T-Mobile brings Nokia Lumia 710

Number-four U.S. mobile operator might have been able to offer the iPhone, but it does have a bit of a feather in its cap now: it’s offering the first Nokia Windows Phone device available in the United States, the Nokia Lumia 710. But instead of being a high-end device intended to appeal to the cutting edge of the mobile universe, the Lumia 710 is really intended as a starter smartphone and its $49.99 price emphasizes that appeal.

“We’re excited to team with Nokia in bringing its first Windows Phone to the U.S. with the elegantly designed Nokia Lumia 710,” said T-Mobile USA chief marketing officer Cole Brodman. “Windows Phone offers a compelling mobile OS choice for people who want a smartphone built around them, their family, and friends. We expect it to play a more prominent role in our lineup and marketing efforts in 2012.”

The Nokia Lumia 710 sports a 3.7-inch 800 by 480-pixel touchscreen display, a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm SnapDragon processor, a 5 megapixel camera, assisted GPS, 802.11 b/g/n and BLuetooth 2.1+EDR wireless networking, and the phone has 8 GB of onboard flash storage. It runs Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) operating system, and Nokia says it’ll handle up to 7 hours of talk time on a battery charge. The Lumia 710 also operates on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ “4G” network, meaning users can tap into streaming video, mobile TV, and other high-bandwidth mobile applications—and the device comes with a bunch of them front and center, including Netflix and T-Mobile TV, along with Xbox Live and the Windows Phone Office Hub.

T-Mobile is positioning the Lumia 710 as a solid starter phone for users who have yet to make the jump from feature phones to smartphones and those might just be the ideal customers for Windows Phone devices, since they don’t have baggage of iOS or Android apps and content that might keep them locked into other platforms.

The Nokia Lumia 710 is available in white or black starting today at T-Mobile retail stores and selected retailers for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate card, when purchased with a qualifying two-year service agreement.

AT&T drops $39B T-Mobile bid

AT&T Inc. is hanging up on its $39 billion bid to buy smaller wireless provider T-Mobile USA, nearly four months after the U.S. government raised concerns that it would raise prices, reduce innovation and give customers fewer choices.

The long-expected announcement left AT&T grumbling about a shortage of airwaves to expand its services, while scrappy competitor T-Mobile remains up for sale by German parent Deutsche Telekom.

The formal end of the deal was heralded by critics. No. 3 carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. had feared "an undeniable duopoly" between the proposed new entity and current leader Verizon Wireless. The two companies would have controlled almost 80 percent of the cellphone market had the deal gone through.

Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said the announcement was "a bit of an anticlimax."

"This is like receiving the divorce papers for a couple that's been separated for years," he said.

AT&T's purchase of fourth-ranked T-Mobile, announced in March, would have made it the largest cellphone company in the U.S. AT&T is now the second-largest wireless carrier, with more than 100 million subscribers, behind Verizon Wireless, with 108 million. Sprint has 53 million, followed by T-Mobile at 34 million.

T-Mobile endured without much investment from its parent company and without the highest-end devices such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone. It offered value packages to customers who brought phones from other carriers. Regulators feared the loss of T-Mobile as a competitor would hurt consumers.

AT&T will now have to pay Deutsche Telekom $3 billion in cash as a breakup fee and give it about $1 billion worth of airwaves, known as spectrum, that AT&T doesn't need for the continued rollout of its high-speed "4G" network.

It will also enter into a roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom so that AT&T's and T-Mobile's customers can use each other's networks.

AT&T will take an accounting charge of $4 billion in the current quarter.

The company said the deal would have solved that problem for a time, and without it, "customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled."

AT&T said it will continue to invest, and it called on the government to quickly approve its purchase of unused spectrum from Qualcomm Inc. and come up with legislation to meet the nation's long-term needs.

Besides such an auction, AT&T could also buy spectrum from satellite TV operator Dish Network Corp., which could require an FCC waiver because it is licensed for satellite use.

Besides missing out on many of the hottest smartphones, T-Mobile has stuck to updating its existing 3G network to achieve 4G speeds.

By contrast, competitors have moved to all-new networks that use LTE, or long-term evolution, technology specifically designed to carry data. Both AT&T and Verizon are building LTE networks, and Sprint intends to use the technology, too.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 coming to T-Mobile

The 4G variant of Samsung's Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 tablet will become available under T-Mobile's wing on November 16, the company has announced.

The 9.96 mm thin device has a 7-inch, 1024×600 pixel screen, a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 16 or 32 GB of storage space and a 3-megapixel rear-facing as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats.

It also supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 as well as HSPA+, which is the standard T-Mobile uses for fast data transfer - or 4G, as they call it.

The price is $250 after a $50 mail-in rebate, with a two-year contract, and twenty additional interest free monthly $10 payments on top of your data plan. It's just another way to make it look cheap without actually making it so, but then again, if you're strapped for cash, $250 sounds pretty good compared to the regular $399 price tag on Amazon.

Sprint and T-Mobile to get the iPhone 5

There is no shortage of iPhone 5 speculation. The latest rumor says that the handset will launch on all four major networks, adding Sprint and T-Mobile to the mix. Whether that it is the actual iPhone 5 or is instead the iPhone 4S is still unclear.

Analyst Chris Larsen notes that the iPhone 5 will be available “on more networks, specifically Sprint and T-Mobile in the US.” He also says this would increase Apple’s market by 30-percent. Android has more and more become a force to be reckoned with. Given its growing industry presence and market share forecast, Apple is wise to consider easily boosting its own user base by expanding to all four major US carriers.

It would also make sense considering the unit shipments Apple has allegedly requested for the iPhone 5 or possibly iPhone 4S. It was recently revealed that Apple had placed hardware orders for the handset, requesting 25 million units be built in 2011, a number that was called “quite aggressive.”

Last month we also heard that Sprint’s research and development team was internally testing the iPhone, but it was uncertain whether the iPhone 4 or iPhone 5 would be the first iOS device to make it to the carrier. There was the possibility that Sprint would introduce the iPhone 4 around the same time as the iPhone 5 makes its debut, a la Verizon’s iPhone unveiling. But now it sounds as if the real deal, next-gen model will be the carrier’s first iPhone.

And of course, T-Mobile customers have always been likely to get the device, considering its pending acquisition by the original iPhone peddler, AT&T.

T-Mobile to offer Low-Cost Samsung Smartphones

T-Mobile is rolling out two new Android-powered Samsung smartphones, the Exhibit 4G and the Gravity SMART, with post-rebate prices of less than $100 with a new two-year contract.

So T-Mobile will soon have two products that specifically target customers looking for rich connectivity and unique entertainment experiences at affordable prices. The wireless carrier also recently introduced new voice, text and data plans that let price-conscious consumers realize further savings, noted T-Mobile Senior Vice President Andrew Sherrard.

"T-Mobile is continuing to help families easily make the move to smartphones with these new Android-powered handsets, together with data plans as low as $10 per month, all running on America's largest 4G network," Sherrard said.

The Samsung Smartphones:

The Exhibit 4G integrates a one-gigahertz processor, a three-megapixel camera with flash and a camcorder, a front-facing camera for video chats, and a Wi-Fi radio. Powered by Google's Android 2.3, Gingerbread, the Exhibit is primarily aimed at consumers looking to access free entertainment programs from broadcasters such as ABC News Now, FOX Sports, PBS Kids, and Azteca America via T-Mobile TV as well as premium TV content and games.

The Gravity SMART is the latest addition to Samsung's Gravity portfolio of devices featuring social-networking and premium-messaging options. Powered by Android 2.2, Froyo, the smartphone has a spacious slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a three-megapixel camera with LED flash, digital zoom, and a camcorder.

Sporting a full web browser, the SMART has a 3.2-inch touchscreen with a simplified text-input technology called Swype, which enables the user to send messages even when the keyboard is closed. Another feature called pin-it notes enables users to retain important messages on the home screen for quick reference.

Both smartphones have access to Google's family of mobile services as well as the myriad applications available from the Android Market, and are slated to become available from T-Mobile later this month.

The new HTC Sensation 4G that T-Mobile previewed earlier this week is expected to be available beginning June 15 at a post=rebate price of $199.

Low-Priced Data Plans:

The low-cost Samsung smartphones are a big part of T-Mobile's subscriber growth strategy, along with a new suite of plans for families and individuals. Earlier this month, T-Mobile introduced high-speed data plans in 200MB, 2GB, 5GB and 10GB increments as well as an unlimited data plan.

For example, T-Mobile's new entry point for price-conscious consumers is priced at $10 per month for 200MB, while its family plan offers unlimited talk, text and data for $139.99 per month. The goal is to attract the 80 percent of U.S. wireless customers who don't have smartphones, noted T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman.

"We're providing customers with the 4G coverage they need, an exciting portfolio of 4G smartphones, and the value and flexibility to meet the diverse desires of their entire family," Brodman said.

T-Mobile launches new Android phones: LG G2x and Samsung Sidekick 4G

T-Mobile is in full-swing, as they recently launched two new Android smartphones, the LG G2x and the Samsung Sidekick 4G as well as a tablet, the LG-Slate.

The Sidekick 4G is the first edition of the handset to be powered by Android (2.2) and features a 3.5-inch display with a forward-facing camera and a 3-megapixel on its rear. The Sidekick also has Cloud Text, in which users can access their text messages via phone or PC.

After a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year contract with unlimited data, the handset costs about $100, but for those who opt for the two-year contract and go with a lower-end data plan will have to pay $149.99.

As for the LG G2X, you can buy it from Amazon Wireless for $149, or any T-Mobile retailer. It’s described as long and lean and the touchscreen measures in at 4-inches. The front camera is 1.3 megapixels and an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash are on the rear of the smartphone.