Hasta La Gadget!

T-Mobile USA has detailed its payment options for the Nokia Lumia 521, which will launch on the carrier’s network come May 11. In fact, there will be three ways to pick up the entry-level Windows Phone, either through Microsoft Retail Stores at $149 with a new, two year agreement on T-Mobile, or at Walmart for $129.88 with the same contract deal. However, the carrier will also offer its Simple Choice Plan payment scheme, dropping the upfront cost down to $29.99.

That then spreads the remainder of the cost of the smartphone out, over the length of the 24-month agreement. You’ll be looking at $5 extra on your bill each month for the privilege, though at least you’re paying no more than you would if you spent the money upfront. T-Mobile will offer the payment plan option from May 22.

As for the Lumia 521 itself, unsurprisingly it’s a variant on the Lumia 520 we reviewed last month, complete with a 5-megapixel camera, 4-inch touchscreen, and support for 720p HD video recording. However, it will gain WiFi Calling in T-Mobile’s version, though that won’t be enabled until a firmware update is ready from May 20.

Those who pick up the phone early, at a Microsoft Retail Store or Walmart, will have to wait for that update to be pushed out to their phone before they can make WiFi calls. That’ll be installed OTA, however, rather than demanding the Lumia 521 be plugged into a computer.

T-Mobile details Nokia Lumia 521 roll-out with WiFi Call update due May 20 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS merger is final, with the new T-Mobile US combo-brand set to hit the New York Stock Exchange today. The combined carriers amass a total of 43m subscribers, with 200m potential customers set to be covered by LTE service before the year is through. By bringing together the individual spectrum holdings, however, T Mobile US says it’s in an even better position for its 4G roll-out in 2014 and beyond.

However, it’s the potential for industry-disrupting price plans and off-contract service that CEO John Leger believes will really help the carrier stand apart. “Together, as America’s Un-carrier, we’ll continue our legacy of marketplace innovation by tearing up the old playbook and rewriting the rules of wireless to benefit consumers” he said today.

The deal is expected to also save both carriers money, with a potential saving of $6-7bn; there’s also the potential for pushing the MetroPCS brand into more areas, taking advantage of T-Mobile’s spectrum. MetroPCS’ shareholders approved the deal late last month.

While T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS may now be living happily under the same roof, for subscribers there won’t be much in the way of difference based on what they see on their phone screen, at least. The two brands will be operated separately, though eventually shift to a common network infrastructure, and sharing support.

T-Mobile US born as T-Mo and MetroPCS merge is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Since its March 26 unveiling, T-Mobile has been aggressively pushing the plan changes it has made, alterations that it says make it America’s “Uncarrier.” Such claims were challenged in Washington, where the state Attorney General’s Office initiated an investigation into the carrier’s advertisements. The investigation resulted with T-Mobile being accused of making deceptive statements about its plans.

The issue at play is that T-Mobile makes claims that seem to be contradicted by the fine-print in its uncarrier plans, which are promised to have no restrictions and yearly contracts. Such is the case with plans that aren’t accompanied by a cell phone, but not with plans where the customer gets a phone, which they are required to keep under T-Mobile service for two years or pay the device’s full retail price upon dropping the service.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said of the matter: “In our view, those advertisements were quite deceptive.” And one of the attorney’s working the investigation, Paula Sellis, expounded on that, saying: “You had to dig very deeply to understand what the terms of the program were, and you had to put two and two together.” T-Mobile doesn’t agree with their conclusion, as you might expect, but has agreed to change its advertisements and to offer customers a refund.

Says T-Mobile:

As America’s Un-carrier, our goal is to increase transparency with our customers, unleashing them from restrictive long-term service contracts — this kind of simple, straightforward approach is core to the new company we are building. While we believe our advertising was truthful and appropriate, we voluntarily agreed to this arrangement with the Washington AG in this spirit

According to Tech Hive, no customers complained about T-Mobile’s claims and services, with the investigation being prompted by the advertisements the carrier put out. For its part, T-Mobile has to pay $26,046 in costs and fees, has agreed to make its consequences of cancellation, true costs, and terms more clear, and to train its staff within the next 21 days to provide this information. Those who subscribed to one of the uncarrier’s plans by today are eligible for a full refund upon service cancellation.

[via Tech Hive]

T-Mobile settles “uncarrier” deceptive claims dispute with refunds and ad changes is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As expected, the HTC One is now free-for-all. Those on AT&T and T-Mobile can grab the new device starting today either online or at a handful of retail stores, including Best Buy, Radio Shack, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Costco, and Car Toys. The phone will also be available on Amazon.com, as well as at carrier stores.

The handset will be available in both 32GB and 64GB flavors on AT&T, with Ma Bell being the exclusive carrier for the 64GB version, which means that if you’re hankering for as much storage space as you can get, AT&T seems like your only option at that point, but we can’t imagine 32GB not being enough for the everyman.

For now, you can only grab the glacier silver version of the HTC One, with a black model coming in the next few weeks, which AT&T will also have available in a 64GB flavor. If you decide to go with T-Mobile, you might be pleased to know that you’ll be treated with a free car dock, which is only for a limited time, so be sure to get there soon if you want it.

The HTC One will cost $199.99 and $299.99 for the 32GB and 64GB versions, respectively. T-Mobile users can expect a down-payment of $99.99 with another 24 monthly payments of $20. If it’s the unlocked or developer edition of the new device that you’re looking for, those have been delayed. The exact ship date isn’t known, but it’s said to be toward the end of the month.

[via Android Community]

HTC One now available on AT&T and T-Mobile is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

T-Mobile has been making big changes lately, moving to rebrand itself as the “Uncarrier” and to do things in a way that is different from its competitors. It has made good on all that talk, revealing a trade-in deal for current iPhone owners: trade-in an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S and receive the iPhone 5 for $0. The special is in effect until June 16.

The trade-in special will begin at T-Mobile stores April 12, which is this upcoming Friday. Only so-called well-qualified customers will be able to take advantage of the special, and will need to trade in either an iPhone 4 or a 4S. In return, the iPhone 5 will be priced at $0 upfront plus the monthly service fee.

The special is in conjunction with a Simple Choice Plan. If your iPhone 4 or 4S is in good condition, you could receive credit on top of the iPhone 5 up to $120, which T-Mobile says can be used towards monthly payments, towards an existing bill with the carrier, or to buy accessories from the company. The plan starts at $50 per month, and offers unlimited talk/text and 500MB of data. Another $10 will get you 2GB of additional data, while an extra $20 will get you unlimited data.

T-Mobile’s Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert said: “Our message to iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 customers is simple: bring in your device and trade up to iPhone 5 on T-Mobile. We’re making it incredibly attractive to buy an iPhone 5 by pairing an un-beatable upfront price and trade-in offer with Simple Choice, the most hassle-free and affordable rate plan in wireless.”

[via T-Mobile]

T-Mobile announces iPhone trade-in special, gives you iPhone 5 for $0 upfront is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.