Pocket Intros Motorola e815

At $149, the Motorola e815 s a bargain considering its features. Granted, it's an older phone, but it has great reception from what I've heard and its features are comparable to the Razr v3m's for $110 less. Bluetooth, high-speed data (irrelevant for Pocket at the moment but still a nice thing to have) and a 1.3 megapixel camera come to mind featur-wise. However you look at it, the e815 is a welcome addition to Pocket's portfolio of phones at a price that makes it an easy choice when confronted with Kyoceras and such in the same range.

Net10 Unlimits Service...both Talk and Text...for $79.98 a month!

It's nearly midnight (shoulda found this out earlier today but didn't) so I won't scream like a schoolgirl, but you can now get unlimited non-contract prepaid talk and text service on Net10 Wireless for $79.98 a month!

So as not to chew my cabbage twice (Andy Griffith Show anyone?) I'm posting more about this over on Go4Prepaid.net so take a look over there for more info.

This is...um...awesome. No contracts, roaming charges or surprise fees, the phones are cheap, the service price is reasonable...wow, just wow.

Want MetroPCS with your phone? MetroFlash it!

Have a supported phone more on that later)? Only want to talk and text (most flashing services like this only allow those two things, though more stuff might work on certain phones)? Want to talk and text on MetroPCS? Then swing by a MetroFlash-enabled retailer and turn your CDMA phone (if it's one of the supported models) into a MetroPCS handset. The cost? $30, plus, it seems, your first month of service.

So what are the phone models? See below...though keep in mind that MetroFlash won't work for you if you're in a MetroPCS AWS-only area like Philadelphia or Las Vegas...

Audiovox (CDM-)
8450
8615
8900
8910
8912
8915
8920
8940

...whether the Virgin Mobile Snapper (8915) or Flasher (8912) handsets are included here I'm not sure, but I'd expect not...

Kyocera
K132
K24 v1003
K323
K342
K404
K433
K483JLC
K493
K612b
KE413
KE424c
KE433c
KX1
KX13
KX16
KX160B
KX18 5DW
KX18 5DO
KX414
KX44
KX444
KX5
KX9c
KX9d
KX9d 125
KX9e

LG
5000
AX 355
AX 490
AX 830
AX/LX/UX 260
AX/UX 145
AX/UX 380
AX/UX 390
DM L200
LX 150
LX 160
LX 350
LX 5450
LX 550
LX 565
LX/VI 125
MM 535
PM 225
PM 325
vx1000
vx10000 (enV series I think)
vx3200
vx3280 (Tracfone?)
vx3300
vx3400
vx3450
vx4400
vx4500
vx4700
vx5200
vx5300
vx5400
vx6000
vx6100
vx6200
vx7000
vx8300
vx8350
vx8500 (Chocolate)
vx8550 (newer Chocolate)
vx8700
vx8800
vx9100
vx9400
vx9800 (LG V)
vx990 (enV)
VX/AX 4270
VX/AX 8600
VX/LS 5500

Motorola
c290
e815
e816 (Amp'd Hollywood)
ic402c (Sprint\Nextel Blend)
ic502 (Sprint\Nextel Buzz)
K1m (KRZR)
L7c (SLVR)
v262
v265
v276
v323i
v325i (Verizon v323i)
v3a (RAZR Lite)
v3c (RAZR)
v3c-2 (RAZR ???)
v3m (newest CDMA Razr)
v710
v9m (Razr2)
Ve (Razr Max)
w315
w385
z6m (Rokr\Rizr)
z6tv

...if you're noticing a pattern here, looks like the vast majority of Verizon phones can be moved over...

Pantech
DM-P100 (Disney Mobile)
PN-210
PN-215
PN-218
PN-300
PN-810

Samsung
SCH-
a310
a475
a530
a595
a605
a610
a630
a645
a650
a655
a670
a685
a725
a790
a815
a850
a870
a890
a895
a915
a930
a950
a970
a990
n330
r200
r400
r410
r500
r510
r610
u340
u340-1 (???)
u470
u510
u540
u620
u740
SPH-
a420
a503
a505
a513
a523
a560
a580
a620
a640
a660
a680
a740
a760
a800
a820
a840
a880
a900
a920
a960
i830 (Palm OS!)
m300
m500
m510
m520
m520-1 (Qwest?)
m620

...looks like you can switch over a lot of Sprint Alltel and US Cellular handsets, too...pretty good selection...

Sanyo
Katana DLX
M1
MM 7200
MM 7300
MM 7400
MM 7500
PM 8200
S1
SCP 200
SCP 2300
SCP 3400
SCP 3100
SCP 3200
SCP 4500
SCP 4900
SCP 4920
SCP 4930
SCP 5300
SCP 5500
SCP 5600
SCP 6550
SCP 6600
SCP 6650
SCP 6650q (Qwest?)
SCP 7000
SCP 8100
SCP 8300
SCP 8400

UTStarCom
CDM 7025
CDM 7025q (Qwest?)

No PDAs except the Samsung i830 (?) and very few Audiovox\UTStarCom models. But if you have a mainstream "just-a-phone" you should be good to go to flash your handset to MetoPCS with MetroFLASH. Grr, I don't like lots of caps in product names...

CricKet Intros Moto v3s

Looks like CricKet also has the Motorola v3s. They're currently only offering it in AWS-only markets (like Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and southern Texas) at a price of $200, $180 if you buy online. Its features mirror those of the dual-band v3a (available on regular-band markets for a mere $110 online, probably to clear out stock) though it has a different finish ("spun metal" versus matte). Keep in mind that this Razr's features mirror those of the original Cingular\T-Mobile Razr: no high-speed data, no music player, no high-res camera. In other words, this is lower-end than the original CDMA version of the Razr. Now if you're okay with all that, go ahead and hit the buy button; it's a better phone than the rest of CricKet's AWS lineup.

MetroPCS hits Philadelphia

From Trenton to Newark, from Norristown to Williamsdown, a big blue blanket is sweeping the countryside. It's the AWS-powered unlimited service of MetroPCS, which plans to expand coverage a good bit along the southern highways and to the northeast...well, just check out MetroPCS' coverage map here.

If you're in the area, listen to your local radio station. Seems like MetroPCS is running ads, doing sponsorships or something to that effect with a few stations and sports teams in the area. There's also something in there about the Wachovia Complex...

If you're wondering about phone choice, it's getting better but still isn't as good as the nine-phone selection in more typical (850/1900 MHz) areas. Here are your choices:

$100 - Samsung Spex (Bluetooth bar) or UTStarCom 7126M (Bluetooth flip)
$110 - Huawei M328 (Flip with Bluetooth...maybe?)
$150 - Samsung MyShot (Bluetooth flip cameraphone)
$170 - ZTE C79 (1.3 megapixel music-enabled stereo Bluetooth flip)
$180 - Motorola v3s (Razr Lite, comes w\accessory pack)

For more info, swing by MetroPCS' website. The Philly splash is on their front page.

MetroPCS Intros Motorola v3s, Huawei M328, ZTE C79

The other carrier that's big in the news on the unlimited scene? MetroPCS; they've introduced a few phones, given people a way to bring their own phones to the MetroPCS party, and brought service to yet another area...

First, the new phones:

Huawei M328 - This $109 upgrade from the Huawei M318 is the second Huawei phone to hit the US market. It's the fourth consumer device total; Alltel has two Huawei data cards, and has had them for awhile. Anyhow, the M328 is nothing to write home about; its most notable feature is AWS spectrum compatibility (MetroPCS, like CricKet, has some of those airwaves). Next most notable is the possibility of having Bluetooth...it might or might not depending on where Google takes you. Details are sparse on MetroPCS's website at the moment, so you can't tell for sure.

Motorola Razr v3s - At $179 you'd think this is just a Motorola v3a "Razr Lite" with a spun-metal finish. You wouldn't be far from the truth, though this phone also sports AWS band compatibility. Keep in mind that the v3s is nothing special; there's no music player, no high-speed data and no megapixel-plus camera (it's just VGA...if you're thinking "original GSM Razr except for CDMA" you've got the picture) but at least there's a phone that might qualify as high-end on MetroPCS' AWS service. CricKet has the phone too, but only in AWS-only markets. In the meanwhile, MetroPCS is offering a free case and charger with purchase of the v3s, so you might want to buy now if you're into that sort of thing.

...but wait! One more phone is available only in AWS-only areas: the ZTE C79. At $169 the phone shows that Chinese manufacturers have one big advantage: they're cheap, and you can pass on the non-expense to customers. As far as phone features go, the C79 has plenty, ranging from a MicroSD-powered media player with Stereo Bluetooth to a 1.3 megapixel camera to a high-res 2" screen. No wait...the phone is out of stock...or, more likely, not quite in stock. But once the ZTE trucks roll in, MetroPCS should wind up with a full-featured multimedia AWS phone on their hands, which is a good thing for customers in such places as Vegas and Philly whose only choice for MetroPCS are AWS-capable handsets.

...but what about Philly and MetroPCS? See the next post...

Pocket Intros Kyocera KX18, Kyocera Rebates Still Going Strong

Apologies for the lengthy amount of time where I haven’t posted anything to this site, during which several things have happened in the unlimited cellular industry. I did post about Virgin Mobile’s “Totally Unlimited” plan but there are plenty of other things to talk about…

First off, Pocket Communications has another net\w phone: the Kyocera KX18. If you seem to remember that model designation, your memory serves correctly: this phone could be found on Amp’d Mobile until the company closed up shop last year. Pocket is offering the handset for $129.

They’ve offered something similar, the Kyocera Slider Remix, before at a similar price point, but the phone was discontinued shortly after it was introduced on the network. My hunch is that the acquisitions folks at Pocket scout around for small-scale bulk purchases of slightly older-generation phones, then snap them up at a low enough price to resell to customers at a decent price (for an unlimited carrier at least) and still make a profit, or at least have a low loss leader (something that’s nice to have when you’re selling non-contract service).

Anyhow, the phone has a reasonable number of features, like high-speed internet (not supported on Pocket’s network), a camera with picture messaging (supported on Pocket’s network) and your usual other features (supported on Pocket’s network). The phone also had other multimedia features on Amp’d like Push-to-Talk and TV\Music downloads, that I doubt made it over to Pocket. I’ll have to take a look at a working phone (if I can) when I get back to Texas (on vacation in Florida right now) to see exactly what the Pocket KX18 is like. I’m thinking it’s probably the same generic Kyocera interface as that of the Slider Remix (KX5) and the Candid (KX16).

Personally, I’d opt for a non-Kyocera phone, but I’ve heard decent reviews of the KX18 from the Amp’d peanut gallery so this actually might be a good $129 choice on Pocket…

One more thing: $30 rebates for two of Pocket’s Kyocera phones are still available. So if you want a barely-functional phone (K132) for $49 after a rebate, or Kyocera’s newest messaging phone (M1000) for $169, you’re in luck.

That’s about it on the Pocket front, so far as I can tell.

Virgin Mobile Is, Like, Totally Unlimited, Dude

Following in the footsteps of the contract unlimited plans, and joining services such as Page Plus Cellular, Virgin Mobile now has an unlimited plan of their own. Powered by Sprint's network (no roaming due to the difficulty of doing billing etc. on CDMA, among other things) and making use of Virgin Mobile's current lineup, unlimited voice calling is now available for a mere $79.99 a month, though this total may well be without another 10-20% in taxes and fees. At any rate, if you're looking for unlimited voice service and don't mind being limited to a single carrier's network (Sprint's contract plans cap roaming at 800 minutes per month anyway) Virgin Mobile is $20 cheaper than Verizon and AT&T. If you want messaging on top of your minutes, the Virgin Mobile plan weighs in at $10 cheaper than T-Mobile and on par with Sprint's contract plan: $10 more per month than the base rate, or $90 in all. Or you can get 1000 messages of any type for $5 extra per month, better than anything contract providers are offering (AT&T;would give you a stingy 200 messages for that price).

Virgin Mobile's foray into unlimited marks the going mainstream of prepaid unlimited service: most people have seen or heard of Virgin Mobile (versus PowerLink or Page Plus Cellular), the network VMo uses is nationwide and there's no contract to sign. Basically what you give up when choosing Virgin Mobile versus a contract carrier is a very inexpensive or free phone (though several of Virgin Mobile's phones are less expensive than contract carriers' activation fees) and roaming off of Sprint's network. That's it. Virgin Mobile's phones are also significantly cheaper than those of CricKet, MetroPCS, Pocket et al though the diferential is quickly reversed with the higher monthly fee. Also, data access is still limited, though in all honesty pulling $5 worth (5 MB) of data over the current phone lineup (which has no 3G data) isn't all that easy to do.

Whatever way you look at it, the introduction of this unlimited plan is the introduction of more competition into the cellular market, particularly the unlimited part. That's always a good thing.

As a postscript, maybe the introduction of the "Totally Unlimited" plan is a result of Virgin Mobile's buying up the contract-based Sprint-based Helio, which offers high-end phones and a $100-a-month unlimited-everything plan.Or not...just thinking...