The competition in the US wireless market is getting fierce. Just ask T-Mobile (NYSE: DT). Citing increased pressure from other carriers offering innovative handsets, T-Mobile USA today reported a net loss of 77,000 customers in Q3 2009. The loss is striking, compared to the same quarter last year, when T-Mobile reported a net addition of 670,000 customers. Still, T-mobile USA’s parent company, Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT), reported a 7.2% bump in quarterly profit, increased to $1.4 billion for the quarter.
T-Mobile USA’s average revenue per user (ARPU) dropped in the third quarter, causing operating revenues to decline to $5.38 billion from $5.51 billion in the same period in 2008. As it stands, T-Mobile USA boasts 33.4 million subscribers, which is still an increase from last year. Even with a customer loss, T-Mobile USA is closing the gap with No. 3 US wireless carrier Sprint (NYSE: S).
We’ll have to wait and see how the upcoming Samsung Behold II and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold 9700 launches affect T-Mobile’s bottom line.
Mobile road warriors can attest to the usefulness of 3G modems. It’s empowering to know that you can hop online at anytime, no matter where you are. It gets even better if you can use your 3G modem with a prepaid data plan, like the Broadband2Go plan from Virgin Mobile USA (NYSE: VM). And, it looks like Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless understands the need for prepaid data plans. The No. 1 US wireless carrier (by subscriber count) has just announced a trio of new prepaid data plans for use with the Novatel USB760 3G modem. The plans range from $15 to $50 per month, but don’t expect to get what you pay for.
For $15, customers will get 75MB of data for a single day of service. For $30, Verizon will offer 250MB of data, which can be used over the course of a week. The highest prepaid plan offers 500MB of data for a month, but costs a whopping $50. Compare those prices to the $60 post-paid (contract required) data plan from Verizon, and it’s clear that the prepaid plans are disproportionately expensive. If you compare those prices to Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go plans, which offer 100MB for $10, 250MB for $20, 600MB for $40, or 1GB for $60, and Verizon’s new plans look like downright rip-offs.
What justifies the extra cost of Verizon’s prepaid data plans? As far as we can tell, you’re paying more just for the brand-name. Verizon apparently thinks people shop for 3G modems like they shop for designer jeans.
Verizon Wireless will launch the prepaid plans and the Novatel USB760 modem on November 15th via Verizon retail stores. The Novatel USB760 will cost $129.99, and it’s up to you to fill it up with prepaid data.
Since Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps for iPhone doesn’t support (so far) turn-by-turn GPS navigation directions, iPhone users are left having to pay for GPS navigation apps from the AppStore. But, getting navigation on your iPhone doesn’t have to be expensive. Today, Networks In Motion has announced a new update to its Gokivo iPhone app [iTunes link] that offers users two relatively cheap options for GPS navigation. Users can download the Gokivo app for $4.99 from the AppStore and enjoy 30 days of voice-guided navigation, or, for $39.99, Gokivo will serve up iPhone navigation for a full year. And, to celebrate, NIM is giving iPhone users a chance to download their Gokivo for iPhone navigation app for FREE!
The Gokivo app supports voice-guided directions, including spoken street names. It also serves up real-time traffic alerts to help you avoid any delays. And, with iPod integration, you can listen to your favorite tunes from within the Gokivo iPhone app.
To get Gokivo for free today, you’ll first need to download the Gokivo iPhone app and pay $4.99. Then, simply email Gokivo with you riTunes receipt to nim@sutherlandgold.com and you’ll be reimbursed via PayPal or gift card, whatever you prefer.
If you’ve had your eye on the Android-powered HTC Hero and its customized Sense UI, but just couldn’t bear to leave Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s warm embrace for Sprint (NYSE: S)’s network, you’re in luck! Verizon went official this morning with the Hero-esque HTC Droid Eris. The Eris is a lot like the Hero, just for the Verizon Wireless network. And, at just $99, the Droid Eris is the more affordable alternative to both the upcoming Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid and the Sprint HTC Hero. The Eris even sports the same Sense UI that we’ve come to love on the HTC Hero.
The Motorola Droid might be hogging all the hype this week, but the Eris deserves some time in the limelight. So, without further ado, here’s a hands-on look at HTC Droid Eris for Verizon Wireless.
Here’s a quick spec-sheet rundown on the HTC Droid Eris:
If the social-networked iPhone app discovery app Chorus isn’t your cup of tea, your best bet is to hit Twitter to see which iPhone apps are trending hot. AppStoreHQ makes it easy to keep tabs on the Twittersphere and breaks down which apps tweeple around the world are tweeting about. It’s a points based system, so the more times a certain app gets tweeted, the higher it ranks in the “Most Popular iPhone Apps on Twitter” list.
Coincidentally, Chorus is the hottest iPhone app on Twitter right now – beating out Waveboard, the Google Wave iPhone app, by a huge margin. If you haven’t yet checked out Chorus, download the free app and give it a go.
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Wave on the iPhone, in theory, would be a great way to use Google’s new collaborative chat service. So, when we first heard that Waveboard for iPhone launched as the first Google Wave iPhone app, we were excited to try it out. Then, we realized that the Waveboard app is nothing more than a Google Wave viewer. Waveboard basically does what Google’s Google Wave mobile website does – it simply lets you view “waves.” And it costs $1. Color us unimpressed.
To be fair, Waveboard includes an integrated browser and a “shake” feature for reloading waves. Push notifications are working through a workaround, but Waveboard’s developers say that proper push notifications are on the way.
We’d rather bookmark Google Wave’s mobile website on our iPhone and save the buck for an iPhone fart machine. But, if you’re curious, and feeling a little wasteful, give Waveboard a download [iTunes link]. Let us know what you think!
Midomi, a sleek little music ID app for Android that I spotted at CTIA, is now available in the Market for free (for a “limited time”). The one key feature that really sets it apart from the current big name, Shazam, is that you can hum the tune into your phone, so even if you can’t get your phone out in time to put it up against a speaker, you won’t be tortured with a mystery song until you get to a proper computer. After figuring out the song, Midomi offers YouTube videos, bookmarking, sharing, lyrics, artist info, album art, and a bunch of other stuff – very handy. So go ahead an look it up in the on-device Android Market, but if you’re rocking an iPhone, a premium version is available for $4.99.
The T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) (NYSE: DT) BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold 9700 isn’t quite launched just yet, but we’ve already gotten friendly with RIM’s newest hardware. The Bold 9700 looks and feels a lot like the original BlackBerry Bold 9000, with some significant under-the-hood upgrades. Cosmetically, the biggest difference is the missing trackball; in it’s place is a new optical trackpad. It’s a subtle design update that makes a lot of sense – the Bold 9000 was a big hit for RIM, of course they’re going to stick with a recipe that everyone loves.
Bell busted out their fresh HSPA devices yesterday, and today we have a similar official announcement from telus (NYSE: TU). Earlier this week, we had a chance to sit down and take a look at the new toys; most of the players you’ll already be familiar with, but here’s a rundown of telus‘ take on each one.
First up we have the Hero, HTC’s Android avenger, jam-packed with their custom Sense user interface. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t packaged in Sprint (NYSE: S)’s slick, smooth, curve casing, but telus apparently wanted to capture the European flavour by offering something unique to North America, although it’s arguably reminiscent of Rogers (NYSE: RCI)’ HTC Dream in terms of aesthetic. Prodding a little bit about other Android hardware in the future, telussaid that they’re really not interested in vanilla builds – they really want to see some unique experiences with each manufacturer, and I couldn’t agree more. If you’re hoping to see the Hero on another carrier up north, good luck; telus said they’ve nabbed the Canadian exclusive on the Hero, and it sounded indefinite. The price point is also killer: $99.99 on contract, $499.99 off contract.
With all the hub-bub these days surrounding the Motorola DROID and HTC DROID Eris, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has taken the chance to launch a new device quite quietly, amongst all the noise made by the DROID insanity. Which device? Well, I’m talking about the LG Chocolate Touch. Available for $79.99 (after $50 rebate) on a 2-year contract, the Chocolate Touch (love that name) features a 3″ touchscreen, comes pre-installed with VZ Navigator, V CAST Music and Video, oh, and there’s a 3.2MP camera on-board as well. You’ll also get visual voicemail and a convenience key all tricked-out to help you pull up your favorite social networks.
The LG Chocolate Touch also comes complete with Dolby Mobile… A setup that apparently ‘produces an audio quality that rivals MP3 players’. Oh goody. 1GB of internal memory is slated for music, and if that isn’t enough room you can expand up to 16GB with a microSD card (not included).
My initial impressions? Meh. Yeah, DROID does sound a little bit better. I love to eat chocolate, but I’d be hesitant to ever use it as my ‘daily driver’.
Check out the LG Chocolate Touch for yourself at Verizon Wireless.
The competition in the US wireless market is getting fierce. Just ask T-Mobile (NYSE: DT). Citing increased pressure from other carriers offering innovative handsets, T-Mobile USA today reported a net loss of 77,000 customers in Q3 2009. The loss is striking, compared to the same quarter last year, when T-Mobile reported a net addition of 670,000 customers. Still, T-mobile USA’s parent company, Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT), reported a 7.2% bump in quarterly profit, increased to $1.4 billion for the quarter.
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