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]

MVNO Virgin Mobile is taking a rather unusual approach to advertising its new plan features and pricing structures unveiled today, pointing out that they provide "smarter choices in a tough economy." For monthly plans, those "smarter choices" include unlimited nights and weekends starting at 7pm (well, we suppose weekends start at 12am, but you get what we mean) and unlimited messaging for a reasonable $10 monthly. Prepaid plans, meanwhile, are now offering the capability to "roll forward" up to 5,000 unused minutes when the account is re-upped within 30 days. Minute packs are now available in $20, $30, and $50 increments equaling 200, 400, and 1,000 minutes, respectively, knocking the per-minute price down to 5 cents at the highest level. The new goodies are all available immediately.

[Via Phone Scoop and MobileTechNews]

We had a sneaking suspicion that the lineup of unlimited plans we got wind of earlier this week was just a bit too good to be true, and sure enough, it was. Now that Verizon's Unlimited Plans have gone official right on cue, we're left with three general plans that can each have additional lines tacked on for more dough. The $99 / month Basic Plan seems to include limitless calling only (read: messaging of all types and data still cost extra), while the Select Plan ($119.99 per month) throws in messaging but still demands $1.99 per MB of data. The Premium Plan is the one that's really attractive, offering up unlimited everything (for all intents and purposes) for $139.99 per month or $269.99 for two lines. Needless to say, we're a bit let down, but you can hit up the read link for more details on what's offered.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

The largest carrier in the US is poised to turn its entire data pricing and marketing strategy on its end according to a series of slides we've found entitled "Data & Messaging Plan Realignment - January 2008." First up, MEdia Net plans are being revised, and for the most part things seem to be getting a little cheaper. MEdia Max Unlimited, for example -- a plan that includes unlimited on-device data and messaging -- goes from $39.99 to an even $35. Next, tethering and data card plans are dropping the term "Unlimited" and imposing a "soft limit" of 5GB; users who consistently exceed that limit won't be charged overage but could be relieved of their plans if AT&T chooses to do so. As much as this sucks, it brings AT&T's official policy in line with the way the industry seems to be trending, as it proudly points out in the slides. Also notable is that slide 8 claims that the carrier will no longer be selling any "windows media devices" (we're pretty sure they meant Windows Mobile devices) without QWERTY keyboards. We're hoping that's not right since it arbitrarily locks AT&T out of picking up nifty WinMo kit like the Touch, but we wouldn't put it past 'em. This all goes down on the 20th, so keep your eyes peeled. Click below for the full slide deck.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Update: We've been told that AT&T's newfound ban on non-QWERTY WinMo devices only applies to Smartphones, not Professional handsets, so it seems the Touch is theoretically spared here. Not to say AT&T has any intention of offering it anyway, we're just sayin'.

They're still miles away from T-Mobile's ridiculously cheap $10 for unlimited BlackBerry email, but Verizon's trying to reach out to a more personal, consumer-based audience as it preps to launch its own Pearl with a new data pricing structure of its own. Unlimited web and email will run you $29.99 when purchased with a voice plan, $34.99 without, offering support for up to ten POP3 and IMAP accounts. Again, T-Mobile's got these cats beat hands-down if saving dinero is the priority -- but then again, Verizon takes the cake for total coverage area and, of course, 3G speed. Pick your poison.

Those camped out in Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands (lucky...) now have yet another wireless plan option courtesy of Sprint, and although that "unlimited" keyword may look enticing, it's enclosed in quotes for a reason. The firm's newest unlimited calling plan was reportedly developed specifically for the Sprint Caribbean market and is available for new and existing customers. The $49.99-per-month plan "includes all local and long distance calls received or generated within the local Puerto Rico and USVI coverage area, as well as long-distance calls from [Sprint] mobile to mobile." Of course, one call to the US mainland, and you'll be hit with a $0.25-per-minute fee as well as an additional $0.69-per-minute if you're roaming, so we'd keep it local if we were you.

$40 seems to be the sweet spot for T-Mobile, seeing how the carrier just added a pair of plans to keep its 300 minute myFaves plan company at that all-important price point. First up is a 1,000 minute plan (obviously not featuring myFaves) that features unlimited nights and weekends but no mobile-to-mobile calling. If anytime minutes are priority numero uno, though, you can forego the unlimited nights and weekends in exchange for an additional 500 anytime, bringing the total to 1,500. Additionally, the carrier added another plan another $20 up the food chain: a 1,000 anytime minute plan with myFaves, offering no nights/weekends or mobile-to-mobile, for $60.

T-Mobile has just released a PC card for UK subscribers that will allow them to hop on the company's HSDPA network when it goes live, and will also work immediately to access UMTS-speed data services. The purchase of a "web'n'walk" card, which has a quad-band radio for international -- including US -- use, also includes twelve free months of WiFi access at any of T-Mob's UK Hotspots. Customers subscribing to 18 or 24 month data contracts at 17 pounds/month will receive the card for free, but need to keep an eye on their usage, as the fine print states that T-Mobile will warn, and possibly even shut off, customers who download more than 2GB of data in a given billing period.

[Via CoolSmartPhone]