Recent Comments:
Details emerge on T-Mobile's Hotspot @Home "Talk Forever" setup {Engadget Mobile}
Jan 25th 2008 6:56PM John, the answer to your question is a resounding "Maybe" - LOL.
The "New routers" that allow for the Home Phone part, if you want to keep your landline with Verizon, would not be something you would want to purchase - instead you would just purchase the standard HotSpot@Home router like you currently can today, and continue to use your UMA-capable cell phone.
Although it's tough to tell from the specs given above, I would imagine that the new router would still allow for the standard @Home service as well as the new Home Phone service. Otherwise that would force a person to have 2 routers, which seems a bit excessive. Just like with standard UMA @Home service you don't have to have a GSM phone and a UMA phone, it's one phone with both capabilities. But you would need to get a UMA-capable phone instead of an existing GSM-only phone. In a similar way, I would imagine that the Home Phone routers would still allow the standard @Home service along with the Home Phone service, but if you didn't want the Home Phone service you wouldn't have to buy one of the new routers.
Details emerge on T-Mobile's Hotspot @Home "Talk Forever" setup {Engadget Mobile}
Jan 23rd 2008 3:31PM Did everyone miss the "Home Phone" Part of this?
T-Mobile has three different services that apparently for which couldn't think of other unique names.
HotSpot = Internet service through Wi-Fi at specific locations (Starbucks, Borders, Airports, etc.)
HotSpot@Home = UMA on your cell phone through Wi-Fi
HotSpot@Home Talk Forever Home Phone Service = way too long of a name but gives you your landline service through Wi-Fi/VoIP but on a T-Mobile bill instead of your current carrier.
They're 3 distinct product offerings with unfortunately similar names. The main difference according to the information above is that unlike Hotspot which is available either without a T-Mobile mobile phone line (aka "GSM line") -or- on the bill as a T-Mobile mobile phone line, HS@HTFHPS is not available stand-alone - it's only available as an add-on to an already-existing mobile subscriber account.
This isn't just a HotSpot@Home on steroids. It's a totally different product with a different phone # other than your mobile #. The SIM Card "support" in the router is because that's how it stores your information.
The SIM Card for the "Talk Forever" line goes *IN* the router. Your phone plugs *IN* to the router. You use it like you would use your regular landline - at your home. You're NOT using your cell phone. You're NOT using your cell phone number. It's a separate phone line entirely.
"Customers may use their existing home phone unit with the HotSpot @Home Wireless Router with Home Phone Connection." (i.e. NOT your cell phone)
"The Wireless Router is capable of handling up to two SIM cards and two separate home phone lines."
For example, if I have my landline through comcast (say 555-555-1212) and I have my mobile phone through T-Mobile (say 555-555-1313), I can port the 1212 number to T-Mobile, get this service, and have 2 lines through T-Mobile - one landline through VoIP with unlimited calling (like Vonage) and one mobile phone through GSM. Now the GSM line may be able to use UMA if the phone supports it, but that's through the @Home service, not the Talk Forever Home Phone service.
A good way to think of this is like getting Vonage (they even compare it in the info above) but only available to T-Mobile customers.
Court clears way for suit hating on T-Mobile's locking, ETF policies {Engadget Mobile}
Oct 17th 2007 3:31PM They *DO* have a plan for people who don't want to be locked into an agreement for two years - or even one year!
It's called FlexPay and is probably by far the best thing that's happened to my sister who was having trouble getting a phone (other than prepaid) because she just graduated from high school and doesn't have an established credit history.
The only catch was that she had to pay full retail price (i.e. unsubsidized) for the phone, and she has to pay the monthly charges a month ahead of time. If she uses up her minutes, then she can just go out and buy a prepaid refill card at the cost of $.20/min. If she wants to buy anything else like ringtones, games, etc. she can do it with the prepaid refills.
IMO, it's actually even better because not only does she not have a contract, she ALREADY has the phone unlocked (because she paid full price), she can leave whenever she wants if she's not happy with the service, and she also doesn't have to worry about getting a huge phone bill as a surprise because she went over her minutes. That and she still has the same options for all the services that "normal" customers on a contract have - including the data plans - if she wants to later. there's nothing cripled or missing just because she doesn't have a credit history or a contract.
T-Mobile to trot out Nokia 2610 and Samsung t219s {Engadget Mobile}
Jul 24th 2007 11:33AM You mean like the Dash or the Wing? Blackberry 8800? They were the original carrier to get the pearl, too. Everyone else is just playing catch up.
What do you expect for entry-level, free-or-close-to-it-with-contract phones? People need to realize that no matter WHAT company you go with, you get what you pay for. Some just don't charge as much for the same stuff.
Do a price comparison - on same plans, everyone else is $5-$15 more expensive than T-Mobile. Yes I have them (for several years now) and couldn't be happier. (and FYI the only network I haven't tried in my 8-year-mobile-phone-lifetime is Verizon, and that's because their coverage sucks. No matter which carrier I was with, my friends who had Verizon had spots I had perfect coverage where they didn't.)
T-Mobile to trot out Nokia 2610 and Samsung t219s {Engadget Mobile}
Jul 23rd 2007 10:21PM One difference is that T-Mobile's network address book backup feature is *FREE* (as long as the handset supports it) whereas the other carriers (at least AT&T) charge for it.
The Boy Genius Report: T-Mobile's new Sidekicks? {Engadget Mobile}
Jun 17th 2007 3:35PM With all the rumors of UMA (i.e. phone over Wi-Fi networks) coming to T-Mobile, I would imagine that at least one of the two concepts pictured above would have Wi-Fi in it -- if not for internet access, so that it can take advantage of that service when it launches for voice calls. So if you get great reception everywhere but your house, and you have your own personal Wi-Fi at home, you now have great coverage everywhere!
Verizon exclusivity ends, YouTube Mobile opens the gates {Engadget Mobile}
Jun 17th 2007 3:30PM Am I missing something? What's the link? - when I try to go to www.youtube.com I get the same error (No Javscript / Flash) that I've always gotten. mobile.youtube.com comes up as cannot find the address, and www.youtubemobile.com comes up as a dead URL that is for sale.
The Boy Genius Report: Cingular's BlackBerry 8800c accessories! {Engadget Mobile}
Jan 26th 2007 8:08AM Is it just me, or does the picture of the spec sheet look like it lists accessories for a Nokia phone?
Is this only part of the sheet? If so, why Nokia?
AT&T to give away 1.5 years of service to iPhone buyers? {Engadget Mobile}
Jan 26th 2007 7:56AM I agree with the "costly data plan" they mention in the original post.
$20 is for current GPRS/EDGE data plan that they offer. Who's to say they don't pull a stunt and give it it's own special plan and/or connection point, and then charge $50/month for it? If T-Mobile can do it (and get away with it) on a sidekick to the tune of 3 generations, and to a lesser extent on their blackberry internet option, why wouldn't Cingular be able to give the iPhone it's own iAPN? Also if they did it that way, they could even follow Sidekick's lead and include unlimited messaging in the data plan. But, since iPods/iPhone/Apple have a bigger following, they could conceivably charge $40-$50/month for the service. But not if it brings your total bill over $100 if you're used to $50. By using the "ONE AND A HALF YEARS FOR FREE!!!!" marketing angle, they hook people into the required 2 year contract, give them "free" voice service while they collect $50/month in the 18-month period, and then after you've gotten used to it, the "trial" period ends and now your bill has doubled. The contract still has 6 months to go without an ETF.
Plus, the person's actual usage won't go up much, but that'll be their excuse to charge you practically the same amount for the data portion. It makes sense from at&t's perspective to lure customers, but I see this being a customer service nightmare 19 months after the launch date (when people open up their bills after the 18 months of "free" service are up)
The iPhone is not a smartphone {Engadget Mobile}
Jan 23rd 2007 4:24AM I can think of another reason there would be no 3G... What if Apple originally developed it eyeing T-Mobile instead of Cingular/at&t? They don't have 3G, so that would be pointless to have it, right?
OTOH, if it's signal levels and/or other qualities were not up to T-Mobile's standards, they'd refuse it. Apple still would need to get their R&D back, so they could go to Cingular/at&t.
Obviously, this all happens behind closed doors, so no one would even know.
