MuniWireless

It’s here: the first Android-based phone, the G1, from T-Mobile for $180 with a two-year contract. The phone has a Qwerty keyboard, touch-screen, and uses both 3G and Wi-Fi. Users can also purchase applications from the Android Market (similar to the Apple app store). Go to http://www.T-MobileG1.com for more information.

I am very curious to see how many people buy the G1 given that there’s been a lot of hype about it. The Android operating system is open-source, making it much more…

The Cloud, a UK-based operator of Wi-Fi hotspots in Europe, has closed a €15 million round of financing from its current investors (Ferd Venture of Norway and GP Bullhound). The company will use the funds to expand its network of locations across Europe. At present, their hotspots are mostly in the UK, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, and they have partnerships with iPass (the Wi-Fi hotspot aggregator), O2, Orange and Vodafone.

Recently, BT announced the termination of its partnership with The Cloud…

It seems the only person outraged enough to complain about the rising cost of text messaging and possible collusion (aka price fixing) among the carriers is Senator Herb Kohl, head of the US Senate antitrust subcommittee who sent a letter to four mobile phone operators (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile) which reads in part:

“Your four companies are the nation’s leading wireless telephone companies, collectively serving more than 90% of the nation’s wireless subscribers. Since 2005, the cost for a consumer…

T-Mobile has released interesting statistics on the iPhone’s usage in the Netherlands since the launch of the 3G version six weeks ago:

49% of iPhone customers are between 25-49 years old, 26% are between 18-24. More men than women have purchased the phone. The average data use in the first 5 days after the launch was 10 MB per day. The most popular version of the iPhone is the black, 16 GB device. The most popular subscription is the 150 voice…

T-Mobile Netherlands has finally announced the prices it will charge for the 3G iPhone (and subscriptions) in the Netherlands. Be warned: you have to sign up for a 2-year contract. I dislike these long contracts that mobile operators force people to sign.

No wonder MVNOs such as Blyk are attracting a lot of young people who hate long contracts with cancellation penalties. I think this is the wave of the future. And why doesn’t have a 1-year option for the iPhone?

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