The Best Free Phone on Every Carrier

Remember when the best free phone you could get was monochrome candy bar phone? And you were thankful because that Nokia phone had Snake on it. Things are better now—you can get an actual smartphone from a carrier for free (with the usual two-year contract). But which is the best one from each carrier? Let’s jump into the bargin bin and find out. More »

AT&T asks judge to stay T-Mobile merger court proceedings until January 18th (update: granted)

Just last week, the US Department of Justice indicated its desire to dismiss the lawsuit it filed to stop the union of AT&T and T-Mobile because of Ma Bell’s withdrawal of the merger’s FCC application. It looks like that’s given the telco plenty more issues to ponder, so now it’s asking Judge Huvelle to postpone further antitrust court proceedings until January 18. The folks at AT&T need the extra time to “evaluate all options” and “revise our current transaction to achieve the necessary regulatory approvals” for the merger. Because the DoJ has signed off on AT&T’s petition, it seems likely the court will go along with the plan — as opposed to killing the deal via a case dismissal at the hearing currently scheduled later this week. We’ll have to wait and see if the Judge Huvelle grants the request, but if she does, this much is certain: Ma Bell’s lawyers will be doing more work than merrymaking over the holidays.

Update: It looks like Christmas came early for AT&T&T, as the New York Times reports that Judge Huvelle has granted the stay.

Continue reading AT&T asks judge to stay T-Mobile merger court proceedings until January 18th (update: granted)

AT&T asks judge to stay T-Mobile merger court proceedings until January 18th (update: granted) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dish Network surfaces as possible Plan B for T-Mobile if AT&T merger falls through

Dish Network had reportedly been considered a potential candidate to receive divested T-Mobile assets from AT&T if it couldn’t secure initial approval of its acquisition from the government. Dish, however, has publicly opposed the acquisition — and now it’s clear that there were some ulterior motives in wanting to see the merger fall through, because Bloomberg reported this morning that the satellite provider wants to merge its spectrum assets with T-Mobile if things don’t go so rosy in the acquisition. According to CEO Joseph Clayton:
We want to… create a national wireless network, video, voice and data. We’ve got expertise in satellite TV, and we will in satellite broadband. The voice part, we’ll need some help with.

A partnership with T-Mobile would ideally help both companies: it would help Dish get one step closer to its goal of a wireless network that bundles smartphones, tablets and satellite under the same umbrella, and would cast a bright light on T-Mobile’s questionable future. How does “Ollo” with LTE-Advanced on Magenta sound?

Dish Network surfaces as possible Plan B for T-Mobile if AT&T merger falls through originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC restarts review clock for AT&T’s spectrum purchase, gives itself 180 days

Back in August, the FCC decided to freeze the 180-day review clock on AT&T’s proposed acquisition of Qualcomm’s 700 MHz spectrum, citing lingering concerns over the carrier’s ongoing T-Mobile saga. Now that AT&T and Deutsche Telekom have withdrawn their merger application, however, the Commission has decided to re-open the review period for the Qualcomm acquisition, giving itself a fresh 180 days to make a decision. In a letter published Friday, Wireless Bureau chief Rick Kaplan announced that the timetable would be reset, with a retroactive start date of November 29th — the very day that the FCC granted AT&T’s pullout from the T-Mobile deal. No word yet on when we can expect a decision, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for the latest developments. Read the letter in full at the source link below.

FCC restarts review clock for AT&T’s spectrum purchase, gives itself 180 days originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG myTouch, myTouch Q available on T-Mobile November 2nd for $79

Magenta’s taken to its Facebook wall to announce the availability of its latest LG-made, Android 2.3.4 phones: the 3.8-inch myTouch and 3.5-inch myTouch Q. Word of these handsets’ existence leaked out via YouTube a few months back, but the carrier’s since made both official. The duo will hit T-Mobile’s site on November 2nd, each at a budget-pleasing $79.99 — that’s after a mail-in rebate on a two-year contract. But if you’re the sort to pick up your wares in-store, then expect to see this pair on offer come November 9th. What’ll you get for that sub-$100 price? Well, the devices run along the operator’s 4G HSPA+ network and pack a single-core 1GHz Qualcomm processor, as well as front-facing / 5 megapixel rear cameras. The only thing setting these two apart is your predilection for a landscape QWERTY slider, in which case you’ll want to snag the Q. So, if you’ve been waiting on T-Mo to roll this twosome out of the gate, consider tomorrow your lucky day.

LG myTouch, myTouch Q available on T-Mobile November 2nd for $79 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BGR  |  sourceT-Mobile (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Samsung Exhibit II 4G to be shown off for T-Mobile at Walmart tomorrow, official channels November 2nd

The original Samsung Exhibit was a mere blip on T-Mobile’s radar screen when it originally launched, being obscured by titans like the HTC Sensation 4G. The sequel, curiously coming out a whole four months after its predecessor, is ready to see if it can buck the trend and offer a decent option to those seeking an inexpensive Android device. Starting at $30 after mail in rebate and with a two-year commitment, it’s poised to launch tomorrow in Walmart stores nationwide, with stock coming into official T-Mobile channels on November 2nd. If you’re feeling contract-averse, however, you can still procure the device for two Benjamins. Not bad for a phone that comes with Gingerbread, a 3.7-inch WVGA display, 1GHz single-core Snapdragon CPU, 4G access and a 3MP shooter with a front-facing camera. Also up for exhibit is the press release, shown after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Exhibit II 4G to be shown off for T-Mobile at Walmart tomorrow, official channels November 2nd

Samsung Exhibit II 4G to be shown off for T-Mobile at Walmart tomorrow, official channels November 2nd originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG DoublePlay likely to see single release for T-Mobile on October 26th

What phone has a second screen and split keyboard and is likely to make its debut on October 26th? Why yes, it’s the LG DoublePlay, one of T-Mobile’s latest oddballs. Of course, this is just a screenshot that likely indicates a release later this week (with retail outlets receiving units on November 2nd), so we can’t say with an absolute certainty — though this date would coincide perfectly with the beginning of the National Texting Championship. No word yet on its pricing, and its unique form factor and functionality keeps us from taking any wild guesses. Hopefully we’ll know in less than 48 hours.

LG DoublePlay likely to see single release for T-Mobile on October 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile Springboard and Galaxy Tab 10.1 finally get official launch dates

Clutching at its chest and panting as it nears the finish line, T-Mobile has finally announced the release date for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on its not-quite-4G network. You can write November 2nd in your diaries as you struggle to remember which century it was that you decided to wait for the as yet unpriced magenta version of the tablet. T-Mobile’s Springboard will be arriving five days later, on November 7th. The Huawei Mediapad-with-shiner-shoes packs a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 5 megapixels in the rear, 1.3 up front and has a crunchy Honeycomb center. Inexplicably, the company still won’t ‘fess up about pricing for this guy either, so we’ll just repeat what we’ve heard a hundred times before — it’ll be under $200 on contract.

[Thanks, Cliff]

T-Mobile Springboard and Galaxy Tab 10.1 finally get official launch dates originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceT-Mobile (Springboard), T-Mobile (Galaxy Tab 10.1)  | Email this | Comments

HTC Radar 4G gets November 2nd launch date on T-Mobile with $100 price tag

“In time for the holidays” has now been clarified to mean November 2nd. Nearly a month after T-Mobile initially unveiled the US version of the Windows Phone 7.5-containing HTC Radar, its Facebook page trumpeted the date along with its accompanying $100 cost attached to a two-year contract and after $50 mail-in rebate. So if this little 3.8-inch darling with 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 5MP rear camera and 4G network compatibility is on your wish list, you don’t have to wait much longer.

HTC Radar 4G gets November 2nd launch date on T-Mobile with $100 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile’s Andrew Sherrard: ‘the iPhone is not the only option’

Remember when T-Mobile CMO Cole Brodman splashed a bucket of cold water on our hot iPhone 4S dreams? Yeah, well the carrier’s back to clarify its glaring lack of the handset in its lineup, and it appears the choice wasn’t the company’s to make. In a statement released today, SVP of Marketing Andrew Sherrard expressed the operator’s desire to play host to Apple’s latest device, but claims Cupertino’s omission of an AWS-friendly radio is the true culprit. In order for that phone to run competently on T-Mo’s 4G network, those 1700MHz bands would need to be serviced. In its stead, the exec points to other more capable phones currently on offer — namely, those bearing Android — while referring to the 4S’ apparent network issues. Fighting words or just a case of the sads? Follow past the break for the full quote straight from Magenta’s mouth.

Continue reading T-Mobile’s Andrew Sherrard: ‘the iPhone is not the only option’

T-Mobile’s Andrew Sherrard: ‘the iPhone is not the only option’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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