Starting on September 5, T-Mobile USA will offer a truly unlimited data option where you get to stick with the company’s 4G speeds regardless of how much data you consume. Go ahead and stream that Internet radio and watch YouTube clips to your heart’s desire. This truly unlimited data option rivals what MetroPCS announced just yesterday. Keep in mind that both Verizon and AT&T cap their data, so that leaves Sprint as the only other major carrier to have unlimited data.

To get unthrottled unlimited data with T-Mobile, you’ll need to tack on an additional $20 fee on top of the existing $49.99 unlimited plan. That brings you up to $69.99, which is still cheaper than the totally unlimited plan from Sprint. Now if only T-Mobile could figure out a way to get the iPhone 5 as part of its lineup…

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Bell and Rogers were first to do it for this round, but Telus has now joined the 6GB party too. Remember that the regular $30/month data add-on usually only provides you with 1GB of data, so this is a pretty good deal. Interestingly, unlike some of the previous offerings, you don’t necessarily have to sign up for a three-year contract to get the promotional data add-on.

The $30/6GB option is available on one, two, or three year service agreements, as well as for those of you who are doing the month-to-month thing. The catch is that you still need that “$50 minimum spend” requirement that is the same for any subsidized smartphone. The data add-on is compatible with HSPA and CDMA customers, but it’s unclear if this supports LTE too. A document from Rogers points toward a February 28th expiry date for this offer, but that could get extended. No indication from Bell or Telus about expiry.

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According to Wall Street Journal, Verizon Chief Operating Officer Lowell McAdam said the unlimited plan would be temporary and switch to tiered pricing in the not too distant future. How long? We don’t know, it could be as little as 3 months, or closer to 6 months.

The post Verizon teases with limited-time $30 unlimited iPhone 4 data plan appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

iPad prices for Canada

Our neighbors to the south have had access to the Apple iPad for some time already, but it’s finally coming to Canada and Rogers Wireless looks like it’s the only one announcing a data plan for the big touchscreen device.

Rogers has officially announced its iPad data plans and they’re actually not that bad. On the lower end of the scale if the $15/month plan and that gets you 250MB of use. Heavier users can bump up to the $35/month plan for 5GB of data. Both plans come with unlimited access to Rogers WiFi Hot Spots.

In terms of the actual iPad itself, Canada gets access to the same six models as our American counterparts… but at slightly higher prices. The 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB Wi-Fi models are $549, $649, and $749, respectively. For the Wi-Fi + 3G models, the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB ring in at $679, $779, and $879.

I’m not really convinced at the hardware price, but I think Rogers is taking the right approach with the data plans. It’s a shame they’re not offering somewhere in between the little plan and the big plan, but that little plan looks pretty attractive for regular smartphones too. I hope Rogers (and Fido) offer the $15/250MB plan to devices smaller than the iPad too.

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In fact, the pricing for the iPad international roaming data packs are just as expensive as their iPhone counterparts. There are some differences with these “Data Global Add-On” packs, however. Unlike the iPhone version, they don’t automatically renew, but they do expire 30 days after activation. And you do need to subscribe to a domestic data plan with AT&T in order to access these.

AT&T is currently offering four options for international travelers. You can pay $24.99 for 20MB, $59.99 for 50MB, $119.99 for 100MB, or $199.99 for 200MB. That’s the less than desirable news, especially if you’ve grown so accustomed to unlimited domestic data.

The good news? The iPad still has Wi-Fi, so you can hunt out a local hotspot when you happen to be traveling. Another piece of good news? The iPad comes factory unlocked. If you can, I think it’s much better for you to buy a prepaid SIM when you’re traveling abroad. I’m pretty sure it’ll work out cheaper than $1+ per megabyte.

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New $35 unlimited data plan offered by Wind Mobile

Wind Mobile has been aggressively marketing in the cities that it serves, but some people may say that their services are still too expensive. Well, it seems that a few more data plan options are just over the horizon.  If you were to go to the Wind Mobile website today, you’d see that there is just one data add-on option. That’s the infinite mobile for $35.00 a month, offering “unlimited” Internet access on your smartphone while in any Wind Home Zone. What if you don’t need that much data?

There’s no saying when (or even if) these new data plans take effect, but they are certainly more affordable. On the BlackBerry front, you can downsize to the $20/month Charged BlackBerry plan for 500MB of data or the $10/month Social BlackBerry plan for unlimited IM, Facebook, and MySpace. (No mention of BBM, Wind?)

For non-BlackBerry devices, you can similarly get the $20/month Charged option for 500MB or the $10/month Social option for 50MB of mobile Internet data. Personally, this last option sounds the best for the average “light” user (i.e., me). Other carriers, like Rogers and Telus, don’t offer a data plan of less than $25/500MB aside from the messaging-only options. For ten bucks, I get my basic mobile data fix (and I save $15 over the competition).

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Apple iPad delayed one month for international release

Right now, the only version of the Apple iPad that you can buy comes with Wi-Fi alone with a 3G radio nary in sight. In fact, Canadians can’t officially buy one within our borders yet, having to trek down to the United States to get an iPad. That’s going to change very soon.

That’s because Rogers will sell it and, hopefully, this will be at a subsidized price. That can help you save hundreds in the short run, though you’ll be stuck with a data contract in the long run.

The exact details of the Rogers iPad agreement have not yet been revealed, but the company did say that they will “have special iPad price plans for all models” at the end of May. The assumption is that the data plans for the iPad will be in line with the Rocket Stick and other data-only devices.

Originally, we had thought that the Canadian launch of the Apple iPad would be happening April 24, but that has changed too. Apple sent out a press release citing the huge US demand for the device, pushing international release back an extra month. That puts it at the end of May, coinciding with the Rogers release.

Expect pricing and pre-order information to populate the Apple Canada site on May 10.

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Fido and Rogers extended their tethering promotion a couple months ago, allowing users to connect their phones to their computers until May 3, 2010. That has now been extended even further, because tethering is a-okay with Rogers and Fido on a permanent basis. Or at least until they change their minds.

This can represent some significant savings for road warriors, because it means that you do not need a separate data plan for your phone and for a USB data stick; you can use your smartphone for both purposes. I thought the restriction was pretty silly in the first place, since data is data, but they thought otherwise.

Effective immediately (March 24), tethering will continue to be included at no additional charge for Rogers and Fido customers who subscribe to a data plans of 1GB and above, with a few exceptions. This new policy replaces the current tethering promotion, originally set to expire on May 3.

So, why the change of heart? Telus and Bell decided recently to include tethering in their data plans at no additional charge, so Rogers and its dog had no choice but to keep pace. It should be noted, however, that this offer does not extend to 500MB data plan users; you need to have a data plan of 1GB or more.

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You would have to sign up for a potentially pricey wireless data option for your older Motorola RAZR just yet, but they are looking to force data plans on anyone with an “enhanced multimedia phone.” What does this mean? Well, it points toward the “feature phones” in their lineup that aren’t technically smartphones.

You could look at something like the LG enV Touch, for example, that comes with smartphone-like features without having a true smartphone platform. More specifically, Verizon is eyeing any handset with a QWERTY keyboard, high-speed EVDO Rev.A, and a true HTML web browser.

If you are looking to pick up one of these kinds of phones, Verizon will get you to choose between a $10 a month plan for 25MB of data or a $20 a month plan for 75MB. This does away with the cheaper “unlimited web surfing” type options that usually accompanied these so-called feature dumbphones.

The policy goes in place for all phones launching as of September 8th of this year.

Source: Gizmodo

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This new policy goes into action on September 6th. In a nutshell, if you sign up for a new smartphone with AT&T, they’ll force you into some sort of data plan. In this way, if you want to avoid the extra charges associated with wireless data, you’ll want to get your smartphone before September 6th. Everyone who signs up before that date will be grandfathered.

It is quite notable that if you have a “feature phone” and you’re currently subscribed to a data plan, you will not be able to keep your current MediaNet plan if you upgrade to a smartphone after September 6th. They’ll force you into a “real” data plan at that point.

Why is AT&T doing this? The internal email explains:

We want our customers to have the best possible experience with their Smartphones. A predictable bill is a key factor in customer satisfaction, so effective September 6, 2009 Smartphone customers will need to subscribe to a data plan, as the vast majority of customers already do. Data plans let customers fully utilize their device, without the worry of bill shock.

Or, you know, they want to guarantee some added revenue.

Source: BGR

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