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T-Mobile announced its new pricing plans a few weeks ago, and not only have mobile subscribers in the U.S. taken notice of their contract-less plans, but also competing carriers are also keeping an eye on the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. One company that is keeping an extremely close eye on T-Mobile is Verizon, specifically CEO Lowell McAdam who recently said his company is open to considering a contract-less future.

During Verizon’s “Powerful Answers” event yesterday, McAdam voiced his opinion on T-Mobile’s recent change. “I’m happy when I see something different tried. We can react quickly to consumers’ shifting needs.” This doesn’t necessarily mean Verizon customers should expect to run out to their closest Verizon store to take part in a contract-less plan, but it certainly does raise a few eyebrows towards a possible future of wireless carriers completely ditching contracts altogether. And if Verizon considers contract-less plans are in its best interest, you can be sure AT&T and Sprint will probably strongly consider this option as well.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Patent Hints At Their Own Version Of Google Street View, Federal Agents Are No Match For Apple iMessage Encryption,

Although ZTE is no stranger to the US, it hasn’t been as quick to embrace LTE-based 4G as some of its rivals. The new Anthem 4G for MetroPCS puts the company back in sync, and then some. In addition to the faster speeds, the company’s first American LTE phone touts a comparatively speedy dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 screen and perks like HDMI video output with Dolby Surround sound. Our only immediate reservation is the use of Android 2.3, which really shouldn’t be on any shipping devices almost two years after it first left Google’s doors. Any takers may forgive the old software when they see their bill, though — the Anthem 4G’s $219 contract-free price will put it at the more affordable end of MetroPCS’ spectrum when it arrives sometime within the next few weeks.

Continue reading ZTE Anthem 4G unveiled for MetroPCS, has us singing a dual-core, LTE tune for $219

Filed under: Mobile

ZTE Anthem 4G unveiled for MetroPCS, has us singing a dual-core, LTE tune for $219 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RadioShack might have had a difficult time keeping a lid on its partnership with Cricket, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in the official news. Launching under the expected RadioShack No-Contract Wireless banner, the unfettered phone service includes lets shoppers pick either $25 or $35 plans for basic feature phones or, more importantly, some tempting $50 and $60 smartphone plans. On top of unlimited domestic voice and messaging, these last two rates offer a respective 1GB and 2.5GB of data before throttling kicks in, with hotspot support, international text messaging and visual voicemail reserved for the highest-end tier. You’ll find just two Huawei phones if you wander into a RadioShack store for the Wednesday launch: the $40 Pillar, a keyboard-touting basic phone, and a white-tinged, $150 Mercury Ice that iterates on the Android 2.3-toting Mercury only in the change of color. We’re promised two additional, unnamed phones before the end of the month, and smartphones on the No-Contract service will be the only Cricket devices shipping with 8GB microSDHC cards to feed that Muve Music habit. The nitty-gritty of the hardware and plans await after the break.

Continue reading Cricket and RadioShack confirm No-Contract Wireless, ship two Huawei phones to celebrate

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Cricket and RadioShack confirm No-Contract Wireless, ship two Huawei phones to celebrate originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile wants to offer as much of a lure to smartphone newcomers as to power users who might spring for its truly unlimited data, and the ZTE Concord might just be the right kind of bait. The truly 2010-vintage Android 2.3, 3.5-inch screen and 2-megapixel camera won’t get anyone’s pulse racing, but a $100 contract-free price is hard to ignore — even for the sort who’d otherwise be looking for a just-does-calls flip phone. Accordingly, the carrier plans to put the Concord in front of audiences that would rarely care to set foot in a dedicated cellphone store. Walmart is selling the phone today for those comfortable with a Walmart Family Mobile plan. If you’d rather show fealty to T-Mobile itself, you’ll have to swing through a Target store on or after August 26th.

Continue reading ZTE-made Concord arrives at T-Mobile and Walmart, caters to the starter crowd at $100 contract-free

Filed under: Cellphones

ZTE-made Concord arrives at T-Mobile and Walmart, caters to the starter crowd at $100 contract-free originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ting has drawn a lot of attention among MVNOs for its unique mix-and-match approach to contract-free plans, but it’s had to contend with some rather middling phones inherited from its network partner Sprint. That gap in high-end phones will narrow before the summer’s up: Ting plans to carry the Galaxy S III within three to six weeks, becoming the first virtual carrier in the US to tout Samsung’s flagship. Its version is identical to the Sprint model and will even cost $20 less when you skip Sprint’s two-year term, at $529 for a 16GB edition and $579 for its 32GB cousin. If that doesn’t satisfy the appetite, Ting is also giving a peek at its menu for the months ahead. Along with adopting LTE this year to make that Galaxy S III hum, the carrier expects to bring in a more moderately-priced LTE phone, a hotspot, an accessible phone and a budget slider. We wouldn’t base any carrier switches around an iPhone or Windows Phone option, though. There’s only “some progress” coaxing a deal out of Apple, and a Windows Phone is most likely to wait until the first quarter of 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Ting becomes first US MVNO to hop the Galaxy S III bandwagon, outlines its device roadmap originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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