Well that was fast. VIsiting Walmart’s online site (Walmart.com) and searching for the Nokia Lumia 521 just released in the US brings up a rather disappointing message. The 4G budget handset from Nokia has managed to sell out of its initial stock for the national retailer. This is not to say that they had a large number to begin with but it is also true that people jumped quickly on that amazing price.

The Lumia 521 has garnered very good reviews from an extensive list of reviewers and looks to be a sleeper hit for Nokia. This shows that as Nokia continues to push down their technology to lower priced devices there is room to gain market share.

Specs:

• Windows Phone 8 OS
• 5MP camera with auto focus
• HD video recording at 720p, 30fps
• 8GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB
• 1430mAh battery
• Quad-band 4G UMTS/HSPA+42
• 1GHz, dual-core Qualcomm 82270 processor
• WiFi for data (802.11b/g/n/e)

Source: Nokia Lumia 521 at Walmart

Say whaaat? T-mobile’s CEO called out an entire industry today, essentially doing away with cell phone contracts, he even went as far as to say “stop the bullshit!” Now that’s what I’m talking about! Lets take the iPhone 5 for instance, its said to be available on T-Mobile’s network April 12th with AWS bands and HD voice, which would be a first for US carrires; but the interesting party is how the “no contract” model comes into play.

You’ll only be required to pay $99 up front, which makes the phone very affordable out the gate, so much so, the price is on par with low end smartphones offered by other carries. After your down payment, you’ll be required to pay $20 a month for the two years, which pretty much means you’ll be paying the unsubsidized price over time. And yes, the phone will be sold to you unlock from the very beginning. What make this work is T-Mobile’s super cheap pricing, with a strong $50 plan for everything, add the $20 for the device, and you’ll still be coming in almost $40 cheaper than most of the competition, wow!

But wait, there must be fine print! What happens when I no longer want to pay the $20 for the device? Do I have to give it back? hmmmmm. Also, what happens when I am already in contract? Do they give me a pass and allow me to be as awesome as I want to be? hmmmm.

Oh, lets not forget, rumored for May 3rd, T-mobile will be getting the Galaxy S4 for all to enjoy, and yes, it too will be $99 upfront. YES! Way to go T-Mobile!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, or living your life, you might have missed the news that the BlackBerry Z10 launches on carriers AT&T (tomorrow 3/22) and T-Mobile (3/26?) and Verizon (3/28) by the end of March. AT&T pre-orders started on March 12, and Verizon 2 days later. T-Mobile opened up pre-orders for business customers but not regular consumers. With recent reports of how well BlackBerry sales had been exceeding expectation in previous launch markets the hope was that BlackBerry would continue to build on momentum and positive reports to take back marketshare in the U.S.

The latest round of reports paint a more sobering picture. Instead of long lines of consumers camping out it appears if you are in the market for a BlackBerry Z10 you will have a good chance to walk into your local carrier store and pick up a device. Checks indicate U.S. consumer pre-orders for the BlackBerry Z10 “have been light and well below expectations,” says Detwiler Fenton’s Jeff Johnston.

Are you getting a Z10 on day one? Are you even going to give it a try? I’ll be checking out the device and putting it through it’s paces tomorrow and will also gauge consumer reaction. I’m looking forward to see if the device really is as intuitive as people claim and how the RSPs present the Z10 as an option when a customer hasn’t made their mind up before walking into the store.

If you are not familiar with the term MVNO, what it stands for is Mobile Virtual Network Operator. What they do is lease spectrum from the Large carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile and open up their own service without all the costs of maintaining it and expanding it. Seems risky, but it there has to be a buck in it or I would not be writing about it. One of these MVNO companies called Solavei just hit the radar this morning and not for their network prices or plans. This time it is for their newest smartphone offering. Only because they will be first in the US, and second for the ridicules amount of money they will be charging, but they have announced that they will have the BlackBerry Z10 for the paltry price of $999 . Yep, a  cool 1K today will get you the BlackBerry Z10 goodness contract free.

The BlackBerry Z10, already available across the pond and in Canada, was not due to launch here in the US until mid March by all accounts. But Solavei can get you hooked up starting today. Just take a deep breath at the check out counter. Solavei, who rides on T-Mobile’s spectrum coat tails, sell’s it’s monthly customers unlimited voice, SMS and data for just $49 a month contract free. They also have a pretty deep deal referral program. Sell your friends or family and you could get your service paid for. For every three you talk into Solavei, they will give you $20 per month credit. There appears to be some other incentives too, but I’ll leave that in your capable hands to sort out the fine print. Not really sure I have ever seen a Solavei subscriber. Anyway, swap carriers, get your service cheap and paid for if you are good at selling, and then drop a cool 1K and be the first to brag about having BlackBerry Z10.

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So I stumbled upon a site where a fellow enthusiast was nice enough to create a program to update you Windows Phone from any version up to 7.8

I have a Sprint Arrive and after running the program 7 times (you have to do it for each step of updates that you are missing (F U Sprint) as I was on 7720 beforehand.

Remember he will say and I will say, if you mess up your phone we are not responsible.  But the success rate based on the comments on his site have been very good.

Install WP7.8 via WindowsPhoneHacker

So for $2.99 per month you can have a funky personalized number on T-Mobile?! I’ll pass thanks, I’m not on T-Mobile, but if I was I don’t think I’d want this service. Sure this would be great for teenagers  and I think that’s what it’s aimed at personally. The service let’s you pick your own personalized number, like mine could be **kris and it would call me if you pushed those buttons.

Today, Zoove announced its StarStar Me service is available to T-Mobile USA customers nationwide.  StarStar Me provides customers a personalized mobile phone number such as a name or favorite word and the ability to manage incoming calls through the StarStar Me app.

“We are very excited to offer the StarStar Me service to T-Mobile customers, who we believe will really appreciate an easy and affordable way to stay connected with friends, family and colleagues,” said Joe Gillespie, CEO of Zoove. “With two-thirds of smartphone users having downloaded social networking apps to their phones, there’s a rapidly growing trend in today’s on-the-go lifestyle to extend our personal communications and identity into the digital realm via our mobile phones.”

T-Mobile StarStar Me customers can customize their personalized mobile phone number into any name or word they want, such as **CHLOE (**24563) or **JAVAGUY (**5282489). Callers simply tap the star key twice followed by the unique customer word on any mobile phone’s keypad.

With the StarStar Me app, available as a free download from Google Play and iTunes, StarStar Me subscribers have the option to automatically respond to calls with a custom text or pre-recorded message or send callers a link to a personal page that includes links to their blog, website, or social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as other contact info, which can easily be added into a mobile phone address book.

To sign up for StarStar Me, T-Mobile customers can simply call **ME (**63) on their mobile phone, or visithttp://t-mobile.starstar.me. The service costs $2.99 per month plus tax with the charges appearing on T-Mobile customers’ bills. 

Well, this seems like a great idea, unlimited 4G, but it’s $70 per month. My bill now is only about $17 more than that and that’s everything, including my unlimited that I still have with AT&T. I guess it’s not a bad deal, especially since it’s no contract, but still that seems like a lot of money to pay just for the data…

Today at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced an industry first — its popular Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan will be available with no annual contract starting tomorrow, Jan. 9. T-Mobile is the only U.S. carrier to offer an unlimited, nationwide, 4G data plan on a fast, dependable, nationwide, 4G network, giving customers the ultimate worry-free experience with no data caps, overages or bill shock.

“As the ‘Uncarrier,’ we’re doing the unthinkable,” said John Legere, president and chief executive officer of T-Mobile USA. “We’re directly confronting the frustrations of American consumers fed up with the cost, complexity and congested networks of our competitors. Our Unlimited 4G Data plan means 4G speeds, no caps and no overages on a smoking-fast, nationwide, 4G network. What this means is simply that T-Mobile customers are going to be able to enjoy everything a 4G smartphone is actually designed to do without limits and without a term contract.”

Consumers today are demanding more choice and flexibility in how they purchase wireless, along with the freedom to take advantage of everything their 4G smartphone has to offer without having to keep track of their data usage. Since its introduction in September, T-Mobile’s Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan is by far the most popular plan choice among T-Mobile customers. In fact, nearly half (46 percent) of new customers opted for the new data plan in December 2012.

“Simply put, consumers want their data to be blazing fast, without limits and without overages,” said Mike Sievert, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “With our new Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan, that’s exactly what we’re giving them, and for the first time, we’re offering it without an annual contract. Other carriers want to lock customers in; we’re going to earn our customers’ business with an amazing 4G experience every day.”

Wireless data usage on T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G network continues to grow as consumers increasingly step up to a fast and unlimited experience on the latest 4G devices. In total, T-Mobile customers stream 32 million songs and visit Facebook 1.8 billion times per day. T-Mobile’s Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan helps these customers power a variety of 4G experiences — from on-the-go gaming to streaming music and video — all without limits on its 4G network.

Beginning Jan. 9, T-Mobile’s Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan will be available with no annual contract for $70 per month online at www.t-mobile.com, at T-Mobile retail stores or through select dealers and national retail stores.

To kick off the Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan with no annual contract, T-Mobile will have a new offer on one of its latest smartphones. Starting Jan. 9, the LG Optimus L9 will be available for $199.99 with no annual contract. Featuring a stylish design and a stunning 4.5-inch qHD touch screen, the Optimus L9 on T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G data network delivers amazing 4G experiences, including streaming movies, searching the Web, online gaming and more.

For more information regarding T-Mobile’s lineup of no-annual-contract smartphones, visit http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/.

Normally when a new paltform and new phones are launched there’s noise and news and excitement. But when it comes to Windows Phones, they just quietly understock them on shelves . To remind you, since TMobile isn’t, the Nokia Lumia 810 and the HTC 8X go on sale tomorrow.

It’s so well hidden it’s hard to even find the press releases. Here are the details though:

The Lumia 810 will be available from Nov. 14 and will be priced as follows: if you’re on a Value Plan at T-Mobile, the Lumia 810 will cost $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate on a two-year agreement. For T-Mobile customers on a Classic Plan, the Lumia 810 will cost $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement.

And:

The Windows Phone 8X by HTC is expected to be available nationwide at T-Mobile retail stores, select dealers and national retailers, and online via www.T-Mobile.com starting November 14. Paired with a qualifying T-Mobile Value voice and data plan and two year service agreement, the 8X by HTC is available for $149.99 down after a $50 mail-in-rebate card and 20 equal payments of $20 per month via T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan (EIP). The Value plan paired with EIP is offered at T-Mobile retail stores. Customers can also purchase the 8X by HTC for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card with a qualifying T-Mobile Classic voice and data plan and two year service agreement.

Let’s see if a stealth release is the secret to sales success (spoiler alert: it’s not).

Anyway, anyone getting one? Someone I work with is going for one – I’m leaning 8X even though I love Nokia’s style and app.

How about an early deal for you to help beat the Black Friday rush? T-Mobile thinks you want one, and it looks pretty good to me. T-Mobile is offering a free Samsung 4G Smartphone including the Galaxy S III with a qualify plan. Well not exactly free, it’s free after mail-in rebate and I hate those myself as they just take so long to get here, and that’s if you ever even get them. The deal is only going to be running November 16th and 17th.  Full details below for you..

Shift your holiday shopping into high gear with T-Mobile^® this November and get ahead of the Black Friday rush. For two days only, Nov. 16– 17, customers can purchase a Samsung 4G smartphone, including the wildly popular Samsung Galaxy S^® III, for free with qualifying plans.

“We think this offer will be particularly attractive for families who would like every member to have a mobile device but don’t think it fits their budget. This promotion will make it easier for consumers to join the smartphone revolution by making the best devices and data plans more affordable.”

A new survey¹ by Kelton Research uncovered that holiday shoppers don’t feel that Black Friday is worth their time, with 51 percent reporting that nothing could entice them to stand in line. Yet 72 percent responded that finding reasonable prices is most important to them when shopping during the winter holidays. This holiday season, T-Mobile is helping consumers combat the stress of Black Friday while they enjoy great value with its pre-holiday sale. For more information and an infographic on how consumers view holiday shopping, visit http://t-mo.co/Us8jEv.

“If getting a great deal on your gift purchases is important, and you prefer to limit your time in holiday checkout lines, then this T-Mobile promotional offer could be for you,” said Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. “We think this offer will be particularly attractive for families who would like every member to have a mobile device but don’t think it fits their budget. This promotion will make it easier for consumers to join the smartphone revolution by making the best devices and data plans more affordable.”

New and existing eligible customers can take advantage of this pre-holiday sale. Customers will receive their device for free, after a mail-in rebate card², when they sign up for a new two-year contract on any qualifying unlimited Classic plan, or for a $0.00 down payment (after a mail-in rebate card) when signing up for a new two-year contract on a new qualifying Unlimited Value® plan with an Equipment Installment Plan (EIP).³

Consumers often worry about making the wrong device choice or paying too much for data. This holiday season, data-hungry smartphone customers can enjoy “Unlimited Cheer” with T-Mobile’s Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan. Offering customers the ultimate worry-free experience, unlimited data plans feature no data caps, no speed limits and no overages on T-Mobile’s network, as well as fast, dependable nationwide 4G coverage. For more details about T-Mobile’s Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan, visit http://www.T-Mobile.com/unlimited-data-plan.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is one of T-Mobile’s fastest 4G (HSPA+ 42 technology) smartphones. With an intuitive design, the Galaxy S III enables customers to effortlessly share photos, videos and more to a compatible TV or other Galaxy S III devices. Featuring a beautiful 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED® screen, the Galaxy S III packs a powerful entertainment experience, which allows customers to watch HD movies and TV shows, download apps, and securely browse the Web.

The following is a sample of device pricing and mail-in rebate amounts included in the Samsung pre-holiday 4G smartphone sale if well-qualified customers choose to sign up for a two-year Classic Plan™:

If well-qualified customers choose to sign up for an Unlimited Value™ plan, the following is a sample of device pricing and EIP monthly payments:

 

This pre-holiday sale will be available at participating T-Mobile retail stores nationwide. For more information about T-Mobile’s pre-holiday sale and details about qualifying plans and services, visit http://t-mo.co/REeges.

¹ Source: Kelton Research Holiday Survey, October 2012–Nov. 2012 of 1,013 respondents, sponsored by T-Mobile.

² No mail-in rebates in RI, CT and Miami-Dade County.

³ Equipment installment plans: On approved credit and 0 percent APR. Down payment and unfinanced portion required at purchase. Remaining balance paid in 20 monthly installments. Not available in D.C.

Life as a Nexus Owner

Over the past week it’s been a Microsoft and Google world. With Apples latest device the iPad Mini getting bad reviews and Microsoft and Google putting out device after device, all WinPhone and Fandroids are in geek heaven. In particular, I am ecstatic as it’s soon going to be a new Android build Jelly Bean 4.2!

4.2 is nice in that it’s just an interface focused update and some minor bug fixes. Mainly what we have to look forward to are the new applications coming to Android. I cannot wait to use the 360 photo gallery app. It’s such a useless feature but it’s something about having that ability. Google’s taking it a step further than just having a 360 image by allowing you to share 360 views on Google+ and also share the XML data wherever you choose. You can share the pictures with other Android devices and send emails of your 360 view that can be displayed in Google maps.

Another feature that’s going to be useful on my tablet is multi-user account support. The way Google is implementing the technology is unique in that it allows users to share application resources. So if one user has Spider Man loaded, then another user wants to load Spider Man, the OS only loads user specific data in each log on to save space.

This intelligent design is seen in a lot of places throughout the OS, Android 4.2 allows devices to enable wireless display. Allowing you share movies, YouTube videos, and anything that’s on your screen on an HDTV. All you need is a $20 Cisco wireless adapter for good integrity in my opinion; connect to any HDMI-enabled TV to mirror what’s on your screen quickly and easily.

Some other features Android will have in a few days are amazing in the ‘Moral’ category, such as screen magnification to easily zoom or pan the entire screen to get a closer look. Visually impaired users can now enter full-screen magnification with a triple-tap on the screen and even type and interact with the device while zoomed in.

Blind users can use Gesture Mode to reliably navigate the UI using touch and swipe gestures in combination with speech output. Once its setup for a blind person they can have their devices do say two things, call 911 and navigate home from wherever I am. Or complete more complex task like navigate by voice to a store, doctors office or strip club…what? Just because they are blind doesn’t mean the other senses are not working.

Google promises more reactive and uniform touch responses, futuristic new features in Google Now, new Swype-like keyboard by default; you can Swype or not. I do have a Verizon Galaxy Nexus so I did have to root to make sure it’s up to date immediately! so I do not have to worry…I do however, hope the carriers quit being greedy and update these “older” devices.

Not that even Android 2.3 Ginger Bread is a bad OS and Verizon will eventually push the updates… it’s just it would be pretty cool if all Android users could have these features day one.

I KNOW I WILL!