Following today’s reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a complaint opposing the $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T, the big blue carrier has issued a response stating plans to ask for an expedited hearing “so that the enormous benefits of this merger can be fully reviewed.”
The DOJ cites antitrust issues in its complaint, saying “AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market.” But AT&T begs to differ. → Read More
It’s coming! It’s finally coming!
After months of gallivanting around the world with launches everywhere from South Korea to Canada since May (plus a one day delay thanks to Hurricane Irene) Samsung’s Galaxy S II Android superphone is finally heading to the US.
As expected, Samsung used their press gathering in New York today to announce aesthetically unique Galaxy S II variants for three major US carriers: T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T. Verizon, meanwhile, is holding out for something else. → Read More
Well, what do we have here? Looks like T-Mobile has just snagged a new tablet accessory. We’re just not sure which tablet the accessory is supposed to go with. This 10-inch leather sleeve isn’t going to fit very well on either of T-Mobile’s current slate offerings: the 7-inch Dell Streak 7 or the 8.9-inch T-Mobile G-Slate. → Read More
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 just hit T-Mobile shelves, but wait just a second before you bolt to run and grab one. The handset from RIM is launching for business customers only until August 31, at which point the rest of us can get our BBM on. Of course, BlackBerries are built with the enterprise in mind, so it kind of makes sense that suits would get first dibs. Then again, RIM isn’t necessarily thriving at the moment, so it’s not entirely clear why the phone wouldn’t be available to everyone right from the get go. → Read More
T-Mobile is working hard to grow its pre-paid service. Two weeks ago, the pink carrier signed a deal with 7-Eleven to sell the GS170 flip phone in its convenient stores. As the transition away from Radio Shack continues, the carrier has added another retailer to its list of handset outlets: Family Dollar. → Read More
HTC has spent the past few weeks hinting and teasing us with the availability of their bootloader unlock tool, but at long last the wait is over. If you own an international HTC Sensation, then congratulations: you’re free to mosey over to HTC Dev to get your fix. → Read More
AT&T’s legal team probably didn’t have too restful a weekend. On Friday afternoon, the legal firm accidentally posted a partially redacted letter to the FCC revealing the original cost of its planned LTE build-out at $3.8 billion. That’s quite a difference from the $39 billion it would cost to achieve the same goal through a T-Mo acquisition, and many found the revelation incredibly suspect, enough so to possibly derail the merger.
And if that wasn’t enough to start out the weekend, AT&T then had to file eight federal suits to keep a law firm from blocking the deal through arbitration. → Read More
A partially-redacted letter from AT&T lawyers to FCC officials was accidentally posted on the FCC website today, and it reveals quite a bit about AT&T‘s strategy for its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. Unfortunately, the filing has come and gone on the website, but the folks over at Wireless Week took down some notes for us. → Read More
The FCC has just informed good ol’ big blue that its proposed acquisitions of T-Mobile and Qualcomm’s 700MHz spectrum will be informally reviewed together, rather than as separate transactions.
This wouldn’t really be a big deal except for the fact that AT&T may be biting off more than it can chew. By reviewing the two proposed acquisitions together, the FCC is forcing AT&T to justify such massive purchases of spectrum. → Read More
What would happen if the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Infuse 4G met up, had a few drinks, and got a bit frisky? If you ignore the fact that phones aren’t capable of mating, the product of that one-night stand would probably look a lot like the phone featured in this leaked image — what seems to be the Samsung Hercules. → Read More
T-Mobile’s customer base has been dwindling for a while now, but the migration from pink seems to be slowing with just 50,000 customers bouncing out of there in the second quarter. That’s compared to the 90,000 T-Mo customers that jumped ship last year.
With this past quarter’s losses, T-Mobile’s current subscriber base comprises 33.6 million people — quite a bit less than AT&T’s 90+ million subscribers. → Read More
Every phone geek loves to debate how long it’ll be before we’ve trashed our wallets in favor of paying for stuff with our phones in the real world — but what about online?
Tailing a similar announcement by Verizon a few months back, T-Mobile has just announced that they’re opening up their carrier billing system to online retailers, allowing T-Mobile customers to charge things purchased on the web (whether it’s purchased on a smartphone, a tablet, or a good ol’ fashion computer) right to their monthly bill. → Read More
Breaking up is hard to do, but T-Mobile and Radio Shack seem to be handling the split rather well, all things considered. After Radio Shack alleged that T-Mo materially breached the terms of their agreement, the two have gone their separate ways. Or at least, they will on September 15. This is more of the awkward, still-living-together phase.
In the mean time, Radio Shack has moved on to the hot red head, signing a deal with Verizon. T-Mobile, on the other hand, is looking more like the desperate dumpee, hooking up with none other than the infamous and quite unexpected 7-Eleven. What a rebound, am I right? → Read More
Anyone who’s ever taken a stab at reading through a Terms & Conditions agreement knows that they normally rival the Iliad in length. There are two reasons companies do this: first, the more words, the more coverage and protection that company gets within its T&C, and second, the less likely you are to actually read it and find out that you’ve agreed to sell your first born child as payment for this or that product. Or worse, your warranty ends after the first month.
Since no one but lawyers ever enjoys reading these lengthy contracts, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to figure out what’s new in T-Mobile’s Terms & Conditions, which were updated July 24. In truth, not much has changed. However, a new clause regarding changing plans has found its way into the contract. → Read More
I’ve never really been a fan of anything “rugged” — all that heft and rubber tends to push me in another direction. However, the Motorola Defy for T-Mobile did spark my interest with its bright, sharp screen, nice size and shape, and the ability to swim.
This was a strong seller for T-Mobile priced at just $100 on-contract (and $50 elsewhere). But according to TIMN, the Defy’s successor (being called the Defy+) will be more suited for T-Mobile’s betrothed than for the pink carrier itself, sporting AT&T’s 850 / 1900 / 2100 HSPA bands. → Read More
Remember that one time that you bought the T-Mobile G2x and it randomly restarted? And you were like, “Whoa, that’s weird,” and then it did it again! And again. And again. For three months. Yeah, we’re done with that. → Read More
T-Mobile today announced that its unlimited smartphone plans are due for yet another makeover, which should offer cheaper options for post-paid smartphone customers. Unfortunately, the release was missing a few key details like pricing, but we do know that they will be called Value plans and provide both single-line and multi-line options. We also know that the new plans will take effect July 24. → Read More
You know what’s really annoying? Calls from numbers you don’t have stored in your contacts. If you don’t answer, you could end up missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or getting some much-needed good news. If you get brave and answer, you could end smack-dab in the middle of a conversation that you never wanted to have in the first place.
Landlines have long been spoiled with Caller ID, and now T-Mobile customers will be equally privileged, as the carrier has introduced “Name ID.” → Read More
Last week, T-Mo squashed rumors of a June 8 launch for its forthcoming Gingerbread-powered Samsung Exhibit 4G and Froyo-topped Gravity Smart, opting to give a much more vague release date of… “June.” However, this freshly leaked photo, if accurate, promises that both phones will hit T-Mobile shelves on June 22. → Read More
