Data

T-Mobile announces $5 per month option quadrupling Simple Starter LTE data to 2GB

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Beginning September 3, T-Mobile customers in the United States will be able to boost their Simple Starter plan via an additional $5 per month option giving them a total of two gigabytes of high-speed 4G LTE data.

That's in addition to unlimited talk and text included in the Simple Starter plan, the nation's fourth largest wireless carrier said Monday morning.

In other words, in exchange for five bucks on top of your $40 per month Simple Starter charge (for a total of $45 per month), the wireless carrier will quadruple LTE data.

The new option goes into effect on Wednesday, September 3.

Sprint debuts $60 per month unlimited plan ahead of iPhone 6 announcement

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 19, 2017

With precisely nineteen days until the alleged September 9 iPhone 6 unveiling (notably, Apple hasn't denied the rumor) and three days after refreshing its Family plans, the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, Sprint, has introduced a potentially disruptive and new unlimited plan.

Specifically, the new plan is offering unlimited talk, text and data in exchange for sixty bucks per month. How cool is that?

Quickly, do the math in your head — that's $20 less compared to Sprint's closest competitor T-Mobile. By the way, T-Mobile promptly responded to Sprint's announcement by promising to treat switchers to a year of free unlimited LTE data.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

T-Mobile to begin throttling select unlimited LTE customers too

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

It looks like Verizon isn't the only carrier planning to throttle select unlimited LTE customers in the near future. A leaked internal memo surfaced today, confirming that T-Mobile will also begin slowing down the connections of some of its subscribers later this month.

According to the memo, throttling will only apply to heavy data users that are using their connection for peer-to-peer file sharing and unapproved tethering. Like Verizon, the carrier claims the move is part of a larger effort to improve its overall network performance...

FCC questions Verizon’s plan to throttle select data customers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Last week Verizon announced a new 'network optimization' initiative to start throttling data users. Beginning in October, the carrier is going to start slowing the speeds of the top 5% of its unlimited LTE customers when they're connected to a busy cell site.

Obviously, VZW subscribers weren't very happy with the news, and apparently neither was the FCC. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler sent a letter to Verizon today saying that he was "deeply troubled" by its new throttling plans...

Verizon to soon begin throttling select unlimited LTE customers

Cody Lee ∙ July 25, 2014

Back in 2011, Verizon began throttling data output for the top 5% of its 3G customers on unlimited data plans. The carrier had just picked up the iPhone, and was in the process of rolling out its LTE network, so it needed a low-cost way to save bandwidth.

Fast forward to today, and Verizon issued a press release announcing a similar policy for LTE customers. Starting in October, the company plans to start "optimizing its network," which is a nice way of saying it's going to start throttling high-volume users...

Mobile hit ‘Candy Crush’ made more money than all Nintendo games last quarter

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Critics have been saying for years that Nintendo should get into the mobile gaming business. It's not just that the company's hardware business is slipping, or that it's losing money, but mobile games happens to be a very hot space right now.

Case in point is this recent report from research firm Newzoo, which ranks public companies by game revenue. According to the firm's data, hit mobile title Candy Crush generated more money last quarter than all Nintendo titles combined...

Google surpasses Apple as world’s most valuable brand in latest study

Cody Lee ∙ May 21, 2014

It seems like every couple of weeks, a new study comes out telling us who the most valuable brand in the world is based on various metrics. The winner changes from time to time, but I'd guess more times than not in recent years, it's been Apple.

That's not that case, however in the latest study. Marketing research firm Millward Brown is out with its annual BrandZ study this morning, and after sitting at the top for 3 years in a row, the iPad-maker has been usurped by Google for the #1 spot...

Apple now number two online retailer behind Amazon

Cody Lee ∙ May 6, 2014

According to data from e-commerce research firm Internet Retailer, Apple is now the number two online retailer in the world. Amazon, of course, still has a large lead in the number one spot, but the Cupertino firm recently surpassed Staples to take over second place.

The jump in position is due to a couple of factors. For one, Staples saw flat online sales of $10.4 billion over the past year, representing just a 1% increase over 2012. And two, Internet Retailer is accounting for both hardware and digital content sales for the first time...

T-Mobile tweaks Simple Choice plans with more data, international texting

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

T-Mobile announced this weekend that it would be making some changes to its existing Simple Choice plans. All of the plan options will now include more data and unlimited international texting from the US, in addition to unlimited domestic talk, text and data.

Pricing tiers still start at $50 per month, except now you get a full 1GB of LTE data at this price, instead of just 500MB. And it goes on from there. You now get 3GB of unthrottled LTE data for $60 per month, instead of 2.5GB, and you get 5GB for $70 per month...

AT&T launches new family plans with ‘best-ever’ prices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

In an effort to fend off T-Mobile's 'Un-carrier' attack, and stay competitive with Verizon, AT&T announced a new set of family plans this afternoon. The plans include unlimited talk and text and then a bucket of 10GB of data that can be shared by all of the accompanying devices.

But the big news here is the pricing. AT&T is saying that these new plans come with the best-ever prices, and at first glance, they do look appealing. For instance, the entry-level option costs just $130 per month with unlimited talk, text and then 10GB of data for 2 smartphones...

iPhone 5s owners guzzling up 20 percent more data than iPhone 5 users

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

A new research report from JDSU has revealed that owners of the iPhone 5s are gobbling up 20 percent more data compared to people who own an iPhone 5. This means that for every five megabytes (or gigabytes) of cellular data consumed by an iPhone 5 owner, an additional megabyte (or gigabyte) gets guzzled up by an iPhone 5s owner.

In fact, looking at the list of top ten devices that downloaded most data in 2013, Apple's iOS gadgets took six slots. I'm guessing Tim Cook is smiling as we speak for this survey is another sign of Apple's devices getting far more actual use compared to Android-driven handsets, Android's lead in terms of sheer volume notwithstanding...

AT&T announces new sponsored data service for mobile devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Today at CES, AT&T announced an interesting new service called Sponsored Data. The goal of the new service is essentially to offer a way for companies to pick up the tab for 4G data usage whenever specific products or services are being used.

How does it work? Well the carrier says that if the service is in effect, users will see a "sponsored" symbol in the status bar on the screen of their device. And this will indicate that all data charges are being redirected to the sponsoring company...