Which unlimited plan should you buy: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon?

All four major carriers in the U.S. offer unlimited data plans. But which is the best?

With Verizon bringing back an unlimited data plan, the big four networks in the United States (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon) all carry an unlimited data plan now. That’s important for power users as well as anyone who uses their mobile broadband internet as their sole way to stay in touch or for entertainment. The cost of data overages means that unlimited data is a must for many of us.

But just because everyone offers unlimited data doesn’t mean that all plans are equal. Pricing is important as are “extras” like tethering and the hidden data cap that pushes you back to slower 3G speeds when you reach it. And of course, zero-rating means we have to pay attention to what unlimited means when it comes to the quality of streaming media as well as the source.

We took a look at what each carrier has to offer so we can decide who delivers the very best unlimited data package. Let’s start with a look at the details for each carrier.

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AT&T

Unlimited Plus

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)
• Unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico
• Advanced messaging between compatible phones on the AT&T network
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with free Roam North America Feature (if more than 50% of use is outside the U.S. the plan can be terminated)
• Unlimited music and video streaming with optional Stream Saver for less data use
• $25 monthly credit for DirecTV services
• One line of service on an AT&T Unlimited Plus plan is $90
• Two lines of service for $145
• Up to eight additional lines (includes any phone, LTE tablets, LTE hotspots and connected cars) for $20 per line
• Add a wearable for $10 per month

Unlimited Choice

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• Data speeds capped at 3Mbps
• Standard definition video streaming
• One line of service on an AT&T Unlimited Choice plan is $60
• Two lines of service for $115
• Up to eight additional lines (includes any phone, LTE tablets, LTE hotspots and connected cars) for $20 per line
• Add a wearable for $10 per month

Everything you need to know about AT&T’s unlimited plans

Sprint Unlimited Freedom plan

• Unlimited talk, text, and data (with certain restrictions)
• Unlimited data for streaming video up to 1080p
• Unlimited data for gaming up to 8Mbps
• Unlimited data for streaming music up to 1.5Mbps
• 10GB high-speed mobile hotspot with VPN and P2P support
• Add a tablet with unlimited data for $25 per month
• One line of service is $50
• Two lines of service is $90
• Three lines of service is $90
• Four lines of service is $90

Sprint’s pricing is scheduled to change June 30, 2018. The “free” third and fourth lines are a current promotion and will probably go away.

Everything you neeed to know about Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom Plan

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T-Mobile

• Unlimited talk, text, and data with 200MB of roaming data
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico
• One hour of free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi and unlimited texting on enabled flights
• Unlimited data and texting in over 140 locations at 2x speed (264kbps) (limited time offer)
• 10GB 3G mobile hotspot use
• One line of service on a T-Mobile ONE plan is $70 (including taxes and fees)
• Two lines of service for $100 (including taxes and fees)
• Three lines of service for $140 (including taxes and fees)
• Four lines is $160 and each additional line adds $20 to the total (including taxes and fees)

T-Mobile’s One plan has some limitations. Streaming video is compressed and delivered at 480p and tethering is limited to 3G speeds. You can add One Plus to any plan for an extra $10 per month per line and enable 1080p HD video streaming and 10GB of high-speed 4G LTE tethering. The One Plus International offers unlimited 4G LTE tethering for an extra $25/mo per line.

Everything you need to know about T-Mobile’s unlimited plans

Verizon

• Unlimited talk, text, and data
• Unlimited HD streaming video (see Verizon’s Video Optimization Deployment page)
• 10GB high-speed mobile hotspot
• Add a tablet with unlimited data for $20 per month
• Add a connected device for $5 per month
• Unlimited calling and texting to and from Canada and Mexico
• $80 for one line of service
• $70 per line for two
• $54 per line for three
• $45 per line for four

Everything you need to know about Verizon’s unlimited plan

The best unlimited data plan

The best plan is the one that works where you need it to work, not the one that’s the cheapest. And we can’t tell you which that one is, because it’s different for each of us. Paying more than you need to for phone service is a bad idea, but so is paying for service that doesn’t work.

Generally, if you live outside of a metropolitan area that means Verizon. You pay a little more for the first or second lines when compared to T-Mobile (especially once taxes and fees are applied) but chances are Verizon will have the best coverage if you’re in a rural area. There are exceptions, so be sure to investigate before you give any company your money.

If you’re part of the 90% of the U.S. population who lives in a large town or city, your choices are expanded. T-Mobile can be a great choice for a single line or two lines, as even with the One Plus add-on fee of $10 per month you’ll still save money because they include taxes and fees in the cost. If you need more than two lines, Verizon is actually cheaper once you factor in the $10 per line for One Plus, but you still have the taxes and fees to contend with on Verizon. Alternatively, if you’re fine with 480p video and 3G tethering speeds, you can forego the One Plus add-on and come in a few dollars cheaper.

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Of course none of this includes any customer-loyalty offerings or legacy plans you might be using. In those cases, you might want to stick with the carrier you have now instead of switching because of new pricing or new promotions.

We can’t tell you which carrier will be the best for you. But we can tell you what to look for and where to start. Talk to your friends and see what service they are using and how well it’s working, and call each company to see exactly what they have to offer. Most carriers have plans they don’t advertise and one may fit your needs better than the default unlimited plans.

We just want you to enjoy the service you’re paying for!

See plans at AT&T

See plans at Sprint

See plans at T-Mobile

See plans at Verizon

Your turn

What carrier do you subscribe to? Are you happy or are you looking for something new? Add your experience to the comments and help sort this mess out!

Update July 7, 2017: This post has been completely rewritten with new information about all the carriers’ unlimited plans, and a new conclusion based on current information.

Google vs. the EU vs. our sanity [#acpodcast]

There isn’t a lot going on right now, but somehow Andrew, Daniel and Jerry still manage to fill 90 minutes with hot takes.

Most of that time is spent talking about Google’s showdown with the European Commission on Android’s dominant position in the market, while the rest is spent between talking about Motorola’s strange smartphone strategy, OnePlus 5’s dubious camera legacy, and why Amazon would make a pretty damn good carrier.

Show notes:

• EU considers yet another record fine for Google, this time over Android’s anti-competitive terms
• Motorola will unveil the Moto Z2 Force and other products at a July 25 event in NYC
• The OnePlus 5 takes better photos than you think, but not as good as you hope
• Amazon and Dish may make adorable carrier babies

Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/androidcentral343.mp3

Import your orcs from ‘Shadow of Mordor’ into the sequel

Your perfect orc enemy (and ally) from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor are coming along for the ride in this fall’s sequel, Shadow of War. Mordor has just gotten an update that adds the “Nemesis Forge” to the game that will import your personalized, highest-ranked orc captain and buddy into War once the game comes out October 10th. Now, this isn’t automatic. Nor will it simply read your game save and do its trick, so you need to have the old game laying around if you want Grishnak the Red to inhabit War.

Meaning, if you traded Mordor in after beating it two years ago you’ll need to buy it again to take advantage of the Nemesis Forge. Or, lucky for you, Warners Bros Interactive has made Mordor free to try this weekend on Steam and Xbox One. And if you dig what you play, the game is 80 percent off on those platforms and PlayStation 4. It’s not like you had anything better planned for this weekend anyway.

We’ve seen variations on this before in Mass Effect and a few other games, sure, but that doesn’t make this any less cool. For a look at how lead voice actor Troy Baker’s work with Naughty Dog affected how he directed War’s cutscenes, check out our interview from E3.

Source: Shadow of War (YouTube)

BMW 5 Series sedans relieve parking woes with real-time updates

Transportation analytic company Inrix announced this week that its On-Street Parking service will be incorporated into the BMW 5 Series sedan. The service provides real-time information on the likelihood of parking availability based on historical and up-to-the-minute data.

In a recent survey conducted by Inrix, 72 percent of respondents said that parking availability information is the feature they want the most. “Real-time parking is the most sought-after navigation feature because it addresses a pain point that affects everyone,” said Inrix VP Joe Berry in a statement. The BMW sedans will also get Inrix’s traffic service that gives real-time traffic flow, travel time and accident information.

When it comes to finding parking, there are a few apps that have tried to remedy the problem. Ford has an app that lets you find garage parking, MonkeyParking started out by letting people pay other drivers for public parking spots that they’re getting ready to vacate but has since switched gears to private parking spots and one of the more well-known apps, ParkMe, was acquired by Inrix in 2015. Google Maps has also been working on a feature that will tell users how difficult parking is likely to be at their destination.

Inrix’s On-Street Parking service is live with BMW in seven German cities as well as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC. The company says more cities will be added throughout the year.

Source: Inrix

Facebook wants its new campus to be a mini neighborhood

It’s been four years since Facebook got the ok to build a new Frank Gehry-designed headquarters in Menlo Park, California, and two years since the company moved into the space. Now the company is looking to expand again. Unlike Apple’s isolated spaceship campus, however, Facebook’s new “Willow Campus” seems to take a cue from Google in offering more public access. The new Menlo Park campus is designed to connect to other people, providing housing, retail and transportation to both the company and its neighbors. The official filing of the plan is set to occur later this month.

Facebook is likely trying to get ahead of public opinion with this new focus on social connection. The Bay Area is known for tech companies driving up the price of housing, clogging up the roadways and shuttling employees around in private shuttles.

“Part of our vision is to create a neighborhood center that provides long-needed community services,” wrote the company in a blog post. “We plan to build 125,000 square feet of new retail space, including a grocery store, pharmacy and additional community-facing retail.” The company also hopes to contribute to local housing shortages, building 1,500 new units on the Willow Campus, 15 percent of which will rent at “below market rates.” Facebook has an existing Catalyst Housing Fund to help provide more affordable housing in the area. ReCode estimates there will be 1.75 million square feet of office space, though it’s not clear whether this will be solely for Facebook’s use.

Update: A Facebook spokesperson sent Engadget the following specifications about the new Willow Campus plans:

• 59-acre site
• 1.75M sq. ft. of office space
• 1.6 M sq. ft. of residential space
  • 1,500 units of housing,
    • 15% below market rate
• 125,000 sq. ft. of retail space.
  • Grocery store, pharmacy, hotel, cultural/visitor center, etc.
• Construction: Multiple phases; 24-months each to complete
  • 1st phase projected to be finished in early 2021.
    • To include retail, housing and office space.
• The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) to design this new campus.
• 7 new publicly accessible parks and plazas that range from 1/2 acre and two acres in size.

Via: ReCode

Source: Facebook

Alphabet drops all but one patent claim in its case against Uber

Alphabet’s autonomous-car business, Waymo, has streamlined its lawsuit against Uber, dropping three claims of patent infringement entirely and focusing on a single case of alleged patent theft.

The patents are not actually Waymo’s main concern in this lawsuit — the company claims Uber stole trade secrets relating to its self-driving LiDAR technology when it hired former Alphabet employees last year. Waymo says former self-driving leader Anthony Levandowski downloaded more than 14,000 confidential design files before leaving Alphabet and founding his own self-driving start-up, which was swiftly bought out by Uber.

US District Judge William Alsup asked Waymo in June to streamline the patent side of its case from 121 claims of theft to fewer than 10, so as not to overwhelm a jury. He even suggested Waymo drop the patents from its case entirely.

Waymo today ditched any claims against Uber’s Spider LiDAR design, noting the ride-hailing company stopped using that particular model. Waymo now claims just one instance of patent infringement against Uber’s Fuji LiDAR technology.

“We found after fighting for discovery a device created by Anthony Levandowski at Uber that infringed Waymo patents,” a Waymo spokesperson tells Engadget. “Uber has assured the court in statements made under penalty of perjury that it no longer uses and will not use that device, so we have narrowed the issues for trial by dismissing the patent claims as to that device, with the right to re-file suit if needed. We continue to pursue a patent claim against Uber’s current generation device and our trade secret claims, which are not at all affected by this stipulated dismissal. We look forward to trial.”

Uber, meanwhile, is framing Waymo’s move as a win.

“Waymo’s retreat on three of their four patent claims is yet another sign that they have overpromised and can’t deliver,” an Uber spokesperson says. “Not only have they uncovered zero evidence of any of the 14,000 files in question coming to Uber, they now admit that Uber’s LiDAR design is actually very different than theirs. Faced with this hard truth, Waymo has resorted to floating conspiracy theories not rooted in fact, doing everything they can to put the focus on sensation rather than substance.”

While Alsup said Waymo’s patent claims were not “worth the salt,” the Judge has said its trade-secret case has legs.

“The bottom line is the evidence indicates that Uber hired Levandowski even though it knew or should have known that he possessed over 14,000 confidential Waymo files likely containing Waymo’s intellectual property; that at least some information from those files, if not the files themselves, has seeped into Uber’s own LiDAR development efforts; and that at least some of said information likely qualifies for trade secret protection,” he said in a decision.

Uber claims Levandowski downloaded those 14,000 files during a dispute with Waymo over his bonus. “Uber believes that the downloading was done in relation to Levandowski’s employment at Google, specifically to ensure the expected payment of Levandowski’s $120 million bonus from Google,” Uber said in a June 28th filing. “Of that total bonus, approximately $50 million was payable as of October 2015, but was paid in late December 2015, and approximately $70 million was paid in August 2016.”

Source: CourtListener

Spotify is testing a ‘driving mode’ for fewer distractions

Now that we’ve all got streaming, on-demand music in the car with our phones, it’s hard not to want to fiddle with our playlists while driving. Obviously, messing with your device on the road is as bad as texting, though. As reported on The Verge, Spotify seems to be testing a new driving mode feature that will encourage you to keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel while streaming your favorite tracks in the car.

The feature feels similar to Apple’s new “Do Not Disturb While Driving” in the upcoming release of iOS 11, only tailored to Spotify. As seen in images provided by Reddit user Chris54721, the new driving mode seems to provide larger buttons, verbal song announcements and as-yet-inactive voice control. The screenshots also reveal a car icon that initiates the mode and a Google Docs feedback form that likely is for internal use only.

It makes sense that Spotify would be testing a way to make it safer to drive while using its app, even if this specific set of features isn’t released as an official mode. When reached for comment, a Spotify spokesperson said, “We test new products all the time and have no news to share.”

Via: TheVerge

Source: Reddit

Robots will charge Volkswagen EVs so you don’t have to

Like many other auto companies, Volkswagen has been working on autonomous vehicles, partnering with companies like NVIDIA and Mobvoi along the way. Today, the company announced an extended partnership with Kuka, the Germany-based industrial robot maker. In a statement, the companies said that the cooperation “links up with an existing joint research project looking into collaboration between human and robot.”

One project the two companies will be working on involves the development of a robot that can connect an electric vehicle to a charging station, so that the rider never has to leave the car. “In future, robots will support humans in many routine tasks. And everyday life in future will be inconceivable without autonomous driving. We will work together on innovative concepts in order to shape this future,” said Kuka CEO Till Reuter.

While an interesting and useful concept, they’re not the first to begin working on it. In 2015, Tesla released a video of its charging robot prototype that can locate a car’s charging port and plug itself in. And other groups are going a different route, working on developing more powerful wireless chargers that can be used for parked electric cars and potentially even while they’re on the go.

Volkswagen and Kuka are also looking to develop other innovative technologies relevant to autonomous vehicles, though they didn’t specify what those were. Ulrich Eichhorn, Volkswagen’s head of R&D, said, “Autonomous vehicles will contribute to making mobility safer, simpler and more convenient. This includes innovative services associated with the automobile. Our aim is to use the new strategic partnership to develop other opportunities in this area.”

Source: Volkswagen

Kanye’s Tidal breakup is about ego, not money

The relationship between Tidal and Kanye West, one of the streaming service’s original artist-owners, is seemingly coming to an end. According to various reports, which Engadget confirmed independently, Ye has decided to terminate his exclusive streaming deal with the company, claiming it owes him more than $3 million dollars. Most of that sum was allegedly supposed to be a bonus for him bringing in 1.5 million new subscribers with the release of his last album, The Life of Pablo, in 2016. Tidal is shutting down Kanye’s claims and, per TMZ, doesn’t seem to be too concerned with his threat to quit since he’s still under contract. It’s also been reported that, if he were to jump ship and join another streaming service, Tidal’s prepared to take legal action.

Either way, it’s safe to say Tidal can’t afford to lose its relationship with Kanye. The company’s burnt through three CEOs since Jay-Z took over two years ago, and breaking up with one of the biggest artists in the world would only add to its ongoing struggles — especially when its success depends heavily on exclusive content. Sure, Kanye probably won’t make or break Tidal, but there’s no denying the clout he wields. When his The Life of Pablo album was released as a Tidal-exclusive last year, it hit 250 million streams in its first 10 days, and it was partially responsible for bringing the music service to the 3-million subscriber mark.

That said, there may be more to this dispute than meets the eye. Kanye and Jay-Z, Tidal’s majority owner, haven’t appeared to be on good terms for a while now. Last November, during a show from his Saint Pablo tour in Sacramento, Kanye publicly called out Jay-Z for not reaching out to him after his wife Kim Kardashian was robbed in Paris. “Jay-Z, call me, bruh. You still ain’t called me,” West said. “Jay-Z, I know you got killers. Please don’t send them at my head. Please call me. Talk to me like a man.”

He then took things further by telling the crowd that Beyoncé, who is married to Jay-Z, said she wouldn’t perform at the MTV Video Music Awards unless she won “Video of the Year” over one of his own, Famous, and Drake’s meme sensation Hotline Bling. (This was the same show where Kanye said he was on his “Trump shit,” that Facebook and Google “lied to you” and described how Mark Zuckerberg didn’t want to invest in his company Donda. After his 17-minute rant, Kanye walked off his floating stage and the show was abruptly cancelled.)

You walkin’ around like you invincible, you dropped outta school, you lost your principles. I know people backstab you, I felt bad too. But this ‘fuck everybody’ attitude ain’t natural.

Jay-Z

So, that begs the question: Is it really all about the money or are there egos in play here? The timing of Kanye’s decision to cut ties with Tidal comes at a rather interesting point: only days after Jay-Z’s new album 4:44, which is already platinum, was released. In what seems to be a response to Kanye’s comments above, Jay-Z says in his track Kill Jay Z: “You got high on the life, that shit drugged you. You walkin’ around like you invincible, you dropped outta school, you lost your principles. I know people backstab you, I felt bad too. But this ‘fuck everybody’ attitude ain’t natural.” The song clearly references one of Kanye’s most popular albums, The College Dropout, as well as lyrics from The Life of Pablo track Highlights.

In the same song, Jay-Z talks about giving Kanye a hefty amount of money. “You gave him 20 million without blinkin’, he gave you 20 minutes on stage, fuck was he thinkin’?” At first it was rumored that this was related to a deal with Tidal — remember when Kanye, along with artists like Daft Punk and Deadmau5, joined Jay-Z on stage to celebrate the launch of the service in 2015? But more recent reports suggest the money was to pay for production costs of the Saint Pablo Tour, including things like that insane floating stage. Kanye has yet to respond to Jay-Z’s words, and given his long history of not holding back, that could happen sooner than later.

It may be too late for Tidal, which declined to answer our request for comment, to repair the damaged relationship between it and Kanye. Still, it should try to do all it can to keep him from breaking their exclusive deal, because having even a week-lock on one of his future albums is better than nothing. And that’s more important now than ever, as rivals like Spotify and Apple Music continue to grow their own exclusives in hopes of racking up millions of new subscribers.

‘Hearthstone’s next expansion adds undead fun in icy Northrend

Digital card game Hearthstone started off a new year of themed expansions with April’s Journey to Un’goro, adding 135 cards and introducing new concepts to refresh the game. Last night, studio Blizzard announced the second new content block for 2017, Knights of the Frozen Throne, which will launch in August.

Blizzard is following through on two promises it made when Un’goro dropped: First, that 2017’s Year of the Mammoth would shift the game’s content release schedule to three full-size, 135-card expansions per year instead of the smaller 45-card Adventures. While ditching the cheaper limited sets means this will be the most expensive year yet to get all of Hearthstone’s cards, the studio is keeping its second promise, adding free solo content in Knights that will be a true challenge, the game’s lead Ben Brode assured in a developer video.

Like every expansion, Knights adds new concepts to the game. First is Lifesteal, which acts exactly as expected: Minions with the effect will return any damage dealt as life. But in keeping with content’s setting in the WarCraft world’s frozen, undead-ravaged north, players will get a new card type that transforms their hero mid-game into a Death Knight with a new power.

Like the Quest cards in the recent Un’goro expansion, the game-altering Death Knight hero cards will be of legendary rarity, the hardest to find and most expensive to craft, keeping unlucky or low-spending players from enjoying the new card type. But players get a randomly-selected one for free after playing through the solo adventure’s prologue (completing all eight missions grants three free packs). Combined with the recent pack rarity changes that guarantee a legendary card in the first ten opened, casuals stand a better chance of getting in on the new features while the expansion’s still fresh.

What do you think about the new death knight hero card type? #FrozenThrone pic.twitter.com/BDHwMvejac

— Hearthstone (@PlayHearthstone) July 7, 2017

Source: Blizzard