Are the Days of Unlimited Wireless Internet Over?

Those of us who are fortunately enough to have relatively unlimited wireless Internet, and I say relative because our definition of unlimited is not the same as those of wireless providers, we need to remember these days when we tell our grandchildren about them. Because like ATT, Verizon Wireless (VW) is looking to rid themselves of us freeloaders and institute a similar pricing and limitation on data like Ma Bell.

How will this play out?

More at Onxo.

What I Learned At T-Mobile Store: Vibrant And HSPA+

I went to the T-Mobile store today to check out the Samsung Vibrant.  I'm still kind of on the fence about it.  But while I was there I thought I'd share a few things the employees there shared with me regarding HSPA+ and what T-Mobile has planned for it.

Right now, the HSPA+ network is still being built out and my neighborhood just got upgraded in the last month (which of course means nothing to you).  T-Mobile hopes to capitalize on the new network by offering data cards first for laptops where they can charge more for it.

Currently, there are no HSPA+ ready mobile devices.  As you probably know, the Vibrant isn't HSPA+ ready and the T-Mobile folks at the store aren't sure when the devices will be out to support it.  Well, as disappointed as I was, I really appreciate the  honesty.

Then I came across this Boy Genius Report post updating T-Mobile's HSPA+ plan for the rest of the year:

• New "4G-like speed" network will cover 185 million users by the end of the year.
• webConnect Rocket USB stick will get a broader roll out soon.
• Dell Inspiron Mini 10 will be available in store so you can use it with the webConnect.  I'm not sure why this is a big deal.  Can't you use it with other laptops or netbooks?
• Provided a list of cities that are currently HSPA+ ready.

As for myself, I really liked what I saw in the Vibrant and features and capabilities that I had the opportunity to play with.  I also asked the folks there about the battery life.  Now, they're there to make a sale so you'll have to take what they say with a grain of salt.  But they charge the Vibrant's battery overnight and it gets used and abused through the business hours by customers and it never needed an afternoon nap or anything like that.

If true, I'm impressed given what every is saying about Sprint's HTC EVO.  Oh, and the Vibrant took great pics and videos for a handset.  And playing "Avatar" on the 4" screen was absolutely incredible.  

I'm on a budget so I'm not going to go back in there until later in August at the very earliest.  Plus, I'm considering experiment going without wireless for a few months just to see how I adjust to a "normal" life.  But from ten to fifteen minutes I spent with the Vibrant, you can't go wrong with it.

Also, if you go on the Web to read reviews and hand-ons, you'll notice a lot of folks company about the lack of an LED flash for the camera and a frontal facing camera for video conferencing.  First, the vid chat.  There is no official Android protocol from Google for this feature.  Only Facetime from Apple works well from my experience.  Fring does not come close.  Vid chat is not going to take off for another year or two anyway.

But I can see the deal breaker being the lack of LED flash for the camera.  I don't understand the omission.  Other than that, the Vibrant lives up to its name.

More at BGR on the HSPA+ update.

Free Android Devices From T-Mobile and HSPA+ Deployed To More Cities

Below is a repost from Onxo where I discussed the great news of HSPA+ now more widely available to T-Mobile's customers.  And just in time as well.

On June 19th, T-Mobile will give free phones to customers who signed up for qualified plans.  And these are not the run-of-the-mill handsets.  These T-Mobile's top Android devices that are part of the mix.  So if you're looking for a great Android device, T-Mobile has something for you.  Here is a list of what'll be part of this deal on Saturday:

• HTC - myTouch 3G Slide - keyboard is rather decent in my tests
• HTC - HD 2 - pretty nice but runs an aged Windows Mobile
• Garminfone - just released and T-Mobile is making sure this is part of the Father's Day deal.
• MOT - Cliq XT - not the best Android phone but it'll be free!
• There are other Android but since they're kind of old, I don't think it's worth mentioning.

Now, the repost about the HSPA+ network T-Mobile has implemented:

Full disclosure.  I am partial to T-Mobile USA. And Sprint PCS was my first mobile service provider back in the, well, dark ages of cellular service.  It's it's difficult for me to pit the two against each other but since I'm with T-Mobile now, I'm going to plug them a bit here.  And there's good reason.

And T-Mobile has announced its next generation 3G service, HSPA+ for 25 metropolitan areas including major cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, and Atlanta.  I've waited and waited and its finally here for my city.  By the end of June, HSPA+ service will cover 75 million users.  Devices that work includes 15 handsets and a dedicated USB modem, the webConnect Rocket.

Between now and then, T-Mobile hope to blanket over 185 million users with the service.  Furthermore, T-Mobile doesn't seem to imply it has issues its bigger rival, ATT, has.  Recently, ATT announced pretty anemic wireless plans that ration wireless Internet access.

T-Mobile, as well as Sprint, do not have any such plans.  In fact, T-Mobile is considering metered speed rather than rationed access.  Personally, with my two-year contract up and despite my love for the iPhone 4, I am not sure I'm going to migrate over to ATT just to use the latest and greatest mobile device from Apple.

More impressive is that T-Mobile seems to imply they've got plenty of bandwidth to go around.  I've advocated Apple bring the iPhone over to T-Mobile in the past and, recently, this seems more plausible.

So while Sprint has EVO, Verizon has Droid, and ATT has iPhone 4, T-Mobile has HSPA+ with devices like myTouch, Garminfone, and the upcoming Galaxy S from Samsung, T-Mobile's stars could be aligned for once:  strong lineup and the network to back it up.

More at Engadget, TmoNews,

Note:  HSPA+.  This is T-Mobile's "4G-like" 3G service with a theoretical upload of 21Mbps.  In reality, it's not even close but for the moment, users could care less as T-Mobile was a late comer to the 3G wireless services.  However, with this deployment, it has really surpassed Verizon Wireless as well as ATT and rival Sprint's WiMax, a true 4G wireless connection.

Another note:  On June 19th, T-Mobile will be offering phones to users who sign up for qualified plans.  A lot of these phones are Android-based.  This is one of the best deals I've seen.

Last note:  For more on the Father's Day deal, you can head over to T-Mobile or Tmonews has the scoop.