Hasta La Gadget!

Virgin Mobile, the prepaid carrier with a name that makes teenagers giggle and price tags attractive to anyone on a budget, has rolled out a $100 rebate aimed at T-Mobile customers willing to convert and have their brain “retrained.” The rebate only applies to those who are switching over from a T-Mobile account, with the $100 being credit towards an Unlimited plan.

The prepaid carrier has a large comparison chart set up on its website, showing the benefits of switching from T-Mobile to its own service. This includes several listed reasons, including undercutting T-Mobile’s Unlimited monthly plan pricing by $5 and faster reduced speeds when users hit their 2.5GB data limit. It is also specifically hocking its Samsung GALAXY S 2 handset.

Both T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile offer the Samsung GALAXY S 2, with the latter offering it for $299.99 on a prepaid plan over the $400+ charged by T-Mobile. Tallying this all up, users who elect to switch from T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile’s chart shows the 2-year cost coming in at $1,320 versus the slightly higher $1,440 – not a huge difference, but noteworthy.

The chart doesn’t make it easy to determine whether that final price is after taking the rebate, or is in addition to it. It does, however, tally it all up to a total savings of $334 over the course of those two years, with that working out to $120 in savings plus the additional $100 rebate and the $114 lower price on for the S 2. If you already have a Galaxy handset and you’re a happy T-Mobile user, that price may not be much incentive to switch, but if you’re in the market for a new carrier, Virgin Mobile will welcome you with open arms.

[via Electronista]

Virgin Mobile offering $100 rebate for T-Mobile subscribers willing to switch is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The official T-Mobile iPhone 5 doesn’t release until April 12, but those with unlocked models can take advantage of T-Mobile’s network right away. For those customers, T-Mobile is rolling out a software update that enables LTE on unlocked iPhone 5 models, as well as improves battery life and enables Visual Voicemail.

As expected, T-Mobile updated their support forums to address the software update, and it lists a roll-out date of April 5, so unlocked GSM iPhone 5 users should be receiving the OTA update at some point today. On top of the previously-mentioned updates, other features like improved Personal Hotspot settings, improved MMS settings, and HD Voice are also included.

It seems that T-Mobile is anticipating a lot of iPhone 5 users to switch over to the carrier after announcing new plans that start at only $50 per month. This gives customers unlimited minutes and text messages, as well as 500MB of data, which is usually enough for just the everyday user, while 2GB more will cost only $10 per month.

Of course, LTE is a hot topic, but T-Mobile users will only have it a select number of areas around the country. However, T-Mobile plans to cover 200 million people with LTE by the end of the year. And while the T-Mobile iPhone 5 will support HD Voice, it won’t support WiFi calling, something that could be a major blow for some users.

T-Mobile rolling out iPhone 5 software update, addresses battery and enables LTE is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Something interesting appears to be afoot for unlocked iPhone users on the T-Mobile network. T-Mobile announced not long ago that it would be officially offering the iPhone 5. T-Mobile also happens to have a large number of unlocked iPhones operating on its network already.

That fact taken into account with the fact that T-Mobile has seven live LTE markets makes a new rumor going around pretty easy to swallow. According to a couple of screenshots that have turned up online, T-Mobile is set to rollout a carrier update that will enable LTE connectivity on the unlocked iPhone 5 devices on its network. Apparently, in service areas where T-Mobile has LTE networks the only thing needed to enable access by the iPhone 5 is a carrier .ipcc update.

The screenshot appears to be taken from T-Mobile’s internal computer system shows that the update will be coming on April 5. April 5 is this Friday for those not close to a calendar and the image claims that the update will be rolled out OTA to all iPhone 5 devices on the T-Mobile network. IPhone users will want to be sure that they have updated their operating system.

The carrier update will reportedly only be rolled out to iPhones running iOS 6.1.x or higher. T-Mobile plans to launch its own iPhone 5 on April 12. In addition to enabling LTE, the update will also bring visual voicemail, MMS settings, and network/device optimizations that T-Mobile customers using the iPhone 5 don’t have right now.

[via TMonews]

T-Mobile tipped to rollout carrier update bringing LTE to unlocked iPhone 5 users is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Earlier this month, sources said that T-Mobile would be laying off employees at its Bellevue headquarters, which had mostly been shielded from the other layoffs it had last year. T-Mobile declined commenting on the rumor for quite some time, but has finally confirmed that it did, indeed, let go of quite a few employees.

According to the original rumor, the carrier would be laying off over 100 individuals in its marketing group, and that others would be on the chopping block as well. This number was fairly spot on, with Seattle Times reporting that 100 people in marketing were let go, in addition to between 200 and 300 individuals from the operations group. The layoffs went all the way up to senior vice presidents.

Said T-Mobile in a statement: “We are making some operational changes to better align our business with our new strategy and position T-Mobile for growth. This affects a small number of employees relative to the overall size of the business, and while we don’t take these actions lightly, these adjustments to how we invest in the business will enable us to better focus our resources as we implement this strategy.”

One employee who was let go spoke with the Seattle Times, stating that employees knew the layoffs were underway because HR reserved conference rooms, and those affected were notified to meet with their supervisor. The employee went on to state that the layoffs were handled in an unprofessional manner, with employees being told that they had 30 minutes to hand in their badge and leave.

[via Seattle Times]

T-Mobile confirms Bellevue layoffs is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

T-Mobile made quite a few announcements today, the most notable of which was launching their 4G LTE network and detailing the various LTE devices that they would have available, including the iPhone 5. In order to keep their momentum going, the carrier launched a couple of new advertisements to spread the word about their new no-contract policy.

First off, T-Mobile sent actor and comedian Jason Jones out to Times Square in New York City to ask passers-by whether they would rather sign a two-year contract with a mobile carrier or get a root canal. In typical fashion with any advertisement, many of the people surveyed said they’d rather get a root canal.

Jones even points out how most mobile carriers are symbolically slapping around their customers, and Jones was kind enough to demonstrate such slapping by annoyingly hitting people in the face with his microphone. Either way, the lesson of the story is that most people seem to favor physical pain over paying a monthly fee for 24 months for mobile service. Who would have thought?

The other advertisement is set in the wild west, with a group of cowboys about to take over a small town, but one cowboy (representing T-Mobile) decides enough is enough and trades in his brown cowboy hat for a T-Mobile-colored pink hat and then sets off into the sunset. It’s quite an odd advertisement, but we think T-Mobile gets its point across in a straightforward manner. Do you think Verizon and AT&T are scared yet?

T-Mobile pushes out latest ads after UNcarrier announcements is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.