T-Mobile will allow Jump users to upgrade anytime, but it may require opening your wallet
Starting February 23rd, T-Mobile is allowing Jump customers to upgrade their smartphone or tablet whenever they want, rather than just twice a year. There’s just one (gigantic) catch: your device has to be at least halfway paid off before you make the switch. Currently, Jump customers can get the phone of their choice for zero money down, and pay off the full price of the device over the course of two years. If you get a new phone every six months (as Jump currently allows), you would have only paid off a quarter of the device when you make the swap. While the new policy lets you upgrade more often, if you’re making a change earlier than a year in you’re going to have to pay a bit out of pocket.
The idea brings Jump more on par with Verizon’s Edge program, which also requires you to have your device halfway paid off to upgrade, and AT&T’s Next program that offers upgrades once a year. Requiring 12 months of payments on a device minimizes the loss on these plans for carriers and puts the extra financial burden on the hard-core enthusiasts who want to upgrade faster than the traditional one-year lifecycle of most flagship devices. Existing Jump users can stick with their current plans, and can continue to upgrade every six months.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile
Source: T-Mobile
T-Mobile lets customers JUMP! to new devices as often as they want
Forget waiting to upgrade your phone (or tablet), T-Mobile says do it today
T-Mobile, in yet another mind-boggling awesome deal, has decided customers don’t need to wait to upgrade their devices. Forget that waiting period and twice a year stuff; if you want a new smartphone or tablet, you got it.
The carrier has confirmed with FierceWireless that it will reconfigure its “JUMP!” upgrade program effective February 23. No longer tied to handsets, the program will also include tablets. Under the old program customers were expected to wait six months or were limited to twice per year.
Whenever you’re ready to upgrade, trade in your device and T-Mobile will pay your remaining device payments up to 50% of the device cost. There is no more waiting period or limit to the number of times you can upgrade per year. – T-Mobile
What’s the fine print? Customers will need to have paid down 50 percent (or more) of the device cost before it’s eligible to trade in. T-Mobile will take your old product back and pay off the difference; you select the new one.
Reportedly, customers under the current JUMP! program will stay put until the next upgrade.
The post T-Mobile lets customers JUMP! to new devices as often as they want appeared first on AndroidGuys.
[Breaking] Changes to T-Mobile Jump!
Breaking:
Starting February 23rd: T-Mobile’s Jump! program for tablets and phones will no longer have a mandatory 6 month waiting period before you can upgrade. Also, there no longer be a limit on how many times you can upgrade in a year.
Still developing, more will be posted when made available…
Android 4.4 Hits the Verizon HTC One. Older Galaxy Phones to Receive KitKat – Device Updates
It is Monday, so we check to see what updates happened in the past week. Android 4.4 finally hit the HTC One, or at least one carrier’s HTC One. Galaxy users with older phones will be happy to know that Samsung is planning on getting some of that KitKat on your device. Hopefully sooner than later.
Device Updates
Android 4.4 for the Verizon HTC One
Older Galaxy devices getting Android 4.4
Android 4.4.2 ready for the T-Mobile Moto X
Sprint takes another look at T-Mobile deal
After meeting with various members of the FCC and U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sprint is said to be rethinking its intentions to acquire T-Mobile. As CEO Dan Hess and Chairman Masayoshi Son have learned first hand, the deal would face certain scrutiny and quite the resistance. According to the Wall Street Journal, officials have told the Sprint duo that customers are better served with four national wireless providers, not three. This is not to suggest, however, that Sprint is ready to throw in the towel. We might just be looking at a few more weeks before any more noise is made.
Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
The post Sprint takes another look at T-Mobile deal appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Court tells AT&T’s Aio to put down the magenta in T-Mobile trademark case
Any interior decorator will tell you, there’s a fine line between blush and bashful. Unfortunately for Aio Wireless, the same can’t be said of plum and magenta — at least not in a court of law. T-Mobile announced today that a Federal Court in Texas has ordered the AT&T subsidiary to stop using a “plum color as a central part of its trade dress,” as it is “confusingly similar” to its own trademark magenta. According to court documents, T-Mobile claims the Plum in question, Pantone 676C, is so similar to its own Pantone Process Magenta that it “dilutes its strength and likely causes confusion among consumers.” The court’s preliminary injunction will prevent Aio from using large swaths of the offending plum color and “confusingly similar shades” in advertising, marketing and store design.
T-Mobile brought the suit against the pre-paid carrier, which is owned by its competitor AT&T, last summer, just months after its initial launch. While the difference between plum and magenta maybe evident to most, court documents show that AT&T’s branding company raised concerns about the shade during a vetting process that included focuses groups and extensive consideration of other carriers’ color schemes.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, AT&T, T-Mobile
AT&T no longer paying T-Mobile customers up to $450 to switch carriers
Remember that limited time promotion where AT&T would pay T-Mobile customers up to $450 switch wireless providers? It’s done. Over. You missed it.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the deal expired on January 31, less than one month after commencing. While AT&T initially did say it would be a limited-time promo, we had hoped for something a little longer than a couple of weeks.
As to be expected, T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere was quick to add his own perspective on the situation.
That was quick! @ATT already revoking the $450 bribe to @TMobile customers? People weren’t falling for it, were they #Randall? #doingitwrong
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) February 3, 2014
AT&T, for it’s part, did unveil new shared data plan this week, kicking off lower pricing for the 10GB and higher options. As for T-Mobile, yes, they are still doling out up to $650 per line to get customers to break their contracts.
The post AT&T no longer paying T-Mobile customers up to $450 to switch carriers appeared first on AndroidGuys.
FCC Chief Voices Skepticism over Sprint / T-Mobile Merger
According to a source familiar with the matter, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler voiced skepticism regarding number three U.S. carrier Sprint’s proposed buyout of number four carrier T-Mobile. Wheeler met Monday with Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son and Chief Executive Dan Hesse where he stated his wariness, but also said he would keep an open mind. Negotiations are very preliminary, so expect news on this merger to continue for quite a while, and no one from Sprint, SoftBank, T-Mobile, or the FCC is officially commenting yet.
Sprint has a very steep and uphill battle trying to convince the FCC and Justice Department that a consolidation of the number three and number four U.S. carriers would increase competition. It was just two years ago that a deal between the number two carrier AT&T and T-Mobile was rejected. Since then, T-Mobile has improved itself and is riding a wave of new and newly converted customers as well as a new, ever-expanding LTE build-out. Good luck Sprint, because Wheeler, along with Assistant Attorney General William Baer “have both hailed the 2011 rejection of a merger between AT&T and T-Mobile as yielding a more competitive market that is better for consumers”.
My initial thoughts on this more-than-likely long and drawn-out drama:
As a betting man and newly converted T-Mobile customer (from Sprint ironically), I’m predicting (and hoping) that this deal goes down in flames much like the proposed Magenta Death Star did two years ago. Consolidation of the marketplace rarely benefits consumers and the FCC and Justice Department are well aware of this as statements from both have shown. If talks are as legit as they seem, there will probably be break-up terms similar to the $3 billion cash money and $1 billion in spectrum that AT&T paid T-Mobile because their deal fell through. If this happens, T-Mobile will emerge stronger than ever and Sprint will become John Legere’s latest piñata just as it begins to recover from its self-inflicted wounds.
Source: Reuters
Android 4.4 for the HTC One Delayed in the US. Android 4.4.2 Soak Test Ready for Moto X – Device Updates
It is Monday, so time to see what has gotten an update in the past week. Many of you HTC One users out there are dying to get some of that Android 4.4 KitKat, and you got it! Given that you don’t live in the US. If you are on Sprint though, we have a manual update you can get at. Link provided below.
Device Updates
US HTC One Android 4.4 update delayed
Sprint HTC One manual Android 4.4 update
Android 4.4 soak test rolls out for the T-Mobile Moto
Android 4.4.2 Soak Test Rolling Out for T-Mobile Moto X
Anyone that owns a T-Mobile Moto X, and participates in their soak tests, the Android 4.4.2 soak test update has started rolling out today. Of course this isn’t a major update from Android 4.4, which I am sure you already gathered. Improvements to the camera are the major features in this update, and of course the normal general enhancements. This will be build number 161.44.25, and should already be on your Moto X given you participate in these soak tests. If everything is runs smoothly with this Android 4.4.2 update, then the actual update will roll out shortly after. Let us know if you got it.
Source: Droid-Life
AIVAnet 