade. Verizon is asking for the right to give US Cellular spectrum in Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Indian, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington and Oklahoma. In return, Verizon will get some of US Cellular’s spectrum in Indiana and Illinois.
The deal would allow for people with Verizon phones to get better service, while US Cellular would be able to expand into new markets.
While details aren’t available, Verizon would likely be acquiring spectrum in heavily populated areas that are putting a strain on their existing network. US Cellular would likely be getting spectrum in rural areas.
US Cellular is a regional carrier, based in Chicago, with just over 6 million customers in 26 states. This seems like a mutually beneficial deal on the surface and it would be hard to imagine the FCC not approving.
AT&T is facing a much stiffer test getting their merger with T-Mobile past the FCC. Despite the support from the private sector, multiple government officials have been very outspoken against the idea of a merger.
AT&T stands to lose as much as $6 billion if the deal fails to go through in promised payments to T-Mobile. T-Mobile is already guaranteed $3 billion in cash should the deal fall through, and it was recently revealed that they will also get spectrum valued at as much as an addition $3 billion.
Nobody is perfect, but you would figure that the bean counters over at AT&T would know the tax laws and bill their customers accordingly. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, and in a class action lawsuit files by customers against the telecom giant, a court ruled that they wrongfully collected a boatload of taxes from customers and then passed that cash off to state and local governments.
Just how much cash did AT&T accidently overbill their customers? Just under a billion dollars, which is a staggering figure by any estimation. The exact figure is $956 million. The taxes collected were in violation of the Internet Tax Freedom Act. While AT&T hasn’t admitted to any wrong doing, they have stopped collected the taxes in questions and will try and recoup the taxes back from various government agencies.
They have also been ordered to assist customers in their attempts to get tax refunds from their state and local governments.
In fairness to AT&T, it is extremely unlikely that they were intentionally trying to fleece their customers. After all, they weren’t keeping any of the taxes collected. But it is rather shocking that they were unaware that taxing people for internet access is prevented by the Internet Tax Freedom Act.
In total, 29 million customers across all 50 states are part of the class action suit, totaling 49 million phone numbers. Doing some quick math that averages out to approximately $20 per phone number, which isn’t exactly a windfall for customers, but its more about the principle than anything.
T-Mobile is launching a pilot program where they will pay you to port your old Sprint, AT&T or Verizon phone number to their network. The program isn’t going to be launched nationwide. It’s being tested in a half a dozen cities across the country. The cities are El Paso, TX, Philadelphia, PA, Tampa, FL, Kansas City, KS, St. Louis, MO and Providence, RI.
Anyone who buys a new T-Mobile phone and brings their old number with them will be offered between $50 and $100 in credits. In order to get the credit, you have to sign up for a 2 year contract. Feature phones get the lower end credit, while smartphone purchasers get the larger credit.
The credit will appear on monthly bills at $10 discounts until the total credit is used up so long as the account remains in good standing. In other words, make a late payment and your credit goes bye-bye.
This promotion isn’t unique or innovative by any stretch. Virtually every carrier has offered some sort of poaching program in the past. The biggest criticism of these programs is that the credits offered rarely outweigh the likely early termination fees, meaning customers still suffer a loss if they make the switch.
While the credits soften the blow a little, it’s tough to imagine that there are too many people out there that lack the patience to just wait out the end of their contract before making a switch.
Where the T-Mobile promotion seems to differ is that there doesn’t appear to be any stipulation that you have to currently be under contract with another carrier to get the credit.
In the midst of a lawsuit brought against them by investors, RIM got even more bad news today. Comscore released their latest cell phone statistics, and the Canadian manufacturer or the once popular Blackberry brand continues to trend downwards.
In almost a perfect reverse correlation, Android phones continue to climb at the same rate that Blackberry phones are falling.
Android gained 5.2% of the smartphone market share in the last three months, further solidifying its place atop the rankings. Blackberry lost 4.7% and slipped into third place behind Apple.
Apple not controls 26% of the US smartphone market, 10 percentage points behind Google. Rounding out the top 5 were Microsoft (6.7%) and HP’s WebOS (2.6%). It is important to note that Microsoft’s numbers aren’t limited to their WP7 platform released at the tail end of 2010.
In fact Microsoft’s share has fallen for the second consecutive three month period suggesting that users of older versions of Microsoft mobile platforms are converting to other options rather than adopting the WP7 mobile OS.
The news wasn’t as bad for RIM in terms of the OEM numbers. While they did experience a decline, it was fairly benign at just -.4%.
The OEM market share figures includes both smartphones and feature phones. Samsung continues to lead the pack with just under 25% of the total cell phone market. LG phones and Motorola phones finished second and third with 20.9% and 15.6% respectively.
Apple and RIM round out the top 5, which is respectable considering both companies only produce smartphones, which make up only 32% of cell phone users according to Comscore.
Conspicuously absent from both lists are Nokia and their proprietary Symbian mobile OS. The Finnish cell phone giant has been struggling in the US market for years and is banking on a recent partnership with Microsoft to make a comeback. Based on Microsoft’s numbers they seem to be banking on Nokia to help them gain relevance as well.
In a bid for world domination, err, an expanded presence in the mobile market, Apple has renewed a patent application to become a mobile carrier.
That’s right. In addition to buying your phone from Apple, you would also send your monthly payment to Steve Jobs.
Realistically, Apple won’t be able to actual set up their own network. They would have to rent spectrum from someone. Best Buy already does something like this, renting spectrum from Clearwire. LightSquared, which has yet to begin operations, would be another option.
But Apple is targeting bigger fish. In the patent application, they describe a situation where they would rent spectrum from the various carriers regionally. For example, they might rent from AT&T, however, if AT&T is backlogged in a certain region and Verizon has a surplus, then they would turn to Verizon in these regions.
The next iPhone is expected to come with both GSM and CDMA radios, making them world phones. But they would also make a scenario like the one described above feasible.
In a perfect world for consumers, it could also lead to bidding wars between carriers to win Apple’s business, which in turn would likely drive down prices for Apple subscribers. In an imperfect world, the major carriers wouldn’t see any value in clogging up their own networks with data hungry iPhone users, and would tell Apple to go fly a kite.
Seeing how the latter is probably more likely, which is why Apple becoming its own carrier is probably still several years from even being a realistic possibility. But don’t be surprised if this is something that Apple aggressively pursues. They are renowned control freaks when it comes to their devices. The next logical step would be controlling the networks their devices run on.
Nokia has come under some fire over their decision to marry themselves to Micorsoft’s WP7 platform rather than Android. We here at the Phone Sale blog have been critical of the decision ourselves. Though we also understand why Nokia would make the decision to choose WP7 over Android.
Had they gone with Android, they would be one of nearly a dozen manufacturers using the Android OS as their flagship OS. While companies like Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola have all rolled out Windows Phone devices, it clearly is a secondary effort for those companies who focus on the more popular Android OS.
Once Nokia starts rolling out WP7 devices later this year they should be the premier manufacturer of WP7 devices.
But what actually led to the decision to ditch their proprietary OS in the first place?
In a very interesting article in BusinessWeek, though it’s a long read, it does a great job of summing up what brought Nokia to this point.
Prior to 2007, Nokia controlled 49% of the total cell phone market worldwide. 2007 turned out to be a fateful year, as Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone that year. Since that time, Nokia’s market share has plunged to just 25% and their stock price had plunged by as much as 75%.
The main reason was their inability to bring new phones to the market in a timely manner. When CEO Steven Elop took over in September of last year, he met with 12 senior engineers developing new MeeGo devices. The goal was to map out current progress on said devices and get a better picture of where the company stood.
That picture wasn’t a pretty one. Elop and his team determined that they were on pace to introduce just 3 new devices before 2014. It was at that moment that Elop realized just how bleak the picture was and made the difficult decision to ditch MeeGo and Symbian and partner with another OS.
When push came to shove, Google refused to give Nokia the flexibility it wanted to innovate. Microsoft, not coming from a power position based in their low market share, was more willing to negotiate with Nokia. Roughly two months after Elop took over, the partnership with Microsoft was announced.
This story is barely past the first act. The second act starts when Nokia releases their first WP7 handset, and hopefully for them continues to churn them out at a rapid pace. Act three is yet to be written and will either end in a bitter divorce or could see Microsoft and Nokia living happily ever after.
Last week we blogged about how Deutsche Bank is rolling out a new program to allow employees to shift away from the Blackberry devices and use Android and Apple devices for business use. It marks a huge blow for RIM, the Canadian company that manufacturers the Blackberry, as the business market is really one of the few segments where Blackberry phones still have a strong presence.
The other is government use. Apparently, when it rains it pours, as the US government recently decided that it is going to start phasing Blackberries out and phase in Apple phones and Android smartphones.
There won’t be wholesale changes as of right now, but members of Congress, the ATF, the Department of Veteran Affairs, the State Department and several other smaller agencies will be allowed to choose the device they want to use. Should an employee choose to ditch their Blackberry, they will need to equip their Apple or Android smartphone with the proper security software to make them government compliant.
This marks a massive shift in thinking from the government that previously had mandated the use of Blackberries for work use. Many government employees, including Federal CTO Vivek Kundra, admit to carrying a Blackberry for work, and using a more preferred device for personal use.
Blackberry appears to be sinking faster than the Titanic, and there isn’t a lifeboat anywhere on the horizon. It wasn’t that long ago that Palm was the dominant name in the business world with their line of PDA devices. Palm, recently bought by HP, now holds less than a 5% share of the smartphone market.
Blackberry appears to be headed in that direction, and could get there sooner rather than later if something isn’t done really soon.
Samsung and Apple are currently embroiled in a patent lawsuit where Apple is alleging that Samsung blatantly stole the design and appearance of the iPhone and used it in their phones. Seeing how all smartphones pretty much look alike, it seems like a bit of a superfluous lawsuit, but one judge doesn’t see it that way.
Last week, the judge presiding over the case ordered 5 yet to be released Samsung phones and tablets to be handed over to Apple, so they could inspect them and make sure that none of their patents had been violated. While that isn’t a total loss for the Korean based electronics manufacturer, it certainly is a major blow.
In an attempt to fire a legal shot across Apple’s bow, Samsung’s lawyers have filed a rather childish and borderline comical demand of their own.
They have asked to be given the iPhone 5 and iPad 3. Why? They claim that in order to avoid being sued, they need to see the devices before anyone else does in order to avoid inadvertently copying the devices.
Samsung had filed a countersuit against Apple, and is also claiming that they need to devices as part of disclosure so they can see if Apple is actually copying them, not the other way around.
What’s interesting is that Apple has never officially announced the iPhone 5 or iPad 3. The Cupertino, CA based company is usually extremely tight lipped about such things, so if they are forced to hand over the devices, they’ll basically be forced to let the cat out of the bag on someone else’s schedule, which won’t sit well with them.
Some legal experts believe that this is just a ploy by Samsung to get Apple to the negotiating table to settle out of court. If not, it will be interesting to see how a judge rules on two devices that don’t officially exist.
RIM, the Canadian company that makes the Blackberry phone, is in trouble. They are in real big trouble. Struggling to keep up with the pace of phones being released on the Android platform, Blackberries have fallen horribly behind in the spec war that dominates smartphone buying decisions. Their market share has plummeted, and sales have been down.
RIM is now facing a class action lawsuit from shareholders claiming that the cell phone manufacturer underreported losses in the quarterly report. The fact that co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie seem to be sticking their fingers in their ears, closing their eyes, and shouting at the top of their lungs until everything goes away has to be disconcerting for anyone significantly invested in the company.
Things are only getting worse too. The only thing really keeping Blackberry phones relevant is their stranglehold on business customers. But Apple and Google aren’t charitable organizations, and they are gunning for that segment as well.
A company called Good Technology has developed an app that allows people to access secure corporate servers with an iPhone or Android device. Deutsche Bank has rolled out a test program for its employees to use the service.
JP Morgan Chase has already added the iPhone to the list of acceptable devices at work. It seems to be only a matter of time before Android phones get added to the list.
Blackberry has pointed towards emerging markets like India and South America as places where they can stem the bleeding. However, a nearly yearlong feud with the Indian government over Blackberries encryption services could very likely derail those plans before the train ever leaves the station.
We all know that Verizon will be scrapping their unlimited data options this summer. It is a trend that has either already been implemented by most of the other major carriers or is in the works as well. Sprint is the only national carrier that hasn’t announced a plan to kill unlimited data. While this is obviously a blow for consumers who use their phones for everything from streaming movies to listening to internet radio, the carriers are also faced with a difficult decision.
Should a carrier charge an overage fee, similar to overage chargers for text messages and minutes, or should carriers simply throttle data speeds until the next billing cycle? The carriers are split on this decision.
AT&T customers already are hit with overage charges for exceeding their data limits. So much so that more than one class action lawsuit has been brought against the carrier in the past regarding phantom data charges.
Verizon customers will face similar overage charges this summer when the nation’s largest carrier ditches their unlimited options.
T-Mobile, often billed as the nations “budget carrier” also recently announced that they are doing away with unlimited data plans. However, they don’t plan on hitting their customers with extra fees. Customers using T-Mobile phones capable of 3G or 4G speeds will have their data connections throttled to 2G speeds until the next billing cycle begins.
When push comes to shove, unless you are a power user, it’s very unlikely that you will exceed even 2 GB of data used. But for those that are married to their phones for all of their media needs, this is some really bad news.
Samsung may want to hire a new legal team, because the folks they have handling their multiple cases in court are getting worked over like Ed Helms did my Mike Tyson in the Hangover. Actually, Ed Helms probably put up more of a fight than Samsung’s lawyers have.
We’ll start with Samsung’s current legal battle with Apple. Apple is suing, saying that Samsung infringed on several patents surrounding the iPhone and iPad, and used them in several of their more popular phone from the past year. Samsung naturally fired back with a lawsuit of their own claiming Apple was copying them.
In the first real indication that one side is beating the other, a judge has ordered Samsung to hand over 5 unreleased Samsung phones and tablets to Apple for inspection. While the court has said that this isn’t an indication of guilt, it quickly followed up by saying that Apple had produced sufficient evidence that Samsung may indeed be copying everything from hardware design to packaging as the basis for the order to hand over the phones.
Meanwhile, in another legal battle, a company called Fractus sued Samsung claiming patent infringements regarding antenna technology. Just today, a court ruled in their favor and has forced Samsung to pay .35¢ per phone sold with the pirated technology, for a sum $23 million judgment against the Korean manufacturer.
It is also important to note that Samsung is a key figure in the current lawsuit that location software provider Skyhook has brought against Google, claiming that Google blocked their software from being used in Samsung and Motorola products.
In all fairness to Samsung, they are hardly the only mobile company embroiled in a number of lawsuits. They just seem to be taking quite a beating as of late.
It’s been a few weeks since the four major carriers released their Q1 numbers. T-Mobile clearly was the loser after hemorrhaging nearly half a million customers in the first three months of 2011. Often known as the budget alternative to the other three national carriers, T-Mobile phones are typically on par with the very best the other carriers have to offer, but have much smaller monthly rate plans.
T-Mobile’s biggest hurdle is their coverage map, which pales in comparison to AT&T and Verizon. An impending merger with AT&T might have customers jumping ship early in anticipation of severe rate hikes.
But until any merge actually takes place, T-Mobile is operating independently, and as such, is rolling out new rate plans to try and stem the tide of customer depletion. Last week’s news revolved around a new small business plan, as well as new family plans. This week, the company is focusing on individual plans.
A full listing of the new plans can be found here. What is most noticeable is that there will be no overage fees for data. The most expensive plan is $119.99 per month and comes with 10GB of data. It tiers down from there to a 200MB plan for $69.99. Two more plans for $79.99 and $89.99 come with 2 GB and 5 GB of date respectively.
Rather than charge overage fees, T-Mobile intends to throttle data speeds to 2G speeds once a customer reaches his contracted amount of data.
This move will certainly save customers from sticker shock when they receive their monthly bill. Though heavy data users are likely to miss their unlimited data option.
It seems as though before Microsoft even released their first Windows Phone 7 device it was complete shrouded in dark clouds. And when the phone was finally released, those clouds were blown away by a wind from a hurricane of disaster.
From hardware issues to software deficiencies, Microsoft simply hasn’t been able to catch a break in what is already an extremely competitive smartphone market.
Microsoft hasn’t been forthcoming with their sales figures, but analysts have crunched the numbers and they aren’t favorable. ComScore’s latest poll ranking the top mobile OS’ in the US came out, and Microsoft lost ground on their already meager numbers.
Today, Gartner estimated that Microsoft sold a paltry 1.6 million WP7 devices in Q1 2011.
Verizon, the nation’s leading carrier in terms of subscribers, will be launching their first Windows Phone 7 device next week called the HTC Trophy.
That the #1 carrier in the US waited this long to bring WP7 on board is an indication of carrier excitement surrounding the OS as well. Couple that with the fact that the Trophy is a phone that was released in Europe 10 months ago, only compounds Verizon’s general indifference to the platform.
Nokia’s first WP7 device can’t come fast enough. While the Finish giant has become largely irrelevant in the US smartphone market, that has largely been blamed on their proprietary OS, which doesn’t offer much in terms of mobile apps. Their phones, however, are extremely well made and just need a boost by a better OS.
Microsoft on the other hand really needs a manufacturer that will focus all their attention on their platform. So long as Android is king, companies like HTC, Samsung and Motorola will treat WP7 as an afterthought.
It looks like Nokia is Microsoft’s last hope to become relevant in the US smartphone market.
Three short years ago, Sprint rated miserably in terms of customer satisfaction. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) does an annual report, and of the 4 major carriers, Sprint was rated at a 56, which is extremely miserable.
Oh how things have changed. The new index came out, and it appears as though Sprint has been listening to complaints. They jumped into a tie with Verizon for first place amongst the major carriers with a score of 72.
T-Mobile slipped from first to third with a score of 70, while AT&T brings up the rear with a score of 66.
AT&T has long had low ratings when it comes to customer satisfaction, stemming in large part from their inability to keep up with the data demands of iPhone users. T-Mobile’s drop isn’t that severe, but it could be signs that current customers are unsettled about the prospect of being taken over by AT&T.
The ACSI also measures customer satisfaction with specific cell phone brands. Motorola phones rated the highest with a score of 77. Samsung phones were the second highest in terms of the major brands with a score of 74.
The ASCI lists companies based on market share, so companies like Blackberry and Apple get lumped into the “all others” category due to their total reliance on smartphones. Smartphones still only represent approximately 42% of all phones in the country. A company like Apple, which owns 25% of the total smartphone market share, would only own 10% of the total cell phone market share.
Even if you bought your new cell phone straight off the assembly line a week ago, it’s probably already obsolete. At least it seems as though that is the pace with which new phones hit the market these days. Couple in the fact that upgrading your phone typically means buying at unsubsidized prices and it can get pretty expensive if you are trying to keep up with the latest in cell phone technology.
T-Mobile is trying to ease that pain a little bit. Often referred to as the budget carrier amongst the big four, the Bellevue, WA carrier is introducing a trade-in program for old phones.
The gist goes a little something like this. Bring your old phone into a T-Mobile store, an on staff “expert” will give you a quote for your older phone to apply towards the purchase of a new phone. The credit comes in the form of a mail in rebate, and maxes out at $300. Though, most trade ins will likely be for far less than that.
The good news is that the trade in program is good for any phone, not just T-Mobile phones. If you have an old AT&T phone, you should in theory get the same sort of rebate as you would with one of T-Mobile’s devices.
The bad news is that T-Mobile isn’t taking just any old piece of junk. All trade in phones need to be fully functional with no cracks on the screen and no corrosion or rust.
The program is already in full swing. No word on how long this promotion will last.
Sprint is offering credits to any new customers who jump ship from another carrier. Business customers can earn up to $175 in credits with the purchase of a new smartphone. Personal use customers can earn $150 if they purchase a smartphone and $50 if they opt for a feature phone.
There is one major caveat though. You have to be currently locked into a contract with another carrier to qualify for the credits. And the credit being offered most likely won’t cover the early any early termination fees that customers would face if they wanted to make the switch.
So if it is a net loss for anyone making the switch, why would anyone actually take advantage of this deal?
It seems rather obvious that Sprint is targeting current T-Mobile customers that might be nervous about the potential merger with AT&T and what will happen to their plans. But that merger is at least a year off, so it seems unlikely that anyone under contract would really see this offer as all that enticing considering they’d still be under contract a year from now when the picture clears up a bit.
If Sprint were really serious about trying to lure customers, they would try to lure people who were out of contract. Avoid the early termination penalty, and suddenly that $175 or $150 is actually $175 or $150.
The offer extends through June 23rd for personal use customers and runs through July 23rd for business customers. It will be interesting to see how this promotion plays out. Sprint posted a net loss of 218,000 customers last quarter.
The climb for AT&T to make their $39 billion buyout of T-Mobile a reality seems to be getting steeper and steeper each day. The Senate Judiciary Committee expressed concerns over the merger yesterday, saying that if allowed to go through, it would create a duopoly that would inevitably drive up prices for consumers.
Heading into this merger, AT&T seemed very confident. Six billion dollars worth of confidence to be exact. We already knew that AT&T had agreed to pay T-Mobile $3 billion if the deal fell through. But new documents reveal that AT&T would also have to hand over spectrum and roaming allowances to T-Mobile should the deal fail to pass valued at an addition $3 billion.
The main concern with the proposed merger is that it would drastically drive down competition, driving up rates for AT&T and Verizon. The two carriers already have the most expensive cell phone plans on the market and would control more than 80% of all cell phone customers if the merger passed.
It would also likely mean fewer options when it came to AT&T phones and T-Mobile phones. There are several directions that AT&T could choose to go with T-Mobile. They could choose to keep the brand as their budget option and just release older AT&T models to the more budget conscious consumers. Or they could do away with T-Mobile altogether, which would eliminate one of the more progressive thinking carriers in terms of handsets from the equation all together.
For those that don’t remember, T-Mobile was the first carrier to offer an Android phone and forged an early partnership with HTC that allowed them to grow to the cell phone superpower that they are today.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. But no matter the outcome for AT&T, it appears that T-Mobile and parent company Deutsche Telekom are in a win/win situation.
You’ve probably never heard of Skyhook. They are a location enabling provider. And not too long ago, they were slated to provide location data collection services on two Motorola phones - the Motorola Droid 2 and the Motorola Droid X. Then, all of a sudden, they were booted from the two Motorola phones, and Skyhook filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that they interfered in the ability to operate their business.
The lawsuit has led to a release of court documents that suggest Android isn’t nearly as open source as they claim to be.
While Google’s Android platform is completely customizable, the court documents reveal that Google has the final say in what tweaks manufacturers can and can’t make. They also can mandate that certain apps be preloaded on all devices, and determine what version of those apps are approved for what devices.
What’s most revealing is that Google has the power to delay shipment of given devices if the deem that they aren’t “Google compatible”.
What exactly does Google compatible mean? Apparently, it means whatever Google decides it should mean at the time. According to those same documents, Google has the right to change their Android Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) at will.
That’s a lot of power that Google wields and if they choose to throw their weight around, a manufacturer like Motorola has a lot more to lose by angering Google than they do with a company like Skyhook.
That is exactly what skyhook is alleging Google did with Motorola, and its why Motorola’s iconic Android handsets don’t run Skyhook location data collection software.
If you want to read a great summary of the 750 pages of legal documents you can click here.
Variety is one of the better things about Android. There are double digit manufacturers producing Android handsets, each adding their own little tweaks to the user interface. Then the carriers get their hands on the devices and in some cases add in a few more little customizations. It allows customers to truly find a phone that is almost personalized to their preferences.
That fragmentations is also what is so maddening. Because there are so many tweaks done to the stock Android OS before it gets to your hands, it takes that much longer for updates to the OS to eventually trickle down to devices. Depending on the manufacturer, it could take months to get the latest version of Android, if ever.
That is all about to change. Yesterday Google announced that it has reached a partnership with all major manufacturers and carriers to ensure that the latest Android updates are rolled out to devices in a timely fashion. And those updates would continue to roll out to devices for at least 18 months after the devices release.
That more or less ensures that when you buy a new Android phone, you will have the latest version of Android for almost the entirety of your contract. That is a huge selling point for customers who are almost instantly hit with buyer’s remorse because of the rapid pace of upgrades and improvements to both handsets and the Android operating system itself.
It is also good news for developers. It makes their lives easier creating apps, knowing that handsets will almost universally be running the same version of Android.
Yesterday we talked about how Android had taken over the top spot in the US in terms of who is the most popular mobile OS out on the market. But smartphones comprise less than 50% of the total cell phones in use today. When you add together all the feature phones, no contract phones, and smartphones together, it might be a surprise which manufacturer is leading the mobile race in the US.
Based on the overall popularity of the iPhone, one might think that Apple is a dominant player in the US, but they aren’t. In fact Apple only hold a 7.9% market share, up 1.1% from last quarter thanks in large part to the release of the Verizon iPhone.
Boosted largely by their dominance in the “dumb phone” segment, Samsung phones are far and away the most popular cell phone maker in the US, holding down a 24.5% share of the total number of cell phones in use in the US. That’s approximately 8 million more phones in circulation than second place LG, which holds a 20.9% share.
Rounding out the “major” players in the US market were Motorola (15.8%) and Blackberry (8.4%).
The relatively small numbers put up by RIM, who makes the Blackberry, and Apple really demonstrates the massive untapped potential of smartphones. It should also provide a glimmer of hope for Nokia and Microsoft, who recently combined forces to start producing Windows Phone 7 devices.
It wasn’t too long ago that Nokia completely owned the both the global market as well as the US market. But they have slipped into general obscurity here in the US the past few years. Based on recent trends, they will need to hit a homerun with Microsoft if they want to become relevant again.
It was an inevitability, but ComScore’s latest mobile OS study has come out, and Android is officially the #1 OS in the United States. Android’s popularity has been climbing at breakneck speeds, almost exclusively at the expense of Blackberry phones.
The most recent study shows Q4 2010 vs. Q1 2011. When compared side by side, Android gained 6% of the market while Blackberry dropped 4.5%. Windows and WebOS (HP/Palm) each fell by .9% each. In a bit of a holding pattern is Apple, which stands at 25.5% of the total US smartphone market, a .5% increase.
That figure comes as a bit of a surprise given the launch of the Verizon iPhone 4 in Q1. While the CDMA iPhone sold 2.2 million units since its release, that didn’t really move the needle.
What may be moving the needle is the growing popularity of no contract phone options. Given the current state of the economy, people are looking to cut expenses, and that monthly cell phone bill is a popular place to trim some fat. People aren’t necessarily willing to sacrifice their smartphones though.
Apple phones simply aren’t available without a contract, and the number of Blackberry options is extremely limited at the no contract level. When it comes to prepaid smartphones, Android is just about the only game in town.
While that is just one piece of the puzzle explaining why Android is dominating the competition, it is certainly an advantage that other mobile OS developers will need to look into if they want to stand any chance of slowing down Google and Android.
HTC is about to have a huge next few weeks. By this date next month, there will be at least one new HTC phone on three of the 4 biggest carriers in the country.
Yesterday we talked about the HTC Trophy coming to Verizon. It will be the first Windows Phone 7 device to hit Verizon since Microsoft first debuted their new mobile OS in late 2010. While that is a huge release in and of itself, it is probably the least anticipated of HTC’s new phones.
Over on the other behemoth carrier, AT&T, will be debuting the HTC Inspire 4G. In addition to 4G speeds, the Inspire sports a massive 4.3 inch touch screen and an 8 megapixel camera. It will also be the first HTC phone in North America to support the ‘Sense’ cloud services, which can find lost phones and remotely wipe data.
Sprint, which is a decidedly smaller carrier than Verizon and AT&T, just might outdo both of its bigger competitors with the HTC Evo 3D. In addition to having a glassesless 3D touch screen display, it will also feature two 5 megapixel cameras that will allow users to capture 3D videos of their own.
The trio of phones highlight what should be a very hectic month in the mobile universe. In addition to the Evo 3D, Sprint recently revealed two new Motorola phones to be release soon. Verizon is releasing at least 5 phones between now and the first week of June. And At&t will also be releasing the newest HP phone, the Veer (formerly Palm).
Despite having recently courted Apple to its shelves, Verizon isn’t forgetting the girl it arrived to the dance with. That of course would be Android, the nation’s largest carrier will be adding three new superpower Android phones to its stable this month.
In total there will be 4 new Verizon phones, as Big Red is also adding its first Window 7 phone, the HTC Trophy.
While that is big news for Microsoft to be sure, the spotlight stealers are without a doubt the three Android phones.
First up is the much anticipated Droid X2 from Motorola. It will join Samsung’s Droid Charge as the two newest phones in the Droid family. The X2 is the next evolution of the extremely popular Droid X. The biggest upgrade is the Tegra 2 dual core processor that will make this beast lightning fast.
Then you have the LG Revolution, which is also a 4G device. Rumors have surfaced that this will be the first Android phone to come with Netflix support.
Last, but easily one of the most anticipated phones for the last 6 months is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. This phone is more fondly known as the PlayStation phone and its journey from rumor to reality has been one of the most closely watched developments in the mobile world.
The Trophy, Droid X2 and Revolution are all expected to be released on the 12th. Meanwhile, the Xperia Play gets its own date, the 26th, to make its debut.
All in all, it should be a very good month to be a Verizon customer.
A new study put out by the Consumers Union says that 75% of American’s want universal phones and would even agree to a law demanding as much. Of course, most American’s don’t fully understand the costs involved. When asked if they would be willing to pay more for a phone in order to get shorter contract, only 23% said yes.
Universal phones are more commonly known as unlocked phones. Right now, only GSM phones can be unlocked, and once they are unlocked, they can work on any GSM network in the world. You just need a compatible SIM card. In the United States, all phones sold are locked to a specific carrier.
Several countries around the world already have government mandated laws requiring that all phones be sold unlocked. Those countries also only use one universal cell phone technology, and customers pay full retail price for new phones.
That’s the sticking point for the US market.
For starters, of the four major carriers, two operate on GSM bands (AT&T and T-Mobile) and two operate on CDMA bands (Verizon and Sprint). Technology is starting to merger as AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are shifting towards LTE 4G networks. But that would still leave Sprint out in the cold, as well as all the smaller prepaid carriers like Metro PCS.
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But technology is really the molehill in front of the mountain. US consumers have gotten used to subsidized pricing on their cell phones. The only reason carriers can offer subsidized pricing on their phones is because they are locked that that carrier, forcing consumers to sign a 2 year contract. It’s the guaranteed money the carriers are bringing in from those monthly contract payment that allow them to make their money back on the subsidized phone.
Selling phones that are already unlocked would mean that consumers would be less likely to sign long term contract, which in turn would lead to higher prices on phones. And that is a price that most consumers aren’t willing to pay.
Without a doubt, the biggest news to hit the mobile world this year has been the announcement of a $39 billion planned merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. The merger faces some pretty steep competition, and it will likely be at least a year before the FCC either approves or denies the deal.
Part of the process the FCC goes through while vetting a potential merger is consumer feedback. In this case, the FCC has set up a page where concerned consumers, or supportive consumers, can voice their opinion on the matter.
The obvious worry is that the merger will make AT&T so big (over 130 million subscribers) that it will greatly limit completion, leading to unchecked price hikes and a limited selection of new phones to choose from. T-Mobile’s biggest selling point is their bargain priced rate plans. How long would those last post merger.
On the plus side, the merger would give AT&T more broadband spectrum (what AT&T is touting as the main reason for the merger), which would in turn mean better quality service for their customers.
The merger has already had several high profile opponents speak out. Obviously, Sprint has voiced their displeasure. The merger would leave Sprint as a distant third national carrier, greatly risking their chance of seriously competing with Verizon and AT&T. But they aren’t the only ones.
Multiple States Attorney Generals have voiced concerns, and even a high level FCC official has openly said that AT&T faces a steep climb if it wants to bring this merger to fruition.
It should be noted that T-Mobile is guaranteed to get $3 billion from AT&T if the merger falls through, So clearly someone at AT&T feels fairly confident that the merger will pass FCC scrutiny.
When it comes to attracting new customers, even the big boys need to come up with new ideas. Carriers want your money for as long as they can get it, which is why the push their post paid plans so heavily and tend to not focus on no contract phones. But the poor economy has customers looking for places to cut expenses, and a monthly cell phone bill is an obvious choice.
As such, the major carriers are starting to shift at least some of their focus more towards prepaid offerings. Verizon has been in the prepaid game, but their plans haven’t exactly been value priced. They had an unlimited plan that included unlimited texts and unlimited talk. But that was priced at $95. Considering the fact that T-Mobile has postpaid plans that include unlimited everything, including data, for $80, that Verizon prepaid plan isn’t anything to get excited about.
But Verizon has had a change of heart, or at least a change of business plan, when it comes to prepaid. The carrier has a new month to month plan dubbed “Unleashed” that offers unlimited text and talk for $50.
The phones offered on the plan are rather pedestrian in nature, and the $50 a month rate is still more than on smaller prepaid carries like Cricket or Metro PCS. But you can’t sneeze that the fact that Verizon has cut the prepaid costs to customers in half.
T-Mobile already has its own prepaid option and Sprint owns Boost Mobile, which is also a prepaid carrier.
Android’s dominance in the smartphone market looks as though it will only continue to rise as a recent survey by Neilsen revealed that 31% of people surveyed are looking to purchase an Android phone when compared to 30% who are eyeing the iPhone.
While that number doesn’t mark a significant difference, Android already enjoys a small lead over Apple, and it appears that lead will be growing.
There are a few factors that could be skewing the results in favor of Android phones. First and foremost, the iPhone 4 has been out for nearly a year already and the iPhone 5 isn’t expected to arrive until September. Meanwhile, Android is coming out with new high end phones at an impressive rate. It’s entirely possible that this exact same survey would yield completely different results in the fall.
The fact that Android is available on all four major carriers while the iPhone is only available on two networks could also slightly push the needle in Android’s direction.
That being said, the Verizon iPhone 4 has barely hit the market, so there should still be some people waiting for their contract to end so then can switch to the CDMA iPhone. That would definitely help Apple’s numbers in the survey.
In any event, Apple iPhones and Android devices are the two clear favorites amongst consumers, blowing away every other phone.
Microsoft is hoping that as soon as Nokia phones begin running their Windows Phone 7 platform that they will begin to grab a more significant share of the market. But for the foreseeable future, it’s just a two horse race.
One of the more curious images to cross our desks surfaced over the weekend. It is an image of a white iPhone 4 running T-Mobile. As everyone already knows, the iPhone 4 was initially exclusive to AT&T, and earlier this year it became available on the Verizon network. The white iPhone 4 won’t be available until later this week. So all the scam alarms should be going off in your head.
But then there is the fact that unlocked iPhones exist, and can run on any GSM network, including T-Mobile’s network. But this doesn’t appear to be an unlocked version of the AT&T iPhone 4.
There are a couple of possible explanations for this. The most obvious one is that T-Mobile is indeed getting the iPhone, and this is simply a test model given out to developers to work out any bugs. It could be that T-Mobile isn’t getting the iPhone, but because of the impending merger between AT&T and T-Mobile, Apple is starting to figure out a way to make a device that plays nicely with both networks.
In either case, it is highly unlikely that this device, which looks exactly like the iPhone 4 is going to be the device that actually makes it to retail locations. If anything, Apple will roll out a T-Mobile device in September when the iPhone 5 is introduced.
Some are speculating that T-Mobile might get the iPhone 4 when the iPhone 5 comes out as a “bargain” alternative what will invariably be a more expensive incarnation of the popular phone. That seems unlikely though, as its hard to imagine that T-Mobile would intentionally push an obsolete phone just to have it.
Whatever the case may be, we’ll keep our eyes and ear open on this one and keep you informed as we find out more.
There is an interesting article over at Mobiledia outlining how to avoid bill shock when you travel abroad. The obvious answer is to simply get an unlocked phone and buy a prepaid SIM card while you’re abroad. That way you can avoid Verizon’s $20.48 per MB charge for roaming on a foreign network.
Even simply turning your phone could trigger an overage charge as your phone automatically attempts to connect to a local network.
Sprint has a plan for $70 that includes unlimited international data, but that is only good for Blackberry phones.
If you don’t travel abroad that much, you can buy an international SIM card, which will help. But if you spend a lot of time using your passport, going the unlocked route and just using SIM cards from whatever country you happen to be in at the time is by far the best way to go.
There’s a great article in Wired about how the Motorola Droid, and the Droid name in general, saved Motorola and Android from slipping into obscurity. It’s historically accurate to. That phone, and the Droid branding, is when Android truly became Android.
Motorola phones hadn’t really progressed from the time of the RAZR and Android only had three other phones out on the market. But the marketing behind the Droid – and the fact that it was a great phone – have stood the test of time. It became so ubiquitous that people still refer to Android phones as Droids, even if they aren’t actually part of the Droid family.
It got us to thinking about Windows Phone 7. WP7 has been plagued by bad sales, slow OS updates, and hardware issues since day one. We here at the Phone Sale blog haven’t been too kind ourselves when talking about WP7. But maybe they just need their “Droid moment.”
Nokia could provide that when they get their first WP7 devices out of the factory and into stores. Nokia’s disappearing act from the US market wasn’t because they make poor devices. Quite the contrary. Nokia phones hold up against any phone on the market. Their problem was being chained to a proprietary operating system and a general lack of direction from management.
Can the marriage between Nokia and Microsoft provide WP7 with their own Droid moment? Absolutely it can. But it will need to be a perfect storm , and they will only get one shot at it to avoid fading into general obscurity.
Apple is pretty notorious for not wanting customers to mess with their phone in any way shape or form. There have been numerous stories of people taking their iPhones in for repairs only to find that when they are returned, a new type of screw has been put in that isn’t compatible with any screwdriver available to the masses.
Needless to say, they aren’t too fond of people trying to turn their devices into unlocked iPhones. And T-Mobile customers are constantly on the lookout for such devices. To date, it has been extremely difficult to unlock an iPhone. So much so that the standard practice is to jailbreak the phone in order to unlock it.
A service called Cut Your Sim has just emerged though that will unlock your iPhone without the need to jailbreak it. And it works with every model iPhone and is a permanent unlock. The service costs $169 and it works through iTunes, making one wonder if Apple themselves has a stake in this.
Just as AT&T and Verizon are raising prices and eliminating options, T-Mobile is introducing new plans that offer more and cost less. Exactly how long those plans will actually be available should the merger with AT&T go through remain to be seen, but starting on the 13th, T-Mobile customers will be able to get acquainted with the word unlimited.
T-Mobile’s “Even More” plan will be offered to customers who by a subsidized phone and agree to a two year contract. It will include unlimited talk, text and data for $79.99.
For people who choose to pay full price for a no contract phone, the “Even More Plus” plan includes everything listed above for $59.99.
For those not interested in doing the math, the $480 you’d save on monthly bills over the course of a two year contract would more than pay for all but 4 of the phones currently offered by T-Mobile.
Cell phone carriers are really trying to push those long term contracts, and why wouldn’t they? For people with a smartphone, over the course of a two year contract, you can pay upwards of $2,500. Even if you are getting a free phone at the outset, over the long haul, a no contract phone is going to save you money.
But contract phones are still king and the companies do everything they can to keep it that way. Verizon and AT&T are the nation’s two largest carriers by a wide margin and both have recently taken measures to ensure that you stick with them long term.
AT&T is being a little more subtle about things, increasing the cost of their no contract phones by $50 across the board. While it isn’t a huge bump, it’s enough to make that subsidized phone on a two year contract that much more enticing.
Verizon is being more overt, as they announced that they will be dumping their 1 year contract option, and will only offer two year commitments starting April 17th.
There is a prevailing belief that if the AT&T/T-Mobile merger gets through the Federal approval process, consumers are going to be saddled with higher prices. AT&T’s theory on this is why wait? All AT&T phones are getting an upgrade in the price tag department.
AT&T announced that it is raising the price for early upgrades by $50. And that’s just for the iPhone. If you want to upgrade any other phone early, that will set you back $150. And it’s not just people who are on contracts that will get hit by price hikes. All no contract phones will get an extra $50 tacked onto their price tag.
AT&T claims that the reason for the price increases is because the cost of smartphones is going up. But considering that no contract phones are typically already sold at MSRP, it’s hard to justify increasing the cost of those phones too.
If AT&T is pulling these sorts of shenanigans now, imagine what they’ll do if their merger plans go through and they control nearly 50% of the US market.
Several AT&T phones have seen their prices slashed by the behemoth carrier, possibly as a sign that a new crop of phones are about to hit shelves.
Two Samsung phones, two Blackberry phones and an LG phone made the list. The only Android phone seeing a price reduction is the Captivate, which will now cost $99.99 with a two year contract. The Blackberry Curve 3G and Torch 9800 will cost $29.99 and $49.99 respectively. AT&T’s two Windows Phone devices are also being reduced. The Samsung Focus and LG Quantum are both $49.99.
With no new Windows Phone devices or new Blackberries in the pipeline, it would seem as though AT&T is looking to clear inventory to make way for a rush of new Android phones. Whatever the case may be, there are certainly some deals to be had with this crop of smartphones – provided you don’t mind getting locked down to a two year contract on a phone that is already obsolete.
This year’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference has officially been announced for June 6th. For those not familiar with this event, it has been the venue used to announce all new Apple phones. As such, many are speculating that this is when we will be introduced to the iPhone 5.
There are some that aren’t expecting the iPhone 5 to actually come to market until this fall, if not even pushed back into next year. Not only would that fly in the face of everything Apple has done the past several years, it also would be very risky given the growing global popularity of Android phones.
Android recently took the top spot as the most popular OS in the United States, and has seen tremendous growth in Europe in recent months.
Nothing would quite slow down that pace like a new iPhone however. Some of the rumored changes to the iPhone 5 are a larger edge-to-edge screen, an aluminum backing, and NFC enabled hardware.
Apple has a well documented history of making their devices extremely difficult to tinker with or alter in any way. In their mind, they make their devices perfect, so how dare you have the audacity to alter your phone in any way shape or form.
That goes for unlocked iPhones too. Unlocking an iPhone is incredibly more difficult than other brands and models of phones, and if you have recently updated your iPhone 4 to the latest version of iOS, there is no available code to unlock the phone.
A company called Gevy has created a SIM card that works around this problem, and also doesn’t require you to jailbreak your phone. It costs $70, and there are quite a few steps to get it to work. But if having an unlocked phone with an apple on the back is really important to you, then it’s worth looking into.
There are a lot of people pulling their hair out over the potential merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. I say potential because the FCC and Department of Justice will need to approve this merger first and that will take at least 12 months.
But if this deal does go through, well, nothing good can happen for consumers. Let’s start by looking at T-Mobile phones. The lineup is arguably one of the most innovative in the market. They were the first to offer an Android phone (a full year and a half before AT&T offered an Android phone) and their Sidekick line was the precursor to today’s smartphones. Their willingness to take chances has in a lot of way forced other carriers to get more innovative with the selection they offer.
By contrast, AT&T phones are rather bland, and often times behind their competition, as they have relied too heavily on the popularity of the iPhone. Without T-Mobile driving innovation and AT&T’s track record, expect the selection of phones to be drastically worse.
And then of course there is pricing. T-Mobile is considered to be the bargain carrier of the big four. AT&T traditionally has the highest prices of the four. It’s T-Mobile’s aggressive pricing that has driven Verizon, Sprint and AT&T to look into various unlimited data options to stay competitive in the market. Again, without T-Mobile driving prices down, it is likely that everyone, on all carriers will be paying more and getting less.
Unless you are a stock holder with T-Mobile or AT&T, you should be praying that this merger is denied.
JD Powers is one of the most trusted consumer satisfaction advocates out there. So when they come out with a survey, people tend to listen. And if their most recent survey regarding customer satisfaction amongst smartphone users is to be believed, RIM better start listening.
Blackberry phones ranked last in overall customer satisfaction in the recent survey. Apple’s iPhone topped the list for the fifth straight time. Rounding out the list were Motorola and HTC, who tied for second, then Palm and finally Samsung and Nokia (also tied).
The survey rated several categories, including operation, design and battery function.
What is interesting is how highly Palm phones and Nokia phones rated in the survey considering how small of a market share both own. A recent study showed that combined, the two manufacturers owned less than 10 percent of the smartphone market in the US.
The study should also serve as a wakeup call to Samsung, who while actually gaining overall market share recently, has failed to release new devices at the same rate as Motorola or HTC.
For Canadian manufacturer RIM, the low ratings of Blackberry phones mirrors the massive loss in market share the company has suffered the past couple of years. Once the uncontested leader in the smartphone segment, Blackberry seems to have sat on its laurels as the specs on their newest phones consistently lag behind those of their competition.
Motorola is about to make a big push with their next generation of phones. Three new Motorola phones have been caught in the wild, all sporting some pretty impressive specs.
Two of the phones are spiced up versions of phones we are all already familiar with – The Droid 3 and Droid X 2. But the third is something new, called the Targa.
The Droid 3 will feature a slide out keyboard, and both the Droid 3 and Droid X 2 will remain at 3G speeds.
It’s the Targa that looks like it will be a superphone. It will be 4G compatible, have an HDMI output, front facing camera for video chatting, and gigantic hump on the back for the camera. The camera is rumored to be for a 13 megapixel camera.
All three phones are rumored to wind up as Verizon phones, which makes total sense considering the Droid 2 and Droid X are already on Big Red. There’s no reason to believe that the Targa won’t find its way to Verizon too as Motorola tends to send their premier phones their way.
OK, so the headline may be a little misleading, but there is a ring of truth to it. While Sprint will happily accept a check from you for the next 24 months, in order to incentivize you into signing that two year contract they are offering you a credit if you bring your old phone number over to their network.
People who buy a smartphone will get a $125 credit, while people who go the feature phone route will get a $50 credit. The credit can’t be used until 60 days after the start of your contract.
Unfortunately, anyone interested in a no contract phone is out of luck in terms of a credit.
In other Sprint news, the rumored merger between Sprint and T-Mobile is still floating around and hasn’t been denied by either side. A recently leaked internal memo from T-Mobile seems to be addressing this exact subject. While the memo doesn’t go into details, it says that T-Mobile “will always explore options for maximizing the value of its portfolio and profits.'
Blackberry has long been known as a business first. In fact, most company phones handed out to employees lucky enough to get one are Blackberry phones. The reason why Blackberry has been so popular in the private sector is because of the security of their encrypted network. It’s so secure, that several foreign governments have threatened to ban Blackberry altogether if they weren’t granted access to the network to monitor e-mails.
Blackberry has been losing market share for about a year now to Android and Apple. And recent trends in the corporate world aren’t going to help that out any. Security on Android and iPhone has improved to the point that both are being considered viable alternatives to Blackberry.
But corporations aren’t running out and buying Apple phones and Android phones for their employees. Rather, they are encouraging them to use their personal phones as their business phones and subsidize their bills.
Security still remains an issue with some employers. And for employees using their phones as their business phones, there are several inconveniences as well. But even with a few speed bumps, this trend is definitely bad news for RIM and their Blackberry phones.
Cricket is one of the nation’s largest no contract phone providers. But to say that their selection of phones is limited is being charitable at best. Apparently you don’t need a huge selection of phones when a Cricket dealer can jailbreak your phone and set it up to run on their network. It even works on the Verizon iPhone 4.
If that video is legit, and it looks like it is, it pretty much confirms that any phone can be rigged to run on Cricket. Now the only real question is why you would want to leave Verizon – just named the carrier with the best call quality according to JD Powers – for Cricket. Although the money you’ll save on monthly bills with Cricket will just about pay for the non subsidized price of the iPhone 4 over the course of a two year contract with Big Red. Cricket has arguably the most affordable data plans in the country.
Rumors have been swirling that sales of the Verizon iPhone 4 have been lackluster. Most pundits point to the lack of lines at most Verizon stores when the iPhone finally went on sale to the public. Verizon CEO Daniel Mead claims nothing can be further from the truth.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mead reported that iPhone sales were very strong, and the reason for the lack of lines was the online availability if the Verizon iPhone 4 a week before it hit shelves.
If you recall, the device sold out online in a matter of hours and even took down Verizon’s servers for a brief period.
It should be interesting to see exact sales figures when Verizon releases their quarterly report. It will also be interesting to compare this quarter to Q3, when the iPhone 5 is expected to be released.
In addition to the next gen iPhone, Apple has also revealed plans to enter the no contract phones market with more affordable versions of the iPhone. No definite information was given on when a cheaper iPhone might find its way to market.
You would think that as the pace of technology increases, and newer improved phones are hitting the market with more frequency, that the rate of upgrades would be keeping pace. But according to a survey, that figure has actually declined. People currently upgrade their phones every 18 months, up from every 16 months.
Several things are possibly contributing to this, mostly the economy. As more and more people are switching to no contract phones to save money, the lack of subsidized pricing could be causing people to hold onto their phones longer. Early upgrade fees could be another reason why people hold onto their phones a little than they previously did.
The length of time that people hold onto their phones is likely to increase as well. Verizon has recently scrapped their new every two program. Previously Verizon customers who served out their full two year contract were given credits they could use towards buying a new Verizon phone. For example, a user that served out his two year contract could get a $100 credit to use towards the purchase of an iPhone, bringing the total cost down to $99.99, whereas a brand new Verizon customer would have to pay $199.99.
While it’s too early for this change to have an impact on data right now, there is no doubt it will influence people into settling with their current phone rather than running out and buying the latest and greatest down the road.
We here at the Phonesale.com blog have panned Windows Phone 7 pretty hard. We admit it. Whether it be hardware issues, the general lack of handsets, software update snafus, or slow sales, we certainly have had plenty of ammunition. Another area where WP7 is severely trailing is in app and app development. It’s a new OS though so we don’t expect them to charge out of the gate with 100k apps ready to go.
Windows Phone 7 has finally hit the big time though. They are getting their own Angry Birds app. Yes, the insanely addictive, massively popular game is flying over to Microsoft, which should make WP7 users feel just a little bit less like an outcast.
One of the biggest things holding back WP7 in the US is the lack of a phone on the Verizon network. Up until yesterday, there were no CDMA WP7 phones available. That changed with the HTC Arrive that just was released on the Sprint network. Now rumors say that Verizon will be getting a WP7 device called the Trophy in March. The Trophy is made by HTC, which will bring the tally up to four HTC phones running the WP7 platform.
T-Mobile is raising the prices on several of their phones. You read that right; they are raising the prices on phones. Typically when a phone has been on the market for awhile the price drops, but T-Mobile has decided to go the other direction with a couple of the earlier 4G models.
Both the MyTouch 4G and the T-Mobile G2 will be getting upgraded pricing, no setting you back a cool $250 on a two year contract. That falls in line with the pricing on the new Samsung Galaxy S 4G. The Galaxy S 4G is being offered with a $50 mail in rebate, knocking the price down to $199.99 for a limited time.
The really interesting thing about the Galaxy S 4G is that as a no contract phone, it is exactly the same price as the phone it is replacing, the Samsung Vibrant. Both phones will cost $499 off contract despite the fact that the 4G has some upgraded specs.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out with customers who were procrastinating on pulling the trigger on a 4G phone.
Over the years, Sprint has been a very Blackberry friendly network, and has only recently really started to push out some high end Android phones. It would appear, that Android will be the platform of the future for Sprint as they recently announced that 70% of their phones for sale this year will be run by Googles little green robot.
Sprint hasn’t yet revealed how many total phones they will be releasing this year. But one has to think that a percentage of those phones will be feature phones, meaning their smartphone offerings will be completely dominated by Android.
While it is likely that they will release multiple Blackberry phones in 2011, news out of RIM headquarters doesn’t slate anything new until late Q3, early Q4. That would be about 7-8 months of Google dominance. In fact, the only RIM product to hit Sprint shelves in the first half of the year could be the Playbook tablet.
This is clearly a move to try and keep the forward momentum going for Sprint. The nation’s third largest carrier posted subscriber growth for the first time in three years in Q4, and clearly sees Android as the OS that will help them continue that growth.
Its official, Nokia phones will be running Windows Phone 7 moving forward. The announcement came today and really wasn’t a surprise. Steven Elop, the current Nokia CEO, is a former Microsoft executive, and rumors of a partnership have been swirling for some time.
We here at PhoneSale predicted this announcement as well, and even suggested that Nokia abandon its proprietary operating system, and adopt Android or WP7. It’s a good move for both parties involved. For Microsoft, whose phone sales have been tepid at best, they now have one of the best selling manufacturers in the world on board with their Operating System. For Nokia, the move could revitalize their lagging smartphone segment by attaching themselves to a more universally accepted operating system.
Not everything is rainbows and unicorns in Finland today though. Amid the partnership announcement, it was also announced that there will be mass layoffs. Employees staged a mass protest in Finland today upon hearing the news that Symbian was being put out of its misery. Nearly 1000 workers walked out today. In the interest of full disclosure, workers at Nokia Finland are on flex schedules, so it’s not likely that too many of those workers will be punished for their actions as they probably had the freedom to leave anyway.
Nokia has announced that they will still ship some 150 million Symbian based handsets over the course of the next few years. But make no mistake, the future for Nokia lies with Microsoft and WP7.
For the first time in history, smartphone sales outpaced PC sales. The numbers reflect Q4 2010 sales where 100.9 million smartphones shipped compared to 92.1 million personal computers. The change in consumer behavior proves that phones are getting more and more sophisticated, and in many cases have completely replaced the functionality of computers.
One of the major reasons that smartphones have sold so well is the falling prices. With more and more phones hitting the market, especially on Google’s Android platform, competition has driven down prices. The pace at which technology has moved in the mobile industry has also helped drive down prices. When you factor in the subsidized prices that accompany long term contracts, often times smarphones are free. Even as no contract phones, there are several Android devices available for less than $200.
Another reason why PC sales may have slowed is the emergence of Tablets. Don’t expect numbers to skew back in the other direction either. The rate at which people upgrade their phones is far faster than the rate at which people upgrade their computers. And with less than 50% of the US market currently using a smartphone, the untapped consumer base leaves the door open for astronomical increases in smartphone penetration in the near future.
Did you know that the iPhone 4 comes in white? OK. It doesn’t. But it’s supposed to. It’s been promised to Apple-philes for nearly 6 months now. But delay after delay has led to a lot of frustration, and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak buying a third party conversion kit from a high school kid in New York.
These white iPhones drive people nuts, so this very poor resolution photo taken at a Houston Best Buy will probably cause biblical level overreactions.
Yes, that is the white iPhone 4 that will apparently be offered as a no contract phone for $599. There have been several leaks over the past couple of weeks that suggest the phone is coming very soon. Perhaps before the end of February. It is also believed that the white version of the iPhone 4 will only be available to AT&T customers.
I’m not quite sure that will be enough to stop a mass exodus to Verizon though, which sold out of its presale iPhone 4s in a matter of hours. According to a survey by uSamp, nearly 25% of current AT&T iPhone customers say they are planning on leaving AT&T.
The good news is that when AT&T loses several million customers overnight, perhaps their network might actually be able to handle the daily call, text and data volume, and it will no longer rate at the nations suckiest network. There’s always a silver lining.
Dell may not be that consistent with the operating systems they choose to put on their smartphones. But they are consistent in terms of how they plan on selling said smartphones. The Dell Venue has arrived on Dell’s website without much fanfare or hubabaloo as an unlocked cell phone. This is pretty much the exact same way the Dell Venue Pro was released on the world.
For those not in the know, the Venue Pro is a WP7 device, while the Venue will run Android 2.2 (Froyo). Why Dell, which has an extremely limited product line in terms of phones, would choose multiple operating systems rather than go for consistency is unclear. What is clear is that Dell makes some pretty spectacular phones.
This is good news for T-Mobile and AT&T customers, who can pick up one of these beauties for $500 as a no contract phone. In addition to running Froyo, the Venue features a 4.1 inch WVGA AMOLED screen, a 1 GHZ snapdragon processor and an 8 megapixel camera. No word yet if the Venue is also going to get offered up as a subsidized phone on one of the two major GSM carriers. The Dell Venue Pro is one of two WP7 T-Mobile phones, and the Dell Streak tablet is also headed to T-Mobile, so logic would lead one to believe that the Venue will also be available on contract with T-Mobile in the near future as well.
The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is just 12 days away. It’s at this gigantic expo that virtually every cell phone manufacturer on planet earth will officially unveil the latest and greatest phones. There’s really only one exception. Apple is typically nowhere to be found at the MWC.
That doesn’t mean that Apple isn’t going to be dominating headlines in the coming week. The Verizon iPhone 4 officially goes on presale tomorrow, and will hit retail shelves on the 10th. Odds are pretty high that someone is setting up a tent on the sidewalk in front of their local Verizon store right now.
Unfortunately for AT&T iPhone users, if they want to switch networks, they are going to have to buy a new Verizon iPhone. Even an unlocked phone won’t work on Verizon’s network because AT&T runs on a GSM network while Verizon uses a CDMA network.
The next couple of months will be extremely interesting in terms of A) how many iPhones Verizon sells and B) how many of those new iPhone customers on the Verizon network defected from AT&T.
We all know that Nokia phones have all but become irrelevant in the US as smartphones have become increasingly popular. But in terms of worldwide sales, Nokia’s Symbian operating system reigns supreme. Or at least it did until Q4 2010 rolled around. Now Google’s Android is the king of the world.
Approximately 33 million Android devices were shipped worldwide from October-December, accounting for 32.5% of the total smartphone market. Nokia came in second with just under 31% of the market. Apple finished third, with 16 million total phones shipped in the same time period (15.8%). Blackberry and Microsoft rounded out the top 5 with 14% and 3% respectively.
Google’s advantage over the other operating systems is that multiple manufacturers produce handsets for the platform, whereas Nokia, Apple and Blackberry have a more limited selection. When you break it down by manufacturer, Blackberry and Apple still are #1 and #2 respectively, with HTC phones moving the 3rd highest volume.
In addition to the sheer number of smartphones hitting the market as opposed to basic feature phones, the number of devices sold as no contract phones seems to be increasing as well. With phones able to do most downloading and internet activity through Wi-Fi, the need for an expensive data plan has diminished, leaving more leeway for consumers when they are choosing a carrier.
George Lucas hasn’t patented iPhone Wars just yet, so that is what we will unofficially call the battle between Verizon and AT&T for now. In the first shot across the bow, Verizon announced that it will offer unlimited data plans for iPhone customers for $30. Some might remember that AT&T used to offer unlimited data, but eliminated that practiced opting for tiered data pricing instead.
Apparently AT&T is having second thoughts, and is about to announce that they are re-introducing their unlimited plans. There is a catch. It will only be for iPhone users, and further still, it will only be available to iPhone users that had previously already been on an unlimited data plan. This is clearly a direct response to Verizon and shows a bit of nervousness on the part of AT&T.
They have a right to be nervous too. Motorola just released their Q4 2010 earnings report and mobile sales were lighter than anticipated. The electronics giant specifically cited the announcement of the Verizon iPhone as the reason why the sale of Motorola phones lagged behind expectations. Motorola has absolutely killed it on Verizon thanks in large part to their popular Droid line of phones, including the Motorola Droid 2 and Droid X. So if Motorola is citing poor sales simply to the anticipation of a new phone, the Verizon iPhone is going to be huge.
We admit, it’s not nice to kick someone when they’re down. But when a survey performed by Strategy Analytics shows that 25% of the market has never even heard of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft has to be a little upset. After all, they’ve spent a ton of money marketing these devices, so the fact that the people who are supposed to be buying them don’t even know they exist is a problem.
How big of a problem you ask? Well, according to MIcrosoft themselves, they have only sold about 2 million licenses to OEM manufacturers. Even without hard numbers, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that far fewer than 2 million WP7 devices have actually been bought by customers. By comparison, the iPhone 4 sold 3 million unites within the first few months of its release.
One of those manufacturers is Dell, who’e Venue Pro has yet to make it to T-Mobile. Though you can purchase it as an unlocked cell phone direct from Dell. In addition to the Dell Venue Pro, you there are two HTC Phones, a Samsung Phone and an LG phone available on T-Mobile or AT&T. Right now, there are no CDMA WP7 devices, though those are rumored to be in the pipeline and could arrive in the US this summer. Sony Ericsson is also supposedly making multiple WP7 phones.
Still, with slow sales, slipping market share just a few months into its release and the fact that their potential customers don’t even know they exist despite a major marketing campaign, the future looks very bleak for Microsoft’s mobile division.
If you are currently one of AT&T’s 90+ million subscribers I might have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that there is a chance that AT&T will be sending you a coupon for a free MicroCell. A MicroCell is, simply put, a local signal booster for the home or office. The bad news is, if you get one of these coupons it’s because AT&T has determined that you live in an area where their service is even more horrible than normal. To be exact, you live in the worst 7.5% of their coverage map.
The “free” MicroCell comes with several strings attached. The biggest one is that you have to sign a one year contract exclusive of your phone’s contract. Should you cancel your account with AT&T before the year is up you have to either return the device or pay a $199.99 cancelation fee plus $16.67 for every month that you used the device.
Rumors are also swirling that AT&T will roll out a phone trade in program, where customers can trade in their old cell phones for cash. According to said rumors, AT&T will accept phones from any carrier. No word on how much payola you can get, and the smart assumption is that the cash can only be used towards the purchase of an AT&T phone. But again, this is all just rumor right now.
All of this is however an interesting turn of events. Perhaps AT&T is worried a bit about their loss of exclusivity with Apple and are firing a few preemptive shots in an attempt to retain customers generally unhappy with AT&T’s service – rated as the worst by a country mile by Consumer Reports. Or perhaps these new programs are mutually exclusive. But we doubt that.
So Santa (or the Hanukah bot) brought you that shiny new Android phone for the holidays. And then two weeks later Verizon had to go and Grinch it up by announcing they were getting the iPhone 4. Now your new phone looks like a lump of coal. To make matters worse, right around the same time that Verizon made it official that they were going to get the iPhone, they also announced that they were terminating their early upgrade policy.
New phone owners on Verizon were going to be stuck with their old phones for the next 18 months while all their friends who were patient will get to play with their iPhones. So Verizon has come out with a new program for those customers with buyer’s remorse that looks good on paper, but really isn’t that great of a deal if you are familiar with a thing called the internet and a website called craigslist.
Verizon is offering a $200 gift card to people who want to trade in their brand new phones in exchange for the iPhone 4. But there are a couple of catches. The big one is that you have to buy the iPhone 4 at full retail price, which will cost anywhere from $650 to $750. Nevermind the fact that you will be on a two year contract at full retail price. The real catch is that $200 gift card you get for turning in your brand new phone.
You see, anyone with any sense knows that they can hawk their shiny new Android phone online to people looking for no contract phones, and get way more than $200 for it. So in reality, a person who just got a Droid 2, Droid Pro, Samsung Fascinate, HTC Droid Incredible, etc. will be short changing themselves by $100 or more by taking the sucker deal that Verizon is offering.
Microsoft has been less than forthcoming in regards to letting the public know just how sales of their Windows Phone 7 devices are coming along. We’ve seen some numbers, then found out those numbers were fudged to paint a better picture. We’ve seen Dell make a switch to Android for their next phone offering. And now LG is speaking up on the matter.
Without going into specificts, LG’s marketing strategy director, James Choi, was very open in a recent interview, stating: “From an industry perspective we had a high expectation, but from a consumer point of view the visibility is less than we expected.'
The Korean giant has been very open about investing in several new high end LG phones for 2011, with the main focus so far pointing towards Android. But that doesn’t mean that LG has given up on WP7 altogether. In fact, in the same interview, Choi mentions how he feels there is still a huge segment of the market that WP7 is perfect for. Whether or not those consumers are willing to make the jump to begin with is the real question. So far, it seems as though the answer has been no, they aren’t.
By now pretty much everyone knows that the iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon. You probably already know that the 16 GB version will cost $200 on a two year contract and the 32 GB version will cost $300 on contract. What most people don’t know, and hasn’t been widely reported, is that Verizon also plans on offering the iPhone 4 as a no contract phone. Of course, there will be no subsidized pricing on the iPhone 4 if you buy it off contract, and as of right now it remains unclear what the retail price will be.
One thing that Apple lovers will have to do without for the time being is 4G speeds. It’s very likely that Apple’s next iPhone will incorporate 4G technology, and most likely will be introduced sometime in June or July. For people with that need for speed right now, there are several new 4G models that will me flooding the market in the coming weeks.
One of those devices appears to be coming to T-Mobile, and will be an upgraded variant of the Vibrant. The Vibrant is one of the 4 major Galaxy S Samsung phones that hit the big four US carriers this past summer, and internal documents from T-Mobile indicate that it has sold more than 1 million units to date, making it the best selling of all the Galaxy S phones. Considering the popularity of the Vibrant, it makes perfect sense that Samsung is going to offer a next generation version of the phone.
Obviously, one of the upgrades will be to make the new Vibrant capable of 21 MBps connectivity in order for it to don the 4G label. The Vibrant 4G will also get a front facing camera for video chatting.
Verizon has announced a press event tomorrow (Tues 11th) in New York City. Tomorrow’s event is probably one of the worst kept secrets in recent memory as to what the press event will announce. What? You didn’t hear? Verizon will officially announce the arrival of the iPhone 4 on their network.
When exactly we can expect to see these phones for sale in Verizon stores is still unconfirmed however. Some sources claim we’ll see them before the end of January. Others are claiming they won’t arrive until the first week of February. Apparently there is an employee vacation embargo for all Verizon employees from February 3rd through the 6th. Could they possibly want all hands on deck to deal with the stampede of AT&T customers seeking refuge in Verizon’s warm bosom?
What we can be pretty sure of is that this will not be the iPhone 5, as some have speculated. There is absolutely no need for Apple to completely redesign the iPhone just to put a CDMA radio inside. Besides, Apple tends to like to make these announcements themselves, rather than let a carrier steal their thunder.
Rumors are also bouncing around that the oft delayed white iPhone that AT&T customers have been waiting for has been saved for Verizon. That seems relatively farfetched, but it’s fun to speculate none the less. One rumor that seems to be gaining momentum is that Verizon will be offering unlimited data plans once the iPhone 4 is introduced. This would definitely one up what AT&T is offering, and places pressure on the other major carriers to try and counter.
It’s not a big secret that we haven’t exactly been taken in by Windows Phone 7 yet. Between the limited number of phones for sale, a complete lack of CDMA options, and numerous hardware bugs, it really should come as no surprise that these devices aren’t moving very well. It’s gotten to the point where we are seeing some really deep discounts on WP7 phones.
The Samsung Focus, LG Quantum and HTC Surround have all been slashed to just 1¢. If that isn’t a sign that these phones just flat out aren’t moving nothing is. And there are numbers to back things up. ComScore just came out with their most recent data regarding new smartphone sales, and Microsoft actually lost 1.8% of their market share during the 3 month period ending in November, dropping to just 9%. By comparison, Android rose to 26% of the US marketshare, passing Apple, and closing the gap on RIM (Blackberry) by 11%.
Sales have been so paltry it would seem as though at least one manufacturer is already distancing themselves from WP7. Dell’s Venue Pro was one of the more anticipated WP7 devices, but lost a lot of that luster after a series of hardware related delays. This week, at the CES convention in Las Vegas, Dell revealed a new smartphone called the Venue. It will be running Android. Like the Venue Pro, the Venue will be sold as an unlocked cell phone.
An update of the WP7 operating system is supposedly coming out very soon, which will work out some bugs and add some new features. But the question is really if it’s too little too late to really make a legitimate charge in the US smartphone market.
For those not necessarily plugged into the tech world, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off to the public tomorrow (Jan. 6th). Such devices as the VCR, digital watch, and the XBOX were first unveiled at this convention. Here in 2011, it should come as no real surprise that mobile technology is the dominant topic. Just about everyone is familiar with the iPhone, Android, iPad and Blackberry’s.
The next generation of mobile is already upon us, and 4G and tablets are carrying the mantel. Of course, there isn’t yet an actual 4G standard out there, so every major carrier is calling their network 4G. And while it remains to be seen what the 4G standard will eventually be, what we do know is that phones are going to be doing their work much much faster. AT&T has already announced that it will have 11 new Android phones for sale in 2011. Two yet to be released HTC phones were leaked in a Rolling Stone magazine ad bearing the 4G label. Motorola, Samsung and LG have all teased ultra thin, ultra fast 4G phones that have been blowing minds. And as popular as smartphones are becoming, they are hardly an emerging technology at this point.
Tablets will be the main story moving forward. The iPad kicked off the tablet segment. As it stands right now, only Samsung as released a rival, called the Galaxy Tab. But there are soon going to be a slew of competitors hitting the market. Blackberry will release a tablet this year called the Playbook. Palm will release a tablet that runs on their proprietary WebOS. Even Microsoft will release a series of tablets that run on the Windows 7 computer operating system. But the real 800 lb. gorilla in the room will be Android. Virtually every single current Android phone manufacturer will release a tablet in 2011, with companies like Motorola releases multiple tablets in varying sizes. Even companies that aren’t traditionally in the mobile space, like television manufacturer Vizio, plan to enter the tablet arena in 2011.
Like their smartphone counterparts, as tablets become more common, prices will inevitably drop, making them far more accessible than they are today. Evidence of this can already be seen in Samsung’s Galaxy tab, which Verizon just reduced in price by $100.
Apple is the new king in terms of US smartphone users, but that is going to change within the next couple of months. Nielsen’s is constantly keeping us up to date on trends in the cell phone industry, and Android is basically exploding when compared to Apple and Blackberry. In fact, Blackberry has been suffering a steady decline in market share for quite some time now, slipping into second place behind apple, and just barely ahead of Android in the month of November.
A big reason for the Android push is the sheer magnitude of phones for sale across every single major US carrier with nearly a double digit manufacturers to choose from and more on the way. Over the past six months, Android has dominated US smartphone sales. Approximately 41% of all new smartphone owners are choosing Android, compared to just 27% for Apple. The smartphone market has grown as well, with nearly 45% of people who bought a new phone in November having purchased a smartphone. That is a massive jump from barely more than 33% in June.
Android, Apple and Blackberry account for just over 80% of all the smartphones in the US, leaving very little room for Nokia’s Symbian based phones, Palm’s WebOS based phones and the new Windows Phone 7 devices from Microsoft.
Competition for the scraps from the table is so fierce that companies like Dell and Palm have been offering their devices as unlocked cell phones straight from the manufacturer. It’s not likely to make too much of a dent however, as Android’s torrid pace is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
The first month of 2011 is most definitely going to be dominated by HTC phones. Verizon will be launching their first 4G LTE phones at the CES convention in Las Vegas on the 6th. Featured amongst the handset is the very much anticipated HTC Lightning Bolt, previously known as the HTC Droid Incredible 4G. This will be Verizon’s first 4G LTE phone, and photos of this phone have been leaked more than the Titanic.
But HTC isn’t stopping there. They are also releasing a much anticipated phone on the Sprint network called the HTC Evo Shift 4G. Even though the phone doesn’t officially go on sale until the 9th, it has already snuck its way onto the Best Buy computer system and Radio Shack ads for $150. The Shift 4G will set you back $450 as a no contract phone.
Clearly 2011 is going to be 365 days long, just like every other year, but HTC is definitely going to be the first horse out of the gate, and it will be up to everyone else to catch them.
Now that the iPhone 4 has been out for a few months, it stands to reason that there have been quite a few sent back, what with antenna-gate and all. Actually there are several reasons why someone might send their phone back to the manufacturer, and those phones typically become refurbished devices.
Well, as proof that there have been enough iPhone 4s sent back to create an inventory of refurbished devices AT&T started selling refurbished iPhone 4s over the weekend. For phones that look brand new, you can get a 16 gig device for $99. For a 31 gig device you’ll need to fork over $199. The refurbs aren’t being offered as no contract phones, and are exactly $100 cheaper than their brand spanking new counterparts. For individuals who are even thriftier (cheaper), you can buy a refurbished model with a cosmetic defect for an additional $20 off the refurb price.
Speaking of iPhones, for the uber paranoid, you can lock your iPhone so that a password is required to turn it on. While this is a useful feature, it is also a pain to have to type in a password every time you want to use your phone. Now, thanks to Michael Knuepel’s digital signet rings, a simple twist of the wrist results in an unlocked iPhone.
Phone manufacturers often times throw out gaudy numbers to demonstrate just how awesome their phones are when compared to their competitors. Samsung is the latest to announce sale figures, claiming that they have sold 9.3 million Galaxy S phones globally since their launch at the tail end of August. That is a shockingly good number for just one line of Samsung phones. It even puts them within eyeshot of Apple’s impressive iPhone 4 figures (though still in a distant second).
LG is another company that had some impressive numbers to share. The Korean company had a pretty lousy year in 2010, largely in part to the lack of any real muscle in the smartphone arena. LG has committed to improving the smartphone presence in 2011, and got a head start this winter with the launch of their Optimus 1 line. In their first 60 days more than 2 million LG phones bearing the Optimus name; a huge number for a company whose 2010 smartphone sale figures put them well behind virtually every other major manufacturer in the world.
Unfortunately there are some numbers that might be better kept quiet. It has been a widely held belief that Windows Phone 7 devices have been struggling from a retail standpoint. Those beliefs have been substantiated by Microsoft themselves, as the revealed earlier this week that they have sold just 1.5 million WP7 unites worldwide to retail stores. In other words, that 1.5 million doesn’t equal phones sold to consumers, just to stores, meaning that the actual number of Windows Phone 7 devices actually in use right now is significantly lower.
To put this into perspective, this includes every single WP7 handset, from each and every manufacturer, made for every carrier in the world that offers a WP7 device. There are several factors working against Microsoft, most notably the fact that the market is already dominated by Android and Apple. But also take into account that Microsoft’s previous forays into the cell phone arena haven’t exactly been glowing successes. Before the Microsoft Kin debacle was Microsoft’s original phone OS that wasn’t exactly well received.
Obviously it’s way too early to start nailing down the lid on WP7’s coffin, but early signs are definitely painting a glum picture.
The iPhone has been so popular that it rarely ever is a part of any special offers or sales. It hasn’t needed to be discounted to sell. Well things are changing, competition is growing, and the iPhone has been spotted on sale in more than one place. We’ll start at Sam’s Club, where in addition to a 30 gallon drum of Cheese Wiz, you can also get an iPhone 4 for $147 on a two year contract.
If you’re not a member of Sam’s Club don’t fret. Today Walmart announced that it will be offering the iPhone 4 for $197 on contract, and they’ll throw in a $50 gift card should you sign that contract. Obviously the $50 gift card is a ploy to get you to spend that money at Walmart, but there definitely is a shift in how quickly phones are being discounted after their release.
Radio Shack has been running a special on Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G and T-Mobile’s MyTouch 4G. The two phones are being sold for $99 and $80 respectively. Obviously all these discounts are based on signing a two year contract. The no contract phone prices are unchanged as of right now. But considering how new some of these phones are coupled with how quickly they’ve been discounted shows that technology is moving faster than retailers can move the phones.
Nokia hasn’t exactly been tearing it up in the “good news” category. They have announced that they plan to lay off 1,800 employees, and their Symbian operating system has graduated to an irrelevant status in the US smartphone market. They are launching a new operating system called MeeGo, which will see its first phones hit the market in the Q2 2011. Needless to say, people aren’t exactly waiting with baited breath for these phones to launch. In short, Nokia phones aren’t exactly flying off the shelves here in the US.
Nokia makes great phones, and it has been suggested by this blog, and other industry experts, that they should just dump their proprietary OS and start making Android phones. Well that isn’t going to happen, but rumors abound that they are going to be making Windows Phone 7 devices.
Adding a little validity to the rumors is the fact that their new CEO, Stephen Elop, is an ex Microsoft executive. While these are still rumors, it would be a smart move by both Microsoft and Nokia. Currently Microsoft’s manufacturing partners primary focus is on Android devices. By adding Nokia, Microsoft would get a top class manufacturer with a more focused approach to developing new handsets. For Nokia, it would mean climbing on board the Microsoft marketing machine and an OS that at least has a small foothold in the US market, something that Symbian sorely lacks. Whether the rumors turn out to be true remains to be seen, but it sure makes sense in theory.
Just the other day we blogged about how the way manufacturers and retail outlets are selling smartphones seems to be changing. While several manufacturers are still offering their devices direct to customers as unlocked cell phones, a certain big box retailer may have been offering on contract phones at too good to be true prices. So too good to be true that it was actually a breach of contract.
Best Buy apparently has been ordered to stop selling two Motorola phones, the Motorola Droid Pro and the Motorola Droid Global, by Verizon for selling the phones too cheaply. Best Buy was selling the Pro for $50 on contract and the Global for $100 on contract. According to rumors, those prices are in violation of a contract Best Buy had with Verizon and the carrier is none too pleased. Best Buy is pulling the phones off of the shelf, calling it a recall, but Verizon isn’t pulling either model off of their shelves. The fact is, by offering the phones at such a discounted price, Best Buy was cutting into Verizon store profits and Big Red got a little pissed.
O.K., they got a lot pissed, as Verizon 7 is refusing to even activate any Droid Pro or Droid Global phone purchased at Best Buy. As it stands right now, it’s just the two phones that Best Buy isn’t allowed to sell at the moment. It’s doubtful that Verizon would extend that ban to the entire line of phones. In fact, Best Buy will probably start selling the Droid Pro and Droid Global again so long as they increase the price.
The speed of technology is awesome. And we’re not just talking from the standpoint of our phones being able to do more and more. The simple fact is, the faster that manufacturers are churning out new phones, the quicker the prices are dropping on some already pretty amazing devices. Take the G2 from T-Mobile for example. It wasn’t too long ago that the G2 was more or less the flagship phone for T-Mobile, costing you a cool $200 with a two year contract. Now you can get it for $50 with a new contract. The same can be said for the Motorola Droid Pro over on Verizon. It too is going for just $50 on a two year contract. The simple fact is, as no contract phones start getting better and better, the major carriers are needing to find new ways to incentivize people into locking in for long term deals. Cheaper phones are the best method.
Manufacturers are noticing a bit of a pinch as well in terms of competition. There as a time when only a few major companies dominated the market. But upstarts like HTC and Huawei are gobbling up market share at an impressive rate. It has caused a shift in philosophy in regards to how manufacturers are pushing their phones. HP, which owns the Palm brand, is selling their new WebOS devices as unlocked phones directly from their website. Dell offers their new Windows Phone 7 device, the Dell Venue Pro, as an unlocked phone too. Even Samsung has gotten into the act. The Korean giant makes the new Google Nexus S, which is being offered on contract or as an unlocked phone at Best Buy.
The simple fact is that these trends should become even more regular as time goes on and competition between carriers and manufacturers intensifies.
Not too long ago Steve Jobs had some fun at the expense of Google, most specifically the fact that Google announced that 200,000 Android handsets were bought daily. Jobs questioned the number and pointed out that sold didn’t mean activated. He more or less was accusing Google of padding their numbers to try and look like they were on the same footing as Apple’s iPhone.
Well today Google is getting their laughs in. According to Google big shot Andy Rubin, 300,000 Android phones are activated every day. Activated being the key word. Those are some pretty heady numbers by any measurement and backs up Android’s meteoric rise in terms of total US market share. In fact Android based phones are on pace to pass Apple for the number two slot behind Blackberry within the next couple of months. And Blackberry won’t be sitting on top too long at their current rate of attrition.
However, when the iPhone inevitably hits Verizon’s shelves, it should cause a spike for Apple creating a virtual two horse race for the top spot in the US. Blackberry is going to need a massive overhaul to appeal to a more social conscious consumer and Windows Phone 7 seems as though they’ll be left in the cold as an also ran alongside Nokia’s Symbian OS and HP’s WebOS on Palm devices. The one thing that Microsoft has going for it is the variety of manufacturers that can use their proprietary OS. There are already HTC phones, Samsung phones, and LG phones on the market, and Dell has even released an unlocked phone called the Dell Venue Pro.
It has been the wide variety of Android handsets that have led to the explosion of the OS, so perhaps Windows has a chance. Time will tell, and it did take nearly two years for Android to gain enough momentum to generate a true snowball effect. But the marketplace was a lot less crowded then, and Google isn’t likely to relinquish their crown without a major fight.
The Google Nexus S is one of the more anticipate phones coming out for one very big reason. It will be the first phone on the market to run the new Android 2.3 operating system otherwise known as Gingerbread. From a specs perspective this phone, which is made by Samsung, isn’t anything all that impressive. In fact, the memory card on this phone isn’t expandable, which is kind of the bread and butter feature for Android based phones.
Still, this phone is expected to garner a lot of interest, and it will be sold exclusively at Best Buy starting December 16th. The Nexus S will be available for $199 on a two year T-Mobile contract. Or, you can purchase it as an unlocked cell phone for $529. At first we thought we had read that wrong, and the price as an off contract purchase. However, all the literature we’ve read refers to $529 as the “unlocked” price, which means AT&T subscribers will be able to use this phone as well. This is an unusual move for a retailer to offer up unlocked devices. We have seen manufacturer direct offerings of unlocked devices, most recently with Palm and Dell’s Venue Pro. But this is definitely a step away from normal operating procedures for a retail location. Perhaps it signals a shift in thinking amongst consumers. Or perhaps we’re just reading too much into things.
Metro PCS is also trying to stir up some chatter in anticipation of the new year as they recently announced that they will be releasing a half dozen new 4G phones, including at least one Android device. Currently Metro PCS offers just one Android device, the LG Optimus M, which is an entry level Android device. Similar variations of the Optimus line have hit T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon known as the Optimus T, Optimus S and Optimus Vortex respectively.
Coming off of the success of their free phone Friday promotion in October, Best Buy Mobile has decided that it will give away one free smartphone for each of the major US carriers every day throughout the month of December. The catch being that the phones are only free if you purchase a two year contract to go with them.
In the official press release, Best Buy hinted at which phones will end up on the promotion. Out of the gate customers can look forward to the Droid Incredible on Verizon, the Optimus S on Sprint, the Optimus T on T-Mobile and the Xperia X10 on AT&T. The Optimus phones are two of the newest LG phones marketed as entry level Android Devices. Considering the Optimus S will only cost you $50 on contract through Sprint and the Optimus T is already free on a two year contract with T-Mobile, color us a little unimpressed with day 1’s offerings. The HTC Droid Incredible is easily the best phone to make that list. It regularly sells for $149 on a two year contract through Verizon and retails for $529 as a no contract phone.
While all of the early offerings are Android based phones, it’s more than likely that a couple of Windows Phone devices and Blackberries will pepper their way into the promotion. It’s also important to note that Best Buy locations typically only carry three of the four carriers unless it is a standalone Best Buy Mobile location. So be sure to call ahead and make sure that your local Best Buy carries phones on your network. Or you could just buy the phone online. But who wants to wait 5-7 business days before they get to play with their new toy?
It really isn’t earth shattering news, but Nielsen has confirmed what everyone already pretty much suspected; Android phones and Apple phones are the most desired phones in the US while Blackberry phones are losing their popularity.
The survey found that women prefer the iPhone while men prefer Android devices. Breaking the numbers down further, 35% of current smartphone users plan on buying an iPhone as their next phone while 28% of smartphone and feature phone users plan on upgrading to an Android phone. Coming in a distant third was Blackberry, who owned a 13% interest in the survey. Microsoft measured up at a disappointing 6%, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that it is a brand new OS and the limited number of handsets currently available.
Apple also moved into the top spot in terms of current smartphone marketshare, owning 28% if the current market, passing Blackberry who holds a 27% share. Android is rising quickly though, and currently holds 22% of the market.
While these numbers are hardly a death sentence for RIM, but they have been trending in the wrong direction for a long time now. Only about 3 in 10 cell phone users in the country currently use a smartphone. That means there are quite a few potential new customers for Blackberry to try and attract. But if the Nielsen study is accurate, Android and Apple are going to turn the smartphone game into a two horse race very quickly.
In a move that has shocked nobody but the most naïve, Microsoft has released a statement saying that they don’t want hackers to figure out how to turn the new Windows Phone 7 devices into unlocked phones. Not that this is going to stop anyone. Hackers tend not be too keen on listening to the man. Here’s a quick look at Microsoft’s official statement.
“We anticipated that people would attempt to unlock the phones and explore the underlying operating system. We encourage people to use their Windows Phone as supplied by the manufacturer to ensure the best possible user experience. Attempting to unlock a device could void the warranty, disable phone functionality, interrupt access to Windows Phone 7 services or render the phone permanently unusable.'
While Microsoft doesn’t want you to alter their handsets, they sure as shootin want you to buy one. To put in nicely, sales have been below expectations so far. In order to combat this, Microsoft was offering their AT&T branded Windows Phone 7 devices for free at Microsoft stores. T-Mobile customers could get the HTC HD7 for $100. Naturally these deals only applied if you also purchased a two year contract. No contract phones are still going to set you back full retail prices.
As it stands right now, Windows Phone 7 devices are only available on GSM networks, the majority of which are on AT&T. While AT&T is the second biggest carrier in the US, the iPhone is king on that network, and AT&T isn’t exactly known for great customer service. T-Mobile is the smallest of the major carriers in the US, and only has two Windows phones available. That could explain the slow sales out of the gate, and with news that Verizon is soon to get their own Windows phones, perhaps sales will pick up before too long. But as it stands right now, perhaps Microsoft should just get out of the way and let hackers do what they do to make the Windows Phone 7 devices a bit more attractive to consumers.
It’s probably just a coincidence, but it seems as though another computer company turned mobile phone maker is offering their devices direct to consumers as unlocked phones. Hewlett Packard, which recently bought Palm and their proprietary mobile operating system, recently started offering the Palm Pre 2 unlocked straight from their website.
Dell has gotten into the act as well. The Round Rock, TX computer company is in the cell phone and tablet game now. The Dell Streak, an Android powered tablet, was previously only available on the AT&T network. Now, for $579, you can buy the Dell streak in three different colors unlocked, straight from the source.
It is interesting to note that it’s two companies known for building computers that are trying out this approach in the US. It does make some sense though. Dell and HP really don’t care which internet provider you use or what software you put on your computer. They only care that you buy their computer. The concept of an unlocked cell phone is essentially the same. Dell and HP don’t care what cellular network you use, so long as you are using one of their devices to access it.
The one strange thing is that buying the Streak straight through Dell actually costs $30 more than if you were to buy the Streak through AT&T as a no contract phone. You would think that buying manufacturer direct would save you a few bucks.
Despite that, it will be interesting to see how well the unlocked devices sell for HP and Dell. It is definitely a move that goes against the grain as far as the US cell phone market is concerned. If it turns out to be a success we might see more manufacturers following suit. With the control freak nature of Steve Jobs and Apple, it’s actually surprising that they haven’t tried to offer unlocked iPhones before and just cut the middle man - cell phone carriers - out of the equation. They are a computer company after all.
There’s plenty of room in the US for another cell phone carrier right? Too bad, because we’re getting another one. Cox Cable, based out of Atlanta Georgia is launching cellular service starting today. The service will be rolled out initially in just three markets – Orange County, CA, Omaha, NE and Hampton Roads, VA.
Maybe Cox is miffed that Verizon has entered the cable business so they thought they’d fire a shot of their own, because it really doesn’t seem as though there is any market share left for them to grab up. Regardless, they are committed.
First and foremost, the new network will be CDMA, and new Cox customers will be using the Sprint network when they roam outside of the Cox coverage area without incurring roaming fees. The actual plans aren’t anything new. One hundred dollars buys you unlimited minutes, texts and data. For $40 you get 450 minutes. Where Cox separates themselves from the norm is that they will rebate customers .05¢ for every unused minute, up to $20.
Cox will be offering five different Android phones for sale through their stores initially. Cox will be offering two HTC phones, a Motorola Phone and an LG phone for their smartphone lineup.
The cable giant might be able to carve out a small niche for themselves. They are planning on offering the cellular plans as part of bundle packages that could include cable and high speed internet. They will also offer the cellular service as an upgrade option for individuals using Cox’s landline service.
It’s extremely hard to imagine that Cox will pose any major threat to the Big 4, but they very quickly could rival some of the smaller regional carriers, like US Cellular, in terms of subscribers.
It wasn’t too long ago that T-Mobile was touting their tiered data plans for no contract phones. The smallest of the big four carriers was seemingly taking an aggressive approach towards building its customer base by offering more plans and more options. The no contract plans were dubbed “Even More Plus” and were sold right alongside their contract plans that were called “Even More.”
Then mysteriously, the Even More Plus plans disappeared off of the T-Mobile website with no explanation. It was thought that perhaps the different names for the pre-paid and contract plans was too subtle, thus causing confusion for new customers, and perhaps driving them away. Others thought that the no contract plans were too popular, and T-Mobile wasn’t getting enough subscribers on contract.
Today we found out the real answer. T-Mobile is simply not offering their no-contract plans online. You will need to call into customer service or go into a T-Mobile store to purchase one of these plans. One of the cooler parts to their Even More Plus packages is that the phones for sale aren’t limited. You can choose any phone in their product line; you just have to pay full price for it. There is even a section in their press release that states you can bring any “compatible” phone to their network and use it on the Even More Plus plans. By compatible, T-Mobile is clearly referring to unlocked phones.
This is a rather enlightened approach in terms of the phones they are selling with their prepaid plans. Typically the Big 4 have offered lower end phones at full price for their prepaid plans in an attempt to entice customers to purchase long term contracts on better phones offered for less money.
There’s a war going on in the cellular market that is absolutely awesome if you are a consumer. The phones for sale are getting better and better and are being offered at cheaper and cheaper prices. It wasn’t too long ago that T-Mobile announced the LG Optimus T, a Foyo running Android phone that would set you back zero dollars and zero cents on a two year contract. Even as a no contract phone this bad boy will only set you back about $240.
They also announced tiered data packages. Previously, they only offered unlimited data packages for an addition $30 a month on contract. Now, you can get limited data packages offered at different rates. Roughly 58% of all cell phone users in the US still aren’t on smartphones. Obviously these plans and phones are geared specifically towards individuals making their first foray into the smartphone universe.
Not to be outdone, Verizon recently countered with tiered data plans of their own, as well as an unlimited data plan that rivals the best unlimted plan T-Mobile has to offer. They also got their mitts on an Android 2.2 LG phone of their own called the Vortex that is free on a two year contract. Sprint has also added an affordable Froyo LG Phone called the Optimus S, but unlike the competition, it isn’t free. But at $49.99 it is still a good bargain for a first time smartphone owner.
Long story short, it is a good time to be getting into the smartphone world, as the cover charge to get into the club is getting more affordable. The VIP room is still going to cost you a bit more, and all of this requires that you stay committed to just one carrier for two years.
Selling 40,000 of anything on its first day of existence seems like a pretty impressive number. That is, until you start looking at a few other numbers. For example: 100 million, or 270,000 or even 160,000. Given those numbers, 40,000 is pretty small. But in the famous words of Austin Powers, “Whoopde doo Basil, what does it all mean?”
Microsoft has reportedly spent $100 million on its marketing campaign leading up to the launch of their new smartphone operating system, Windows 7 phone. After quite a bit of hype and fanfare, the first Windows 7 phones hit T-Mobile and AT&T this week, moving an estimated 40,000 units in the first day. Those numbers fell well short of expectations, especially considering that Android reports that 160,000 new Android phones are activated every day. Or you can consider that when the iPhone first went on sale in 2007, 270,000 were sold in the first day alone.
While it’s entirely possible that people are holding off on buying Windows phones until the holiday shopping season is in full swing, the fact that AT&T didn’t even offer any Windows devices on pre-order says something about the buzz, or lack thereof, surrounding Microsoft’s second foray into the smartphone arena.
Currently there are handsets being offered in the US, all GSM based. Two HTC phones lead the charge, followed by offerings from Dell, Samsung and LG respectively. Whether or not any CDMA options emerge remains to be seen, but as of right now there are no plans for Verizon or Sprint to pick up the new OS. That too could be interpreted as a bad omen for Microsoft.
Clearly it is way too soon to pass judgment on the Windows 7 phone OS. But it is also fair to wonder if Microsoft is going to end up playing with the big boys (iOS, Android, and Blackberry), or if they will be an also ran in the US market like Palm’s WebOS or Nokia’s Symbian.
Is T-Mobile planning the most elaborate April fools joke ever? Granted, we're about 5 months out, but that's the beauty of it. Nobody is expecting it. Rumors have been flying fast and furious about T-Mobile possibly adding the iPhone to their lineup. We even blogged about it last week. Here's a quick recap for those who missed it.
T-Mobile has started selling iPhone accessories in their stores despite the fact that they don't sell any Apple branded devices.
Their head honcho over in Europe blamed Q3 contract defections on not having the iPhone in their lineup.
T-Mobile's most recent commercial is a clear slam at how AT&T's current network completely bogs down the iPhone.
Taking those three things into account it isn't too crazy to start speculating that the nation's 4th largest carrier is about to land the world's most popular phone. It would be an easy switch too. AT&T is a GSM network. The iPhone was made for GSM networks. T-Mobile is a GSM network. It's a logical conclusion. The only catch is that the iPhone 4 uses a micro SIM card and all T-Mobile devices run on regular sized SIM cards. Oh well, so much for that fantasy.
Or is it? Apparently new T-Mobile customers have been getting shipped micro SIM cards with their new phones. That wouldn't mean much except for the fact that those micro SIM cards don't actually fit in the devices they are being shipped with and customers are having to go into stores to swap out the micos for the regular SIM cards.
Granted, this could mean absolutely nothing. Perhaps some of the new phones or tablets in the queue at T-Mobile will be using micro SIM cards and there simply was a batch that got mixed into the wrong pile. Or perhaps T-Mobile actually is getting the iPhone or iPad. Maybe T-Mobile is switching to micro SIM cards so older subscribers won't be able to use newer unlocked phones on their network. Or perhaps T-Mobile is just messing with everyone for the sake of messing with everyone. Whatever the case may be, the plot has thickened.
Every now and then, something pops up in the cellular world that causes rampant speculation. When it comes to Apple, rumors really fly. Since its inception, the iPhone has been exclusively sold by AT&T. While that exclusivity has been confirmed to be coming to an end early next year – Verizon will be getting a CDMA version of the phone – people have often wondered why the other GSM carrier in the US, T-Mobile, hasn’t jumped on the iPhone bandwagon.
It stands to reason that they could. There are already people out there using unlocked phones on different GSM networks, and it is possible to unlock the iPhone. It’s already likely that people are using their iPhone on T-Mobile’s network. So when an iPhone charging/sync cable shows up in a T-Mobile store, it’s hard not to speculate that T-Mobile is getting the iPhone soon. Of course this could just be a random coincidence. Or maybe T-Mobile know’s there are iPhone users on their network and are just catering that that miniscule segment of their subscriber base. Though it’s hard to imagine anyone smart enough to unlock their phone is dumb enough to pay retail.
Also consider that T-Mobile did just blast AT&T’s network and how it bogs down the iPhone in their most recent commercial. And T-Mobile’s big boss over in Europe blamed the lack of an iPhone as a reason for the company’s contract defections (they lost 60,000 contract subscribers in Q3).
So what does this all mean? Probably nothing. The fact is nothing remains a secret in the cellular world for very long. And if T-Mobile were stocking up iPhone accessories for an imminent launch, everyone would know about it already. Still, it’s a whole lot of fun to speculate. And considering that AT&T’s exclusivity ends in a couple of months, there really is no reason to think that Apple isn’t looking to sell more phones. The easiest way to do that would be to offer the iPhone on as many carriers as possible. But everyone is so lousy at keeping secrets these days, it’s hard to believe.
As far as cell phone carriers in the US are concerned, T-Mobile is definitely the smallest (in terms of total subscribers) of the big four. In terms of GSM networks, their main rival AT&T boasts a subscriber base that is 241% bigger than T-Mobile, thanks in large part to their exclusivity with the iPhone. For a long time, T-Mobile seemed content to market itself to families and kind of fly under the radar when it came to advertising mudslinging.
That’s all changed, as T-Mobile has several humungous cannonballs across the bows of its competitors the last few days, most notably AT&T. The most obvious jab at the expense of AT&T is their most recent commercial, which is an parody of the famous Mac vs. PC commercials. Only this time T-Mobile has turned the tables on Apple, depicting the iPhone in drab colors with a frumpy balding executive in a suit, representing AT&T, going for a piggyback ride.
To top that off, T-Mobile has launched a more generic add campaign in the same vein as the coverage map wars help between Verizon and AT&T, announcing themselves as having the largest 4G network in the country, servicing 75 markets. If you dig a bit below the surface, T-Mobile’s new network isn’t technically 4G, but it is the fastest network in the country, so for now T-Mobile has something to hang their hat on. Unfortuntately, they only have two HTC phones branded as the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G and the T-Mobile G2 that work on their new superfast network.
As if that wasn’t enough to ruffle some feathers, the littlest member of the big 4 has also announced a plan to offer tiered data plans in addition to their unlimited data plans, and have announced that they intend to undercut the competition. Whether or not they only offer this on their contract subscribers or if tiered data will also be available on their no contract phones remains to be seen, but considering they already offer identical rate plans at different prices for contract and no contract subscribers, it’s probably a safe bet that tiered data usage will also extend to both.
How much these recent campaigns will move the subscriber needle for T-Mobile depends in large part on just how patient or impatient us consumers are when it comes to their 4G networks as well as T-Mobile adding more 4G ready devices to their lineup. But for a company that has by and large been perfectly OK with not rocking the boat, this past week has served as a giant rogue wave aimed directly at their competition.
As the US market is becoming increasingly aware of unlocked phones, they have been growing in popularity. Don’t believe us? Check out this report quoting HP’s product manager. Apparently, the Palm Pre 2 will be available unlocked to anyone who wants it straight from HP. We can only assume that this means the Pre 2 will be offered up as a no contract phone, although they may also end up getting a license to sell rate plans too.
This is most likely a stunt to try and capture what small share of the smartphone OS market is left. The Palm Pre 2 will run on Web OS, which is a distant afterthought when compared to Android, Apple’s iOS, and the Blackberry OS. Heck, even the Windows 7 phone is likely going to pass up Web OS before the end of the year, and those phones haven’t even gone on sale yet.
As it stands right now, Android is the OS king, owning 44% of the US smartphone market in Q3. Apple passed Blackberry, posting a 23% share, while those crazy Canucks are sitting on a 22% share. Now if you take the derivative, multiply by Pi, and remember to carry the 1, that leaves just 11% of the market open for Web OS, and Nokia’s Meego OS. Considering that Microsoft will probably carve out a chunk of the big boys’ market share, as well as gobble up some of that remaining 11%, then one has to wonder how long it will take HP to just abandoned their OS and start making devices that run on the Android or Microsoft OS.
It remains to be seen if the move to sell the Palm Pre unlocked is a desperate attempt boost sales in the ultra competitive smartphone market, or if they are firing the first shot in a revolution that will eventually encompass all manufacturers building devices for US consumers.
Pantech phones have become nearly extinct in the US market, and for good reason. The cell phone manufacturer seems to be trying to make a comeback, but their recent offerings seem to be about 3 years behind the times, if not more. With approximately 50% of US cell phone users currently using smartphones, you would think that there was a place for feature phones. However, smartphones have been trending upwards for some time now, and it won’t be too long before feature phones are an afterthought at best.
But the two new Pantech phones recently announced, the Laser and the Crux, are middling feature phones. The Crux, which was just announced this week has some solid features, like a touch screen and a social networking widget. It runs $49.99 after a mail in rebate on a two year contract with Verizon. By contrast, T-Mobile announced the LG Optimus T, which runs the latest version of Android and will only cost $29.99 on a two year contract. Pricing for the two devices as a no contract phone aren’t yet available, but considering how much more phone you get for about half the cost with LG’s offering, it makes you wonder why anyone would bother with the Pantech phone at all.
Obviously there is still a large enough market out there for feature phones that will allow Pantech to at least stay somewhat relevant for the time being. But as the industry continues to shift towards new technology, the South Korean company will need to shift its focus towards more high end devices to capture the next generation of cell phone users as well as people looking to upgrade to more capable devices. When it comes to cell phones, evolution is the name of the game. Those who remain a one trick pony learn the lesson the hard way. Based on recent Pantech offering, it would appear as though they are headed down that path.
The concept of a no contract cell phone or prepaid phone is pretty basic. You pay for what you intend to use, no more no less, and you aren’t tied down to a long term commitment. With so many people starting to shift towards the prepaid arena in an attempt to save a few bucks, it boggles the mind that the phone selection for most prepaid plans is so lacking. At the rate that new phones are coming out for the post paid carriers, you’d think that there would at least be a semi-similar rate of prepaid phones hitting the market. Sadly, that isn’t the case.
Boost Mobile, which is owned by Sprint, just announced a new Samsung cell phone to their lineup. Their definition of new is a bit different than most, as they are releasing the Samsung Seek – a phone they already have – in candy apple red. Since when does slapping a new paint job on a phone qualify as a new phone? Hyundai doesn’t claim to have 80 different models of cars because they come in different colors. Even the big guys have a pretty paltry assortment of prepaid phones that they offer.
Every single major carrier in the US has no fewer than 3 new phones guaranteed to hit before the end of the year. Phones are coming out at a pace of about 2 new phones per month, however, when it comes to prepaid, the nicest phone offered on T-Mobile is the Nokia Nuron, which came out nearly a year ago. Verizon is a little better when it comes to offering top of the line phones, but they only offer three smartphones on their prepaid packages. AT&T’s GoPhone lineup includes quite a few 3G phones, none of which would qualify as one of their top of the line phones.
Maybe someday the phone companies will start offering no contact phones that aren’t already obsolete before they go on sale. Considering the fact that those same companies make most of their money off of long term contracts, I’m not holding my breath for that to happen. For now we’ll have to wait until someone slaps a hot pink paint job on a Zack Morris phone and calls it new.
There’s nothing we like more than a little competition. A lot of competition is even better. These days, the biggest changes being seen in cellular is in the prepaid and no contract phone arena. While post paid contract prices seem to keep getting higher and higher as phones are capable of doing more and more, the prepaid wars are driving prices down. T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile have been trading punches lately, which is great news for consumers.
T-Mobile recently announced a prepaid plan that is basically a hodge podge buffet of texts and minutes capped at 1500 for just $30. Basically you can combine any number of texts and minutes so long as you don’t pass that 1500 threshold. You also get 30MB of data to go with it. Today Virgin counterpunched with a $30 plan of their own. Their magic number is 2000, which thanks to my degree in combinatoric mathematics I know is more than 1500. Where Virgin falls a little short is in the data department. You only get 10 MB of data with their plan.
The phone selection is still pretty weak for both teams all lacking the latest as far as Samsung, Blackberry or HTC phones. But given the lack of available data, perhaps that is by design. In a true competition utopia, all phones would be sold as unlocked phones and consumers could pick any phone and plan that they felt like. That’s clearly not happening anytime soon though. Until then at least we can enjoy watching the big guys undercut each other on the prepaid side of things.
It’s no secret that no contract cell phones are becoming more and more popular these days. The problem was the phones for sale on most of the major prepaid carriers left a lot to be desired. And the networks themselves weren’t exactly blowing people’s skirts up. That’s about to change for a couple of the major players here really soon.
Cricket mobile currently has just three smartphones in their lineup – the Sanyo ZIO, the Huawei Ascend and the Blackberry Curve 8530. Those phones were only able to enjoy 3G service on a limited regional basis however, due to Cricket’s limited network resources. Well limited just flew out the window as Cricket customers now can enjoy nationwide 3G coverage. Most likely this means that Cricket has signed some sort of agreement with one of the Big 4 to piggyback on their network, though no details of that nature were released.
Metro PCS, who you might recognize from their Tech and Talk commercials featuring two geeky Indian talk show hosts, is also coming out of its comfort zone a bit. The company has traditionally offered unlimited talk, text and data for a low flat rate, but will be unveiling a tiered prepaid plan available through Wal-Mart. None of the tiered plans will apply to their Smartphones, which for now only includes two Samsung phones.
Cricket’s new 3G coverage map should open the door for the mobile company to expand its fleet of smartphones in the near future. With so many players on in the game, it shouldn’t be too hard for Cricket to find a couple of manufacturers to throw them a bone or two. As for Metro PCS, perhaps Ranjit and Chad can convince their bosses that exploring an expanded data network and smartphone lineup is a good idea. After all, they do seem to be in an experimental mood right now. Whatever the case may be, signs definitely show that no contract and prepaid options are carving out a larger niche in the US cellular market.
In case you haven’t heard, getting a prepaid wireless plan isn’t just for drug dealers and spies anymore. Nope, more and more people are crossing over into the realm of prepaid in order to save a little money in the short term and the long term. Boost Mobile, which is owned by Sprint, is one of the leaders in the prepaid arena, and yesterday they announced a pretty cool incentive to pick them and stick with them. They are calling them “shrinkage” plans.
Guys, don’t worry, we aren’t talking about cold water or some sort of long term radiation effect. Boost Mobile is actually talking about your phone bill. For every six months of consecutive service, your bill goes down by $5 per month, with no effect on you minutes, data, or texts. A cynic would say that they are trying to turn a no contract cell phone into a long term commitment. The reality is that this is a nice gesture by a company to say thanks for sticking around. You don’t see that too often these days.
Boost Mobile has a pretty nice lineup of phones too, especially for a prepaid service. Motorola is the dominant manufacturer, but they also have a couple of Samsung phones, like the Samsung Seek. Considering most companies only offer incentives to new customers to lure them in, the fact that one of the big dogs is willing to offer up a reward for loyalty is pretty nice. We’re not going to get all misty eyed about it, but it’s still nice to see.
Sprint seems to be one of the few major cellular carriers that haven’t been stepping all over their customers lately. A recent judgment against Verizon has forced them to repay $90 million in unauthorized data overages and an independent report found that more than half of the iPhone users on AT&T would switch carriers if the phone were available elsewhere. While Sprint isn’t perfect, the fact that they have avoided that sort of nightmarish press is a godsend in this economy.
In fact, Sprint is getting some ink these days for a different reason. The company recently unveiled a plan that would offer refurbished no contract cell phones at drastically discounted prices. There is an extremely limited selection right out of the gate, highlighted by the Blackberry Tour, which will sell for $80. At least one Samsung cell phone and one Sanyo cell phone will also be offered.
All the phones so far feature a full QWERTY keyboard and provide internet access, though only the Tour would fall under the smartphone designation. Still it’s nice to see Sprint allowing users to get a new phone without having to sign a new contract or hurt their upgrade eligibility. As time goes by one can only assume that the line of refurbished phones on offer will expand, and the features available on those phones will improve. But for now it’s a nice step in the direction of customer satisfaction in a market that has seemingly lost touch with the financial realities of their consumer base.
Pantech phones haven’t exactly been captivating the imagination lately, and the latest phones from the South Korean company don’t necessarily blow your skirt up. Pantech is the third largest cell phone manufacturer in South Korea, behind Samsung and LG. Rather than chase those two Samrtphone players, Pantech has seemed content to put out midrange messaging phones, and their latest offering, the Pantech Laser, doesn’t appear to be an exception.
Don’t get us wrong. The Laser has some cool features. For instance, it comes with a 3.1 inch AMOLED screen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. In fact, the Laser can boast that it is the slimmest slide out phone with a full keyboard in AT&T’s stable. Unfortunately the price isn’t nearly as attractive. In addition to the Laser, AT&T offers several Samsung phones and Motorola phones at comparable prices that also feature the Android OS.
Clearly this phone isn’t for the tech savvy gadget junkie. It’s a nice looking phone that offers some basic creature comforts, a few above average features, without all the bells and whistles. Most likely everyone reading this can sit down at Thanksgiving dinner and find at least one person in their family that fits this description. Half the US population still prefers feature phones over smartphones. But those numbers are trending in opposite directions, which will make it interesting to see what Pantech decides to do in the coming year.
Unless you’re running for a major political office or you are currently a sitting US Senator or Congressman, you’ve probably noticed that the economy isn’t doing too hot. As people are tightening their belts the rise of no contract cell phones and prepaid data plans are becoming a more and more popular choice amongst consumers. The big 4 carriers in the US even dabble a bit in prepaid service plans.
T-Mobile has been in the prepaid cellular service game for awhile now and is ready to tackle prepaid data as well. T-Mobile will be offering three separate data packages priced at $10, $30 and $50. The three plans are capped at a set time limit or data usage, whichever comes first. On the surface the prepaid plans aren’t nearly the bargain of a contract data plan, which averages out to be about 6.25 times less expensive that the premium prepaid package. But that value comes at the expense of being locked into a multi-year contract.
It really is just a matter of personal choice, and it’s nice that T-Mobile is offering their customers a choice. The next step is getting a better selection of phones in their prepaid lineup so folks can really enjoy their data plans. T-Mobile already offers a variety of Samsung cell phones, one Nokia device and the T-Mobile Tap. It’s not a selection that really blows you away. But seeing as this is a new service, we’ll wait and see how it evolves before passing judgment. Prepaid data is likely to be the next mini revolution in the cellular market, and someone had to take the first step.
In case you were wondering why that app you downloaded that turns your phone into a paperweight cost $39.99, there is a good change that it was an error on the part of Verizon. The company nicknamed Big Red won’t be going into the red anytime soon, but they sure are shelling out a lot of cash because of a small error on their side. Actually, the sum comes out to about $90 million in errors.
Apparently people who don’t even have data plans on their phones have been getting charged for data usage since 2007 for reasons as ridiculous as accidentally pressing the browser button on their phones. What is even more ridiculous is that Verizon has been aware of the problem since day one and up until now has refused to do anything about it. Noting like piss poor customer service to make you want to dump your provider and pick up a no contract phone.
Approximately 15 million customers have been affected by the wrongful data charges and have flooded the FCC with complaints. The FCC has essentially forced Verizon to reconsider their no refund policy, and customers will see a credit on their October or November bills in the amount of the overages they were charged. Customers who already jumped ship will get a check in the mail.
This news comes not to long after a Sprint CEO was quoted as saying that customers weren’t likely to leave their service due to the end of unlimited data plans because Sprint charged a lot of money for those people to cancel their contracts. It makes you wonder if CDMA really stands for Customers Don’t Matter At all.
I bet you thought based on the title that we are going to be talking about Verizon’s Samsung Fascinate. Well we’re not. We’re going to be talking about Verizon’s other Galaxy S phone. The Fascinate’s reign at the top of the Verizon galaxy will be extremely short lived as a new player known as the Continuum will take the mantle as the new Samsung cell phone in the Galaxy S line.
The main feature that caught our eyes with this phone is that there will be two OLED screens. In addition to the main display, a second screen right below it will be used to give weather updates, alert you to new Facebook activity, or update you on your RSS feeds. The cool thing is that the second screen works independently from the main display, meaning you can access some of the phones basic features without using up too much battery power.
It’s a bit puzzling why Verizon or Samsung would launch a flagship Samsung phone only to trump themselves with an even better model a couple of months later. What’s even more distressing is that customers who rushed to get a Fascinate and signed up for a long term contract are going to end up with a phone that is already obsolete. Those customers won’t be able to upgrade for awhile either. Of course, none of this would be a problem if Verizon offered the latest and greatest as no contract cell phones, but that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
These days it seems like everyone is trying to get in on the no contract cell phone game. Even a certain major retailer is offering such phones, albeit an extremely limited selection of phones. All the major carriers seem to be offering huge incentives on phones to get you to sign on for a long term commitment. While that is all well and good for some, the real cost of signing that contract can be a bit staggering.
Let’s just say that you are on a basic data plan with one of the major carriers. Add on your minutes and texts and you are looking at $85 a month minimum. Multiply that by 24 months and that free phone your carrier gave you adds up to $2,040 of your money right into their bank account. And what if you don’t use up all your minutes or texts? What if you aren’t updating your Twitter at Kanye West levels? Does your carrier prorate your next bill? Of course they don’t.
It’s just something to think about before you buy one of those new Samsung phones. We have it on pretty good authority that the Super AMOLED screen still looks pretty amazing without a contract. As they say, variety is the spice of life. There is nothing wrong with the comfort of familiarity, but for the cellular adventurous, there is indeed a brave new world out there that doesn’t involve helping the cell phone companies take a few extra bucks out of your pocket.
In this instance we aren’t using the slang version of ill. Since its inception, the iPhone has been exclusively available to AT&T with a nice contract attached. With carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile rumored to be adding the iPhone to their lineups, AT&T’s stranglehold on the best selling phone in America is tenuous at best. Should other carriers, especially other GSM carriers like T-Mobile, start to sell the iPhone, the possibility of getting an unlocked cell phone with the famous Apple logo on it becomes a very real possibility.
Apparently AT&T has a need to be worried. iPhone customers are ready to jump ship in droves if only the iPhone were offered on other carriers. Nearly half of all iPhone owners surveyed said they would switch away from AT&T if Verizon starts offering the Apple Smartphone.
Taking all of this in stride, an AT&T chief executive had this to say. 'Those customers don't tend to churn.” Apparently a large percentage of their iPhone owners are on family plans, which according to AT&T are a real pain in the posterior to cancel.
Perhaps given the data that your customers aren’t happy with your service, and families all over the country are struggling to make ends meet, twisting your mustache while cackling about how expensive and difficult it is to leave your company isn’t the best way to endear yourself to the public and avert a mass exodus. That's just some outside the box thinking though.
AT&T is going to have to figure something out soon. T-Mobile could add the iPhone as soon as this fall, which according my Farmer’s Almanac began today (which reminds me that it’s time to harvest that corn I’ve been growing on my apartment patio). Verizon could get the first CDMA version of the iPhone by the first quarter of 2011.
Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of Blackberry cell phones, must feel like they are in a bad episode of 24, as seemingly one potential crisis is piling on top of another. Thankfully Kiefer Sutherland is Canadian just like RIM, so maybe they can hit him up for some advice.
Currently JP Morgan Chase has their employees exclusively using Blackberry devices for mobile e-mailing. That is an exclusivity that might be coming to an end as the banking Goliath is considering both the iPhone and Android devices as potential replacements or additions to their arsenal. It would be a move that speaks volumes to RIM’s slipping market share both domestically and internationally.
Multiple countries have considered banning the Blackberry cell phones, citing security concerns, as the Blackberry messaging service cannot be monitored by the government. India recently extended a September 1st deadline for RIM to come up with some sort of solution to the problem, and has given the Canadian company two months to come up with a solution. India joins Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as governments who fear that terrorist groups can use Blackberry’s encrypted messaging service to freely communicate with one another. All the terrorists that Jack Bauer chased must have used something other than a Blackberry
With football season literally days away, I’m already scouting the best sports bars in my neighborhood, looking for that hidden, or not so hidden gem, that offers up everything I’m looking for. A great selection of beers, a plethora of artery clogging appetizers, and some good looking cocktail servers is the perfect combination in my book. There are a lot of options out there and finding the right place to catch the game is a delicate science.
Cell phones can leave most consumers feeling the same way. There are so many choices, and we’re all looking for that aesthetically pleasing phone that offers functionality combined with a boatload of options. Motorola makes a phone that acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Apple’s iPhone’s have more apps than a normal person could ever possibly use. Samsung creates phones that serve as a mini movie theater in your hand. Blackberry has several phones with full QWERTY keyboards for those text-aholics. But what if one manufacturer combined all of the above into one phone? A phenomenal idea on paper...
Electronics giant Sharp has decided to throw their hat into the cellular world, releasing the Sharp FX on the AT&T network. The FX has combined several different features in one phone (QWERTY keyboard, touch screen, 3G capability) that in theory were great, but in practice fall short of expectations. When you try to pack so much into one phone, certain features generally leave something to be desired, and the FX is no exception. For a full review, check out this review on CNET.
I like pizza, nachos and potato skins. I’m not going to put all three in a blender and hope for the best. I’d rather order a sampler platter where each individual item can stand on its own, but still give me the best of everything. Sharp definitely has their hearts in the right place with the FX. They just need to jump back into the kitchen and do a little tweaking of the recipe.
What do you think? Are you willing to sacrifice a on some of the extras like a camera or LCD display if your phone had a few more functional options? Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter and let us know.
When AT&T was able to obtain the exclusive rights to the iphone this breathed new life into a falling fast service provider. Unfortunately the superiority of the iPhone created a huge cap between it and the next phone. Even Blackberry who seemed to have a lock on the cell phone world fell to a far second. AT&T had only one big hitter in the line up and fortunately for them the iPhone has delivered.
No longer will AT&T keep all its hope in one phone now that they have signed the new rookie, the Samsung Captivate. This new additional gives the iPhone4 a reason to worry. The Captivate is the first Android phone to break the Apple monopoly at AT&T. In the cell phone world this is almost like Jackie Robinson pitching his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Is this really ground breaking or is this AT&T's way of trying to counter the possibility that Apple is going to look somewhere else to make a mark?
The Captivate weighs in a light 4.5oz, shaving .3oz off the weight of the iPhone4. Samsung chose the Android 2.1 OS as it's platform with the availability of the 2.2 update to come, 512 mb RAM, 16G internal memory,5 mp camera, video records in 720p, 4' AMOLED screen.
Will this be phone to dethrone the iPhone? Could this be the Lou Garrett of phones that will remove the crown from the long time favorite the Apple iPhone? Apple's idea of controlling the AT&T market is as real as Boardwalk and Park Place. Only time will tell if the Samsung Captivate will pass go or go straight to jail as these two phones go head to head.
To quote Oscar winning Best Actor Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, 'You never got me down Ray. You never knocked me down Ray.' This comes to mind when one thinks about Motorola versus Apple. Apple is hitting Motorola with all it has and Motorola is not going down. Motorola is not taking a standing 8 count but rather fighting back with their new phone releases.
Motorola has just released it's new and improved Droid 2. This is a revived model of the original Droid that pushed to the back of the pack quickly due to the release of the Droid Incredible and Droid X. The Droid 2 has quite a few upgrades that make this phone worth a glance...
The Droid 2 operates on the latest Android platform running with the 2.2 software. The keyboard keys have been enlarged due to Motorola ditching the D pad on the right side cause the QWERTY keyboard. Complaints were coming in over the original Droid keyboard being offset due to the D pad.The previous underutilized D pad has been replaced with basic arrows giving the appearance of a computer keyboard and giving the user more comfort. The physical appearance is very similar sharing the same battery and weight. The Droid 2 is showing a sleeker look with a beveled metallic edge around the screen adopting a rounder edges straying away from the previous straight edges. The processor is 1 GHz,an internal memory of 8GB, an option of addition storage room with an 8GB SD memory card slot, and 512MB RAM.
This attempt by Motorola to stop the bleeding from the release of the iPhone4 is in the right direction. It may not be the TKO that they need but this will keep them in contention. Motorola will be truly tested if the rumors of the Apple iPhone4 release at Verizon in January are true. Motorola unlike Blackberry has matched punch for punch with HTC and Apple. Technological battles are based on the ability to keep up and Motorola is showing their dedication to go the distance.
With the release of the Apple iPhone4 and the Motorola Droid X everyone has been wondering what Blackberry was going to do to keep its dedicated users. The wait is over Blackberry has announced the release of its new phone the Torch or 9800. RIM seems to be banking on the idea that the current users are loyal and aren't going to be lured in by the glam of the new phones.
The screen measures at 3.2 inches. The size of this screen could have been overlooked had it been brought up to the current standards set by not only high end phones but most mid to lower end phones. This standard has raised the bar to a minimum of 800x480. The Blackberry Torch seems to fall short right away with a resolution of 480x360.Under the hood there is 4 GB storage, 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM Card slot for a microSD, up to 32GB, 4GB card included. This technology was offered in the first Droid offered by Motorola. The operating system is OS 6 and a new web browser based on the WebKit used by Apple and Google. Universal search has been added to aid in the search of the device memory which has been available in many competitors’ phones already. The Torch is coming with a 5.0 MP camera which is comparable with the iPhone4. Blackberry may be accepting a role at the bottom the food chain after trying to rock the industry with the Blackberry Storm and Blackberry Storm 2 both delivering a product that stretched the imagination of the RIM world but falling short of a TKO.
The Torch finds itself compared to the Palm Pre and not able to share the light of the new high end phones. The Torch will be released with AT&T on August 12th. This is the same carrier that carries a phone for the same price with a 2 year contract. You might have heard of this phone called the iPhone4.Blackberry is trying but they seem to be struggling like Charlie Chaplin when movies transitioned from silent black and white to color with sound.Blackberry is going to be tested over the next few seasons, one thing is for sure the industry is changing with or without Blackberry.
They are the two major cellular networks in the world and they have both been surpassing one another in speed and performance for years on end. People who use Verizon or Sprint are on a CDMA network while AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers are no doubt using a GSM connection. Depending on where you live and a few other factors, one is better than the other. So, before you decide which network you want to belong to, you might want to have a look at the connection you will use to access the network. Here is our breakdown of the pros and cons of each.
Are you getting enough bars?
The number one factor to consider is coverage. Will you be able to make calls and access the Internet from almost anywhere, or will you be struggling to get bars while you're driving down the highway? In the United States CDMA is king. The Verizon network still boasts more coverage and better reception than my other carrier. AT&T and the GSM providers are one step behind.
But if you leave the USA and head out into the rest of the world, you will find that people predominantly use GSM Cell Phones. Some 86% of global cellular networks run on GSM connections. The other 14% belongs to CDMA connections mostly based in the U.S. So if you happen to live anywhere but the U.S., a phone connected to a GSM network in the better choice.
The best option for speed demons
When you look at speed alone, CDMA is currently about two times faster than GSM. Verizon Cell Phones consistently outperform those on the AT&T network, and it doesn't look like this is going to change for some time. There were moments in the history of the two connections when this wasn't the case, but the times change quickly.
It's practically a no-brainer for people in the U.S. Get a phone on the CDMA network, and you won't be sorry. For everyone else, a GSM connected phone will do, at least until CDMA becomes more prevalent where you live.
Ever since the iPhone was released, people have complained about Apple’s restrictions. While many see the iPhone as a “walled garden” that’s easy to use without any errors, others see it as a prison. They look at the outside world where mobile devices can multitask and run apps that aren’t approved by Apple, and they want to break free. Those who wish to escape Apple’s restrictions have taken to unlocked cell phones, opening up a whole new world of apps and possibilities. The following are a few of them.
1.) iPhonemodem
iPhonemodem is an app that turns your iPhone into a modem for your laptop. It’s great for long road trips and business on the go when you don’t have a good wifi signal. Plus, if you’re already paying for 3G on your iPhone, why should you pay for it twice on another portable device? When you look at the savings, unlocking your iPhone to get this app just makes good economic sense.
2.) Custom Themes
You may have noticed that the iPhone isn’t all that customizable. Sure, you can switch out the background image, but that’s not the same as being able to control the complete look and feel. After you jailbreak your iPhone, you get access to a ton of custom themes to suit your style. Consider it a fashion upgrade.
3.) Free custom ringtones and notification sounds
Yet another way you are unable to customize a standard iPhone. With an unlocked iphone, you can download as many of these custom sounds as you want.
4.) Using VOIP over a 3G connection
Due to Apple’s contract with AT&T, it’s bad business for Apple to allow you to use VOIP over a 3G connection. When you unlock your iPhone, you bypass this restriction altogether. If you change some of your calling habits and decide to only place calls using VOIP, you can save a ton of money on your next phone bill.
5.) It’s a necessary precursor to unlocking your phone
Or you can go one step further and unlock your phone completely. Jailbreaking gives you the tools to do this and use whichever carrier you want. Also, if you plan on reselling your iPhone, you’ll be happy to know that unlocked iPhones have a higher resell value.
If there’s one big reason to unlock your iPhone, it’s because it will save you money. When you aren’t chained to AT&T, you get better service and the ability to make VOIP calls over a 3G signal. Imagine only having to pay your Skype bill every month, not AT&T’s. On top of that, you get custom themes, apps, and ringtones. There are a few risks involved in the process. You will void the warranty, and there is a very small chance of irreversible damage. We still think that when you weigh all the risks and the huge benefit you get on the other end, unlocking your iPhone is definitely worth it.
Some of the more budget conscious among you might be wondering how much money you can save if you get a prepaid cell phone plan with no contract. With these plans, you purchase minutes and texts as you go without having to commit to a particular carrier. Because every call counts with these plans, you will find that they can really help you put a limit on your spending. Of course, they can also put a damper on your day when you really, desperately, need to make a phone call and you are at a loss for minutes. So the question remains. Are prepaid plans worth your time, or are they only there as an option for people who do not qualify for a monthly contract?
They are if you know how to manage the system and use other calling methods to talk to your friends. Try out Skype. The service isn't completely free, but you will be able to make very low cost calls from your desktop computer, laptop, Wi-Fi enabled smartphone, or even your iPad. It's great to use while your are at home so you can save your minutes for when you really need them. If you are concerned about using up all of your texts, you can use Skype to send text messages as well.
Here is another tip for coping with only having a prepaid plan. Promise yourself that you will only use your prepaid phone to accept calls. You can then send messages on Facebook, email, or anything else, telling them to call you when they get a minute. It won't be quite as immediate as being able to make a call whenever you want, but you are trying to save money here.
Ultimately, if you talk on your phone all the time, a prepaid plan probably isn't for you. The price per minute goes down dramatically once you get a postpaid plan. Accept the monthly charges and get signed up for a contract. You'll get more for your money, and you won't be freaking out because you are running out of minutes.
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