Smartphones are a crazy technology market to watch. The tech and features are moving as fast as computer technology did in the early days of the Intel Pentium M and Core processors. We’ve got fast dual-core processors stuffed into phones with high resolution screens and more gaming power than last generation game consoles. Strap onto […]
Verizon's iPhone debuted with an unlimited data plan, but Verizon has confirmed that it soon will transition to tiered data plans. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Unlimited smartphone data plans are going the way of the dodo bird.
Verizon Wireless confirmed on Monday it would soon be changing its wireless data pricing plans in July, ending its longstanding unlimited data plan option for smartphone users, priced at a very affordable $30 monthly.
“We will move to a more usage-based model in July,” a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman told AllThingsDigital in an e-mail. “We’ll share more later.”
In other words, Verizon is moving to a tiered data pricing model, just like its rival AT&T did last year.
Although Verizon didn’t expound upon the exact details of the new pricing model, the mobile blog site Droid Life claims to have received inside information on the new tiered usage plan. Expected to debut on July 7, Droid Life claims the new model will cost $30 monthly for 2 GB, $50 monthly for 5 GB, and $80 monthly for 10 GB of data.
With the rise of smartphones over the past three years, mobile access to data connections has grown tremendously. U.S. smartphone data usage has spiked at an 89 percent increase from last year, according to research from Nielsen. Most users, however, are essentially paying the same amount for their data plans as they were a year ago. Effectively, this means a decrease in cost per megabyte of data — about half of what it once was.
And the carriers, of course, want to get paid more, so they’re altering their data plans to give customers less bang for their buck. AT&T ended its unlimited data buffet last year. In May, T-Mobile introduced a tiered pricing structure to high-speed data access that throttles your connection speed after reaching your allotted amount.Verizon pulled the data-throttling maneuver earlier in the year, although it tried to sweep it under the rug in an unpublicized memo. And now Verizon is getting ready to kill its unlimited data plan, too.
Sprint is currently the only carrier to offer an unlimited data plan. The company hiked its rates slightly at the beginning of this year, however, tacking on a $10 “Premium Data” plan fee for any customer who purchases a smartphone. The fee applies to both 3G and 4G Sprint phones purchased or upgraded during or after mid-January of 2011.
And then there’s tethering – the ability to share your smartphone’s 3G or 4G internet connection with another device, such as a computer. If you want to add tethering capability to your phone, prepare to shell out even more dough. AT&T charges you an extra $20 a month to enable tethering on your smartphone. Verizon may give you a better deal, although it’s still not cheap: According to Droid Life, an extra $20 a month to Verizon will get you tethering capability, as well as tack on an additional 2 GB of data to your monthly limit. Not a bad way to outdo AT&T.
Confused? Don’t worry, you’re supposed to be. Luckily, we’ve got an explainer chart below for some clarity on who’s offering what data plan, and for how much.
Update: Edited at 6:20 PST to reflect change to AT&T’s tethering rate policy.
For being an original member of the Open Handset Alliance, the organization Google helped assemble in order to have a small army to support Android, LG has been pretty quiet. Their first couple of Android devices were comparatively unsuccessful, in fact it seemed as though LG was only interested in serving the budget consumer. Then, […]
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide spotted in the clear, sans case originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oh Google, you didn’t think you were going to have all the mobile payment fun did you? While you’re beta testing in New York and San Francisco some big names across the pond are looking to dominate the entire UK. Vodafone, Telefonica, and Everything Everywhere (a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile) are combining forces to create a mobile payment and marketing system that will take on Google Wallet and Offers before they even get off the ground in the British isles. The platform will be open to all comers, including Google, (you know, in case it decides to make Wallet a US only affair) and the companies have pledged to keep customer data out of the hands of third parties. The project is still in the very early stages of development, but the mobile providers aren’t dilly dallying — they expect their efforts to bear NFC fruit before the end of the year.
UK mobile companies take aim at Google Wallet, want in on the NFC action originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
A little shindig held by Orange in the UK has unearthed a T-Mobile-branded LG device that we’ve never seen before. It features a display of moderate size and resolution, which slides up to reveal a split QWERTY keyboard and yet another color display. The hidden visualizer is apparently used as an app-launching shortcut repository, though other details remain frustratingly light. Kineto Wireless were the company to bring this unannounced LG handset to the party, along with a bunch of others intended for the US market, and the rep on hand dropped the name Flip II to the Pocket-lint sleuths. There’s also the possibility that what we’re eyeing is the LG Maxx Q, which has popped up on a recently leaked T-Mo USA roadmap, though that Android 1.6 wallpaper could mean that this is just an aged prototype that never saw the light of retail day. Which would be a darn shame, if you ask us. Give the source link a bash for more pictures.
Dual-screen LG Android phone shows up in the wild, poses more questions than it answers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Not a lot of surprises here, but T-Mobile has just confirmed a pair of earlier rumors surrounding three different Android-based phones from Samsung. That includes the Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart, which will both indeed be launching on June 22nd, and the entry-level Samsung Dart (pictured above), which is available today for free on a two-year contract. The Exhibit 4G is the highest-end of the lot, with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.3, while the Gravity Smart drops things down to Android 2.2 but adds a QWERTY keyboard, and the Dart packs some specs that T-Mobile’s choosing not to highlight for the most part — though it’s apparently a variation on the Galaxy Mini, which boasts a 600MHz processor and 3.1-inch QVGA display.
Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart coming to T-Mobile on June 22nd, Dart available today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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[Thanks, Mike]
HTC Sensation 4G now available at T-Mobile, $150 if you order online originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The iPhone can now be had unlocked and contract-free. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Want an iPhone, but don’t want a contract? Apple will now sell you a black or white one in 16GB or 32GB flavors, for a subsidy-free $650 or $750.
The phone is unlocked, meaning that you can put in any micro SIM (or cut-down regular SIM), from anywhere in the world. You’ll even be able to use a T-Mobile SIM, but the 3G still won’t work with its wonky GSM network.
Why now? Speculation says that Apple is trying to shift as many iPhone 4s as it can before a new model is introduced, probably in September. It also opens up the iPhone to users of pre-pay cellphone plans, like me. Not all pre-pay users are drug dealers or paupers. Some of us just don’t use a phone enough to justify a full monthly plan, but would sure like to have a great internet-connected phone in our pockets.
On the other hand, if you’re going to be using the unlocked iPhone on AT&T (which you will be if you live in the U.S and want 3G coverage) then you’ll pay the exact same monthly fee whether you use an unlocked phone or not. That means you pay an extra $450 for pretty much nothing.
I guess if you do a lot of traveling you could pop in a foreign SIM card, but otherwise, why bother?
Unlocked GSM iPhone [Apple]
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The WiFi-only HTC Flyer tablet touched down last month without a peep from Carly and pals, but those magenta-tinted marketing plans are looking far more likely now — a GSM-based Flyer just hit the FCC with support for T-Mobile’s 3G bands. Visually and functionally, it looks like the same savory slate we saw tested in April, except with the all-important 1700MHz frequency commonly used by T-Mobile for HSPA cellular data. There’s still no word on pricing or availability, but Sprint’s EVO View 4G variant is pegged for June 24th, and rumor has it that T-Mobile could release the Flyer on the sixth of next month.
HTC Flyer drops by the FCC again, this time with T-Mobile friendly GSM bands originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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