Metro Launches new REVVL Phones with Unique Perks Attached
T-Mobile today announced the REVVL 7 series of T-Mobile-branded phones exclusively for T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. T-Mobile also announced some slightly unusual perks exclusive to the REVVL series on Metro. First is no activation fees when activating a REVVL 7 5G or REVVL 7 Pro 5G (other brands incur a $25 activation fee). Metro is also introducing a lifetime limited warranty that covers "mechanical or electrical" issues for as long as you have the phone and maintain an account in good standing. Finally, Metro will give you a free charger for a new REVVL upon request. The REVVL 7 5G has a 6.58-inch LCD display with FHD+ resolution, Snapdragon 6 processor, 6 GB RAM, 128 GB storage (expandable), 50 megapixel main camera, 5,000 mAh battery, and 15W charging. It also has a headset jack, NFC, fingerprint reader, and an 8 megapixel front camera. It will come in Arctic Gray (silver). The step-up REVVL 7 Pro 5G has all of that plus support for overseas networks, a larger 6.78 AMOLED display, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage, OIS on the main camera, 25W fast charging, wireless charging (15W), a 16-megapixel front camera, Wi-Fi 6E, and USB 3.0. It will come in Azurite Blue (navy). The phones can be had for free for new customers or in some cases when trading in. Full retail price is $200 for the REVVL 7 5G and $250 for the REVVL 7 Pro 5G. They will be available on both T-Mobile and Metro starting May 23.
Metro Launches Prepaid Plans with Phone Upgrades Included
Metro by T-Mobile is launching new service plans that, for the first time in prepaid wireless, will include free smartphone upgrades for existing customers. Starting May 16, new customers can sign up for a Metro Flex plan and get a free 5G smartphone. Then, "every 1, 2 or 3 years, trade in your old phone in working condition and choose from the same Metro Flex deals as new customers on select devices. Your options expand the longer you stay." The entry-level plan is Metro Flex Start, which runs $50/month with auto pay ($55 for the first month). It includes unlimited talk and text, "unlimited" 5G data (speeds may slow after 35 GB each month), and 8 GB of hotspot data. Metro also includes Scam Shield and a 100 GB Google One membership. For an extra $10/month, the Metro Flex Up plan adds unlimited texting to 210+ countries and destinations and bumps the hotspot data to 25 GB. The top-end Metro Flex Plus plan is an additional $10/month ($70/month with auto pay after first month) and throws in an Amazon Prime membership (worth $15/month). The fine print: Existing Metro customers can switch to Metro Flex plans, but will only be eligible for a new phone after 12 months. For six months after receiving a new phone, switching to a cheaper plan will incur a $50 fee. Some phones (new T-Mobile REVVL phones excluded) may require a $25 activation fee. Video streaming is limited to SD quality.
iOS 17.5 Out Now with Cross-Platform Unwanted Tracking Protection
Apple has released the final version of iOS 17.5 to the public. The most notable new feature is support for the new Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers cross-platform specification. This anti-stalking technology will let you know if a Bluetooth tracking device is moving with you that is not yours. iOS previously had this feature for its own AirTags, but now it will work with trackers designed for Google's ecosystem as well. iOS 17.5 also brings a number of important security fixes, so most iPhone users should upgrade as soon as possible. iPhone users can update to 17.5 by going to Settings, General, Software Update, and choosing "Update Now".
Carriers Fined for Misleading "Unlimited" Plans and "Free" Phones
All three big national carriers — Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T — have been fined a total of $10.2 million for misleading advertising and have agreed to change the way they market "unlimited" data plans and "free" phones. The agreement was reached between the carriers and 50 attorneys general, including New York Attorney General Letitia James who led the charge for the fines. According to the agreement, "'Unlimited' mobile data plans can only be marketed if there are no limits on the quantity of data allowed during a billing cycle".
T-Mobile, Verizon in Talks to Carve up US Cellular
The Wall Street Journal reports that US Cellular is in talks to sell its assets to T-Mobile and Verizon in two separate but related deals. The T-Mobile deal is reportedly further along and could close this month. That deal includes spectrum licenses and "some operations" for around $2 billion. The Verizon deal could take longer and is not guaranteed. The main assets of interest are spectrum licenses. US Cellular holds licenses in 30 states covering 51 million people. US Cellular's over 4000 towers are reportedly not part of either deal. It is unclear if one or both buyers would take some or all of US Cellular's customers. US Cellular is currently the largest regional wireless carrier left in the US.
Motorola Gives its Stylus Phone a Spec Bump
Motorola has revealed the 2024 edition of its moto g stylus 5G, a model that typically sits near the upper end of its moto g series of affordable phones. The new model addresses most shortcomings of last year's model, adding wireless charging and boosting the wide-angle camera resolution from 8 megapixel to a more-useful 13 megapixel. The selfie camera also gets a boost, from 16 megapixel to 32, and RAM gets a nice bump to a generous 8 GB. Wired charging is also faster at up to 30 watts instead of 20. Other specs remain similar, including the large AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh, pop-out stylus, Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, and 5,000 mAh battery. There's also NFC, expandable storage, and a headset jack. The body is water repellent with an IP52 rating, slightly thinner than last year's model, and has a "vegan leather" finish on the back. Motorola will sell it unlocked for $400 starting May 30th. It will also be offered by AT&T, Metro by T-Mobile, Cricket, Boost, Consumer Cellular, US Cellular, Spectrum, Xfinity Mobile, Google Fi, Optimum Mobile, Straight Talk, Total by Verizon, and Visible.
TikTok Sues to Stop "Forced Shutdown" in US
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance have filed suit against the US government to challenge the constitutionality of a recently-signed law that the companies say will "force a shutdown of TikTok". The law technically gives the companies the option of selling or spinning off TikTok so it is no longer Chinese-owned. However ByteDance says this "is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally." This is in part because the Chinese government "has made clear that it would not permit a divestment of the recommendation engine that is a key to the success of TikTok in the United States." The lawsuit says the law runs afoul of First Amendment free speech protections. The law was created over concerns that TikTok holds a large volume of personal data on US citizens, and Chinese companies must cooperate with the Chinese government if it requests access to such data.
Google Pixel 8a is a Modest Update to the 7a
Google has announced the Pixel 8a, this year's more-affordable Pixel model. It offers several small hardware improvements over last year's 7a, and new AI software features, but is otherwise quite similar to the 7a. The design has more rounded corners. The "Actua" display is 40% brighter and the refresh rate gets a bump from 90 to 120 Hz. There's also a new 256 GB storage option. An upgrade from a Google Tensor G2 processor to the newer G3 chip enables new software features like Best Take for group photos, Magic Editor for photos, and Audio Magic Eraser for video. Circle To Search is also available, and Gemeni AI can summarize emails. Pixel 8a also makes official the controversial Audio Emoji feature revealed last week. The battery is also slightly larger at 4,492 mAh vs. 4,385 mAh. Other features and specs remain the same as the 7a, including FHD+ display, 64 megapixel main camera, 13 megapixel wide camera, 8 GB RAM, storage starting at 128 GB, IP67 water resistance, 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, 18W fast charging, and wireless charging. The launch price is also unchanged at $499. As before, a version with mmWave 5G is available for Verizon but priced a little higher, at $550. The Google Pixel 8a is available for pre-order today, shipping May 14th. It's available in four colors at launch: Porcelain (off-white), Obsidian (black), Bay (blue), and a limited-edition Aloe (mint green).
TextNow Intros Ad-Supported "Free Essential" Data
TextNow, purveyor of free mobile service supported by ads, is expanding from voice and texting to free data. The new TextNow Free Essential Data offering lets customers access email (Gmail, Outlook, Exchange, etc.), navigation (Google Maps, Waze, etc.), and rideshare (Lyft, Uber) apps for free. The only charge is a one-time purchase of a SIM card for $5. Voice and texting are also free and unlimited. When customers need mobile data for other apps, they can purchase general data passes for $1/hour, $5/day, or $40/month. A new TextNow SIM card can be ordered from within the TextNow app, available for both Android and iOS.
AT&T Will Now Charge for "Turbo" 5G
AT&T has introduced a new add-on plan called Turbo for $7/month that promises "enhanced data connectivity for real-time responsiveness and improved stability". AT&T says the feature is ideal for "gaming, social video broadcasting and live video conferencing". AT&T confirmed to The Verge that it has technically lowered the network priority level (QCI) for existing plans and this new offering lets users buy their way back into the priority level they had previously. However AT&T claims that existing plans should not notice any degradation without Turbo, and Turbo is more like a new, faster service, due to "increased network resources and relative weighting". Turbo can be added or removed at any time. It is only available to customers already on premium unlimited plans (Unlimited Premium PL, Unlimited Extra EL, and Unlimited Elite).
Google Adding Sound Effects to Android Phone App
The newest beta version of Google's Phone app for Android includes "Audio Emoji", which are buttons that play a sound effect that both parties can hear. They include clapping, laughing, crying, party, drums, and ... poop, which makes a farting sound. The beta test suggests that the feature could roll out to all users in the coming weeks.
Mint Mobile Now Owned by T-Mobile
T-Mobile has completed its planned acquisition of Ka'ena Corporation, which includes the Mint Mobile brand. T-Mobile says Mint will "continue to operate autonomously ... similar to T-Mobile's successful acquisition of MetroPCS in 2013." T-Mobile is also introducing new perks for Mint customers, including a scam call screener and free roaming in Canada. T-Mobile also promises that Mint will continue to offer "a $15/month plan" of some type, but does not promise what that plan will include in the future. Also, "Ryan Reynolds will continue in his creative role on behalf of Mint."
Beats Launches Smaller, More Affordable Earbuds
Beats today announced the all-new Beats Solo Buds true wireless earbuds, as well as an update to its iconic headphones, the Beats Solo 4. The Beats Solo Buds are the brand's smallest earbuds yet, and will sell for just $80. They have Class 1 long-range Bluetooth, one-touch pairing for both iOS and Android, and Apple Find My. The earbud buttons are customizable. Unusually, the only batteries are in the buds themselves; the case is for charging the buds via USB-C but does not have a battery itself. The buds can provide up to 18 hours of battery life and a five-minute charge gives up to one hour of play time. They come with four sizes of ear tips. The Beats Solo Buds will be available in June in Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple, and Transparent Red. The Beats Solo 4 bring Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking to the iconic over-ear headphones. They also support wired audio via USB-C or 3.5mm ports. Battery life has been improved to 50 hours. The Beats Solo 4 are available for order starting today for $200. They come in Matte Black, Slate Blue, and Cloud Pink.
FCC Fines Carriers for Selling Your Location Data Without Consent
The FCC today announced fines totaling nearly $200 million against T-Mobile (and Sprint), AT&T, and Verizon, for illegally selling real-time customer location data to third parties without consent and without "reasonable safeguards". The fines follow a multi-year investigation started under the previous administration. Today's fines were first proposed in early 2020. T-Mobile and Verizon objected and were able to reduce their fines, to over $92 million (including Sprint) and almost $47 million, respectively. AT&T is fined more than $57 million.
TSMC Announces 1.6nm Chips
TSMC, the world's leading manufacturer of advanced chips for phones and other devices, has revealed its newest cutting-edge chip technology with an effective transistor size of just 1.6nm. Current flagship chips from Apple and Qualcomm use TSMC's 3nm technology. TSMC also has multiple 2nm "nodes" (technologies) in the works. Smaller nodes offer greater performance and efficiency. Achieving such densities requires creative new transistor structures. The new 1.6nm process uses gate-all-around (GAA) and a new backside power delivery network dubbed Super Power Rail. TSMC calls the new process "A16" and devices using the chips are expected to reach the market in 2027.
FCC Makes Net Neutrality Official Again
As planned, the FCC has formally voted to reclassify broadband internet (fixed and mobile, including cell phone networks) to regulate it under a different set of laws. This has the effect of restoring many key regulations, including "Open Internet" rules, AKA "net neutrality".
TCL 50 Series Reaches US on Metro
TCL's new 50 series of phones is reaching US shores with the launch of the TCL 50 XL 5G on Metro by T-Mobile tomorrow. At $159, it's one of the more affordable 5G phones available to date. As the "XL" implies, the phone has a large display at 6.78 inches. Compared to last year's TCL 40 XL, the new model has 5G, a sharper display (FHD+) and more RAM (6 GB). Other features are similar, including a 50 megapixel main camera, 18W fast charging, 128 GB storage expandable to 2 TB via microSD, fingerprint reader, and a headset jack. The TCL 50 XL 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset.
"TikTok Ban" Becomes Law
President Biden has signed a law that will force the sale of TikTok or ban the app in the US, one day after the bill passed the US Senate. Chinese owner ByteDance has one year to divest TikTok to a non-Chinese entity, or the app will be banned from US-based app stores and any US-based cloud services that power the service. ByteDance has responded by promising to challenge the law in court, a move that could delay implementation.
