Nearly three years after it was first announced, Isis is finally set to debut on the national stage. Bloomberg is reporting this morning that the carrier-backed mobile payment service will see a nationwide rollout this year.
For those unfamiliar with Isis, it's a joint venture between AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, looking to change the way consumers pay for things using NFC and other tech. And after 9 months in testing, it's ready for launch...
Apple is making a slight dent in Android's lead among U.S. smartphone owners, picking up more than three percentage points of market share at the end of the June 2013 quarter. By comparison, Google's mobile software slipped a bit, giving up almost one percent, according to new research.
By the end of the June quarter, Apple's iOS had 42.5 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, up from 39.2 percent a year earlier. By contrast, Android fell to 51.5 percent from 52.6 percent during the same period, according to research firm Kantar Monday...
T-Mobile USA today announced an awesome summer deal for smartphone buyers: zero dollars down for all devices, including Apple's iPhone 5. Previously, buying an iPhone 5 from T-Mobile required a down payment of $149.99 plus 24 installments of $21 per month.
With today's announcement, smartphone buyers get their device free from T-Mobile and pay it off completely via monthly installments. In the case of the iPhone 5, you'll be paying $27 per month for 24 months so you're looking at a total cost of ownership of $648 over a two-year period, plus of course monthly wireless service fees.
Samsung's Galaxy S4, HTC's One and BlackBerry's Q10 are available for $25 per month over 24 months. Nokia's Lumia 925 will set you back $20 per month for 24 months. The limited-time promotion is available starting tomorrow, July 27. Full details are right below...
It seems like it's 'pick on AT&T week,' because shortly after a report surfaced that Verizon was running an ad in The Wall Street Journal calling the carrier out for its 'most reliable network' claims, comes word that T-Mobile is going to run a similar print spot.
In a new print ad, set to run in today's issue of USA Today, T-Mobile bashes AT&T’s Next program, calling it 'sneaky and 'underhanded.' The copy also quotes a Verge article, saying “AT&T’s reaction to T-Mobile’s transparency is to be more deceptive than ever.”
Apple's iPhone 5 accounts for just over half of the company's smartphone sales, with 48 percent coming from the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, according to new research. That compares to the iPhone 4S which comprised about 75 percent of Apple sales almost a year after launch.
The figures illustrate how a larger portion of Apple's smartphone revenue is being generated by lower-cost iPhone models, a concern for investors heading into Tuesday's third-quarter financial report...
Earlier this week, we took a comparative look at the various new device upgrade plans that carriers have introduced over the last several days. There's T-Mobile's 'Jump' plan, AT&T Next, and Verizon's 'Edge' program.
After crunching some numbers, we found that T-Mobile's offering was the better of the three, as it doesn't include device subsidy costs in its rate plans. And it looks like Consumer Reports, who did its own math, agrees...
Last week, T-Mobile unveiled 'Jump,' an ambitious new upgrade program that allows subscribers to pay $10 per month for the chance to upgrade their devices more frequently. At the time this hadn't really been heard of, as most carriers were on a 2-year upgrade model.
But that changed almost immediately after T-Mobile's Jump event. Just a few days later, AT&T introduced its Next device upgrade program, and this morning, Verizon made its Edge offering official. So what's the difference between all of these options? Let's take a look...
It has been six years since Apple introduced the original iPhone. The event was likened to a seismic shift that ignited the push to adopt smartphones in the United States. Now with up to 70 percent of subscribers owning smartphones, the big three carriers are searching for ways to encourage upgrades.
However, the push comes as consumers complain the 'wow' factor is missing from the industry. The slowdown in smartphone upgrades - evident in Samsung and Apple's sales - fell nine percent in 2012 with 68 million U.S. subscribers upgrading their devices, according to a Wednesday Wall Street Journal report...
It looks like T-Mobile's recent Uncarrier campaign is starting to catch the attention of the other major US carriers, because hot on the heels of it announcing its new 'Jump' upgrade program, comes word that Verizon may be following suit.
The news comes this afternoon in the form of a [purported] leaked Big Red training slide. The slide details 'VZ Edge,' a new upgrade plan that allows Verizon subscribers to pay a monthly fee for the ability to upgrade their devices more frequently...
T-Mobile USA, the nation's fourth-largest wireless carrier, started taking pre-orders for Apple's iPhone on April 5, a week ahead of April 12 availability.
Following the strong advertising push, the carrier then boasted about 'gangbuster' opening for the iconic smartphone, leaving us scratching our head as the headline-grabbing phrase left room for various interpretations in terms of hard data.
The exact sales figure came to light during T-Mobile's earnings call when we learned the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco sold half a million iPhones during its first month of availability, between April 5 and May 8.
Though T-Mobile won't report June quarter earnings until August 8, the company reportedly confirmed selling about 900,000 iPhones during the three-month period ended June 30. If true, the data point suggests the carrier has moved an additional 400,000 units between May 8 and June 30, but also that sales have slowed following the initial push...
So, both AT&T and Verizon are now making you wait longer to upgrade to a brand spanking new smartphone, going from 20 to 24 months?
That's exactly where T-Mobile is hoping to leapfrog the nation's leading telcos with its new upgrade initiative called Jump.
As reported earlier today, Jump basically lets you upgrade when you want, not when you're told ("two years is too tong to wait" to upgrade your phone").
More precisely, you can upgrade up to twice a year as soon as six months from enrollment. So welcome to the Jump upgrade club my friend and don't forget to jump past the fold (pun intended) for the full breakdown...
T-Mobile is holding a media event later today at 2:30PM Eastern / 11:30AM Pacific to announce "our boldest moves yet." A leaked memo suggests the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco is readying a new unlimited upgrade plan for smartphones. "We've upgraded upgrades," the memo reads. Called Jump, the idea is to allow customers to upgrade when they actually want to instead of waiting the usual two-years until their contract expires. I've included more tidbits after the break...