This morning, we wrote up a recap of Verizon’s new Device Payment Plan since it went live today for smartphones and could be an option for those looking to upgrade phones earlier than the new 24-month upgrade cycle. Specifics on keeping unlimited data or how this new plan affects your current contract were a bit murky, though, so we reached out to Big Red’s PR team to get deeper clarification. We’ve heard back with what I would consider to be good news. 

According to Verizon, if you are an existing customer with an unlimited data plan, keeping your unlimited data can still be accomplished by purchasing phones at full retail price, and the new Device Payment Plan is considered an option. Here is the statement:

Currently if an existing customer has an unlimited data plan, they can keep their unlimited data plan as long as they pay full price for their smartphone and the Verizon Wireless Device Payment Plan is an option available to them.

So, there you have it.

This new Device Payment Plan is live as of today – here are all of the details.

Verizon’s Device Payment Plan Can be Used as a Way to Keep Unlimited Data and Upgrade Phones is a post from: Droid Life

Click here to view the embedded video.

T-Mobile is trying to shake up the entire wireless industry this month by taking the “Un-carrier” approach to wireless service. Gone are the two-year contracts and 23-month phone upgrade cycles – in are the month-to-month plans with the option to upgrade to the newest phones whenever you please at the lowest prices. They are also shunning tiered data plans (sort of), spouting off colorful commentary to their competitors, and claiming to have cancelled their membership to the “out-of-touch wireless club,” a direct reference to the “Big 4″ U.S. carriers grouping that includes Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. It’s a lot of marketing speak and posturing, but is it even the right approach? 

In T-Mobile’s new plans, customers can sign up for unlimited talk and text for $50, with 500MB of data. If they want more data, they can add on 2GB for $10 or go fully unlimited for an additional $20. Second lines are $30, with data remaining at the $10 and $20 price points. After the first two lines, additional lines are $10 per month without data.

Of course, those monthly rates do not include the monthly payment plans you make on the phone you just purchased through them. See, T-Mobile will get you into the brand new iPhone 5 for $99, but they’ll then charge you a monthly fee until you have fully paid off the full $579 price of the phone (or whatever retail is these days). It’s their way of killing subsidies – whether or not you like the approach can be debated for hours, so we’ll leave it as it is.

They also launched their LTE network in seven cities and hope to cover up to 200 million people by the end of this year. Sure, they are late to the party, but they are hoping to ramp up rollout so that they can keep up with Verizon and AT&T.

But here’s the thing – if I were to ask you today, why you aren’t a T-Mobile customer, I bet I can guess the answer in a matter of seconds. It’s the coverage, isn’t it? Too many times in the comments of this site have we seen, “I’d switch to T-Mobile in a heartbeat, but I get zero coverage at my house/work/regularly visited bar.” We’ve even bragged up prepaid plans and adopting the unlocked model, yet so many of you still bring up the fact that Verizon gives you the best coverage and that’s exactly why you’ve stuck with them for so long. There is no denying that you’d love to go with the cheapest carrier that provides the most freedom, but in reality, you can’t do it at this time.

Here are the coverage maps of the northwest that I pulled minutes ago from Verizon (left) and T-Mobile’s (right) websites to add some perspective:

So here is where I don’t think T-Mobile is taking the correct approach at their latest attempt at a comeback. In my opinion, I don’t necessarily think it’s all about two-year contracts, subsidies and cheap no-frills plans. People want to know that they are going to have coverage 99% of the time. Mobile phones are replacing home phones by the second, so things like reliability are more important than ever. When consumers take that weekend road trip or fly back home to their small home town, will they have service? If they hit up an outskirts suburb in a major city, what’s their data coverage going to be like?

We’ve even talked about Verizon’s insanely priced Share Everything plans, yet as expensive as they remain, with prepaid options sitting out there at arm’s reach that are half the cost, customers still won’t switch because they know exactly what they are getting and have been getting for years. T-Mobile is still known as having sh*tty service, so is becoming the Un-carrier going to change that? And whether that’s still true or not depends on the person, but that’s sort of the point here.

While my time with T-Mobile’s service has been limited to my life with the Nexus 4, I can tell you this. I live in Portland, a decent sized city and have asked my wife to look something up for me more times in the last four months than I did the previous three or four years of my smartphone-filled life combined because I constantly run into a lack of signal or coverage. It was spotty in New York during Samsung’s Galaxy S4 event, it’s at times non-existent at Blazers games in downtown Portland, I lose service when I drive 5 minutes south to Lake Oswego (suburb of Portland), and typically find myself carrying a second phone (Verizon or AT&T) with me when I know I’ll be heading out for more than a few hours at a time.

Again, I like no-contracts, unlocked phones, and a “f*ck the man” approach to life. Props to T-Mobile for that. I even despise the recent approaches by Verizon and AT&T to essentially scam consumers into overpriced shared data plans while selling them on unlimited text and calling features that they don’t need anymore. But did any of T-Mobile’s song and dance change their network status or image? I don’t know that it did. Give us great wireless service that’s reliable and we’ll sign on the dotted line, whether that includes a contract or not.

Click here to view the embedded video.

T-Mobile’s UN-Carrier Approach Sounds Awesome, But Killing Contracts Shouldn’t be Their Message or Focus [Opinion] is a post from: Droid Life

Verizon officially introduced new prepaid plans this morning, the same plans that were leaked earlier in the week. The plans are as follows – $60 for unlimited talk, text and 500MB of data or $70 for unlimited talk, text and 2GB of data. Oh, we should also point out that these plans can only use Verizon’s insanely slow 3G CDMA network and not their ultra-fast 4G LTE network.

So why would you switch to one of these, you ask? I have no idea. If you want to go the prepaid route, we already talked about options for T-Mobile and AT&T a couple of days ago that run $45-50 and include unlimited HSPA+ data, which at times is faster than LTE.

But, if you love Verizon to no end and need something cheaper than their Share Everything plans, here are your new options.

Verizon Announces New Unlimited Prepaid Plans, No 4G LTE in Sight is a post from: Droid Life

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’ve made it painfully obvious that we hate data caps, tiered data, and any thoughts of sharing that data with someone else. In fact, most of you hate all of that as well. The day that we first jumped onto 4G LTE was something we may never forget, but we’ll also never forget the day that Verizon and AT&T told us that we could no longer use that 4G LTE connection on an unlimited basis and that we were going to be limited and capped. We knew why they were pushing this new scheme, but that doesn’t mean we have to ever agree with it.

So the video we have included above talks all about caps and how horrible they are for the industry, for innovation, and for the world of technology as a whole. It’s a worthwhile watch, even if it is 11+ minutes long. The presenter talks about misinformation when it comes to data speeds and congestion, why cable companies may be the root of it all, and why spectrum is the real issue.

Via:  Gizmodo

Video: Why Data Caps Suck is a post from: Droid Life

It has been a while since we asked the DL community which data bracket they fall under. A year ago, the world was set on doing whatever they had to do to keep unlimited data. But now that shared data plans and individual tiers have been around for a while, and a number of new devices have become available, are you willing to give up unlimited to get the latest and greatest on the cheap? Paying full retail prices for phones is not fun, especially when you can get the same phone for hundreds less, as long as you change your data plan. So, a year after the death of unlimited, what plan do you currently have?

Tuesday Poll: What Kind of Data Plan do You Currently Have? is a post from: Droid Life

Data usage is going to be a hot topic whether you want it to be or not. Now that carriers like Verizon and AT&T have created tiered and shared data plans, it’s obvious that they have realized what their next cash cow will be. Gone are the days of worrying about how many texts you sent or calls you made, in are the times when counting MBs and GBs are a daily task.

To get a good feel for the data landscape around these parts, we thought we would ask how much data you consumed last month. If you are on an individual plan, answer away. If you are on a shared plan, I’d love for you to share how much data your entire family consumed. And in case you were wondering where we got the poll options from, you can thank Verizon’s Share Everything plans for those. We built the poll around them.

Thursday Poll: How Much Data Did You Use Last Month? is a post from: Droid Life

Verizon’s CFO Fran “ShamWow” Shammo sat down for a chat at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference today to talk about the state of Verizon’s financial business. This is the first time we have heard from Shammo since his company launched Shared Everything data plans, so naturally, we were dying to hear what he had to say about them. 

According to Shammo, more people than they expected have moved onto shared data plans. He said that he believes that the first batch of adopters made the move to shared because they think they can optimize their plan and save a little money. The interesting note to this point, is the fact that they were expecting to see some dilution as people save money, but in reality, there was even less than they expected. Basically, that means that the shared data plans that they spent an entire year fine-tuning, are certainly fine-tuned to make money.

The second topic that stood out to us was his mention of the number of people moving from unlimited data to shared data plans. Again, Verizon was surprised at the number of people making this move. Shammo believes that unlimited is just a word, that people don’t care about unlimited data and that they all assume that they use more data than they actually do. He is under the impression that people are realizing the benefits of shared rather than unlimited, hence the reason for them to make the change.

My reaction – these people don’t have a choice, but to switch to shared data. Sure, Verizon has told us that we can buy phones at full price if we want to keep unlimited, but very few will actually do that. Instead, people will continue to buy subsidized phones, which then forces them off of their unlimited plans and onto shared. You can’t tell me that Verizon is surprised at this move, they knew this is what would happen. I’m not buying for a second that people are generally requesting shared over unlimited. I don’t know how many ways we need to break this down, but for today’s data-driven world, shared data benefits very few.

The last topic had to do with the plans themselves and how Verizon will continue to make money off of them in the future. Shammo essentially admits that the plans are perfect. Since users are attaching more devices than they had planned, they are seeing them have to buy up in data bundles already, something only making his job even easier and the company more revenue.

I think you all know how I feel about shared data plans, and this interview essentially reaffirms my desire to never switch to one.

Your thoughts?

Via:  Verizon | Engadget

Verizon CFO: “Unlimited” is Just a Word and It’s Going by the Wayside is a post from: Droid Life

We are not exactly fans of Shared Data plans that AT&T and Verizon have adopted lately, but the other carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile, are not impressed either. Sprint has long been touting they have one of the last true unlimited data plans in the country and to hammer home that fact they are breaking out a new advertising campaign to remind you that you don’t have to share. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

In a press release, Caralene Robinson of Sprint said, “the concept of sharing a monthly data allowance across a family or group of users increases the likelihood for a surprise monthly bill due to data overage charges.”

We’re not entirely sure of the science behind that statement, but sharing data might call for some unnecessary overages down the road. They are softly nudging you away from conforming with these new plans while pointing out the strengths of their unlimited plans. What they don’t mention is how many LTE cities they have up and running right now, which is under 15.

Personally I’m partial to dividing up the data based on most dental work, what do you think?

Sprint Starts Marketing Campaign to Encourage You to “Say No to Sharing” is a post from: Droid Life

In a time where carriers want nothing more than to charge you an arm and a leg to use their ultra fast data networks, struggling T-Mobile is willing to go the other route and offer you unlimited data for cheap. Announced tonight, T-Mobile is launching a truly unlimited data plan on September 5. This data plan features no data caps, no speed limits or bill shock, and offers the “ultimate worry-free experience.”

This new unlimited data plan will cost $20 per month when added to a Value plan, and $30 when added to a Classic voice and text plan. For example, a single line Value plan with unlimited talk and text and unlimited data would cost you $69.99. A Classic voice and text plan with unlimited talk and text, paired with an unlimited data plan would run you $89.99.

T-Mobile may not have a 4G LTE network, but they do have a solid HSPA+ network that is capable of some impressive speeds, while not destroying batteries in minutes.

Talk about an option. 

T-Mobile Unleashes Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data

Starting Sept. 5, T-Mobile will be the only carrier with a nationwide 4G network to offer unlimited nationwide 4G data

2012-08-22 00:21:07

T-Mobile USA, Inc., today announced an industry first — a truly Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan. Featuring no data caps, speed limits or bill shock, as well as fast, dependable nationwide 4G coverage, T-Mobile’s new Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan offers the ultimate worry-free experience. The new plan is designed to satisfy both data-hungry customers who want to experience all their smartphones are capable of and those wanting the peace of mind of never having to keep track of their data usage.

Today’s smartphones offer amazing experiences, and consumers are increasingly relying on them for everything from navigation, entertainment and shopping to just staying connected. With the introduction of the Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan, T-Mobile^® is the only U.S. carrier to empower customers to do what they want, when they want, with their smartphones by making fast, nationwide 4G data accessible for everyone — without limits and at a great value.

“We’re big believers in customer-driven innovation, and our Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan is the answer to customers who are frustrated by the cost, complexity and congested networks of our competitors,” said Kevin McLaughlin, vice president, marketing, T-Mobile USA.  “Consumers want the freedom of unlimited 4G data. Our bold move to be the only wireless carrier to offer an Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan reinforces our value leadership and capitalizes on the strength of our nationwide 4G network.”

For customers seeking an unlimited experience on their smartphones, T-Mobile offers several ways for new and existing customers to take advantage of its Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan. New customers can purchase any smartphone in T-Mobile’s robust lineup of innovative devices or bring their own compatible smartphone and have access to a worry-free unlimited data experience on T-Mobile’s fast nationwide 4G network. Current T-Mobile customers on Classic or Value plans can simply upgrade their existing service by adding an Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan.

The Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan will cost $20 per month when added to a Value voice and text plan or $30 per month when added to a Classic voice and text plan. For example, a single line Value plan with unlimited talk and text combined with unlimited nationwide 4G data will cost $69.99 or a single line Classic plan with unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited nationwide 4G data will cost $89.99.

Available starting Sept. 5, T-Mobile’s Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan will provide smartphone customers with uncompromised, dependable access to data on the blazing-fast speeds of T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G network. The Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan will be available at T-Mobile retail stores, on http://www.T-Mobile.com/unlimited-data-plan and through select dealers and national retail stores.

T-Mobile Announces a Truly Unlimited Nationwide “4G” Data Plan, Available September 5 is a post from: Droid Life

We aren’t sure if this is the case for every Verizon customer, but so far this week, we have heard from a handful who used an upgrade over the past few days and were still allowed to keep unlimited data. From what we were told when Share Everything plans went live, unlimited data was only going to be kept if you purchased phones at full retail. We aren’t sure if Verizon is being extra kind this month, if they are temporarily allowing upgrades as they did pre-Share Everything, or if this is some sort of an error in their system. AT&T announced their shared data plans this week and even announced that customers will be able to keep their existing unlimited plans with upgrades for the foreseeable future. Maybe Verizon wants to align themselves with that? 

What we do know is that we have a screenshot below of a customer upgrading this week to a Galaxy S3 and finding that he was able to keep unlimited data. We also just received an email from a reader whose wife is upgrading from a DROID 3 to a 4G phone and was told that she could keep unlimited, but that this was only going to be allowed for a short period of time.

Update:  We are hearing from friends of ours that this is pretty random. Some people are still able to keep unlimited, while others are not. It could have to do with inadvertent canceling of Galaxy S3 pre-orders and those customers are now given a chance to upgrade. It could also be that some are more special than others and simply slipping through the cracks.

If you have yet to use an upgrade, would you mind cruising into your account today, walking through half of the upgrade process on a phone, and then telling us if it is allowing you to keep unlimited data? Afterwards, please let us know in the comments.

Cheers Travis and everyone else!

Verizon Still Letting Upgrades Keep Unlimited Data? is a post from: Droid Life