12/11, 5:45pm
T-Mobile sees @Home router as unprofitable
T-Mobile is considering the possibility of dropping part of its special HotSpot@Home calling service, a source said today. The carrier is supposedly disappointed with its fixed service, which uses two SIM cards to create a local network for phones, and may drop the feature "soon." T-Mobile's reversal is said by the BGR contact to be the result of T-Mobile's new chief operational officer determining that the plan isn't profitable.
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09/08, 10:20pm
T-Mobile to get BlackBerry Onyx near end of year
T-Mobile has allegedly confirmed its plans to launch RIM's BlackBerry Bold 9700, known as the Onyx, sometime before the end of the year. The smartphone will support the carrier's UMA Wi-Fi calling service, available using HotSpot@Home, according to CIO. Press photos appear to confirm that RIM has omitted a trackball in favor of an optical pad.
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01/07, 11:20am
BBerry Curve 8900 T-Mobile
T-Mobile today became the first American carrier to pick up the BlackBerry Curve 8900. The full-QWERTY smartphone is the same as the stock version already reviewed here but switches to supporting T-Mobile's HotSpot Calling service for its UMA feature, which lets it make calls on its built-in Wi-Fi and bridge these seamlessly to the GSM phone network and back. It also adds hooks for the company's myFaves calling service and comes bundled with a 256MB microSD card.
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12/03, 4:45pm
T-Mobile Shadow II at FCC
The previously leaked HTC Shadow II slider handset is that much closer to being available for purchase as it has just undergone testing at the FCC. The Shadow successor introduces the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system along with a faster CPU and a softened up, more rounded design. The FCC papers reveal the quad-band handset has a separate battery rating for GSM and UMA, the latter of which is GSM-to-WiFi call bridging made possible via T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service.
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11/03, 4:15pm
BBerry Pearl Flip Rogers
Rogers today became the second North American carrier to pick up the BlackBerry Pearl Flip. The clamshell carries the same updated BlackBerry OS, two-megapixel camera and EDGE data of the stock Flip but takes advantage of its built-in Wi-Fi for Rogers' TalkSpot calling service, which like T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home bridges calls between GSM and Wi-Fi to save on calling time or to improve reception indoors. As always, the short-range wireless also serves as a faster alternative to EDGE for data.
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10/03, 11:00am
T-Mo Shadow 2 Launch Leak
T-Mobile's Shadow II is on the verge of launch, a leak of final launch details at BGR would indicate. The carrier's second custom-designed Windows Mobile phone from HTC is now said to be launching in less than two weeks, shipping with the American provider on October 15th. Pricing would increase sharply from the discounted current Shadow and result in a $150 price after signing a two-year agreement.
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10/02, 3:35pm
T-Mo Pearl Flip Price Leak
T-Mobile USA's version of the Pearl Flip 8220 will only cost slightly less than the Curve when it goes on sale, a T-Mobile rep claims in a forum post at TmoNews. The BlackBerry clamshell will purportedly sell for $150 for new users agreeing to a two-year contract and should climb to $200 for one-year plans. Existing subscribers who qualify for a full upgrade will pay $18 more to trade up, while a full retail price will cost $350.
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08/07, 3:15pm
BBerry Kickstart now Pearl
RIM has given the Kickstart a more definitive name and could launch it well ahead of its Javelin, a pair of leaks suggest today. A Rogers product sheet obtained by BlackBerry Cool now appears to confirm the use of Kickstart as only a codename and that the final phone will ship as the Pearl 8220, positioning it as a replacement for the Pearl 8100 series. The tip also confirms support for Rogers' Talkspot Wi-Fi calling and also hints at a lower price of $50 with a three-year plan when the device ships in September for the Canadian carrier.
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08/04, 12:00am
BlackBerry Curve Sunset
T-Mobile on Monday gave the BlackBerry Curve its final send-off with the launch of the Sunset model. The QWERTY keyboard smartphone now comes in a unique, namesake reddish hue along with black accents. T-Mobile's version also keeps to the Wi-Fi support of the 8320 reference design and lets HotSpot@Home subscribers make unlimited calls on Wi-Fi that automatically bridge to the cellular network when the user wanders out of range.
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07/30, 11:15am
Sprint AIRAVE Nationwide
Sprint today made official word that it will offer the AIRAVE across the whole of the US. The femtocell boosts indoors coverage for Sprint's cellphones by receiving the CDMA phone link and using the subscriber's existing high-speed Internet connection at home to relay the calls, eliminating the need to locate the femtocell in a part of the home that can already get coverage. Unlike T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home and other Wi-Fi based options, the licensed frequency isn't as likely to face interference, Sprint argues.
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07/23, 4:05pm
BBerry Kickstart Early Rev
Research in Motion's BlackBerry Kickstart flip phone today received a pre-announcement review today courtesy of CrackBerry that also reveals new information. The device will be split into several models as with the Pearl candybar depending on features: while the 8220 in the review is a Wi-Fi version destined for T-Mobile and its HotSpot@Home Internet calling service, an 8210 version (nicknamed the Seawolf) swaps the wireless for GPS navigation and will likely appear with AT&T.
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07/07, 8:35am
T-Mobile National 3G Soon
T-Mobile's 3G network could expand to the national level as quickly as this fall, according to reports. The fledgling high-speed cellular Internet access is claimed to launch on October 1st in T-Mobile's "top markets" and will be accompanied by multiple phones at or near launch: one of these will allegedly include the Google Android-based HTC Dream smartphone, which is already confirmed for T-Mobile in late 2008 but hasn't been tied to T-Mobile's 3G network until now.
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06/25, 11:40am
T-Mobile Shadow II Leak 2
T-Mobile's Shadow II phone is real and will represent a first for Windows Mobile, claims an insider source. The device is now thought to be made by HTC and will be the first cellphone with the Microsoft to support cell-to-Wi-Fi call bridging when it sees use on T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service, letting subscribers make unlimited calls from Wi-Fi that carry over to the cell network without interruptions.
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06/23, 2:05am
T-Mo Nokia 6301 Sam t339
T-Mobile very early on Monday said it has begun carrying two phones built to use its HotSpot@Home Wi-Fi calling service. The Nokia 6301 bar phone and the Samsung t339 clamshell both supply Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) that lets them bridge between the cellular network and a Wi-Fi hotspot; either can save phone minutes by calling from a Wi-Fi network and automatically hand over the call to the GSM phone network without consuming time on a normal voice plan or suffering the drop-outs that happen with cellphones indoors.
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06/04, 8:35am
BBerry 8120 at Rogers
Rogers Wireless today kicked off the launch of both its version of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 and a service to match. The candybar smartphone adds Wi-Fi to the original formula and on Rogers is used for the company's newly formalized Home Calling Zone VoIP service. Based on Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) like T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home in the US, the feature lets users make calls from a Wi-Fi access point with the added ability to bridge calls: a phone conversation starting from either the cellular network or a Wi-Fi spot will hop to the other network without disrupting the call.
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04/29, 4:30pm
T-Mo 3G May Come This Week
T-Mobile's long-delayed 3G cellular Internet access will first be available as early as this week, says new information from BGR. The company's proprietary 1,700MHz service will reportedly become active on Thursday and should be available for subscribers in at least New York City; separate rumors also have the faster service available in Los Angeles and Miami in the near future. Other regional launches aren't yet known but should take place over coming months.
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04/17, 4:00pm
BBerry 9100 Mentioned
A second iteration of RIM's upcoming BlackBerry 9000 series has been spotted in a theme file for the company's smartphones spotted by BGR. The 9100 is mentioned as a separate phone from the 9000 and is included multiple times throughout the file, including underneath a carrier-specific category: at least one mention is listed underneath a section for Vodafone, pointing to the European and Asian carrier as its most likely initial candidate.
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04/15, 4:15pm
T-Mobile Shadow 2 Spotted
T-Mobile is finally poised to release its second Shadow smartphone, says a scoop from newcomer TmoNews. Referred to just as the Shadow II in the slip, the device would represent a major redesign with a glossy black shell and a flatter, potentially touch-sensitive thumbwheel. It will also reportedly be the first Shadow to support HotSpot@Home, using Wi-Fi to bridge calls between VoIP and the cellular network.
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04/04, 3:55pm
Rogers Wi-Fi Calling Rumor
Rogers may offer its own take on a Wi-Fi calling solution in the near future, say multiple tips sent to Crackberry. The service would be known as Rogers Home Calling Zone and would replicate many of the features found in services such as T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home; devices that support Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) would be used to offer unlimited calling from any Wi-Fi access point and could seamlessly bridge to the cellular phone network and back to avoid interrupting calls.
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04/01, 7:00am
BBerry 8120 at T-Mobile
T-Mobile on Tuesday morning became the second carrier in North America after AT&T to carry the BlackBerry Pearl 8120. In its new trim, the phone's distinctive Wi-Fi is used to support T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home and potentially saves money on calling; users can place calls for free from any Wi-Fi hotspot, including any official T-Mobile location. The phone adds all the improvements that come along with the upgraded Pearl, including the 2-megapixel camera, externally accessible microSDHC card slot, a full-size headphone jack, and better construction.
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03/24, 9:00am
BBerry 8820 at T-Mobile
T-Mobile on Monday hoped to improve on AT&T's formula in carrying the BlackBerry 8820. Like the reference version, the 8820 adds Wi-Fi to the pro smartphone's normal EDGE access and gives it quicker access. In contrast to AT&T, however, the T-Mobile edition adds UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) support to let it place free calls on Wi-Fi and bridge those calls to the GSM phone network and back as the user leaves the range of a local hotspot.
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03/19, 3:10pm
Fido UNO Leak
Canadian cell provider Fido is set to follow in the steps of T-Mobile USA and launch a Wi-Fi calling service that can potentially be less expensive than traditional service, a leak on HowardForums says. Fido UNO will use the same Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology as T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home to immediately switch from GSM cellular to Internet calling when connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot. In Fido's version, any calls made to the customer's home area from Wi-Fi would be free on a base $15 monthly plan; a $20 monthly plan would extend this to include all of Canada.
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02/21, 10:20am
T-Mobile Talk Forever
T-Mobile this morning revealed HotSpot@Home Talk Forever, a new spin on its existing voice-over-Internet service that takes the previously mobile-only concept to landlines. Similar to Vonage and other VoIP systems, subscribers attach a landline phone to a specialized router that that eliminates the need for long-distance fees; users can place unlimited calls to any place in the US. T-Mobile's variant includes a special Linksys router that also supplies 802.11g Wi-Fi for other devices in the home, including T-Mobile cellphones already using the mobile version of HotSpot@Home.
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