Hasta La Gadget!

Avanti has been beaming satellite broadband to Europe for awhile, but it’s been tied to a subscription through carrier deals. That’s a tough sell to customers who, by definition, don’t want to be tied to anything — which is why the company just launched prepaid satellite internet access for the continent. Although the Ka-band service’s 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream speeds won’t have anyone dropping their 330Mbps fiber anytime soon, the pay-as-you-go strategy will let travelers and rural dwellers get broadband in a pinch, no matter how spotty terrestrial access might get. Imagine Skype calls during Swiss ski vacations and you’ve got the gist of it. Carriers will resell the data in healthy doses of 1GB or larger, and Avanti is adamant that there won’t be any nasty throttling surprises waiting in store. While exact prices will depend on partners, the provider isn’t waiting for those details before it covers much of the Old World: its upcoming HYLAS 2 satellite (what you see above) will share the speed with Africa, the Caucasus region and the Middle East as of August 2nd, making it almost too easy for us to update Google+ in Georgia.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virginia’s nTelos was part of a big regional carrier push for the iPhone in April. At the time, though, the only real option at the carrier was to spring for one of the company’s full-fledged smartphone plans, usually on-contract — not a bad value at $80, but a tougher case to make when there’s Cricket and Virgin Mobile iPhones available with a cheaper rate. As of today, nTelos is offering a much sweeter deal for the commitment-phobic. If the $550-plus full price of an iPhone 4 or 4S stays palatable, the option is now open to go prepaid at $55 a month for unlimited voice, messaging and data with nTelos’ FRAWG Nationwide Unlimited Everything plan. You’ll still want to reside in the state for nTelos to truly make sense, but if you regularly cheer the Hokies with pride, going the Apple route just got a lot more flexible.

[Thanks, Garrett]

nTelos starts selling iPhone without contract, Apple’s prepaid sphere grows a little larger originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC had broadcast its intentions to bring the One V to the US this summer, and that’s exactly what it’s doing, even if it’s keeping the formalities to a minimum. Virgin Mobile has started selling the entry Android 4.0 phone without fanfare at a very tempting $200 contract-free — certainly the lowest American price we’ve seen so far for joining the Sense 4.0 party. The hardware still won’t floor anyone, but Virgin Mobile Live is tossed in to perk up the experience. Should Google’s platform just not be your bag, you’ll also be glad to know that Virgin has recently started taking online orders for its prepaid iPhones, which officially hit the shops on Friday. With their $550 and $650 no-contract prices, though, some may question just how Retina their displays really need to be.

[Thanks, Marcus]

HTC One V quietly pops up at Virgin Mobile USA for $200, iPhone tags along for online orders originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don’t let Carly’s leather skinsuit fool you — Magenta may be rebranding with a focus on high-speed network flash, but it hasn’t forgotten the budget base it’s built upon. Starting this July, the operator’s bringing its prepaid and monthly4G no contract plans to shoppers at over 6,000 Dollar General stores. Cost-conscious consumers that take the plunge won’t have the luxury of cherry-picking their chosen device, though, as only Samsung’s t139 (a modest flip phone, remember those?) will be on offer. Need to know more? Then click on past the break for the official presser.

Continue reading T-Mobile to offer prepaid and monthly4G service at participating Dollar General stores

T-Mobile to offer prepaid and monthly4G service at participating Dollar General stores originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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