Prepaid Reviews Blog

PlatinumTel suing competitors over false advertising

Joe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:30:50 +0000

AT&T and Verizon have faced off in recent weeks over Verizon’s current advertising campaign. They’re taking swipes at AT&T at every turn, and AT&T is alleging that the ads are misleading. They’re not the only cellular companies in a tiff. Prepaid carrier PlatinumTel is suing two competitors, U.S. Mobile and EZ Stream, alleging false advertising practices. PlatinumTel also alleges that these companies are in violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices act. Apparently, there has already been a default judgment against U.S. Mobile, and a similar motion has been filed against EZ Stream. xchange has more details.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

PlatinumTel suing competitors over false advertising

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

PlatinumTel suing competitors over false advertising

Page Plus introduces international roaming

Joe — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:59:35 +0000

It’s not often that we see an MVNO that offers international roaming capabilities. Page Plus, however, is an exception. They recently announced an international roaming program that covers Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Calls to Mexico and Bermuda will cost $1.10 per minute, and calls to Puerto Rico, Canada, and the Virgin Islands will be 60 cents per minute. Text messages in any of those areas are 25 cents to receive, 50 cents to send.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Page Plus introduces international roaming

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Page Plus introduces international roaming

T-Mobile introduces prepaid BlackBerry

Joe — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:29 +0000

It’s getting harder to believe, but there were days when prepaid phones were limited to very basic and usually outdated models. That still exists, of course, but over the years we’ve seen prepaid companies upgrade their offerings. Now, instead of offering only three- and four-year-old phones, some companies are offering two-year-old phones — and some are even offering new models. Earlier thi year we saw MetroPCS introduce the BlackBerry Curve 8330. Since then they and other carriers have added more advanced devices. T-Mobile jumped into the fray this week with their new deal, T-Mobile Complete.

Complete isn’t much different than T-Mobile’s normal prepaid offering. The difference is that instead of the pay-as-you-go style, they will operate in the same way as a flat-rate, unlimited carrier. Customers will be able to buy a phone from Best Buy or Wal-Mart and instantly activate it. Instead of buying refill cards, customers can select from unlimited plans starting at $50 per month. And, like the unlimited regional carriers, the first month is free with T-Mobile Complete.

What makes this offer a bit more enticing is the inclusion of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone. There’s no word on how much the device will cost, nor exactly how much the unlimited plan will cost (expect up to $65 per month). It won’t be cheap, but it’s an advanced device on a prepaid basis. T-Mobile knows that this is a significant offer, as they’re playing up their status as the first national carrier to offer a prepaid BlackBerry. I’m still wondering how much attention they will get for it.

T-Mobile is playing this up as a holiday gift, as can be expected this time of year. I’m not sure the devices will sell that well, though. The device itself will probably be around $150, and the service plan won’t be cheap. Any takers?

Update: The Curve 8520 will cost $299.99. That’s a bit steep.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

T-Mobile introduces prepaid BlackBerry

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

T-Mobile introduces prepaid BlackBerry

Cricket expands coverage in Louisiana

Joe — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:44:09 +0000

Cell phone companies are always expanding their coverage. It seems like every few days there’s a press release about Verizon or AT&T expanding coverage in a part of a state. Yet I’m much more interested in the expansions of the regional carriers. They have a limited range of network, so when they add markets it’s actually a significant move. The latest comes from Cricket, which has expanded coverage in Louisiana. This includes the areas of Lake Charles, extending from the Texas border to the town of Crowley. This brings Cricket an additional 241,000 covered POPs.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Cricket expands coverage in Louisiana

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Cricket expands coverage in Louisiana

kajeet revamps service plans, adds mobile Web

Joe — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:37 +0000

Over the course of this year we’ve seen not only new prepaid companies, but older companies rolling out new plans to better fit the current wireless market. The latest to update is kajeet, the cell phone service for kids — mainly those in the “tween” ages, between 8 and 12. They’ve altered their Basic, Great Deal, and Special Plans, and have added to their Bundled Plans, which include unlimited text messaging. Details of the changes after the jump.

To note the changes above, the Special plan used to include 150 voice minutes, but cost $19.99. The $29.99 plan looks unchanged, though I notice that I didn’t have anything about unlimited text messaging in the kajeet review.

The changes to kajeet’s Bundled Plans looks a bit more significant.

The $50 unlimited plan actually existed before, as we noted in July, but they hadn’t advertised it heavily. There are also add-ons for the Bundled Plans, including packages of minutes, pay-as-you-go options, and text messaging packs. You can visit kajeet’s website for more details.

Additionally, kajeet has introduced a mobile Web feature. Parents will have control over this, as they do over all kajeet services. Service costs 35 cents per .25MB — kajeet broke down charges into the quarter megabyte because it is a smaller denomination than most carriers, allowing users to more accurately pay for what they use. The total cost comes out to $1.40 per megabyte, which is a lot for heavy users, though kajeet promises to have bundles available in the future. For a quick reference, .25MB constitutes about 10 mobile Web pages, or two non-mobile Web pages.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

kajeet revamps service plans, adds mobile Web

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

kajeet revamps service plans, adds mobile Web

New MVNO Simple Mobile offers unlimited plans

Joe — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:27:56 +0000

The competition among prepaid carriers has increased sharply in 2009. Before, there were only a few companies offering flat-rate, unlimited services. But since Boost Mobile introduced its $50 unlimited talk, text, and Web plan, a number of prepaid companies have switched to a similar offering. We’ve even seen a number of new carriers pop up with a similar offer. The latest, as we learned yesterday, is Simple Mobile. It’s an MVNO, and judging by the coverage map, it operates on the T-Mobile network. This is a rarity — I can’t recall any other MVNOs using T-Mobile.

Simple Mobile offers unlimited plans on three simple tiers. First is unlimited talk, which costs $40 per month. Adding text messaging, both domestic and international, is another $5. Finally, for those using data-heavy devices, the $50 plan adds 20MB Web, IM, MMS, email, and social networking. Customers can also add unlimited international long distance for $10 per month, and for $5 can add another 20MB of data.

One advantage of Simple Mobile is that it allows customers to activate their own approved GSM handsets. They keep a list of approved devices, which features many advanced models. The only drawback is that the customer must unlock the phone. This is in contrast to some CDMA carriers, which will flash the phone on the spot. Simple Mobile also has six phones of its own: The Alcaltel Tribe OT-800, the Alcatel OT-363, the Alcatel OT-303, the Nokia 6030, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip, and the Motorola RAZR. Those appear on the website, but there is no purchasing method at the moment.

For more information on the availability of Simple Mobile, check out their website.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

New MVNO Simple Mobile offers unlimited plans

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

New MVNO Simple Mobile offers unlimited plans

Samsung R810 nearing a release on Straight Talk?

Joe — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:09:39 +0000

When Straight Talk debuted earlier this year, it was met with a warm reception. The pricing was right, and the company included enough services (including data and 411) to keep most users happy. In that initial marketing phase, there had been talk of the Samsung R810, but that faded a bit after a while. Now a Howard Forums user has noticed that R810 is spec sheet is on the Straight Talk website.

Many, including me, assume that this means the device is coming soon. There’s no guarantee of that, but it’s a pretty safe assumption. But why the delay? That’s an interesting question on which we can only speculate. Reading through that thread on HoFo, some people have heard that Straight Talk will offer up a third plan once they release the R810. That would help account for heavier data usages, since the R810 is more capable than any other phone in the ST lineup.

Adding a $50 unlimited everything plan could benefit Straight Talk. They recently upgraded the $45 plan to include unlimited data, but that’s for the WAP data used by most of their current handsets. The R810 would be much heavier on data. Adding what amounts to a $5 option for smartphone data would be a good move, though I wonder if it will be that cheap, or if they’ll have to go to $55 or $60. Remember, they’re running on the Verizon network, and the last thing Verizon wants is for Straight Talk to poach its customers.

We’ll probably find out more about the R810 and any new data plans during the month.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Samsung R810 nearing a release on Straight Talk?

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Samsung R810 nearing a release on Straight Talk?

Motorola i680 passes FCC, headed for Boost?

Joe — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:00:12 +0000

When a device passes the FCC, oftentimes we don’t know which carrier will pick it up. We do get ideas sometimes. For instance, if it’s an AWS device, you know it’s going to MetroPCS or Cricket. If it’s an iDEN device, it’s going to Boost or Nextel. The latest device to pass through (relevant to us, at least) is the Motorola i680. It features GPS, Bluetooth, a camera (undetermined megapixels) with flash and video capture, and two displays. It also has microSD expansion and a headphone jack, signaling multimedia capabilities. This might just go straight to postpaid, but given Boost’s need to revamp its handset lineup, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this hit Boost in time for the holidays.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Motorola i680 passes FCC, headed for Boost?

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Motorola i680 passes FCC, headed for Boost?

Kyocera Laylo for MetroPCS just around the corner

Joe — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:30:33 +0000

MetroPCS is getting happy with the handsets lately. Yesterday we learned about two handsets that should be headed their way soon, the Motorola Quantico and the Huawei M228. In the latter post, we also learned of two other Huawei devices that could also hit Metro in the future. The latest in their lineup: the Kyocera Laylo. Photos were outed on Howard Forums. It’s a pretty basic slider, featuring a 320 x 240 pixel, 2.2 inch screen, Bluetooth, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. It seems like we’re seeing a lot of this type of phone. Mid-level seems to be the place to be, if we’re assuming manufacturers are releasing devices based on consumer demand. There’s no word yet on pricing or availability.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Kyocera Laylo for MetroPCS just around the corner

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

Kyocera Laylo for MetroPCS just around the corner

MetroPCS readying Huawei M228

Joe — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:27 +0000

It looks like MetroPCS is going to launch another handset from Huawei. The M750 touchscreen seems like a popular model, but the follow-up doesn’t look as impressive. The Huawei M228, found on Unwired View, looks like a basic candy bar model. The folks at Bluetooth.org, however, describe it as “a wireless terminal designed as a mobile office for the business persons.” So I’m interested to learn more, but we don’t have anything additional at the time.

In a bit of further good news, Unwired View outs two more Huawei models, a full-QWERTY and another touchscreen. They could easily hit Metro as well.

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

MetroPCS readying Huawei M228

This post originated at PrepaidReviews.com - The number one resource for NET 10 Prepaid information on the web!

MetroPCS readying Huawei M228