Android Tablet Update

While addressing shareholders at the company’s annual meeting in Cologne, Germany, Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann told investors that a complete takeover of T-Mobile USA was out of the question after AT&T’s very public failed bid last year. Obermann did tell investors that it was considering all other options, including a potential merger of its T-Mobile USA business unit with another organization.

There are several options on the table in such a scenario; Sprint has had its eye on T-Mobile USA for a while, and a combined company would present a large competitor to AT&T and Verizon. Such a scenario is unlikely, however, as the technology these companies employ is so different that it would be extremely costly to make the networks compatible.

The more likely potential suitor is MetroPCS, as recent rumors have suggested that the two companies are actively speaking about a possible merger. Bloomberg reported a few weeks back that the company was essentially looking to do a joint venture with MetroPCS, with Deutsche Telekom holding the majority stake of the combined company. The deal could be similar to the Everything Everywhere carrier in the UK, a joint venture between T-Mobile and Orange. Deutsche Telekom is also considering a network sharing agreement with MetroPCS or Sprint, which would have the companies sharing spectrum but maintaining their current status as standalone organizations.

Meanwhile, it’s business as usual for T-Mobile USA. The company is beginning to actively build out an LTE network over the next two years. Time will tell the fate of T-Mobile USA, though the message from Deutsche Telekom is still crystal clear; T-Mobile USA does not work as a standalone business, and the company will be looking at ways to either make T-Mobile profitable, or spin it off into a new company combined with another carrier.

“Verizon is going to have to pry that plan from my cold dead hands.” Don’t worry Sean Riley, you can keep that grandfathered unlimited data plan as long as you purchase your phone a full retail price.

Today Verizon issued an updated statement to address concerns from subscribers that thought they might be forced to give up their unlimited data plans as Verizon migrates to shared data plans this summer. Customers who take advantage of upgrade pricing will in fact lose their unlimited data, but as long as they pay full price for their device then they can keep the same plan.

More information on the data-share tiers will be coming closer to the introduction of the new plans later this year. Check out Verizon’s statement below for the full details. Does this news calm your fears?

As we have stated publicly, Verizon Wireless has been evaluating its pricing structure for some time. Customers have told us that they want to share data, similar to how they share minutes today. We are working on plans to provide customers with that option and will introduce new plans later this year.

When the new options are introduced, Unlimited Data will no longer be available to our customers purchasing handsets and signing a new contract. Customers who choose to purchase phones at full retail price and are currently on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan. The same pricing and policies will apply to all 3G and 4G LTE smartphones.

We will share specific details of the plans well in advance of their introduction so customers will have time to evaluate the plans and make the best decisions for their wireless service. It is our goal and commitment to continue to provide customers with the same high value service they have come to expect from Verizon Wireless.Brenda RaneyVerizon Wireless

Starting this summer Verizon plans to eliminate the $30 unlimited data plan that it still offers to subscribers who were grandfathered into it, when tiered data plans were rolled out last year. The news comes from Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo who said that as these 3G unlimited data plan customers migrate to 4G LTE devices, they will be forced to adopt the company’s new data-share plan that is expected by mid-summer.

“LTE is our anchor point for data share, so as you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go onto the data share plan, moving away from the unlimited world,” Shammo said. “A lot of our 3G base is on unlimited. When they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share. That is beneficial to us.”

AT&T recently began encouraging their subscribers to migrate to tiered plans (which pissed some customers off), so it’s not much of a surprise to see Verizon doing the same thing.

Verizon goes on to say the new data-share plan will allow subscribers to connect more devices. Shammo said, “If I can add as many devices as I want, that is more efficient from a family perspective and a small business perspective.”

Some say that you should be scared of Verizon’s shared data plans, but I’m not so sure that I share that opinion yet. I might be alone in this thinking, but I don’t mind tiers and paying for the data that I consume. Of course I wish that there were cheaper tiers and data overages cost less, but I don’t have a problem with the basic concept of shared data buckets for multiple devices.

If you are a Verizon customers, I’m curious to know what you think. Will the end of unlimited data plans encourage you to switch to a carrier like Sprint that offers truly unlimited data?

AT&T has finalized plans to offer a shared data service to families, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega told CNET yesterday. The plans are set to be unveiled later this year, though de la Vega was unwilling to provide details as to timing, plan details, or pricing. AT&T joins Verizon as the two companies considering rolling out a shared data plan as early as this summer.

Many wireless customers gripe at having to pay two separate data plans on family lines, especially when neither person comes remotely close to the standard 2-3GB limit most companies offer. Some would rather pay for the ability to share the same allotment of data and mitigate the need for costly separate plans. Of course, data plans tend to be where carriers make their money, so we’ll have to wait and see what AT&T come up with as final products for shared data services.

We should be learning more details of AT&T and Verizon shared data plans in coming weeks, perhaps as soon as a few days as the wireless industry settles into the big easy for the CTIA Spring 2012 show. Our own Taylor Wimberly is on hand in New Orleans, and we’ll be bringing you all the goods from the show floor as it emerges.

Worried that Verizon might pass over the Samsung Galaxy S III? Jonathan Geller of BGR claims he has exclusively learned the details about Verizon’s flagship smartphone launches for the remainder of 2012. Read on for the full details.

Samsung Galaxy S III

First up is the Galaxy S III. There was some speculation that Verizon might turn the next Galaxy into a Droid phone or even pass on it (like they skipped the Galaxy S II), but BGR says that Big Red will carry the phone. No release date was provided, but Geller thinks it will arrive sometime this summer.

Motorola RAZR HD

Next we have the Motorola RAZR HD. This is the device we had been calling the Droid Fighter. We still don’t know the final product name, but this device will feature a look similar to the new RAZR. Upgrades include a 4.6 inch 720p HD display, 13 megapixel camera, and dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 processor. It will still pack a massive 3,300 mAh battery, and it should feature even longer battery life than the RAZR MAXX thanks to the Snapragon S4 chip with integrated LTE modem.

HTC’s take on Galaxy Note

Finally we hear that HTC could be working on their answer to Samsung’s Galaxy Note. This device is rumored to feature a 5 inch 1080p display, quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor with Adreno 320 GPU (maybe the APQ8064 or dual-core MSM8960 Pro), and use HTC’s Scribe pen that we saw in the Flyer tablet.

If you have an Android device with Sprint and have been waiting on an update to Android 4.0, then listen up. Today Sprint released a statement which read, “Sprint will begin to roll out Google’s latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, to our customers in 2012. Ice Cream Sandwich will be available via an over-the-air update to a variety of devices including Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch and Nexus S 4G and other key products in our line-up. Stay tuned for more details and exact timing.”

Some might find it odd that Sprint would not mention the EVO 3D by name, but HTC has already confirmed that the device should see Android 4.0 later this year.

Sprint and Google began pushing out Android 4.0 to the Nexus S 4G earlier this month, but we have no time frame for when it will hit other devices. Given the recent speed at which updates roll out, some Sprint customers might be waiting several more months before they see anything new.

At least a slow update schedule is still better than no update, right?

The next Galaxy phone will be unpacked by Samsung on May 3rd, and some retailers are jumping the gun to take advantage of all the hype. Today Vodafone UK put up a teaser page so subscribers could register for updates on the highly anticipated device. We still don’t know the final product name (we are guessing Galaxy S III) or the specs, but we still expect Samsung will introduce one of the best Android phones of 2012.

Samsung previously said they would reveal the successor to the Galaxy S II “closer to commercial availability of the product“, so we could see the device go on sale as soon as May. There is no indication on when the next Galaxy will come to the United States, but we are hoping it’s much quicker than the 6-8 month lag that we experienced last year.

If you pay attention to the different ad campaigns that AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon keep in their everyday arsenal, chances are you’ve heard every single one claim they have the fastest network on the block. Whatever they use to calculate those claims, it doesn’t always translate into real world use for every individual on that network. So how could you possibly pinpoint who really does have the fastest network?

PC World has put eight different Android phones to the test, including a 3G device and a 4G device from each major carrier in the US. They selected 13 cities for their, “varying population densities, physical topography, and cellular environments.” Each network was tested at ten locations in each city, five times indoors, and five times outdoors.

When it comes to which carrier in the US posted the best 3G download speeds, T-Mobile took the crown. Thanks to HSPA+ 21, T-Mobile’s average 3G download speed was 3.84 Mbps.

T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 42 managed to keep a slim distance when it came to 4G, but AT&T and Verizon’s LTE networks couldn’t be held back. AT&T had the best download speeds, coming in at 9.12 Mbps. Verizon was a close second at 7.35.

The absolute worst carrier if you care about download speeds is Sprint. Their WiMax 4G test numbers were lower than T-Mobile’s 3G numbers. And their 3G numbers were enough to drive any sane man mad, at a pathetic 0.59 Mbps.

Of course these tests still don’t paint an entirely accurate picture of whose networks provides the fastest network speeds, but it does give you a good idea. What kind of speeds do you get with your service? Let us know in the comments.

Gallery

Yesterday we learned that T-Mobile was ready to makeover their image with a new $200 million campaign that would “set the record straight” on who has the fastest 4G phones. We saw a teaser video of Carly putting on a leather suit, and today the full TV spot was posted online.

Peter DeLuca, T-Mobile SVP, brand, advertising and communications, authored a blog post to explain the new “Alter Ego” series of ads. Peter said, “The ad is a metaphor for what T-Mobile is all about – challenging the status quo and taking bold steps in the marketplace as a challenger brand. The makeover from the girl-next-door to an edgier, more tech-savvy and spirited Carly is synonymous with the evolution of the T-Mobile brand as we continue to push the envelope with device and service innovation to deliver amazing 4G experiences at an affordable price.”

Both the new video and blog post invite the audience to visit t-mobile.com/testdrive to check out their competitive 4G experience first-hand.

Unfortunately, the site is not live yet and just loads a blank page. We reached out to find when the page would be up and a T-Mobile representative responded, “The test drive site will go live later today in line with the ad, which airs tonight on national television.”

Check out the full ad below and be on the lookout for the Test Drive site to go live soon.

Can Carly Foulkes dressed in leather save T-Mobile? In an upcoming commercial to promote the HTC One S, Carly throws her trademark pink dresses to the floor in exchange for a tight leather suit. It is all part of a new $200 million marketing campaign with the tagline “No More Mr. Nice Girl.”

“We’re working toward a brand refresh later in the year,” T-Mobile senior VP Peter DeLuca said in an interview with AllThingsD. “We really can’t wait until the end of the year to make some noise in the market.”

T-Mobile is throwing a launch party for the One S this Wednesday, so the new ads could start airing soon. We are big fans of Carly, but we are not sure if she can help turn T-Mobile around on her own. Check out the teaser video below and let us know what you think.