T-Mobile to offer Unlimited everything plans on and off contract

Looks like T-Mobile has decided to get in a little closer with the competition. They have now unleashed their new Unlimited Everything plans, sadly they aren’t truly unlimited but more on that below. They are offering two unlimited packages, one being on contract, and the other is contract free.


The Even More plan is $79.99 per month and requires a two-year contract, then the Even More Plus plan is $59.99 per month with no annual contract required and is geared towards the month-to-month prepaid customers. Both of these are for a limited time only so we suggest you hurry in and get a shiny new Sidekick 4G, or wait a few days and get the LG G2x.

Sadly we have heard some news that makes these exciting plans not all that exciting after all. Yes everything is unlimited but if you go over 2GB on your data T-Mobile will start to slow down and throttle your speeds, basically to a crawl. T-Mobile has said that all you facebookers and mobile data consumers use on average about 1GB a month of data, well they said that the “average” customer uses this amount. I know that I use anywhere from 3GB-5GB a month right now, but I’m more of a power user when it comes to Android. So those plans are a no go for some of those more power users, or those that use lots of data. I am glad to see they are lowering prices, and not increasing them now that data is being used more and more, but unlimited data that is actually capped, and slowdowns are a few things I’m not to happy to see. What are your thoughts? Full press release below:

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced that new, single-line unlimited plans are available starting tomorrow for just $79.99 per month, with an Even More™ plan and a two-year contract, or $59.99 per month, with an Even More Plus™plan with no annual contract required. Available for a limited time, the new plans offer great value for new and existing customers with unlimited nationwide calling, texting and data on America’s Largest 4G Network™.

“Consumers today are looking for even more value and flexibility from their wireless plans,” said John Clelland, senior vice president, marketing, T-Mobile USA. “While data plans for many of our competitors continue to be very expensive, T-Mobile is lowering the price of our unlimited plans and offering more options, making it easier than ever for customers to step up to a richer mobile data experience on our 4G network.”

Combined with an extensive lineup of affordable smartphones, T-Mobile’s new Even More unlimited plan allows customers to save more than $350 per year on an unlimited smartphone plan, compared to similar plans from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint1. Customers have the flexibility to purchase any phone in T-Mobile’s lineup and sign up for an unlimited rate plan – with or without a contract term commitment.

In contrast to some competing offerings, T-Mobile’s new Even More unlimited and Even More Plus unlimited plans enable customers to use mobile data on their smartphones without incurring any overage charges. Consumers exceeding 2GB of usage in a billing month will still have access to unlimited data at reduced speeds until their new billing cycle starts. On average, T-Mobile 4G smartphone customers consume about 1 GB of data per billing month.

In addition to its unlimited plans, T-Mobile continues to offer one of the industry’s most affordable entry-level data plans, starting at just $10 for 200 MB per billing month. The company also strives to help customers on these data plans avoid surprise bills with SMS alerts when they are reaching their data limit.

The new $79.99 Even More unlimited and $59.99 Even More Plus unlimited plans are available starting tomorrow for qualifying customers. To find the T-Mobile plan that best fits their needs, customers can visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network not available everywhere. See coverage details at T-Mobile.com.

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Exxon Mobile unveils new app to help you locate stations

I have a couple gas stations that I will use because the quality of the gas is better and my car runs better as a result. I know some people that only like to use certain stations because they get cash back on credit card purchases of fuel too. If you want to specifically use an Exxon Mobile station the company has a new app to help you find one.

 
The new app is called Exxon Mobile Fuel Finder and runs on Android devices. The app uses the GPS tech inside your smartphone to find where you are and show you the closest Exxon station near you. The app will also tell you what features the station has like a car wash or SpeedPass capability.

The stations can also be filtered by hours of operations and more. Once you find a station that will work the app will route you from wherever you are directly to the station. This app has been available for iOS devices since last year.

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nSphere Acquires Couponing Startup Peekaboo Mobile

Online business directory company nSphere has acquired mobile couponing startup Peekaboo Mobile. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but we hear the transaction was in the seven-figures. Peekaboo’s team will also join nSphere to manage its new mobile marketplace and future mobile-related initiatives.

Peekaboo Mobile provides a platform to local businesses looking to connect to consumers with location-targeted offers. Peekaboo says that it currently reaches over 50 million smartphone users through its Android and iPhone deal applications and partner network.

nSphere’s technology powers search results for local services, events, relevant news articles and more. The acquisition will be used by nSphere to establish a mobile platform to deliver hyper-local coupons and information on any search topic directly to mobile handsets. Peekaboo Mobile will continue to run its mobile couponing company and will eliminate all monthly or yearly service fees required of current business owners and provide the Peekaboo platform free of charge for all future clients.

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HP to deliver Print services to Android

HP has announced the release of wireless printing software for Android which will enable users to wirelessly print to corporate network printers. The concept, known as “ePrint Services” is designed to make the Android platform more appealing to corporations who are looking to incorporate an employees personal smartphone into the IT structure. Employees will be able to print emails, documents and even presentations to printers that employ HPs Internet printing service. The new app competes directly with iOS AirPrint and Google’s Cloud Print technologies, which HP says aren’t secure enough for corporate IT networks.

“There’s a huge amount of security that’s required when you’re dealing with sensitive documents and mobile printing,” said Mark Quiroz, who heads H-P’s marketing for corporate printing products.

 
Once downloaded, employees will open the app and choose what to print. Select the printer. And here’s where it gets clunky … users will receive a code which then must be manually entered into the printer to print from. But HP insists that the extra security ensures that documents are only printed where they’re supposed to go.

As more and more companies allow employees to use their personal smartphones for business use, the need for secure, wireless printing becomes ever more important. According to Fortune Magazine, 88% of Fortune 100 companies are incorporating a new mobile print standard for the iPhone. And HPs ePrint for BlackBerry has been downloaded more than 200,000 times since it was launched last year. With Android handsets surpassing both iOS and RIM, it was time for HP to release it’s Android version. HP estimates that by summer, ePrint software will support 90% of smartphones in the US. Look for it to be released May 1st.

•  [via Total Telecom]
  

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InPulse Adds A Smartphone-Like Experience To Your Wrist Watch

Mobile phones have evolved into smartphones because these devices have basically become computers in the form of a cell phone. Besides browsing, one of the key components that make smartphones as interactive as a computer are the apps that can be used within the device. And it’s interesting to consider how we can add this element of computing and interactivity to other gadgets we use in everyday life. Today, Y Combinator-backed startup InPulse is launching its wrist watch, which adds elements of smartphone-like computing to a watch.

Founder Eric Migicovsky says that he is a avid cyclist and wanted a way to check his email, SMS messages and calls in a hands free devices. Using a smartphone on his trips didn’t make sense because he wasn’t able to actually use his hands while cycling. So he started thinking about how he could add smartphone capabilities to a watch, which he always wore when exercising. Thus, InPulse was born.

The device connects via Bluetooth to your phone and will deliver email alerts, SMS messages and calls directly to the watch. The watch can connect wirelessly to all kinds of host devices: computers, laptops, and smartphones and works best with Android, Blackberry, Mac, Windows and Linux (adding iPhone support is in the works, but Apple requires special chips to be built into the watch.) It’s a two way connection, so inPulse can send packets back to the host based on user interaction.

As for the specs, the device’s screen features a 1.3″ 96×128 pix full color display. The watch also includes a
ARM7 microcontroller running at 52MHz; 32kB total program space, 8kB RAM; CSR BC4-ROM Blue (L2CAP); aver-the-air programming; a vibrating motor; and a 150mAh lithium-ion polymer battery. The device charges via microUSB and the battery apparently lasts up to 4 days depending on display/wireless use. The device comes in two colors: the silver version is $149 and the black anodized version if $199.

Of course, a bluetooth enabled watch is not new. For example, Fossil teamed up with Sony Ericsson a while back for a similar device. Another competitor is Casio’s Bluetooth watch. What is innovative about InPulse is the ability to create apps for the device, which then adds some pretty impressive functionalities to a watch.

For example, one app allows you to get notifications on the watch, and lets you see your messages coming in without taking out your phone. There are many use cases for that feature, but namely, it can be rude to check your phone for emails in the middle of a serious meeting or event. Another beta user (the device was soft launched earlier this year) is a paramedic who needed both hands free for work.

InPulse has opened up it platform to developers and so far over 30 apps have been created for the watch. These range from making your watch into an iTunes music controller to becoming a PowerPoint presentation remote control (Migicovsky used his InPulse watch to present and pitch during Y Combinator’s demo day a few weeks ago). You can also check-in to Facebook Places from the watch. The beauty of the device is that you can program it to display anything via apps. Another popular use case is to programmers is display real time server stats for programmers on the go. There’s even a site devoted to featuring the watch’s apps.

While there was recently a Yale hackathon dedicated to developing for InPulse, the startup is sponsoring a hackathon at the Hacker Dojo on April 17. You can find details here.

So far, InPulse has sold 600 devices to beta users. As we increasingly become more reliant on constant connectivity, devices like InPulse will certainly make consumer’s lives easier. For example, my phone accompanies me to the gym and I constantly check it while on the treadmill. And I wake up in the middle of the night to check emails, etc. But during my pilates lesson, I’m unable to check my email and keep my phone by my side. A watch that showed me my missed calls, emails and latest news headlines would be ideal for me.

Clearly, InPulse’s users are those who want and need to be connected at all times (like me). But it’s important to note that some consumers may be willing to abandon their apps, emails, and phone calls for a few hours while their hands are tired. Of course, in the tech world, those people are few and far between.

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Federal prosecutors investigating Pandora, other smartphone applications over privacy concerns

Applications for collecting user information without their knowledge can not be anything new, but not every day we see things rise to the level of the Federal Grand Jury investigation. That happened today, however, federal prosecutors in New Jersey to launch a probe to determine whether smartphone applications have been collecting personal information such as the location of a person without being conveniently in front of him. So far, only one independent developer Pandora and have filed and said they have received subpoenas, but Pandora says it believes the probe is one of the industry, and that "there is a specific target of the investigation." As the Wall Street Journal, the research is also still in the early stages and thus can not result in actual charges, but seems to extend beyond their own application developers. A "person familiar with the matter, " says the Wall Street Journal that Apple and Google have been asked to provide information on applications and those responsible for the application in question, although not publicly comment on the matter at the moment.

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AT&T Admits to Intentionally Slowing Down Atrix and HTC Inspire

If you're a T-Mobile subscriber locked into a multi-year contract, you have to hope that AT&T's latest shenanigans aren't a sign of things to come. Following a bunch of complaints made to the Better Business Bureau, AT&T admitted to intentionally crippling the Atrix and HTC Inspire, which explains why owners of these two smartphone models have been unable to see anything near 4G upload speeds, according to DSLReports.com. Left unexplained, however, is exactly why AT&T did this.

While AT&T is reluctant to explain themselves, the wireless carrier did promise to remedy the situation with an upcoming software update.

"We're excited to announce that both the Atrix 4G and Inspire 4G are expected to receive software updates in April," AT&T stated on its Facebook page. "In addition, one of AT&T's next leading Android devices, the Samsung Infuse 4G, will ship with HSUPA already enabled. With these software updates, and our continued rollout of expanded backhaul, our 4G devices will continue to get faster. Please keep in mind that software is only one of many factors that can affect speeds experienced. Factors such as location, time of day, network capacity, and facilities can have an impact as well."

So there you have it. If you own an Atrix or Inspire smartphone, hang tight and you should experience faster network performance come April.

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Flash comes to the iPhone via Skyfire, Android gets it for free

Despite Steve Jobs’ insistence that Flash in an unnecessary evil, the inability to view Flash content has remained one of the major inconveniences for iPhone users. It’s true that Flash itself is often slow, buggy, and a drain on the battery. However, faced with degraded performance or the inability to view certain content at all, many users would still opt for the ability to view the content rather than not at all.

 Skyfire became the first iPhone browser capable of delivering Flash-based video to the user and demand for the app was so great back in November 2010 that it was withdrawn from sale within 5 hours of its launch.

What is the reason for that? The web browser, which is also available on other smartphone platforms – including Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile – does not play Flash natively, but still enables iPhone users to view the content on their devices by converting it to the iPhone-compatible H.264 video codec prior to downloading. However, this on-the-fly encoding does not come without serious overheads on the Skyfire servers, and just five hours after the app had shot to number one in the iTunes store, it was withdrawn as the company attempted to increase its bandwidth.

To prove the necessity and demand for Flash support in Apple devices, we will just have to look at the sales revenue of Skyfire back in November 2010 when it was first released. The company earned a whooping US$1 million in its first weekend on sale with a retail price of US$2.99 per download. Looking at the positive side, Android users will not need to go through the same inconveniences to view Flash content and Skyfire is free for Android.

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Motorola Cliq 2 – A Worthy Successor?

I’ve never been a big fan of sequels. The very first version of something comes out and turns out to be so popular that a second version must be released to further milk the cash cow. At least, that’s the way I feel about movie sequels in general.

But do phone sequels work the same way, or are they truly what they should be in the first place: improvements to the first piece of work?

The original Motorola CLIQ was a run-of-the-mill Android 1.5 handset launched in late 2009 that didn’t really make any ripples in the market. Fast forward to 2011 and Motorola has decided to release the Cliq 2. Will the Cliq 2 be a revelation like the Samsung Galaxy S2 or will it suffer the same fate as a bad movie sequel – crash and burn?

Basic Specifications: Motorola Cliq 2:

• Dimensions: 116 x 59.6 x 14.5mm
• Display: 3.7 inch capacitive touchscreen
• Weight: 175 grams
• Processor: 1 GHz TI OMAP 3620
• Memory: 512MB RAM, 1GB internal storage with pre-installed 2GB microSD
• Operating System:  Android 2.2
• Camera: 5MP, autofocus with dual LED flash
• Battery: Talk time up to 7.9 hr

Weighing at 175g does indeed make it heavier than the average Android smartphone but that is attributed to the in-built QWERTY keyboard. It also comes in at 14.5 mm which is thicker than your average Android smartphone, once again courtesy of the in-built QWERTY keyboard, but feels about right for a smartphone with full QWERTY keyboard attached.

The 3.7 inch LCD screen is smaller than some, but this phone is not intended to be a high end model and the 3.7 inch display screen does provide good screen real estate. Overall, for those who were frustrated by some of the less than durable aspects of the original Cliq, the Cliq 2 is certainly an improvement in terms of solid construction.

One of the unique selling points of the Cliq 2, in my opinion, is the slider keyboard’s ergonomic design which reminds me of a honeycomb and this is a very nice feature if you do a lot of texting. It might take a bit of getting used to but once you are broken in, you should find it much easier to text with the additional contact surface. On the back of the phone, the battery cover has a few ridges built into it which allows for extra grip – always a good thing – but which might affects the overall polished finishing of the phone.

Motorola has also installed its proprietary CrystalTalk Plus technology into the CLIQ 2. This is Motorola’s patented noise cancellation tech that allows you to talk in a loud room at normal volume. With that, it gave the user the ability to hear and be heard perfectly fine over the phone, even if you are in a loud environment.

Summary: Motorola Cliq 2:

The added screen real estate and screen resolution go a long way to making the overall Cliq 2 experience much better as compared to the original Cliq. The hardware is bigger and heavier, but much more sturdily designed and constructed. The call quality is good and loud, testament to Motorola’s proprietary CrystalTalk Plus technology, and is an additional bonus.

The Motorola team definitely deserves additional brownie points for coming up with an innovative design for the slider keyboard and hopefully, we can look forward to more unique designs in future.

Overall, the Motorola CLIQ 2 is a great buy for a midrange Android handset and is a reasonable successor to the original Cliq.

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The Pedants’ Revolt: Does The AP’s Killing Of E-Mail Mark A Worrying Escalation?

PHOENIX (TC) — Solemnly they filed into the briefing room at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism: the journalists, the bloggers and those who tweet on behalf of celebrities. Only the scratching of nib against paper and the clicking of keys broke the unpropitious hush, as those in attendance prepared to record the announcement.

And then, at the stroke of 2pm, the representatives of the Associated Press took to the stage. Total silence now. The calm before the bombshell: no less impactful for being anticipated.

“Daddy,” generations of children as yet unborn will ask, “where were you when the Associated Press removed the hyphen from the word ‘e-mail’?”

Yes, after this morning’s world-changing announcement, the jounalistic cyber-pedantry landscape will never look the same. Never mind the fact that most of us dropped the hyphen from “e-mail” around about the same time we stopped dialling up to Compuserve. And never mind that the AP’s acknowledgment that email is a distinct and legitimate communications medium comes just as the rest of the world has moved on to IMs and DMs.

No, never mind any of that: this a monumental development – as big at least as the moment when, earlier this month, the Pope finally declared that we should all stop blaming the Jews for killing Jesus; or the time last week when my mother finally realised she didn’t have to begin every IM to me with the greeting “Dear Paul,”.

The change doesn’t become official until 2am tomorrow morning (CDT) — but at least one AP writer was happy to risk his job by breaking his own employer’s embargo…

Under the headline “Innocence Project professor pulled from class”, the unnamed AP writer wrote…

“A Northwestern University journalism professor whose students are credited with helping to free more than 10 innocent men from prison – including death row – has been pulled from the class that made him famous amid allegations of ethics violations.

David Protess told the Chicago Tribune he was notified by email this week that he wouldn’t be teaching the investigative journalism course for the upcoming quarter.”

“Notified by email.” Just seeing it written like that gives me goosebumps.

But that’s not all; just as the assembled throng in the briefing room of Arizona State were regaining their collective wits, the AP spokespeople struck out with not one but two additional haymakers. Effective Saturday morning, both “cell phone” – boom! – and “smart phone” - thwack! – will become self-contain nouns. They won’t even go through the hyphenated gestation period: from 2am tomorrow, as if by magic, the words cellphone and smartphone will pop, fully formed, into existence.

For an Internet purist like me, this is starting to look like a worrying escalation: a sign that the once-staid AP might be losing their heads in the Internet age. With e-mail and “cell phone” and “smart phone” gone, how long can it be until “home page” ceases to be two words? And then… well…

First they came for e-mail, but I haven’t used the hyphenated form for years, so I did nothing.

Then they came for “cell phone” and “smart phone” but I’m not my grandparents, so I did nothing.

… and then they came for the uppercase ‘I’ in ‘Internet’.

Out of my cold, dead hands, AP. Out of my cold, dead hands.

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Android loses out to iPhone bigtime in JD Power Satisfaction Ratings

Oh snap, looks like JD Power still loves the iPhone more than every other phone they’ve got a rating for, those dastardly dudes. They’ve got every other bigtime brand on there, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and even Nokia, Palm, and RIM Blackberry, though we’re also not sure how they found those groups to top Samsung and their Galaxy S device line. Of course you could notice that Apple scores amongst the lowest for battery function, that owing a bunch to the researchers found that those using social networks (battery drainers) enjoyed their phones significantly more than those who had no use for such things.

Feel free to look at the pips on the chart above, or you could take a peek at the full press release below which, when compared to last year’s survey, shows the iPhone to, of course, maintain its position from last year. From there it’s just a bit different – HTC and Motorola switched positions, all three of them (those two and Apple) all dipping in satisfaction from last year just a tad. People know what they want more and more every year, and it’s tough to satisfy!
Of course then there’s regular phones, for people who don’t like to play Angry Birds and such, Sanyo leading that pack, LG being second, Samsung going third. Have a peek deep into the dots and find yourself crying over the fact that Apple, Palm, and Blackberry are even on the list. Horrifying!

J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Social Media Use Drives Higher Satisfaction among Owners of
Smartphones and Traditional Mobile Phones
Apple Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Smartphone Manufacturers,
While Sanyo Ranks Highest among Traditional Mobile Phone Manufacturers
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 17 March 2011 — Overall satisfaction with smartphones and traditional mobile phones is considerably higher among owners who use their devices for social media activity, compared with satisfaction among owners who do not access social media platforms on their phones, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction StudySM—Volume 1 and the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Wireless Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction StudySM—Volume 1, both released today.
Among smartphone owners who use their device to access social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, satisfaction averages 783 on a 1,000-point scale—nearly 22 points higher than among those smartphone owners who do not often use social media sites on their device. Currently, more than one-half of smartphone owners report having used their device to access social media sites via the mobile Web or mobile applications. While rates of mobile social media site usage are not nearly as high among owners of traditional mobile phones (9%, on average), satisfaction among traditional handset owners who use their device for social media is notably higher than that of traditional handset owners who don’t access social media (754 vs. 696).
“It’s not unexpected that smartphone owners access social media sites from their device more frequently than traditional mobile phone owners due to features such as larger screens and QWERTY keyboards,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. “However, these findings demonstrate that equipping devices with powerful features and service is key to creating positive customer experiences with wireless devices.”
The study finds that wireless users who engage in mobile social media activity on their mobile device also tend to use it more often for calls, texts and data; are more likely to purchase additional wireless services in the future; and are also more likely to provide positive recommendations for their handset brand and service provider, compared with users who don’t use social media on their device.
“It’s clear that the gap in satisfaction between customers who use social media applications on their device and those who don’t is driven by several factors, but the critical ingredient is whether the user has a positive experience with the wireless device itself,” said Parsons. “Providing features that facilitate social networking activity and make it easy for users to communicate and share information between various social media sites may be an effective way for service providers to further engage customers and increase loyalty.”
These two studies measure customer satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets and smartphones among owners who have used their current mobile phone for less than two years, by examining several key factors. In order of importance, the key factors of overall satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets are: operation (30%); physical design (30%); features (20%); and battery function (20%). For smartphones, the key factors are: ease of operation (26%); operating system (24%); physical design (23%); features (19%); and battery function (8%).
For a fifth consecutive time, Apple ranks highest among manufacturers of smartphones in customer satisfaction with a score of 795 and performs particularly well in ease of operation, operating system, features and physical design. Motorola (763) and HTC (762) follow Apple in the smartphone rankings.
Sanyo ranks highest in overall wireless customer satisfaction with traditional handsets with a score of 715. Sanyo performs well in three factors: physical design, battery functionality and operation. LG (711) and Samsung (703) follow Sanyo in the traditional handset rankings.
The studies also find the following key wireless handset usage patterns:
The average price of a traditional wireless mobile phone continues to decline and averages $73 in 2011, compared with an average of $81 at the beginning of 2009. The decline is primarily due to discounts provided by handset providers and wireless service carriers to incentivize sales. Currently, 46 percent of owners report having received a free mobile phone when subscribing to a wireless service, which is a historical high.

Mobile applications continue to enhance the smartphone user experience. Two-thirds of owners say they have downloaded games and social networking applications to their device. More than one-half (54%) say they have downloaded travel software, such as maps and weather applications, while 53 percent indicate having downloaded entertainment-oriented applications. This indicates that smartphone owners are continuing to integrate their device usage into both their business and personal lives.

Ownership tenure impacts overall satisfaction with the device experience. Those who report owning their device less than one year are significantly more likely to be more satisfied than those who have owned their wireless phone for a longer period of time (773 vs. 728). Newer devices tend to offer more features, services and better quality than older phones.

The 2011 U.S. Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study—Volume 1 and the 2011 U.S. Wireless Traditional Mobile Phone Satisfaction Study—Volume 1 are based on experiences reported by 7,275 smartphone owners and 11,347 traditional mobile phone owners. The studies were fielded between July and December 2010.

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