T-Mobile

Last year, T-Mobile launched two new Sidekicks: the Slide and the LX. This time around, it’s keeping the name simple: “Sidekick.” The big news is the customizable external shells that you can purchase from the dedicated Sidekick Web site.

The site lets you either upload your own images, or choose from a library of clip art that you can apply to your own shell. Each costs $9.99 but you can get two for $14.99. I have to admit that I had a good time grabbing a picture of a surfer in a breaking wave and applying it to my imaginary shell. Then I took an ink-blot logo and splotched it around the camera hole. I’ll have it in the office soon enough to give you a look, but I think teens will like this feature a lot.

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Motorola just announced that the quad-band ROKR E8 will be available to T-Mobile customers on July 7th for $199. We’ve had previews and hands-on time with the beautifully crafted ROKR E8 a few times now, but there’s nothing like finally getting a review unit in and running it through its paces unsupervised.

The ROKR E8 will likely be most attractive to teens and young twenty-somethings on T-Mobile looking for a music phone that can also bring basic e-mail and Web functionality to their fingertips while remaining simple.  Its smooth glass top and midnight blue body, which features a soft rubbery back cover, will certainly turn heads. At various spots inside the UI and on the phone itself, there are subtle red accents that make for a beautiful package all around.

While the phone certainly feels sturdy, it’s still going to be hobbled by T-Mobile’s slow EDGE network. Its big competitor is going to be the $49.99 priced Nokia 5310 XpressMusic, which is also offered by T-Mobile. Where the 4.5 x 2.0 x 0.4-inch sized ROKR E8 is more similar in size to a 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.4-inch sized iPod Classic, the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic is more on par with the first generation iPod Nano’s measurements.

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T-Mobile just announced a Tony Hawk version of its Sidekick LX handset, which we reviewed back in January. The device is supposed to resemble and feel like the top of a skateboard with grip-tape and eight fake screw heads. I just hope it doesn’t feel too much like real grip-tape, since the last thing I’d want on my phone is sandpaper meant for gripping to shoes.

It’s the first Sidekick with video-recording capabilities, as well as the ability to play back and share the video. T-Mobile claims the device also has an enhanced Web-browsing experience, stereo Bluetooth support, and easier downloads.

The device is slate gray with white and sky blue accents. It features a Tony Hawk–themed interface, which includes a video of him performing tricks and will no doubt get old quite quickly, and a Tony Hawk background. Every time you swivel the screen open, it’s supposed to make “skate themed” sounds. It’s unclear if that means the device says “Dude, gnarly ollie,” or the sound of four wheels hitting pavement, or a snapping femur every time you open it.

My only question is, why does Tony Hawk look so unenthused? Read on for more photos. Read the rest of this entry »

T-Mobile pushed the envelope of unlimited calling plans this morning by announcing the cheapest unlimited family plan. Once a customer has a single $99.99 plan, he or she can add lines to the plan for an additional $49.99 per month, and that includes unlimited calling, SMS, MMS, and IM.

It’s a pretty incredible deal, considering that the previous family plan pricing started at $59.99 for two lines and 700 minutes, and then customers would have to add on their own messaging plans too.

Let’s say you need cell phones for you, your spouse, and your 2.5 kids. That’s a total of five lines. With T-Mobile’s new plan, you’re paying $249.95 for unlimited messaging and calling. AT&T charges $199.99 for the first two lines, and each additional line is $9.99 (max of 5). For the same family, that’s $229.96 for unlimited calling only. But unlimited messaging will cost you $20 per line. That’s a $100 more per month.

Sprint doesn’t offer an unlimited family plan, but Verizon Wireless has three various packages. The Select package is most similar to T-Mobile’s, with unlimited calling and messaging, but it also includes unlimited mobile Web access for $529.95.

Overall, T-Mobile’s deal sounds like a steal if you’ve got a house full of talkative teenagers. Save the extra dough for college tuition, or your midlife crisis.

T-Mobile beefed up its Wi-Fi capable BlackBerry portfolio today by announcing its BlackBerry Pearl 8120. Yes, we’re well aware that T-Mobile has had a BlackBerry Pearl of its own for quite some time, but the original didn’t have the HotSpot @Home support ($9.99 per month) that the increasingly popular BlackBerry Curve and 8830 handsets have.

RIM added an improved version of SureType, the auto-complete typing software, which now offers better word completion and a spell check. The new Pearl also sports a souped up 2MP camera; the original Pearl 8100 has a 1.3MP one. It also has increased media playback functionality and a 3.5mm headphone jack, similar to the Pearl 8130.

T-Mobile says the 8120 has an enhanced interface that offers visual improvements in everyday tasks like web browsing, e-mail, and calendar.

Stay tuned as we keep you up to date with pricing and more while we tackle the show floor here at CTIA in Las Vegas.

We loved T-Mobile’s BlackBerry Curve with its Wi-Fi support for T-Moile HotSpot @Home ($9.99 per month) support and its 2-MP camera. Today T-Mobile fans looking to add a little GPS to their lives can pick up the BlackBerry 8820.

The new handset, which will set T-Mobile subscribers back $349 after a 2 year contract and instant $250 discount, offers the same Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) T-Mobile HotSpot @Home support that the Curve does, but also throws in GPS capabilities combined with BlackBerry Maps, which are powered by TeleNav GPS Navigator software.

TeleNav Navigator can provide you with information like the nearest restaurant or rental car outlet, and also give you turn-by-turn directions while you’re cruising around looking for that particular destination.

Like the Curve, the 8820 is also a quad-band phone (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) so you can bring it along when you travel internationally.

Other features include a 320 x 240 resolution display, and support for MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAA+ playback. Your “Fave 5″ contacts are also displayed on the home screen.

We’ll keep you updated with a hands-on review when we get one in the lab.