Unlimited data plans are a thing of the past, and while some users have been grandfathered into these plans, most of us now have capped data plans, forcing us to be a little more conservative with our data, or at least be more aware of our usage. For the data-conscious people out there, we have a simple tip that will show you a quick and easy way to see how much data specific FaceTime calls use.
Wireless service plans for families are great until you realize that getting out of your contract often yields a huge penalty in the form of early termination fees and other dirty tactics carrier pull to discourage switching.
As announced Friday, Virgin Mobile USA, a prepaid wireless carrier wholly owned by Sprint, just started offering contract-free LTE data sharing plans that permit families to cancel the service if need be without breaking the bank.
A new survey finds that nearly 1-in-5 iPhone 6 owners are planning to buy the Apple Watch when it launches later this year. ZDNet points to the data, published by marketing research firm Credit Suisse, which shows 18% of iPhone 6 or 6 Plus owners polled said they would "definitely" be buying Apple's new wearable.
Additionally, 11% of those queried said that they would "probably" be purchasing the Apple Watch when it's released, and another 27% described the likelihood that they would be getting one as "maybe." Out of those in the "no" category, 27% said they would "probably not" be getting it, and 18% answered "definitely not."
Apple was awarded just over 2,000 patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2014, according to data compiled by IFI Claims Patent Services. That amount is good for a 13% boost over 2013, and enough to rank it #11 among top patent recipients for the year.
A total of 19 US-based companies appear on the 2014 IFI Claims Top 50 list. IBM finished in first, with 7,534 patents awarded in 2014, keeping its 22-year streak alive. Samsung came in second with just under 5000 patents, followed by Canon, Sony and Microsoft.
Wednesday, AT&T promised to give folks on its shared plans rollover data. Beginning January 25, the more than 50 million of its Mobile Share Value customers will be able to carry over any unused cellular data allotment to the next month.
Any unused, shareable plan data in a given month gets rolled over to the next, as long as family members are on the same Mobile Share Value plan.
T-Mobile back in December launched a similar data rollover feature called Data Stash.
In its latest Un-carrier move, T-Mobile unveiled today Data Stash, a program in which all unused data automatically rolls over to the next month, for up to a year. The unused data, which is then put in the virtual Data Stash, can be used anytime during that year. To top it all off, the company is also stocking each Data Stash with 10 GB of free data.
Verizon customers who use the official My Verizon Mobile app can now track their data usage directly from the Today tab of Notification Center. The app was updated yesterday with this new feature that should allow users to keep their data usage in check. The widget is updated automatically based on users' plan and usage, showing the total data allocation as well as currently used data.
AT&T announced a new promotion today regarding its Mobile Share Value plans. The limited-time offer gives qualified customers 15GB of monthly shareable data, for the price of 10GB, which typically runs $100 per month plus device access charges.
The change puts AT&T's 15GB plan on-par price-wise with Verizon's 15GB More Everything share plan, which also runs $100 per month plus access charges. These access charges for both plans run $40 per device, unless you subscribe to Next or Edge.
The US Federal Trade Commission is seeking assurances from Apple that it will prevent sensitive health data from being used without the users' consent, reports Reuters. The outlet says Apple representatives have met with FTC officials multiple times in recent months to discuss the matter.
More specifically, the FTC wants to be sure that Apple will not sell health data collected by its upcoming smartwatch and other devices to third party marketers, or allow app developers to do so. It also wants to be sure proper measures are being taken to protect the data against malicious attacks.
It looks like Verizon Wireless won't be throttling the LTE speeds of remaining unlimited data customers after all. In a statement to The Verge this afternoon, the carrier says it has "decided not to move forward with the planned implementation of network optimization for 4G LTE customers on unlimited plans."
Verizon announced its plan to throttle LTE for select unlimited data customers in July, as part of its 'network optimization' strategy. The decision was met with a large amount of criticism from consumers, as well as FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who demanded further explanation for the move from the carrier.
Leading United States carriers — Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint — have responded to the release of Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in literally the same manner, by doubling the amount of LTE data included in shared plans albeit on a temporary basis.
AT&T is doubling cellular data on 15GB and higher Mobile Share Value plans through October 31.
Sprint has responded by changing its 32/40/60GB Family Share Pack buckets to 60/80/120GB ones at no additional charge, also valid through October 31.
And arriving late to the party, Verizon is now getting in on the double-data action by increasing the amount of data available to customers who subscribe to its higher-end family plans. The Big Red carrier's time-limited promotion lasts between tomorrow and — you guessed right — October 31.
Jump past the fold for additional information and the fine print.
Beginning September 3, T-Mobile customers in the United States will be able to boost their Simple Starter plan via an additional $5 per month option giving them a total of two gigabytes of high-speed 4G LTE data.
That's in addition to unlimited talk and text included in the Simple Starter plan, the nation's fourth largest wireless carrier said Monday morning.
In other words, in exchange for five bucks on top of your $40 per month Simple Starter charge (for a total of $45 per month), the wireless carrier will quadruple LTE data.
The new option goes into effect on Wednesday, September 3.