Rdio updates for BlackBerry 7 and unveils first digital music family plan

There are several options for streaming music on your BlackBerry, one of the newest being Rdio. Developed by the creators of Skype, Rdio is cross-platform and packed with great features including playlist and people support as well as music caching for when you are away from wifi or have no signal.

Rdio was recently updated for BlackBerry 7 devices, and today they have become the first service to offer digital music family plans. Families can add up to three accounts to one plan for a discounted subscription rate. Two accounts cost $17.99 per month, a 10 percent savings off the regular Rdio Unlimited monthly rate of $9.99; three accounts cost $22.99 per month, a 23 percent savings. No other digital music service currently provides discounted rates for families. Full press release and details can be found after the break and if you’re interested in taking Rdio for a spin, head on over to www.rdio.com.

AT&T streamlining individual messaging plans August 21st, leaving unlimited as the sole survivor

Do not adjust your computer screen, because the screenshot you’re seeing above is real. Confirmed by multiple sources, we’ve exclusively learned that AT&T — the protagonist of choice — is trimming its individual messaging packages from two to one on August 21st. The remaining survivor? The Messaging Unlimited plan for $20, which means the $10 bundle that offers 1000 messages is riding into the sunset. If you aren’t keen to do much communicating within 160 characters, you’ll be left with no other choice besides the pay-per-message option at twenty cents each (thirty cents for MMS). Fortunately, the Family Unlimited Messaging is left unscathed, continuing to offer all-you-can-eat texts for $30. Tend to do only an average bit of texting and looking to move to Ma Bell? Our friend, you’d best be making that transition before the end of this week.

Update: And just like that, AT&T has confirmed this report. A spokesperson for the carrier provided the following statement, while also affirming that “current customers can keep their texting plans even if switching handsets.”

“We regularly evaluate our offers and are making some adjustments to our messaging lineup.

Starting August 21, we’re streamlining our text messaging plans for new customers and will offer an unlimited plan for individuals for $20 per month and an unlimited plan for families of up to five lines for $30 per month. The vast majority of our messaging customers prefer unlimited plans and with text messaging growth stronger than ever, that number continues to climb among new customers. Existing customers don’t have to change any messaging plan they have today, even when changing handsets.”

[Thanks, Anonymous]

via:mobile.engadget

Make Phone Calls with the BlackBerry PlayBook using Comwave ePhone

Comwave announced today that they have released Comwave ePhone for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The app that allows you to make and receive phone calls using your PlayBook from anywhere, and make and receive calls just like a regular phone.  Additionally, Comwave ePhone allows consumers to make Video Calls to other ePhone users as well at no additional charge.Comwave ePhone is now free for 30days with 100 minutes to call anyone in over 60 countries. Once the free trial has expired, you have the option to buy the app for $20/year. Comwave ePhone features include:

• Unlimited Free Incoming calls
• 250 Free Minutes per month to call almost 60 countries
• No monthly fees…Just a one-time annual fee of $20

You can start your free trial by downloading the Comwave ePhone app from BlackBerry App World[qrcode pix=150]http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/52127?lang=en[/qrcode].

via: n4bb

AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great

AT&T today officially confirmed what so many had expected for some time now: the carrier will be throttling select users’ unlimited data plans. The move, which takes effect on October 1st, is a response to a “serious wireless spectrum crunch,” according to a message issued today. The changes will not affect most customers, according to the company, primarily targeting those who fall within the top five percent of heavy users in a given billing cycle. Once the new period begins, speeds will be restored. Even with this new plan in place, however, the company says that the spectrum problems still won’t be resolved — it does have a simple solution, however, explaining that “nothing short of completing the T-Mobile merger will provide additional spectrum capacity to address these near term challenges.”

Full text after the break.

Vonage Extensions makes mobile international calling a free-of-charge affair

Hey Vonage customers, your VoIP service of choice is about to get a bit of a mobile value-add. Announced today, the company’s new Extensions service links your existing home internet calling plan to extra phone numbers — like a cellphone– for free, so you can make that long-distance call to Tante Lulu in Gstaad on-the-go. Okay, so the feature isn’t exactly gratis — you’re still required to sign up for an unlimited international calling plan, but the bucks literally stop there. All it takes to get started with this “virtual calling card” is an access number and some foreign digits. Sound too complicated for you? Don’t fret, official iPhone and Android-compatible appsare scheduled to hit their respective markets in the coming weeks. So, go ahead and ring ol’ Lu for her 89th birthday. She’ll be glad you called.

Vonage Adds Free Mobile Extensions

Now Anyone With Vonage World Gets Unlimited Calling To More Than 60 Countries From Their Mobile At No Extra Charge

HOLMDEL, N.J., July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG) is breaking beyond the four walls of the home by allowing customers to extend their Vonage home calling plans to any phone, including mobiles. The move allows customers to use Vonage’s signature unlimited(1) international calling plans from their mobile phones to call friends and family abroad. The new service offering — Extensions™ — is free to all Vonage customers and builds upon Vonage’s history of providing unsurpassed value to customers for both domestic and international calling.

“Vonage World set the benchmark for unlimited international calling. Now new and existing customers can call these unlimited countries on their mobile phones for no additional cost,” said Marc Lefar, CEO of Vonage. “This new service dramatically increases the value of Vonage’s core offering, providing customers with more flexibility and savings when making international calls.”

Existing customers can add any U.S. phone number as an extension by logging into their online account at http://www.vonage.com. The extension phone number can be a cell phone, a home phone or even an office number. Once registered, the service works like a virtual calling card. Simply dial the access number and international destination number and the call is connected over the Vonage network.

Extensions works with any mobile phone, and in the next several weeks Vonage plans to offer downloadable apps for iPhone® and Android™ devices, enabling one-touch dialing directly from the customer’s contact list.

Customers with the Vonage World plan will now have the additional flexibility of unlimited calling to more than 60 countries from their cell phones in addition to from their home phone. Those who call internationally for as little as an hour a week will save an average of $250 a year versus the best international rates from major wireless carriers.*

For more information visit http://www.vonage.com.

All Things D Engadget

List of .APK files for PlayBook's Android App Player

As we spoke about on last night Podcast that we were releasing this list with the release and assistance of the BBHTool and now you can get some Android apps to use on our PlayBooks. So where do we get the necessary .APK files to run these apps, you may ask? Well we have a pretty extensive list for everyone.

Check out the list below:

T-Mobile unveils flexible new Value plans: unlimited talk, text, and / or data for any device

We’ll give T-Mobile credit, it isn’t afraid to shake things up to try to gain ground on Big Red and Ma Bell in the cellular arms race. Mere months after rolling out new prepaid options for its customers, T-Mo is bringing Value plans to the people. These new plans come in various configurations, but all are available with any of the carrier’s phones, tablets, or broadband accessories. In exchange for a two year commitment, you get 2, 5, or 10GB of high speed data, with limitless websurfing at slower speeds. Full pricing hasn’t been announced, but we do know you’ll be able to get two lines with unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of data for $100, while the data alone will run $20 per month. Sound good? Well, the plans go live next Monday, so you’ve got plenty of time to read up on your options in the PR after the break.

T-Mobile Unveils Affordable And Worry-Free Unlimited Data Plans

T-Mobile Value Plans Offer Better Rates if You Prepay your Phone

T-Mobile announced some new Value Plans today for their customers. They will only fully details the plans on July 24th but until then they have given us a taste of what is coming. The idea is that they are offering up cheaper monthly rate plans for users who either pay for their device up front or break up the payments over 20 months with lower interest free payments. This is a model that is used in Europe and other countries but has never really caught on in the US.

 

It is a model that makes sense and will offer plans like unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited data with 2 GB of high-speed data for $49.99 per line for two lines which is not bad. We will definitely be keeping an eye on this. It is great to see T-Mobile still innovating even though their acquisition by AT&T looms in the background. This is one of the main reasons I am afraid the AT&T-Mobile combo will not be good for customers.

Check the full Doc

AT&T intros $50 unlimited GoPhone plan

On Tuesday AT&T officially announced that its customers can now sign up for a $50 unlimited GoPhone plan that includes unlimited text, talk, and web for $50 per month. AT&T’s GoPhone option does not require a contract and it also allows customers to text Mexico, Canada, and 100 other countries at no additional cost. AT&T’s new pricing is a considerable drop from the original$60 per month GoPhone option, which just provided unlimited talk and text.Read on for the full release.

Prepaid Calling Just Got Better: Nationwide Unlimited Talk, Text & Web Plan Now Available for $50

AT&T Customers Can Save More Than 20% With No Long-term Commitment Starting June 26

Dallas, Texas, June 21, 2011

Key Facts

• Consumers can sign up for an unlimited talk, text and web nationwide GoPhone^® plan for $50 per month starting on June 26 with AT&T* — a savings of more than 20%.
• Plan includes unlimited text and instant messaging to Mexico, Canada and 100 additional countries.
• Customers can apply this new GoPhone plan to quick messaging phones such the Pantech P7040p, available for purchase on the same day for $59.99.
• Available to new and existing GoPhone customers with a feature phone.

Customer Benefits

AT&T GoPhone customers can now take advantage of a new unlimited talk, text and web nationwide plan for $50 per month. Unlimited text and instant messaging to Mexico, Canada and 100 other countries are also included at no additional cost.

GoPhone service can be purchased at AT&T company-owned retail stores, online at att.com/gophone and thousands of authorized retailers nationwide. Smartphone customers can choose unlimited talk and text for $50 and select one of three data package options from $5 to $25.

Earlier this month, AT&T announced the new Pantech P7040p, a stylish quick messaging phone, would also be available on June 26 in company-owned retail stores for $59.99. With a full keyboard, the Pantech P7040p is ideal for maximizing the value of this new plan.

Quotes

“As summer approaches, consumers want a plan that provides even more value as they connect with their loved ones in the U.S and abroad,” said Judy Cavalieri, vice president, Voice and Prepaid Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “GoPhone provides customers a unique opportunity to experience the dependability and availability of AT&T’s national wireless network with no long term commitment.”

GoPhone Portfolio

AT&T offers a wide selection of plans and handsets for prepaid customers – everything from feature phones to smartphones with no long-term contract, credit check, or deposit. In April, AT&T launched LG Thrive™, the first Android smartphone available for GoPhone customers. Smartphones require a separate data package to access data/web services.

Learn more about GoPhone offerings at http://www.att.com/gophone.

via: BGR

Verizon’s Stingy New Data Plans Detailed Fully in Latest Leak

We have already heard rumors and confirmation from Verizon about their upcoming data tiers but it is all starting to get official now. The new plans go into effect on July 7th and in this case you really do get less GB for your buck. AndroidCentral scored a few data sheets along with an employee email about the new plans. Verizon is even throwing in an extra “Screw You” by changing the business discounts to only apply to the data plan on the primary line and are mostly only 20% despite what other discounts you may have on service.

 

What we do know now is that current unlimited plan customers will be grandfathered into their “Unlimited” 5GB plans even if you upgrade devices. If you sign up with a new plan or want to add unlimited data you still can until July 7th. After then if you create a new data plan or add another line with a data plan there will be no unlimited option.

If you needed any more reason to think that the AT&T and T-Mobile merger would be bad for competition and raise rates then look no further than this. At least AT&T cut $5 off their “unlimited” plans when they brought it down from 5GB to 2GB.

You can check out the full email sent to indirect resellers and analysis over at AndroidCentral

via:bbr