GeekSugar

T-Mobile Offers Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus on Payment Plan

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:03:52 PST

Putting a spin on the traditional subsidies of wireless devices, T-Mobile is offering up its latest tiny tablet on a payment plan. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is expected to hit shelves on Nov. 16 (just in time to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet) for $250 down (with a $50 mail-in rebate) and $10 monthly payments spread out over the next 20 months, making the $450 price tag more bearable. Of course, the data plan will set you back an additional $30 a month to start, bringing the total cost per month to 40 bones.

The 7-inch Galaxy Tab Plus comes with some improvements over the last iteration, including a jump in processing power (now 1.2 GHz dual-core), 4G capabilities, Android 3.2, a 3MP rear camera and 2MP forward-facing cam, along with an infrared sensor to use the galaxy tab as a universal remote. There's also 16GB of on-board storage with a microSD expansion slot so you can store your videos, pics, and more.

The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus adds another entry to the small tablets trend we're seeing, and I'm betting there will be plenty more to come. Are you into smaller tablets, or do you prefer your tablets to be on the larger, 10-inch side?

T-Mobile Announces Windows Phone HTC Radar 4G

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:47:47 PDT

It's no secret that I'm a little bit smitten with the Windows Phone UI (and now Windows 8), so I'm excited to see T-Mobile's new Windows Phone offering, the HTC Radar 4G. Coming this holiday season, the Mango-running Radar 4G will be stocked with a 3.8-inch LCD touchscreen, 1Ghz processor, 5MP rear-facing camera with LED flash and a VGA forward-facing camera, along with a dedicated camera button on the aluminum white body so you can snap pics instantly without having to unlock your phone.

Windows Phone Mango has plenty of features to love as well, like Kinect support, SMS dictation, fast app resume, and threads, along with the sleek tiled interface. No pricing details have been released yet, so stay tuned for more info.

Details on the Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Amaze 4G

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:21:54 PDT

T-Mobile announced two new phones to its smartphone lineup yesterday: the Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Amaze 4G. Both phones come stocked with impressive specs like 8MP cameras for crisp photos, dual-core processors, which will make both devices super fast, and average download speeds of 8Mbps on T-Mobile's HSPA+ 4G network.

Both phones are expected to be available next month, so take a tour of some of the most prominent specs, features, and prices in the slideshow!

T-Mobile Unveils News Data Plans

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:10:52 PDT

In the latest chapter of the wireless data price wars, T-Mobile announced today value plans intended to make smartphone and tablet data plans affordable. While Verizon recently announced tiered data plans, T-Mobile now offers its solution for affordable mobile data use.

Set to take effect July 24, the data value plans are available for new and existing customers for single and family lines when signing a two-year service plan. Customers can choose the talk and text plans they prefer and add unlimited data with 2GB, 5GB or 10GB of high-speed data, whichever fits their needs. T-Mobile will not inflict overage charges if streaming too many YouTube videos one month, but the connection speed will dramatically decrease for the remainder of the month to balance the high-data use. Customers can estimate their monthly data usage and which data speed to purchase with T-Mobile's data plan calculator.

The company offers the example that a value family plan with unlimited talk, text and data with 2GB of high-speed data is $49.99 per line for two lines, totaling just under $100 minus taxes. In the accompanying graph, T-Mobile compares their pricing structure to competitors claiming customers can save nearly $1,000 annually.

Verizon Introduces Tiered Data Plans, Rolling Out Tomorrow

GeekSugar — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:12:04 PDT

We knew this day was coming - the end of Verizon unlimited data plans. Verizon confirmed it will switch to a tiered data pricing model for new customers beginning Thursday, July 7.

A Verizon spokesperson dishes on the details saying:

". . . new smartphone customers will choose from one of three options: $30 for 2 GB, $50 for 5 GB or $80 for 10 GB. There will be an overage charge of $10 per GB of data. Verizon will also charge $10 for 75 MB per month for feature phone users."

Good news is current customers on unlimited plans can keep their unlimited plans as they upgrade to new devices. AT&T also recently began usage-based data service; though, their 2GB plan is just $25 per month. Once Verizon's new data policies go into effect, Sprint will be the only top nationwide provider to offer unlimited data packages for smartphone plans.

For those considering a wireless carrier switch, act fast for unlimited data before Verizon's Thursday changeover. If you are already on a tiered data plan - which option do you use?

Twilight's Xavier and Glee's Jenna Join More Stars to See The Strokes Play a Surprise Show

Lindsay Miller — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:26:15 PDT

Stars flocked to T-Mobile's massive party in Beverly Hills last night to celebrate the launch of the new Sidekick 4G. Nicky Hilton made the scene with a few girlfriends, while Whitney Port snuggled up to her man, Ben Nemtin. Twilight saga stars Xavier Samuel and Tinsel Korey were both on hand for the festivities, and Glee girl Jenna Ushkowitz struck a pose with John Stamos on the hot-pink carpet. He was one of many cute guys who turned up for the tech-themed soiree. Something Borrowed's Colin Egglesfield, Emile Hirsch, and Jesse Metcalfe were also among the attendees. Inside the bash, guests were treated to cocktails, arcade games, and even a diner serving up sliders and pizza to order. The highlight of the evening came around 11:30 p.m., though, when The Strokes took the stage to perform a surprise show!

T-Mobile Announces Free VoIP Calls on Facebook

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:12:06 PDT

Adding to the already-established voiceover IP options of Google Voice and Skype, T-Mobile announced today it has developed an app that enables users to make free VoIP calls through Facebook.

It's all centered around the Facebook app called Bobsled. After downloading the app, you'll be able to call friends on your computer with just a click and can even leave voicemail messages (marking them public or private) if you've missed them. It's all free, and you can call pals no matter where in the world they're located.

Behind the Scenes of T-Mobile's Royal Wedding Dance Spoof

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:18:43 PDT

Remember the JK Wedding Entrance viral video from 2009? It's been spoofed in the past by such TV shows as The Office, but now T-Mobile has added another twist to the spoofing action: the upcoming royal wedding. Called the T-Mobile Royal Wedding, this video that went viral over the weekend, depicts lookalikes from the royal wedding party - right down to Prince Charles, Camilla, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Harry - dancing down the aisle in fine form.

As fun as the dancing is, I can't get over how the "fake" wedding party looks just like the real ones, Camilla and Prince William especially. And since the wedding precession breaks all traditional rules, other established ones go right out the window as well - these invitees can't help but break out their smartphones to film the action. That's a no-no according to official etiquette guides. Check out all the T-Mobile behind the scenes goodies after the break.

So You Wanna Drop Your T-Mobile Contract?

Emily Co — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:30:57 PDT

Turns out I'm not the only one who is worried about the AT&T and T-Mobile merger. About 71 percent of you said in a recent poll that you had concerns, and many of you chimed in with your misgivings. Here's what some of you said:

"I left AT&T quite a while back thanks to their horrible service (customer and tech both) to move to T-Mobile, and have never regretted it. Until this week. Now I guess I need to look at Verizon." - z0rkzer0 .
"I have been with T-Mobile for many years. Whenever I have tried another carrier I have always been disappointed and end up coming back to TM. Not even the iPhone managed to make me stray and so I am really scared to see how this merger is going to affect the quality of service I have come to expect with TM." - kindo1313

I'm right there with you readers. My worries for how this move will affect the quality of my wireless carrier got me thinking about whether I can switch out of T-Mobile before the merger takes effect. According to an article from Forbes, it still isn't clear if T-Mobile customers will be charged a termination penalty if they decide to leave the carrier before their contract is up. But something you might be relieved to find out is that it's illegal to change the terms of any prior contract with T-Mobile even after the firm joins AT&T. If you find a "materially adverse" change, such as a price increase, you can dispute that with the carrier and perhaps even break your contract without paying any fees.

The merger won't go into effect until a year later and I'm pretty glad that my contract ends January next year. Hmmm, is it just me or does the iPhone from Verizon look quite tempting all of a sudden?

Are You Worried About the AT&T and T-Mobile Merger?

Emily Co — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:10:10 PDT

I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled to hear the news of the AT&T and T-Mobile merger. I've been a steadfast T-Mobile customer for eight years and actively avoid AT&T plans because of my not-so-positive experiences with its customer service. It seems that it's too early to predict what this corporate move means for customers, but a ton of questions run through my mind - would T-Mobile's low-cost plans be dropped? Would the merger improve or worsen the quality of customer service?

These are just some of the issues that I'm thinking about, and I'm wondering if you share the same worries. Are you concerned about the AT&T and T-Mobile merger?