Whether it’s the iPhone 5, the importance of LTE, or BYOD trends disrupting the enterprise, there are always technologies, trends, and companies changing the way we define mobile. Here are some noteworthy segments to watch in the coming months, from location-based shopping to apps to wireless networks. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Barclaycard US is the latest card issuer to back Google Wallet. The company also backs Isis, the mobile payment joint venture between Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile, illustrating that not even the traditional banking companies know yet which mobile payment standard will be successful. Read more »
Sprint’s timetable is vague, but Monday it listed the 100 cities that will soon have LTE service. The carrier had an early 4G advantage if you count WiMAX in 2008, but has been lapped since then. Unlimited data is nice, but customers want more speed. Read more »
Radical virtual network operator Ting is at it again. The company with innovative cellular plans will let customers bring their own Sprint device to the service. But that’s short term; long term, Ting could add support for devices from other carriers in the U.S. too. Read more »
The FCC halted the deregulation of special access charges, prices companies like Sprint and T-Mobile pay to connect their wireless networks to the Internet. Verizon and AT&T own those circuits, and the FCC wants to know if they charge their competitors a fair rate. Read more »
Smartphones can enable an amazing level of connectivity, but they can also allow that activity to be monitored and used in controversial ways. But for mobile marketing to realize its full potential, consumers may need to sacrifice their privacy to one degree or another. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
After leading two international carriers, Sol Trujillo might be coming home. According to Bloomberg, Trujillo is looking to buy T-Mobile USA with the help of private equity. So far he’s hit roadblocks, but if he’s successful he would certainly shake things up at the ailing carrier. Read more »
Deutsche Telekom’s move into the browser-based games publishing business may vaguely gel with its broadband offerings, but it’s hard to see it as a viable replacement for the firm’s fading traditional businesses Read more »
Some of the biggest players in the mobile payment space including the four U.S. mobile carriers, Google, Isis, VeriFone and Intuit are joining a new mobile payment committee within the Electronic Transactions Association. It’s still too early to say what this cooperation will yield. Read more »
It’s here! Samsung’s Galaxy Note has arrived for those wanting a T-Mobile version and it looks to be worth the wait. This video look shows Android 4.0.4, the S-Pen and an overall size comparison between the Note, Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 tablet. Read more »
Last week it was Android tablets, this week was about Android smartphones. Sprint announced a QWERTY keyboard version of the Photon Q with LTE, while Samsung’s Galaxy S III continues to set sales records. Can the leaked HTC One X+ slow Samsung’s momentum? Read more »
When HTC brought the One series of smartphones to the U.S. it left Nvidia’s Tegra 3 behind due to LTE network support. That could change sinceT-Mobile still uses an HSPA+ 42 network; according to leaked information, the HTC One X+ with Tegra 3 could be arriving. Read more »
Apple and Google still dominate the smartphone space, but look out for Microsoft, which finally has some muscle behind its mobile strategy. Meanwhile mobile-browser developers went head-to-head with native apps, and Facebook continued to buy mobile expertise via acquisition. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Samsung’s Galaxy Note, the 5.3-inch smartphone (or is it a tablet?) will launch for T-Mobile’s U.S. network in the coming weeks, according to the company, which says 77 percent out of 1,031 surveyed U.S. smartphone owners want a device with a 4.5-inch or larger display. Read more »
The DoJ seems to be the only thing standing between the $4 billion sale of spectrum from the cable companies’ Spectrum Co. to Verizon Wireless, according to multiple news reports. Read more »
Isis, the carrier-led mobile payment venture by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, is preparing for its big summer debut with the release of a series of video tutorials aimed at educating users on how to use its tap-and-go system. Read more »
Samsung’s “phamous phablet”, the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note, continues to improve thanks to an update to Android 4.0 for AT&T device owners. T-Mobile has Galaxy Note support documents on line, so it’s likely to get the device soon. Maybe there’s a market for extra-large phones after all? Read more »
Law enforcement and other government bodies, it seems, aren’t shy about asking for or demanding data about users from wireless carriers. All told, wireless providers received more than 1.3 million requests for user data last year, and requests are increasing every year. Here are more details. Read more »
T-Mobile’s CEO Philipp Humm has resigned, according to the company. The move is a surprise to industry watchers and T-Mobile’s COOs Jim Alling, will take over the duties of the CEO while the nation’s fourth largest phone carrier searches for a replacement. Read more »
Looking to buy a Samsung Galaxy S III in the U.S.? You have a choice among five different carriers, but you’ll either be waiting or paying more than you thought: There are stock shortages at two carriers, and the smartphone is priced much higher at another. Read more »
WWDC begins at 10 a.m. Monday. While a few potential announcements have leaked — Apple’s plans for new maps, new Macs and iCloud upgrades — as with any Apple event, there’s still plenty of mystery. Here’s the latest that people are talking about heading into the developer confab. Read more »
Vodafone and O2 are joining forces in Britain to share their grid and try to roll out 4G services faster than planned. It’s being painted as a great deal for consumers — but it’s actually being driven by the actions of their rivals. Read more »
Starting in June, five U.S. carriers will begin selling Samsung’s Galaxy S III: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular. Samsung’s entire strategy for its new phone is very Apple-like, including one model, which should help constrained production: The company can build 5M per month. Read more »
The second U.S. operator to launch Samsung’s Galaxy S II last year appears to be the first to upgrade the smartphone to Android 4.0. T-Mobile tweeted the news, saying the software update for the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android will be available on June 11. Read more »
I’m now using Straight Talk, a Tracfone-owned cellular provider that resells service on both AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. After a few weeks of testing and some questions posed to the company, here’s the skinny: Depending on your data needs, this plan can save money. Read more »
T-Mobile is the per GB charges for its no-contract data plans.The overall price of the low-capacity one week plan is now rising to $15, but customers it provides 3x the amount of broadband. There is also a new middle-tier plan, making for three monthly plan options. Read more »
The good news: HTC Sensation owners on T-Mobile’s network are getting a software update to Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich along with HTC Sense 3.6. The bad news: It will cost $14.99 monthly to keep using the phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Read more »
As the pace of advances in mobile technology accelerates, waves of new smartphones are appearing every few months. That can mean some savings in the form of a price drop on recently launched phones by the carriers. But how long should you wait? Read more »
T-Mobile is still struggling after its planned acquisition by AT&T fell through. In the first full quarter after the proposed merger was scuttled, the nation’s fourth largest carrier managed to gain only 187,000 customers; most from lower revenue businesses, such as prepaid and M2M. Read more »
Bloomberg is reporting yet another merger rumor about T-Mobile, this one involving regional CDMA and LTE operator, MetroPCS. Maybe someone from Metro is talking with someone DT in some back room somewhere in the world, but they can’t seriously be considering the deal. Read more »
Two hints from earlier this week tipped us off and now a picture of Samsung’s Galaxy Note with T-Mobile branding confirms the rumor. There’s no official word from T-Mobile, but it’s a safe bet T-Mobile customers will get their own version of Samsung’s 5.3-inch Android smartphone. Read more »
The T-Mobile HTC One S launches on April 25 with Android 4.0 and Sense. The phone is a supposed triple threat in the areas of design, audio and camera capabilities. I’ve been testing the HTC One S to see if it lives up to that billing. Read more »
Smartphone sales surged both in the U.S. and worldwide, carriers struggled to cope with the ever-increasing consumption of mobile data, and the fight for spectrum remained front and center in the first quarter. Our latest quarterly wrap-up analyzes these trends and more. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Isis, the joint mobile payment venture between Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, has been taking a slow approach as it heads towards a limited launch in two cities this summer. But the methodical pace appears to be setting Isis up to be a long-term player. Read more »
Are fewer competitors better for mobile broadband customers? Yes, according to a new study, which seemingly ignores trends in mobile network architecture that intended to address the capacity crunch the author’s see, thus undermining the assumptions on which the theory is based. Read more »
4G phone sales are expected to increase ten times over those in 2011, totaling 67 million LTE handsets this year. The new networks are faster and more efficient for carriers, so where’s the savings? There isn’t one and early LTE adopters are paying for the transition. Read more »
Big data now touches everything from enterprises to smart-meter startups, while Hadoop is fast becoming the leading tool to analyze that data, and debates around privacy abound. GigaOM Pro analysts offer insights on what to consider when it comes to big data decisions for your business. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
What used to be exclusive to HTC is turning into an opportunity for its peers: T-Mobile is reportedly choosing handsets from Huawei to be part of the carrier’s myTouch smartphone lineup. The Chinese-based handset maker is slowly gaining a larger foothold in the U.S. Read more »
T-Mobile expects to be the first U.S. carrier to offer 4G phones with integrated LTE radios and antennas. T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray made the prediction, which is important because the LTE phones of today drain a device’s battery too quickly for a number of reasons. Read more »
