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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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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