I just posted to both T-Mob threads on the N900. Here's my take on subsidy:
I'm a Verizon customer at the moment, and I might switch to T-Mob if they carried the N900, but I'd like to be able to try out their network for two weeks of intensive testing and be able to get my $$ back if it doesn't work for me. That's one of the benefits of a phone subsidy -- the wireless company takes some responsibility for the phone functioning on their network with their money-back guarantee.
Here's what I see on the T-Mob forums:
-- T-Mob says users can roam on AT&T, but as soon as they put up a few towers in an AT&T market, they turn off roaming in that market without warning. Customers who were pretty happy with T-Mob are now angry because they can't make calls from their homes.
-- 3G is limited to urban centers, and though the roll out is going at a pretty fast clip, it's likely that you're not going to get 3G in the suburbs for quite a while (and forget about rural areas). Without 3G, and without roaming, you might be on super-slow GPRS out in the sticks.
-- T-Mob tower coverage is thin in areas with coverage, so people can't receive/make calls indoors.
Verizon has many faults, but coverage is not one of them. They're 3G almost everywhere in the Northeast, and even little towns in the middle of nowhere are now EVDO. Plus, 1xRTT is actually pretty decent smartphone use, though I rarely see it.
If the N900 ran on Verizon's network, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, with or without subsidy. On T-mobile's network, not so much.
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I would really love to know where you would be getting a xperia X3 for $200, i will jump on that too. ... And whats the time frame you are looking at, waiting for another 2 years for that phone to drop in the market.
Its all up to you if you want to pay 25 for the same thing you will get for 5.
PhAndroid has a rumor for X3 in Jan. Sholes in pretty definite for Oct. But that isn't the point. If T-Mo subsidises the N900, or X3, or whatever, we don't know what the subsidy will be, and we don't know whether or not we can get the very plans you're talking about with the subsidized phones.
So given that we don't know a lot of these variables, and that a few WVGA phones with h/w kbd and Linux are launching in the next few months, how can you be so sure that getting an unsubsidised phone is the best option (assuming that I can wait, say, 2 months)?
In the DC/Baltmore area, T-Mobile's coverage is better than AT&T...no one can beat Verizon's coverage.
Yeah I've noticed that. My gf on TMobile will get signal in places where me (on Sprint) can't get. Though everyone but Verizon won't get reception inside the D.C. Metro system until later October (so far Verizon is the only one with reception due to them making an early deal with Metro to have Metro install hardware for them). Now AT&T, TMobile, and Sprint are finally getting around to it.
well I am using fring and gizmo on my N95 on the same plan no problem with out any hack or nothing so I guess it works for me so Lets see what happens when I get my phone some time would let you guys know.
And there are already lot of people using iphone with the service and getting a full internet access, it just doesnot make sense that this plan would work with every other smartphone except the N900. when i had the i7500 it did work with this too but I was not able to e recieve the MMS with out tweaks at the apn setting, that might be beacause Tmobile carries android and they have a different system for android phones, but if Tmobile will not carry the maemo there just would not be any problem(of course per the MMS this phone should be able to do it first)
If you don't already have the $10 plan, it is discontinued. Old users get it grandfathered in.
No you can still get it its called web2go and it is listed as 9.99 a month for unlimited data, if you want the unlimited txt and the unlimited data then that will be 19.99 for both.
