T-Mobile steps on the gas with Carrier Freedom and Un-contract initiatives
As if you might need another reason to consider switching to T-Mobile for your wireless service, the “Un-Carrier” today announced two more features for its customers.
For starters, T-Mobile is bringing back the contract; except it isn’t. Dubbed the “Un-contract” it’s T-Mobile’s way of saying it won’t change things on you. Formally, and informally, T-Mobile agrees that they will not raise rates on customers or adjust promotions on you. That is, unless, they want to drop prices on you, which they assume is going to be okay with you.
As part of this commitment, customers on existing Simple Choice promotional plans − like the Un-carrier’s ultra-popular 4 lines for $100 with up to 10 GB of 4G LTE data − can keep them for as long as they’re T-Mobile customers. And, if you have an unlimited 4G LTE plan, you can rest assured your rates won’t change for a minimum of two years.
The Un-contract automatically starts on March 22 for all existing T-Mobile Simple Choice customers and does not cost anything.
Today sees T-Mobile announcing “Carrier Freedom”, an initiative designed to make it much easier for you to break your contract with another provider. Indeed, T-Mobile will pay off whatever it is you owe on an existing equipment installation plan – to the tune of $650 per line up to 10 lines. Yes, this also means those leasing programs that we’re seeing pop up across other providers, too. And, yes, that’s on top of paying early termination fees, too.
According to T-Mobile, there are 29 million people currently stuck in an equipment plan. Businesses with more than 10 lines can also take get in on the love with with bill credits up to $100 per line after the 10th line.
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Microsoft is building software to convert your Android phone to Windows 10
It’s official, Microsoft is indeed testing a ROM that can be flashed on Android phones to have Windows 10 instead. Microsoft is working with Xiaomi currently to allow Mi 4 users the chance to test Windows 10 on their phones, but doesn’t plan to stop their.
A report from TechCrunch stated,
“Neither Microsoft nor Xiaomi provided specific details of the Windows 10 software being trialled, but TechCrunch understands from sources that it effectively overrides Android, turning the Xiaomi phone into a Windows 10 device complete with Microsoft services. (Which the company hopes will dazzle Android owners into making the switch.)
This is a ROM, based on Windows, that operates much like software from Cyanogen — a company Microsoft was incorrectly linked with an investment in — and other custom ROMs developed by the likes of Tencent and Baidu in China.
The ROM is thus designed to go beyond Microsoft’s Android apps and offer a native-like Windows experience on Android phones.”
Microsoft has been taking lengthy steps lately to expand their reach into Android, such as partnering with Samsung to include Microsoft apps in the Galaxy S6, as well as the talks with Cyanogen for investment. Their latest plan to completely convert and Android phone is an interesting one, however most Android users might not be pleased to hear that it is not a dual-boot software ROM, therefore it completely wipes Android from the phone.
via Android Central
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HTC America had made it official; The HTC One M9 will be available for purchase beginning on April 10.
The HTC One M9 was announced just a few short weeks ago and now it seems we wont have to wait long before we can get our hands one. HTC America today made a live announcement where they stated that the HTC One M9 will be available for purchase here in the States beginning on April 10. This in an interesting date, as it was reported that the Samsung Galaxy S6 will also be released on that same date. Maybe HTC and Samsung decided to coordinate their release dates as they did their announcements.
HTC’s latest flagship will come with 5-inch screen, Snapdragon 810 processor, Adreno 430 GPU, 3 GB of ram and 32 GB of internal storage. For more information regarding the HTC One M9 or to see the official announcement, click on the link below.
Source: HTC One M9 Official Announcement
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Apple Reportedly Has Small Team Working on Augmented Reality Projects
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster claims in a note to investors that Apple has a small team working in and exploring the augmented reality field. Munster believes that while augmented reality is still a decade away from broader consumer adoption, Apple is preparing for the next evolution in computing and will be able to offer fashionable wearables that people will actually want to wear.
“While it is limited, we believe Apple has a small team of engineers exploring augmented reality applications. We believe that at the core, the group is likely trying to understand a wearable interface that design would ultimately make fashionable/socially acceptable. At this point, we believe it is difficult to determine if or when these experiments might yield a product.”
Google Glass is perhaps the most notable example of a wearable that, while revolutionary in many aspects, created some uncomfortable situations for those wearing the device in public. Glass Explorer Edition was quick to be banned from several public establishments, including movie theaters, casinos, restaurants, hospitals, sports venues, schools, banks and more due to its ability to discreetly take photos and record videos.
Munster remains skeptical about whether Apple’s focus on augmented reality will result in a future product, as it is common for the company to research and develop new products and technologies that are never released to the public. Munster also has a less than impressive track record at divulging Apple’s upcoming plans, so his predictions should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt.
Apple began allowing developers to release augmented reality apps on the App Store nearly six years ago, such as Google’s mystery game Ingress. Apple also began exploring augmented reality for Maps in 2011, corroborated by a March 2014 report claiming that the iPhone maker still plans to add augmented reality features to Maps. Based on Munster’s comments, Apple appears to remain interested in the field.
T-Mobile won’t just pay your ETF — they’ll pay off your phone as well
T-Mobile’s new Carrier Freedom program is designed to steal customers from Verizon and AT&T by offering to pay all of their outstanding phone payments and device leases.
T-Mobile announced this plan as part of their “Uncarrier 9.0″ press event. It says that this new program is for phone or tablet customers who bought their devices on AT&T Next or Verizon Edge plans.
Slack for iOS updated with new share extension options, support for text formatting
Team communication app Slack has nabbed an update on iOS today, bringing with it a couple of new features along with many, many bug fixes.
Today’s update enables users to share URLs from Safari directly into specific Slack channels, brings proper text formatting to the mobile app, and adds a new “welcome” message when joining new channels. Here’s the full breakdown of what’s new in Slack version 1.9.5 (yes, this is their changelog verbatim):
- Message formatting now displayed delightfully on mobile. Finally!
- In iOS 8, you can now share URLs from Safari directly into Slack channels or private groups (or privately with @slackbot if it’s something you need to make a note of for later use.) You can also now choose the team you are sharing to directly from the share extension window.
- The introductory/welcome message in all new channels, private groups, and direct messages has been updated to make it feel even more welcoming, and the right-side menu, redesigned, is now as sharp as a shark in a tiny suit.
Along with the above changes, there are a ridiculous number of bug fixes that address everything from issues with unread markers to enabling automatic sign-in with 1Password. If you’d like to snag the update, it should be available from the app store on your iOS device now. Alternatively, you can hit up the download link below to get started.
- Free – Download Now
Grab the Samsung Galaxy Tab A stock wallpapers here!
Yesterday, Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab A lineup in Russia, and today, thanks to SamMobile, we can download the full set of official wallpapers that come preloaded on the slates.
Hit the break for the full gallery.
Downloading a wallpaper is extremely easy. Simply click on the image you wish to save. You will then be redirected to a webpage where you’ll be presented with the full-sized picture. Right-click, or press and hold on a mobile device, and select “Save Image As”.
Source: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Grab the Samsung Galaxy Tab A stock wallpapers here!
T-Mobile will pay off devices for switchers and keep promo plans for good
Most of John Legere’s time spent on stage dealt with T-Mobile’s bid to play nice with businesses, but average consumers just got a few bones here, too. First up is Carrier Freedom, a new spin on the company’s Contract Freedom initiative that’ll see T-Mobile pay not just your early termination fees, but remaining payments on your phone if you’re stuck in a plan like AT&T’s Jump or Verizon’s Edge. As long as you owe your current carrier $650 or less, you’re golden. That’s solid news for new, would-be T-Mobile customers, but Legere outed what he calls the “Un-contract” for customers who already bleed magenta. If you’ve already landed yourself one of T-Mobile’s cushy promotional plans, congratulations — they’re going permanent as of March 22.
“Your rates will never go up,” Legere boomed to (mostly employee) applause. “But they might go down.”
The only real caveat to the Un-contract proposition is if you’re clinging to one of T-Mobile’s unlimited data plans. While huge rivals like AT&T and Verizon have treated customers with grandfathered unlimited plans like second-class citizens by throttling speeds after thresholds are hit and barring them from tethering, Legere is enacting a sort of data détente that means he won’t change the terms of the game for at least two years. As he puts it, he can’t zoom out and see how things will shift over the next ten years, but it’s a nice little reprieve for folks clutching those plans like their lives depend on it.
Filed under: Mobile
Grab the new Google Search v4.3 [APK download]
The latest update to Google Search isn’t a major one, but is most likely preparing for their open sourced Google Now cards update which allows developers to put their own content into Google Now from their apps. Other changes we did notice included tweaks for media playback cards, a new UI layout for “relationship with contacts” which allows you bind contacts with family nicknames, such as labeling someone as your mother or father, and telling Google to “Call Dad”.
Below is the link for download, which will simply update your current app. The over-the-air update will probably roll out in the next few days, so this is a quick way to get the update now.
File Name: com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox-4.3.10.88581490.arm-300403395-minAPI16.apk
Version: 4.3.10.88581490.arm (300403395)
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T-Mobile Debuts New Business Plan, Other Perks at Un-Carrier 9 Event
At an event in New York City this morning, T-Mobile unveiled its ninth Un-carrier initiative, which is aimed at business owners. T-Mobile CEO John Legere took the stage to unveil a simple new plan for businesses small and large, which is priced up to 40 percent lower than similar business plans from AT&T and Verizon.
T-Mobile’s new business plan is priced at $16 per line for businesses that use under 20 lines, and at over 20 lines, the price drops to $15 per line. 10 lines, for example, costs $160, while 100 lines costs $1,500. At 1000 lines, the price drops even further, to $10 per line.
Each line comes with 1GB of data, and T-Mobile is giving businesses multiple options for purchasing additional data. Data can be purchased per line or pooled and distributed between many employees. Pooled data costs $4.75 per GB at a 100GB minimum and drops to $4.25GB at 1TB.
T-Mobile is also partnering with GoDaddy to give business customers a free domain and a free mobile site. This deal is available for any business customer with at least one line. Through a second partnership with Microsoft, T-Mobile is offering customers a free custom email.
Customers who have a T-Mobile business line through work will be able to get discounted service for their families as well, using T-Mobile’s new Business Family Discounts plan. With a standard cell phone family plan, the first line is the most expensive and the second line is less expensive. At T-Mobile, this works out to $50 for the first line and $30 for the second line. With Business Family Discounts, the person’s work line counts as the first line, dropping the price of the first family line. According to John Legere, this can save families of two up to $439 per year, and it’s available to all T-Mobile customers beginning today.
On the consumer end, T-Mobile’s announced “Carrier Freedom,” which is an expansion of the company’s pledge to pay early termination fees. T-Mobile’s early termination payments now cover device payments and leases, letting customers on plans like AT&T Next switch to T-Mobile. The company will pay up to $650 per phone to customers who switch carriers.
T-Mobile’s final “One More Thing” announcement was the “Un-Contract,” which ensures that customer’s rates may go down, but they won’t go up. All of the company’s promotional plans are now permanent, and no unlimited data plan will change for two years.
Over the course of the last two years, T-Mobile has aimed to disrupt traditional mobile service with its “Un-carrier” initiatives. The company began with uncoupling device costs from service costs in 2013, and then went on to offer several additional incentives to encourage customers to switch to the carrier, including paying early termination fees, offering a JUMP! upgrade plan, unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 countries, free streaming music from Spotify, Rdio, iTunes Radio, and Pandora, one week free trials to test the T-Mobile service, Wi-Fi calling, and data rollovers.
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