T-mobile

Solavei offers unlimited, no-contract phone service for $49 per month

It costs me around $80 per month to operate my iPhone 4S, which will soon be out of contract.

When that joyous day comes, I will very likely ditch AT&T in favor of something like Solavei, one of a growing number of companies offering cheaper, no-contract mobile service.

Specifically, Solavei gives you unlimited voice, text, and 4G data for $49 per month. OK, there's an asterisk next to "unlimited": the 4G data bounty ends at 4GB, after which Solavei throttles you back to 2G-level service. More on that in a bit.

Unlike Walmart's AT&… Read more

T-Mobile nixes Windows Phone 7.8 update for Lumia 710

Owners of Nokia's Lumia 710 who expected an update to Windows Phone 7.8 are out of luck.

The phone's sole U.S. carrier, T-Mobile, confirmed the news in a statement sent to CNET today:

At this time, the Nokia Lumia 710 will not receive the Windows Phone 7.8 software update. T-Mobile is committed to enhancing customers' experience with our devices, including providing upgrades to the latest operating systems, and T-Mobile aims to deliver software upgrades when it will provide a better experience for our customers. We'll share additional information on upgrades for the Nokia Lumia … Read more

Ouya game console hits stores in June

Tuesday's CNET Update is ready for a new way to game:

The Android-based game console Ouya (pronounced ooo-yah) is scheduled to arrive at major retailers in June. Preorders have begun for this open-sourced, crowd-funded console. It will give consumers cheaper access to a wider selection of games to play on their television, and games built for the Ouya will be free to try. The console costs $100 and includes one controller. Additional controllers will cost $50.

Also in today's tech news roundup:

- A screenshot taken of an internal T-Mobile document indicates that the carrier plans to sell … Read more

Sprint flirted with others before partnering with SoftBank

Sprint Nextel played the field a bit before committing to a merger with SoftBank, according to a merger proxy document filed by Sprint this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The nation's third-largest wireless carrier had discussions with at least four companies, though the specific names weren't revealed.

The wheeling and dealing underscores the trend toward industry consolidation, spurred partly by competition, as well as by the need for more wireless spectrum. Sprint, in particular, was in both a financial and spectrum bind prior to the SoftBank deal.

Before the SoftBank deal, Sprint had discussions with "… Read more

Alleged T-Mobile road map shows LTE devices arriving March 27

T-Mobile is reportedly readying a harvest of LTE-enabled devices for this spring, suggesting that T-Mobile's 4G LTE network will be operational by that time

The wireless carrier is expected to release the BlackBerry Z10, Samsung Galaxy Exhibit, and Sonic 2.0 LTE mobile hot spot on March 27, according to a purported road map leaked to TMO News. A screenshot of the road map also lists an LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy S3 launching either March 27 or April 3.

Pricing for the devices was not included.

T-Mobile, which does not yet currently offer 4G LTE, has said before that it … Read more

The top six wireless charging handsets (roundup)

Whether you think it's just a trendy party trick or the next feature we should all come to expect from high-end handsets, wireless charging is catching on and has been featured in a number of top-tier devices.

And while the future of its popularity still hangs in the air, we rounded up the best phones (in no particular order) that are available now and feature the technology. All these handsets, save for one Lumia, feature the capability natively and don't require a special phone case.

In addition, if you're looking at this list with envy while holding … Read more

BlackBerry's last stand: Z10 unveiled

Wednesday's CNET Update has the BlackBerry breakdown:

It's the start of a new chapter for BlackBerry. Today's show explains the basics of the Z10 and Q10 smartphones, as well as the new features of the BlackBerry 10 operating system. For a deeper dive, check out the links below:

- Full review of the touchscreen BlackBerry Z10

- First impressions of the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone with keyboard

- Full review of the BlackBerry 10 operating system

- RIM sheds old name, becomes BlackBerry

- The big apps available on BlackBerry 10

- Carrier and price details for the Z10 and Q10 … Read more

Justice Dept sought review of T-Mobile-MetroPCS deal in November

Correction, 2:55 p.m. and 6:55 PT: CNET incorrectly stated that the Justice Department had sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission today and implied there was additional concern about the national security implications of that deal. There have been no additional concerns raised, and the review is part of a standard process when a foreign company is involved in a merger.

The U.S. Department of Justice had previously asked the Federal Communications Commission to defer its review of the T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger in late November.

In a letter dated Nov. 26, 2012, attorney adviser … Read more

T-Mobile now supports StarStar Me, calls out Google Voice

It must be tough for carriers to make an extra dime these days with upstart apps offering customers for free what network operators want to charge for. With today's announcement that T-Mobile now supports the StarStar Me app, it's clear that TMO feels the heat. … Read more