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This week: T-Mobile gets the iPhone, a look at BlackBerry 10's Hub, the Nokia Lumia
620, and more! This is the Mobile Nations Monday Brief!
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Greetings mobile delegates, I'm Ashley Esqueda, and you're tuned into the Mobile Nations
Monday Brief. Last week, both Android Central and iMore reporting on the same story, albeit
from different perspectives. Android Central reported on the news that, starting in 2013,
T-Mobile will be dropping the subsidy model and only offering phones at their full retail
price. You'll be able to pay for the phone in full up front, or pay in monthly installments
over the course of your contract. This is a big shift in carrier thinking, which until
now had unanimously been in favor of subsidizing phones and making up the lost income via contracted
plans - at least, for the four major carriers. Of course, subsidies mean paying more on your
monthly bill, but since T-Mobile is getting rid of subsidized phones, it seems like a
good opportunity for folks willing to pony up the cash up front to save some money on
their smartphone plans. On the flip side of the coin, iMore reporting
on the T-Mobile announcement, but focusing on the fact that the iPhone is finally coming
to T-Mo next year. It's not clear how T-Mobile plans on combating the cheaper-SEEMING prices
at other carriers, but the rumor on the street is they may end up financing the device for
$99 up front and then $15-20 bucks a month over the course of your Value Plan contract.
We'll see what happens, but you can keep up with both stories on Android Central and
iMore dot com, respectively.
Windows Phone Central reporting on a new member of the Lumia family of WinPhone8 devices -- the
Nokia Lumia 620. It's an entry level device, designed for users looking for a phone with
decent specs at the right price. Here's a look at the official launch video:
VIDEO: LUMIA 620 The littlest Lumia will be available in Asia
first, followed by Middle East and European markets for just $250 bucks off-contract.
No word on a North American launch for anyone in the U.S. or Canada looking to pick one
up, though. Either way, it's a great move by Nokia to get Windows Phone 8 into emerging
markets and budget-minded consumers. You can find more Lumia 620 info on wpcentral dot
com!
Crackberry is less than two months out from the official BlackBerry10 launch event, and
we're starting to get some glimpses of BB10 we haven't seen in depth yet -- specifically,
BlackBerry Hub. That part of BB10 was shown off by RIM Director Patrick Murtha last week,
and we've got a look right here: VIDEO - BLACKBERRY HUB
For me, the
best part about the BBHub is that all of your communication, whether it's email, BBM,
social media, or another notification, is only a swipe away, and judging from the comments,
it looks like the Crackberry Nation feels the same way. Hit crackberry dot com for all
the details and to watch the full video!
webOS has seen a really solid interest in the open webOS project since its launch, and
December appears to be no different, with webOS Nation reporting this week on some updates
and projects happening this month. The Pluggable Keyboard Project is in the works, with developers
hoping to create an official, stable, and stellar virtual keyboard for any touchscreen
device running open webOS. Apparently, this new keyboard will be both phone and tablet
friendly, giving fans of webOS a keyboard to type with on any mobile device. It'll
also be based on the TouchPad keyboard, which was pretty good, if I recall correctly. Devs
will also be in the process of updating Qt to version 4 point 8 point 3, which should
improve performance and keep open webOS development moving forward. There's a lot more to the
updates, so check out webos nation dot com for all the details!
That's it for your Mobile Nations Monday Brief. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel
at youtube.com/mobilenations, check out our dazzling and informative podcasts at mobilenations.com/shows,
and you can follow me on Twitter @ashleyesqueda. Nations, you have been briefed!