> a cell phone number

By Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile

It’s an undisputed fact that mobile data adoption is on the rise. For example, in just the last five years, we have 146 times more data crossing our network. However, what is still up for debate is how we, as an industry, should evolve our rate plans in a world where people carry more than one wireless device and where tablets are becoming the new family computer.

Some of our competitors are backing away from simple, unlimited data and moving to family shared data plans. But would this approach actually deliver a better value to consumers?  Do families really want to keep track of each others’ data consumption? We don’t think so. Just imagine mom’s email is suddenly unavailable because her teenage son watched an HD movie on his phone, consuming the family’s data allotment.

T-Mobile believes that consumers today do not want a ‘one size fits all’ approach to shared family data plans, nor would they benefit from that model.  So, what is the right way to price data for customers who want affordable, unlimited access to what, unfortunately, is a limited resource?

Here’s how we see it:

Data plans should be flexible and affordable. At T-Mobile, customers have the option of only paying for the amount of data each member of the family believes they will need. Customers can choose affordable, no-annual-contract data for tablets and other data-only products they share – paying every month or buying in daily or weekly installments.

Data should be worry-free. With our unlimited data plans, there is no surprise data cap or bill shock. Customers simply pay each month for the amount of high-speed data they select and (in contrast to our competitors) T-Mobile customers can continue to use mobile data on their device at reduced speeds after they reach their limit without incurring overage charges.

Customers who pay more, should get more. T-Mobile smartphone customers with 5GB or 10GB data plans also get our Smartphone Mobile Hotspot feature included. This means, with a capable T-Mobile smartphone (most are), customers can power up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices with fast, 4G data. So rather than needing to account for each device on a shared family data plan, customers can use their existing data plan to power multiple devices, while still saving hundreds of dollars annually.

While some in the wireless industry explore potentially complicated and expensive shared data plans, T-Mobile will continue to deliver affordable 4G data with flexible pricing on America’s Largest 4G Network.

The final significant roadblock to Google’s buyout of Motorola has been cleared, as Chinese regulators have just given their rubber stamp. Their approval follows a few months after the simultaneous American and European clearances, and virtually all that’s left now is to formally close the deal and start integrating the two mobile giants. It might still come too late for the combined entity to present a united front at Google I/O, but at least they won’t have any awkward glances at each other across the room. We’re just trying to decide on whether or not Googorola is the best pet name for the loving, $12.5 billion-dollar Android union. Update: Google has since told the AP that the deal will likely wrap up early next week, so Motorola should be part of the family well in advance of Google I/O.

China clears Google acquisition of Motorola, eliminates last barrier to Googorola bliss originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

On average, North American consumers will spend a lifetime total of five days on failed attempts to pair their dock connector cable with an iPad or iPhone. Yeah, that’s not true, but we can certainly sympathize with frustrated device owners — fitting a tiny connector to any gadget can be a chore, especially in the dark. Scrap Pile Labs’ CordLite sets out to point the way to a successful connection with its built-in LEDs. The illuminated cable is quite simple to use — with no buttons or switches to fuss with, the connector lights up when you touch the aluminum plates, and powers off the moment it’s secured to your device. There’s really not much else to it — CordLite functions identically to an Apple-manufactured cable, though the dock connector itself is significant larger than the OEM variety, at least in its current prototype form.

The design team has turned to Kickstarter to get their project funded, with a $70,000 goal. If all goes to plan, they expect to ship black or white CordLites beginning in September at $35 a pop, but as always, getting in during the “pre-order” phase will net you a hefty discount. The first 200 backers can get an early-bird cord in the color of their choice with a $25 pledge, with the required amount jumping up to $30 from there. A $45 pledge gets you an exclusive laser-etched model, while $50 will be met with a pair of early-bird cords. As you may have gathered from the picture above, the first version will only function with Apple devices, though a microUSB cord is also said to be in the works. See it in action in the video demo just past the break.

Continue reading Insert Coin: CordLite illuminated iPhone cable (video)

Insert Coin: CordLite illuminated iPhone cable (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The final significant roadblock to Google’s buyout of Motorola has been cleared, as Chinese regulators have just given their rubber stamp. Their approval follows a few months after the simultaneous American and European clearances, and virtually all that’s left now is to formally close the deal and start integrating the two mobile giants. It might still come too late for the combined entity to present a united front at Google I/O, but at least they won’t have any awkward glances at each other across the room. We’re just trying to decide on whether or not Googorola is the best pet name for the loving, $12.5 billion-dollar Android union. Update: Google has since told the AP that the deal will likely wrap up early next week, so Motorola should be part of the family well in advance of Google I/O.

China clears Google acquisition of Motorola, eliminates last barrier to Googorola bliss originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dish has been tranquil about facing a longer FCC review period for its planned LTE-based 4G network, and now we might have an idea as to why. The satellite TV giant is telling the FCC that it only expects coverage to reach up to 60 million potential customers “within four years,” or about 2016 — six years after MetroPCS and Verizon first flicked their respective 4G switches. This is also assuming that the 3GPP cellular standards group clears the AWS-4 frequency band for LTE use. There’s speculation that Dish is giving the extra time so that it can sell the spectrum later, but we’d take the safe road and assume Dish is serious. After all, AT&T wouldn’t be trying to set tough conditions for Dish’s LTE if it didn’t think there was possibly significant competition on the way.

Dish warns the FCC its 4G LTE might come in earnest as late as 2016 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GigaOM  |  FCC (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

On average, North American consumers will spend a lifetime total of five days on failed attempts to pair their dock connector cable with an iPad or iPhone. Yeah, that’s not true, but we can certainly sympathize with frustrated device owners — fitting a tiny connector to any gadget can be a chore, especially in the dark. Scrap Pile Labs’ CordLite sets out to point the way to a successful connection with its built-in LEDs. The illuminated cable is quite simple to use — with no buttons or switches to fuss with, the connector lights up when you touch the aluminum plates, and powers off the moment it’s secured to your device. There’s really not much else to it — CordLite functions identically to an Apple-manufactured cable, though the dock connector itself is significant larger than the OEM variety, at least in its current prototype form.

The design team has turned to Kickstarter to get their project funded, with a $70,000 goal. If all goes to plan, they expect to ship black or white CordLites beginning in September at $35 a pop, but as always, getting in during the “pre-order” phase will net you a hefty discount. The first 200 backers can get an early-bird cord in the color of their choice with a $25 pledge, with the required amount jumping up to $30 from there. A $45 pledge gets you an exclusive laser-etched model, while $50 will be met with a pair of early-bird cords. As you may have gathered from the picture above, the first version will only function with Apple devices, though a microUSB cord is also said to be in the works. See it in action in the video demo just past the break.

Continue reading Insert Coin: CordLite illuminated iPhone cable (video)

Insert Coin: CordLite illuminated iPhone cable (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  CordLite (Kickstarter)  | Email this | Comments

Dish has been tranquil about facing a longer FCC review period for its planned LTE-based 4G network, and now we might have an idea as to why. The satellite TV giant is telling the FCC that it only expects coverage to reach up to 60 million potential customers “within four years,” or about 2016 — six years after MetroPCS and Verizon first flicked their respective 4G switches. This is also assuming that the 3GPP cellular standards group clears the AWS-4 frequency band for LTE use. There’s speculation that Dish is giving the extra time so that it can sell the spectrum later, but we’d take the safe road and assume Dish is serious. After all, AT&T wouldn’t be trying to set tough conditions for Dish’s LTE if it didn’t think there was possibly significant competition on the way.

Dish warns the FCC its 4G LTE might come in earnest as late as 2016 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GigaOM  |  FCC (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Hot off the heels of the One X and EVO 4G LTE spending some prolonged time at customs, now another member of HTC’s sensational family appears to be feeling the rigorous effects of the ITC. According to a recent email acquired by TmoNews, it looks as if the Magenta carrier is delaying shipments of the HTC Amaze 4G in the US, saying it’s facing “an unforeseen issue with receiving the product from the manufacturer,” and that it doesn’t know when the handset will be up for grabs again. What’s also interesting here, however, is T-Mobile going as far as recommending Sammy’s Galaxy S Blaze 4G as a substitute — which, let’s face it, can’t be good news for HTC. Here’s to hoping this all gets sorted out relatively soon. In the meantime, you can check out the aforementioned email in its entirety at the source below.

T-Mo delays HTC Amaze 4G online orders due to ‘unforeseen issue,’ has other recommendations originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot off the heels of the One X and EVO 4G LTE spending some prolonged time at customs, now another member of HTC’s sensational family appears to be feeling the rigorous effects of the ITC. According to a recent email acquired by TmoNews, it looks as if the Magenta carrier is delaying shipments of the HTC Amaze 4G in the US, saying it’s facing “an unforeseen issue with receiving the product from the manufacturer,” and that it doesn’t know when the handset will be up for grabs again. What’s also interesting here, however, is T-Mobile going as far as recommending Sammy’s Galaxy S Blaze 4G as a substitute — which, let’s face it, can’t be good news for HTC. Here’s to hoping this all gets sorted out relatively soon. In the meantime, you can check out the aforementioned email in its entirety at the source below.

T-Mo delays HTC Amaze 4G online orders due to ‘unforeseen issue,’ has other recommendations originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let’s face it, whether you’re down at the laundromat or feeding the meter on a busy street, you can never find enough quarters when you need’em. Know what effectively sidesteps that lack of foresight? NFC, that’s what. And that tap-to-pay convenience is ready to roll out for folks in Oakland, CA courtesy of Atlanta-based Parkmobile. There’s no great mystery to the company’s purpose — the name says it all — as it specializes in payment solutions for (what else?) parking. With the installment of special near field-equipped stickers on meters throughout that West Coast city, fine-fearing citizens will now have one extra payment option beyond the outfit’s currently available mobile app and internet transactions. Naturally, you’ll have to sign-up online to get started, but after that you’ll never have to fear the meter maid again.

Continue reading Parkmobile adds NFC to its parking payment repertoire

Parkmobile adds NFC to its parking payment repertoire originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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