Not to be outdone by fellow Canadian upstart carrier Mobiilicity, WIND Mobile has cobbled together its own special holiday plan that more or less matches its competitor’s offering: unlimited voice, messaging, data, and long-distance calling and messaging to the US, all for $40 Canadian (a little over $39 in American currency). That’s a pretty fantastic deal, but as you can probably gather from the plan’s name — “Holiday Miracle Plan” — it’s not going to be around for long: you’ve got to get activated on it by December 24th. No better way to celebrate Christmas than with a crazy cheap all-you-can-eat package for your phone, right?

WIND Mobile outs $40 unlimited plan, but you better act fast originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know, it’s a bit odd to see the Jawbone name attached to something other than a Bluetooth headset or speaker, but Aliph is forging into the application game with a new voice messaging service for iOS. Called Thoughts, the software is basically like text messaging or instant messaging with voice. The free audio-based messaging iPhone app, which should be hitting the App Store today, lets you send short audio recordings to either a single contact or a group with a tap of a button. We got a chance to check it out at the D: Dive into Mobile conference this week and found the whole thing to be a really great way to circumvent voicemails or longer texts — all you have to do is tap the name of your contact and then leave a short voice message. There’s absolutely no ringing or waiting. If and when that contact responds it appears as a threaded message, and if you’re in an area that isn’t conducive to listening to those thrilling messages, there’s also a transcription feature. The app should be hitting today, but if you need more details before tapping install, hit the break for the full press release and a short promo video.

Continue reading Aliph gets into the app game with Jawbone Thoughts voice messaging

Aliph gets into the app game with Jawbone Thoughts voice messaging originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“RIM became aware of a number of issues and customer concerns regarding the Kik app and service. Following discussions with Kik, the app was removed from BlackBerry App World on November 12. Upon further investigation, RIM concluded that Kik had breached contractual obligations. Based on the broad scope and seriousness of the issues and concerns, RIM terminated its agreements with Kik and withdrew RIM’s support for Kik’s service.“

Now, Waterloo is still being pretty coy about what exactly Kik did to rock the boat so badly, but there are two obvious theories floating around: one, that Kik’s contact harvesting was a big privacy no-no; and two, that the product came a little too close to BBM’s functionality for RIM’s comfort.

Hard to say what went down, and Kik’s official response doesn’t do much to clear up the situation. Though the company has thrown up a public response on its blog, it doesn’t clarify what transpired, what “contractual obligations” were allegedly breached, or what (if anything) Kik might do to attempt to smooth over the spat. Instead, the post is more of a PR play, praising the relationship Kik’s had with RIM in the past and saying it doubts rumors that BBM envy could account for the pull. It does say, however, that RIM has fully revoked Kik’s access to push notifications and the BlackBerry SDK, so it’s going to be tough for these guys to stay relevant on Bolds and Curves across the land unless RIM reverses its decision.

RIM: Kik was pulled from App World over ‘breached contractual obligations’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What happens when you punch the phrase “Droid” into a Costco sales terminal? If Boy Genius Report‘s sources are right, you see the Motorola Droid 2 Global ring up (in black and white!) for $199.99. Considering we’re also seeing the 1.2GHz quad-band worldphone on a Verizon rebate sheet, it’s a pretty safe bet the handset’s coming out soon — and if Verizon also lists the phone for that price, it could be the death knell for the A955. (We’ve gotten several tips today that the original Droid 2 has been marked for end-of-life at Best Buy.) There’s also a T-Mobile Comet pictured above, also known as the Huawei Ideos, a low-budget Android smartphone whose $149.99 price will almost certainly be free of two-year contracts. Of course, in the spirit of Costco you probably won’t get off that easily — subliminal messaging will surely compel you to purchase the $24.99 Ewoks and Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour on DVD.

Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Come October 18, T-Mobile USA will be shaking things up in the prepaid market with a handful of new options that finally acknowledge users — yes, even those on prepaid plans — are gobbling data in droves. Unlimited voice and text with 2GB of data will run $70 a month; the same plan with just 100MB of data will run $50, and for $30, you’ll be able to get a pretty interesting concept that includes any combination of 1,500 minutes and text messages plus 30MB of data. For $1.49 per day, you’ll be able to sign up for a Web DayPass, which gives you unlimited browsing capability on any data-capable phone; T-Mobile tells us BES isn’t currently supported, but that shouldn’t be an issue for most.

If straight-up data is more your thing, you’ll want to check out the T-Mobile Jet (pictured), T-Mobile’s first dedicated prepaid data stick. The new modem commemorates the launch of a handful of prepaid data options, including $10 for a weekly allowance of 100MB, $30 for 300MB monthly, and $50 for 1GB monthly. We’d hoped that T-Mobile would resist the urge to cap data and follow through with the bandwidth throttling option instead, but then again, we suppose things work a little differently in the prepaid market. Look for the Jet to hit retail online on the 18th of this month, followed by in-store availability on the 20th. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading T-Mobile busts out new prepaid plans with data options, mix-and-match voice and text

T-Mobile busts out new prepaid plans with data options, mix-and-match voice and text originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A few months earlier in the year, we covered the arduous process of staying connected while traveling abroad. One of the ways we mentioned for jetsetters, backpackers and common tourists to stay jacked in while situated far from their homeland was a MiFi rental service from Xcom Global. The company has only been operating for a matter of months, but we recently took their services for a spin in order to give you a more detailed look at what to expect. The long and short of it? These guys are the guys to contact when you’re about to grab your next passport stamp. Read on to find out why.

Continue reading Xcom Global international MiFi / data rental service review

Xcom Global international MiFi / data rental service review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Josh, who simply ain’t interested in spending the loot necessary to get a full-on smartphone. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’m a student right now on a tight budget. That said, I can’t afford a data plan. What is the best messaging phone that doesn’t require data? Also, I am a medical student, and for our third- and fourth-year rotations, we have to purchase something with Windows Mobile in order to communicate to our school’s software for submitting patient data. They recommend the iPAQ handhelds, but what will happen since Microsoft has come out with Windows Phone 7 and HP has acquired Palm?”

Hate to hear about your Windows Mobile dilemma, but hopefully that OS will be pushed aside as far more capable ones hit the market. It’s tough to say at this point whether webOS or Windows Phone 7 will be your answer (probably not for some time, though), but we’re pretty sure our commenters would be more than happy to assist with your need for a messaging phone. Right, guys / gals?

Ask Engadget: best messaging phone that doesn’t need a data plan? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like those regulators over in the Middle East don’t mess about. Following this week’s revelation that the United Arab Emirates’ telco overseers weren’t happy with being unable to monitor how people were using their BlackBerrys, today we’re hearing what their solution to the problem will be: an outright ban. Internet access, email and instant messaging on RIM devices will be blocked in the UAE starting this October — provided, of course, that the Canadian phone maker doesn’t do something in the meantime to appease the authorities. Saudi Arabia is similarly peeved with the BBM service, which it intends to shut down later this month. And just in case you were wondering why all this drama is taking place, the BBC cites a Saudi Telecom board member as admitting it’s designed to pressure RIM into releasing users’ communication data “when needed.” Charming.

BlackBerry email, web and messaging banned in UAE due to ‘security concerns’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh sure, VoIP on the iPod touch is hardly breaking news these days, but what if you could actually slap on a regular SIM card and make calls on said device? That’s what Yosion’s appropriately named Apple Peel 520 claims to do. Powered by an Infineon baseband chip, this adapter not only offers voice calling and text messaging (presumably requiring a jailbroken iPod touch for the apps; GPRS not possible yet), but it also doubles up as an 800mAh battery and provides 4.5 hours of call time or 120 hours of standby juice. We’re told this cheeky hack’s coming out in China as early as this week for somewhere between

Continue reading TxTStopper announces cellphone jammer for your car, Microsoft too busy texting and driving to notice

TxTStopper announces cellphone jammer for your car, Microsoft too busy texting and driving to notice originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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