Carriers

NY State commission cautions FCC on AT&T-T-Mobile merger

The New York State Public Service Commission has warned the FCC that AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile could significantly harm public interest and stifle competition for wireless services.

In a redacted document (PDF) made publicly available last week, the commission stops short of calling on the FCC to deny the $39 billion merger, but it urged the federal agency to closely evaluate on a market-by-market basis how it could impact wireless concentration. Though it plays no official role in the approval process, New York can influence the transaction by successfully arguing that state residents, particularly those in … Read more

T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide appears ahead of expected July launch

A number of images of the upcoming MyTouch 4G Slide surfaced over the weekend, providing a clear look at the T-Mobile handset. The phone, which carries the code name of Doubleshot, has been expected to arrive in July with a dual-core processor, a 3.7-inch display, and an 8-megapixel camera.

Of course, the 4G in the name also indicates support for T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network. According to TmoNews, the phone runs Gingerbread (Android 2.3) and feels slightly heavier in hand than its counterpart, the G2. What's more, the source has high marks for the four-row keyboard, calling … Read more

Despite looming buyout, T-Mobile powers on

T-Mobile has never been one to rest on its laurels when it comes to offering exciting smartphones, specials, and services, and that has remained true despite a proposed merger with rival carrier AT&T that's picking up steam among government lobby groups and states.

We knew T-Mobile was adopting an approach of business as usual, and a brisk business it's been, at least in terms of customer offerings, if not total subscribers. Hewing to a release date schedule laid out long before is what any carrier in T-Mobile's situation would do, especially since the merger, if … Read more

On Call: Civil rights groups line up behind AT&T-T-Mobile merger

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Immediately after AT&T announced its intention to acquire T-Mobile last March, opponents and supporters began to weigh in. And now, three months later, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the wireless industry who doesn't have an opinion on the $39 billion transaction.

Choosing teams For the most part, the two camps are lining up about how you'd expect. Consumer watchdog organizations are against the deal, while pro-business groups and rural broadband proponents are … Read more

T-Mobile boards daily-deal bandwagon with More for Me

Daily deals are big business, and an opportunity that T-Mobile is grabbing with its new More for Me application.

Beginning today, Android smartphone owners can download the T-Mobile More for Me beta app from the Android Market. Groupon competitor LivingSocial is one deal broker supplying the app's offers, along with Tippr, Goldstar, and other social coupon services.

Just like other services, you can tailor your preferences by category and location. Offers range from discounts on food, magazines, services, and recreation to even tech-specific things like accessories.

In addition to manually checking in on deals, you'll can opt to … Read more

Sprint to debut new data plans with Evo View 4G

Sprint will add to its tablet options on June 24 with the debut of not only the Evo View 4G, but also new data plans.

According to information first obtained by AndroidPolice, the carrier will begin offering a 10GB data plan for $90/month and unlimited access to WiMAX data for data plans of 3GB and above. These options, later confirmed by Sprint PR spokeswoman Kristin Wallace, won't differ much from their existing rates, rather they will supplement them.

Customers will benefit from the additional choices to match their usage needs. Currently, subscribers can choose between 1GB, 3GB, and … Read more

T-Mobile expected to offer entry-level Dart this week

T-Mobile could add another Android handset to its lineup this week with the entry-level Samsung T449 Dart. Based on the early leaked information, the handset certainly won't get a second look from folks ready to replace their current Android devices; however, it should appeal to new smartphone buyers.

According to information obtained by TmoNews, the Dart will be a touch-only device with a 3-megapixel camera, 2GB microSD card, and support for T-Mobile's 3G network. Although the exact version of Android is not given, the mention of Adobe Flash tells us it is at least Froyo (Android 2.2) … Read more

U.S. Cellular to launch eight smartphones, two tablets by end of 2011

Sprint isn't the only one ramping up its lineup today. U.S. Cellular just announced its product road map for the remainder of the year, and it includes eight smartphones and two tablets.

Seven of the eight handsets will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and the eighth will be the carrier's first Windows Phone 7 handset. One of the models among the group will also be U.S. Cellular's first 4G LTE smartphone, due out in November.

HTC will provide four of the devices, beginning with the Windows Phone handset due out this summer. This will be … Read more

MetroPCS releases visual voice mail

Excuse us for not getting to this yesterday--E3 and Apple's WWDC keynote kept us a tad busy--but MetroPCS sneaked out a little announcement of its own yesterday by unveiling a visual voice mail service.

Like the services available on other carriers, MetroPCS' visual voice mail will enable customers to listen to individual voice messages without having to scan through their entire lists. Voice mails will show up on the phone's display along with the contact's picture and they can reply to the message by calling back or by sending a text message or an e-mail.

The … Read more