Posts Tagged ‘service’

Google “Bouncer” security service now scanning the Android Market for malware, spyware and trojans

Google “Bouncer” is a brand new security program that automatically scans the Android Market for malware, spyware, and trojans
Know Your Cell

Smartphone service for only $19 a month

republic wireless announces cheap, unlimited voice, messaging and data without a contract. But, it also depends on your Wi-fi.

What do you pay for your monthly smartphone service? $ 100 or more? $ 80? $ 60? $ 50?

How about $ 19? With no contract? That’s what a new company, republic wireless (all lower case!) says it should cost you.

How will they do it? With phones that take advantage of your home/office/friend’s Wi-fi connection – using it as the primary source of connecting to everything that a smartphone connects to. They call that Hybrid Calling.

republic wireless, a division of Bandwidth.com, is about to unleash a new cellular/VoIP service that is meant to take the place of your expensive cell phone contracts.

Beginning today, republic is taking orders for their first phone, a LG Optimus. Android 2.3. All the bells and whistles you’d expect. It will cost you $ 199 but that includes your first month’s ($ 19) service.

About that service. It includes unlimited voice calls, unlimited text messages and unlimited data megabytes. When you’re not near a Wi-fi connection your phone will be able to use Sprint’s 3G network.

So, you may ask, what would keep me from using Sprint;s cellular network all the time. Republic is one step ahead of you (at least):

“The republic wireless community will leverage available Wi-Fi networks to minimize its cellular footprint.  Each member will establish at least one Wi-Fi connection to maintain the community’s fair use policy. To help members keep tabs on how they’re doing, republic wireless provides them with regular feedback and usage data available online. The data includes comparative and trended metrics such as Wi-Fi percentage and cell network utilization for the individual and the community overall.”

republic wireless GM Brian Dally told me that this is smartphone sercice the way it should be. I agree (of course, with the proviso that the VoIP/Wi-fi calling works the way it’s supposed to). We’ll see.

One last note. If you’re willing to be among the first to sign-up for republic’s beta, they’ll sell you that LG phone and first month’s service for $ 99. You just have to do so by 11:59pm ET on November 27th.

We’ll have a full test report on the phone and republic’s service by that date.

Know Your Cell

Sprint to launch a new Direct Connect push-to-talk service on October 2nd

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Leap’s Cricket prepaid service goes national

Muve Music phones, as well as other Cricket products will be available starting September 25th in 1,300 Best Buy stores nationwide

Leap Wireless announced yesterday that starting Sunday, September 25th, Best Buy will begin selling Cricket phones and services in 1,300 stores nationwide Among the products it will sell are phones, with the company’s unique Muve Music service.

While risky, the move marks the first major step for Leap Wireless in its effort to turn into a national brand. The company previously operated its network and served customers in select markets as a regional carrier, but last year signed an agreement with Sprint to use its network around the country.

The expansion lets Leap to tap into a much wider audience of consumers hungry for more affordable wireless service. As many of you reading this may or may not know, prepaid is growing at a huge rate now, so Leap could be in an important position, reports CNET.

Additionally, the move by Leap also puts the company in direct competition with other national carriers that offer similar prepaid plans, including Virgin Mobile and Boost. These brands are found in both their own stores and at major retailers such as Best Best Buy, as well as Target and Walmart, adds RTTNews.

Along with the huge expansion, AllThingsD notes that Cricket is adding several new phones to its lineup, including the Score, an Android phone from ZTE and, later this year, a Muve-compatible HTC Chorus. Definitely some big stuff.

That said, are you as excited for the prepaid revolution as I am? Would you buy a prepaid device in the next 6 months?

Make sure to let your voice be heard below.

Know Your Cell

RIM launching BBM Music service: 50 songs for $5 per month

RIM is planning on starting a section work through BBM that offers 50 vocal for a $ 5 per date payment

RIM is attempting an instrument to hipness by offer a payment subdivision work through BlackBerry Messenger that offer 50 sharable vocal for $ 5 per date. 

Sounds form a decent trade until you discovery putout that the vocal are only playable on BlackBerry device and cannot be exported. Naturally, interdependency is express to other BBM section endorser, All Things D study. 

Once again, RIMs decision-making is nonplus when you consider that there are subscriptions services available on the BlackBerry kind Rdio and Rhapsody that offer unlimited music across several different devices for $ 10 per month.

There’s also Spotify, which is undoubtedly the best music subscription service of the bunch, but is currently not available on BlackBerry device.

Nonetheless, it brand cognizance for RIM to pushing BBM precondition the case that it is the single bright place in an otherwise bleak last few years for the company as a whole.

As CNET point putout, “To bettor improve the bit of IT BBM work, RIM opened it up to developer finis date, allowing deeper desegregation with reprint applications such as picture game and sociable cheque-in programme form Foursquare.”

RIM is currently in permit dialogue with the big quaternary evidence label and there are programme to beta powerboat the BBM Music work in the U.S., Canada and the UK in early September.

Know Your Cell