Caps are nothing new to the world's 3G networks, but T-Mobile's being particularly stingy with the bytes -- 1GB is all you get. Well, technically you can get more than that, but our friends in magenta are reserving the right to throttle you back to a stifling 50Kbps -- virtually useless by smartphone standards, and less than what even a good EDGE network is capable of providing. That's going to be sour news to heavy G1 users, especially as Android touts its stellar connectivity, world-class browser, and a full suite of data-gorging apps. For now, we're going to cut T-Mob some slack on this since the threat is purely theoretical, but if they start enforcing this little stipulation with a heavy hand, the G1 is going to have to stay in the pocket a little more than we'd like.

[Thanks, Emmanuel C.]

As expected, Verizon has announced today that its customers (and would-be customers) are welcome to sign up for month-to-month plans with no contract -- and thus, no early-termination fee -- involved, mimicking a move by AT&T earlier in the year. Of course, anyone taking advantage of the new plans won't be able to get in on carrier subsidies, but the trade-off is that if you decide to bolt for greener pastures, you won't be slapped with one of those nasty prorated charges. Oh, and before you give customer service a ring, take note: you'll need to fulfill the terms of your existing contract before jumping, natch.

There's a rumor going around that Verizon is on the cusp of announcing that customers bringing their own equipment to the table (they are doing that whole open network thing, after all) or who are willing to pay full price for their goods up front will be able to go contract-free on postpaid accounts. There'll still be an activation fee and a credit check since we're still talking about a postpaid setup, but you'll have the freedom to walk away or upgrade hardware at any time your carefree heart desires without dealing with an ETF or a pesky contract extension. If this all goes down -- which it probably will, assuming Verizon's interested in keeping up with the industry trend here -- word is we can expect an announcement on the 21st of the month.

Following new plans geared to the decidedly less fruity phones in AT&T's lineup earlier this month, the carrier has announced a pair of international data packages geared specifically toward the iPhone and iPhone 3G. The bad news is that they still cost more than the average subscriber's entire monthly bill; the good news, though, is that they should still manage to save globetrotters a buck or two (or a thousand) who insist on keeping data roaming enabled while out in the field. 100MB of global data is going to set you back $119.99 on top of your regular package, while 200MB runs $199.99 -- certainly not enough to go crazy in the App Store, but probably enough of a meager allowance to take care of email and stay on the grid. The new plans are available starting tomorrow.

Seems like every time we're out of the States, we find ourselves fighting an overwhelming urge to whip out our phones every five to ten minutes, restore our cleverly disabled data APNs, and submit to the kind of punishment that only international data roaming can deliver. Giving into those kinds of urges can quickly lead to bills in the hundreds or thousands of dollars, thanks to data roaming packages that have historically been very weak and involve some insanely meager monthly allowance followed by a per-kilobyte fee high enough to make even the hardened business traveler beg for mercy. Seems AT&T and Verizon are both finally realizing that faster data speeds and more capable phones mean that users want at least a few fleeting moments with those services while abroad, though, introducing a series of new packages that should make roaming just marginally more palatable. For its part, AT&T's new offerings include a $60 add-on smartphone plan for 50MB in 67 countries around the globe -- up from 41 previously -- and another that bundles 5GB of domestic laptop data plus 200MB internationally for a sobering $230. On the Verizon side, the big news is a $130 laptop plan that gives users 5GB in the US and Canada, plus 100MB in Mexico and a handful of other countries for $20 per megabyte. In other words, you still need this service to justify the cost, but at least it won't put you as deeply into the poor house as it did last month. No YouTubing from China, y'hear?

T-Mobile is likely to bring a smile to the faces -- and bruised wallets-- of many parents when its Family Allowances feature launches sometime in August. For just $2 a month, it'll add complete control over junior's -- and juniorette's -- mobile spending, with a website that'll allow metering of minutes, downloads, call times, and messaging. All of the allotments will, of course, come out of your family plan, numbers can be excluded from the allowance with the Always Allowed feature, and unlimited calling features are preserved across the account. Once the time's up, that's the end of that service until the next billing cycle starts or a parental unit is convinced to restock your account. All in all, if $2 can save somebody potentially hundreds in overages, we're thinking this may be money very well spent.

Rogers' new $30, 6GB data plan -- unveiled at the collective relief of virtually every would-be Canadian iPhone 3G owner -- is going to end up seeing duty outside the Apple realm. Canada's largest GSM carrier (and only GSM carrier of consequence, really) has mercifully decided to let all devices in its 3G smartphone range in on the $30 party, a range that includes winners like the Nokia N95, HTC TyTN, and Samsung Jack, among others. Good call, Rogers -- now let's just remove that limited-time offer label and make this a permanent part of your plan menu, shall we?

[Via MobileSyrup]

A common battle cry in the carrier war heard in recent years has been "yeah, but those plans all suck compared to Sprint SERO." A little too common, in fact -- a significant fraction of subscribers signed up for the incredibly lucrative employee referral packages didn't actually know any Sprint employees -- but at $30 for several hundred voice minutes plus unlimited data and texting, that whole referral thing was an ordeal worth enduring. Well, you can kiss that sweet little deal goodbye, because SERO has been replaced with the more slickly-named "Everything Plus" package which packs basically the same features for $59.99, a healthy bump in price of 100 percent. What's more, would-be buyers now need to know a Sprint staffer's employee ID to sign up, closing a longstanding loophole that required no more than an email address, which is usually a pretty easy bit of information to score. All told, the plans are still decent deals, but still, grandfathered SERO customers have got to be chuckling to themselves right about now.

[Via phoneArena]

So we're getting the impression that there are a lot of Kiwis out there who think they're getting a raw deal from Vodafone on the iPhone 3G. That wouldn't totally surprise us -- they know when they've got an exclusive on a hot item, and they're going to try to milk it for everything it's worth -- but with the Rogers fallout rumors flying, Voda might want to tread lightly here.

Anyway, here's out it breaks down: on a maxed-out plan, you get a 16GB iPhone 3G for $349 and pay $250 a month, which nets you 600 anytime minutes, 600 texts, and 1GB of data. That works out to $264 for the phone and $189 for the plan in US currency, so you get a little bit of a break on the phone (AT&T charges $299), but in exchange, you get totally hosed beyond comprehension on the plan. Americans shelling out $149.99 will get unlimited voice, unlimited data, and unlimited texts, for which they'll gladly pay the $35 extra up front we'd imagine -- so yeah, by our voodoo calculations, that's about a raw a deal as any we've seen.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

There's just nothing worse than trying to piece together a calling plan -- particularly for families -- and being overwhelmed by nickle 'n dime type add-ons along the way. Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but Sprint's hoping to key in on folks who don't disagree with a new "simplified" pricing structure that does away with free incoming calls. Put simply, individuals and families alike can simply pick the amount of minutes they need and whether they want unlimited messaging or unlimited messaging and data. That's it. The prices actually aren't half bad for those ready and willing to put "unlimited" to the test, so hit up the read link to see if any are a fit for you.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

We still don't have a clear answer from AT&T on whether messaging is included, but if not, the data pricing of $30 per month for unlimited 3G when tied to the iPhone 3G represents a $10 bump from what folks were paying for the 2.5G model. Business owners -- presumably expected to consume considerably more bits over the course of a month -- will be paying $45. Meanwhile, voice plan pricing will start from $39.95, and we're told more details will be available on exactly how it all breaks down when the device actually goes on sale.

T-Mobile's trying to sweeten the unlimited pot today, adding a family option onto its preexisting $99.99 all-you-can-talk (and text) plan. Pretty simple: buy the first line for $99.99 as you normally would, then up to four additional lines of service can be added with the same limitless bucket of minutes and messages for $49.99 a pop. The so-called "FamilyTime Unlimited" package is being advertised as a package of two lines configured like this for $149.98 -- but make no mistake, you can still add another three on top of that to make sure all the kiddies get their fair share. Honestly though, if that baby boy in the picture has a Shadow hooked up with unlimited airtime, we're quitting life.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

T-Mobile's looking to expand its prepaid offerings, branching beyond the typical minute allowances to offer its new "Pay By The Day" service which -- you guessed it -- charges for service by the day. One dollar per day, to be exact, nets you unlimited nighttime calling and unlimited calling to other T-Mobile numbers, while other calls will run you 10 cents per minute. At the end of the day, you're shelling out $30 a month on average for the ability to yap until you're physically unable to speak any longer, as long as you don't call out of network during daylight hours. For night owls, this could be a boon.

[Via RCR]

The hot new smartphone plan might be the big news out of Verizon so far this week, but riding those coattails are a series of interesting new messaging offerings as well. The plans are targeted squarely at folks who put a bigger emphasis on text allowances than they do on voice minutes, and have allegedly been willed into existence as a direct result of customer feedback. Actually, you don't even need any voice plan at all to make these bad boys happen on your bill. So-called "consumer devices" get dinged for $34.99 a month (mobile email's an extra $5 here) while owners of BlackBerrys and PDA / smartphone class devices pay $54.99, getting in return an unlimited dosage of messaging and on-device data usage; calls run 40 and 25 cents per minute, respectively. If you let your thumbs do 90 percent of the talking on a daily basis, this might just be your hook-up.

[Via Phone Scoop]