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Here's T-Mobile's unlock FAQ

https://support.t-mobile.com/knowbase/root/public/tm51885.htm

The HTC Dream/T-Mobile G1 is not on the "can not unlock" list, but maybe they haven't gotten around to it. And one of the rules for unlocking is you can't do it during the 14-day buyer remorse period and you've been under contract at least 90 days.

I'm not sure which part of the world you live in where you are ok with throwing away $100 USD per month for internet on your phone

Firstly, this includes a USB modem which obviously is geared toward computers... not just phones. So, I'd like everyone to think less narrowly and imagine the applications of PAYG-Internet outside of mobile phones. Secondly, why is everyone complaining that one day of access at ~$3.60 is ~$100/mo? They aren't charging you $100/mo... They are charging you $3.66 USD PER DAY. If you choose to use it 30 times a month and get billed $100, then congratulations - you got what you paid for. If you plan on using this daily, you really need to get yourself A REAL DATA PLAN, which costs $50 in the U.S.

In Asia I pay a little over $30 USD per month for unlimited data on my phone

Also, you pay $30 USD for your data plan, but the exchange rate in China is almost 7 to 1, Korea is about 3:1, Hong Kong dollars and Thai Baht are about 8:1 etc... The most reasonable exchange rate I'm aware of is in Singapore dollar, which is worth about 0.7 USD. Unless you're living in Singapore, $30 USD sounds like a bad deal for anyone living in Asia. If you DO live in Singapore, then the price sounds just about right.

I'm paying about $10 a year for my cell phone service. T-Mobile has a prepay plan called "Pay As You Go" where the minutes expire after a year after spending $100 with them. So if you get that (sometimes for $88 with phone at Target) than it will cost you only 83 cents a month to keep the phone active after the year. The minutes also don't expire as long as you fill it up once a year with the smallest amount. It is also only 10 cents a minute which is like a cheap plan with some other providers.

You can read about it here:
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/default.aspx?plancategory=4

Check out FlexPay from T-Mobile. You don't have to have a contract, and you pay as you go. You are prevented from going over your minutes, and you can choose a good plan to go along with your phone. The only "drawback" is that you pay full price for a phone (no subsidy) -- but that's not that much of a drawback, really.

The problem is that they're essentially telling you to sign a two year contract committing yourself to paying whatever bill they send you, but won't tell you what the bill will be.

It's actually a bit more complicated than that, as I found when I shopped last fall for a major carrier:

• Verizon seemed to have the best agreement; it allowed me to cancel (within 60 days of notice) without early termination fees for any billing change that would cause a material adverse effect on me--including any tax they were not required to pass to the consumer but did anyway. I cancelled mostly due to their locked-down phones, their anti-consumer attitude, and their anti-openness lobbying; but when they chose to pass to me an increased state tax it was a last straw and get-out-of-ETF-free card.
• As I recall, Sprint's agreement was similar to Verizon's, but specifically allowed them to increase text message fees without limit, and you would have no recourse. When I see their material adverse effect clause now, it seems that they've removed that exception to be equivalent to Verizon standards (but you must cancel within 30 days of when higher rates take effect).
• When AT&T raises any fees, you may cancel without ETF (within 30 days of first affected bill), except for a change in how much tax they wish to pass to you (in which case you have no recourse).
• T-Mobile's terms are the worst: they say you can cancel without ETF (within 30 days of notice) only if the advertised monthly charge changes, but they can change any "fees" arbitrarily!

I ended up going with T-Mobile's prepaid FlexPay account, which is the same price as the normal one but without the 2-year unbounded risk and without subsidized phones.

Easier said than done when none of the competitors offer anything w/out a contract.

It sounds like what I have at home right now through T-Mobile. see: http://talkforever.t-mobile.com/ My Linksys router has slots for SIM cards too.

Multi-User Dungeon - MUD1 Version 1E

* NASA's Super Happy MUD *
* It's Edutainment! *

Origin of version: Sat Sep 15 10:00:50 2007

Welcome! By what name shall I call you?

>> Buzz

Hello, Buzz!

Cape Canaveral Launch Pad.
You stand in your Converse (tm) Brand space suit on the Launch Pad, before you is a towering shuttle with the huge Coca-Cola (tm) logo on the side of it. A crowd watches in anticipation and enjoys the T-Mobile (tm) cameras broadcasting the cabin and crew live to their cell phones.
[Exits: shuttle, bathroom]

>> bathroom

Bathroom Adjacent to Launch Pad.
You rush into the bathroom and rip off your helmet to deposit your stomach contents in the toilet. Luckily you have Rolaids (tm) antacid in your Converse (tm) Brand space suit. You pop a few pills into your mouth ... ahh much better, Rolaids spells relief.
[Exits: door]

>> door

Cape Canaveral Launch Pad.
You stumble out of the restroom and back on to the launch pad. Oh no, a congressman spots you! "Hey, why if it isn't Buzz!" he says as he moves in for a photo op!
[A Congressman] is at [quite a few]
Your pierce *** MASSACRES *** A Congressman!
A Congressman's pound scratches you.
Your pierce *** MASSACRES *** A Congressman!
Your pierce DISEMBOWELS A Congressman!
[A Congressman] is at [big nasty]
You stop using A diamond-tipped dagger.
You wield a legendary greatsword.
A Congressman sees your attempt to trip him in time to avoid your foot.
[A Congressman] is at [big nasty]

Your fiery slash *** DEMOLISHES *** A Congressman!
[A Congressman] is at [pretty hurt]
A Congressman sees your attempt to trip him in time to avoid your foot.
Your flaming slash *** DEVASTATES *** A Congressman!
[A Congressman] is at [pretty hurt]
Your burning slash *** OBLITERATES *** A Congressman!
You trip A Congressman, sending him sprawling to the ground!

Your flaming slash *** OBLITERATES *** A Congressman!
A Congressman is mortally wounded, and will die soon if not aided.
[A Congressman] is at [dying]

You trip A Congressman, knocking him unconscious. A Congressman is mortally wounded, and will die soon if not aided.
[A Congressman] is at [dying]

You trip A Congressman, knocking him unconscious.
A Comgressman is mortally wounded, and will die soon if not aided.
Your burning slash *** DEMOLISHES *** A Congressman!
The Congressman's body becomes limp and the politician drops to the ground DEAD!!

You receive 212000 experience out of 280012 total. [neutral]
[Exits: shuttle, bathroom]

>> shuttle

You stagger into the elevator paid for by Playboy Magazine and begin your assent to the cabin. The slow motion walking thingy starts to happen as you cross the bridge ... Before you enter the cabin, you hug the Doritos (tm) "Who Wants to Meet an Astronaut" Sweepstakes winner and step inside. You turn on your Sony Brand headset that sounds like a dream and prepare for blastoff ...

That's all we have so far. I think you can see just how exciting this game is goi

Thanks, nbert, I agree that the T-Mobile phone booth is bad, particularly in contrast with the more subtle colors of the SwissCom next to it. However, as to not "covering huge areas with pink anymore," this http://www.t-mobile.com/ should link you to the current US T-Mobile site.

That's all well and good and you won't find too many people on my side of the fence that disagree with that concept.

What bothers me is that outfits like AT&T and Verizon that already own large swaths of the cellular (850mhz) band are going to be allowed to gobble up large swaths of the 700mhz band. Nobody has asked them to justify why they need this much spectrum. One would think that with the pending shutdown of AMPS that they'd have lots of free spectrum in 850mhz to do whatever they'd like with.

Why the hell are we allowing AT&T and Verizon to further cement their stranglehold on the wireless industry in the United States? If you believe that the airwaves should be used for the public benefit then you should want to see a more competitive market for wireless services emerge. This isn't going to happen as long as we allow two large companies (combined with two smaller ones) to completely dominate an industry. We should be taking steps to bring more companies into this market, not further cementing the position of the existing ones.

What would I do differently? At the very least I would require a justification of the existing use of the spectrum that they have and detailed roll-out plans. I'd also exclude AT&T and Verizon from the 700mhz band in any market where they already have cellular (850mhz) licenses. Let the carriers stuck with the poorer-performing PCS (1900mhz) band have the first shot at this valuable space. I'd also mandate stricter rules on what they can do with these bands, including a full adoption of carterfone rules and the elimination of their practice of locking people up into long term contracts with hefty termination fees.

Did you know that in some markets AT&T owns more then 50% of the available wireless (cellular, PCS and AWS) licenses? If you combine them with Verizon in those markets the two manage to own 75-80% of the available spectrum. What's wrong with that picture? AT&T previously justified by it by saying they needed to run three (AMPS/TDMA/GSM) networks. What's the excuse now?

You'll brook no argument from me. Two and a half years ago I was forced into Chapter 7 due to events beyond my control (medical bills) combined with stupid decisions on my part. Going through bankruptcy taught me the value of budgeting and living within my means -- now I have three months of liquid savings, some fairly liquid investments (CDs) and thousands of dollars in my 403(b) plan.

I have the cell phone, but it's a no-frills model and I'm with the cheapest provider out there. I don't have a land-line. My PC was built with parts savaged from the office and a few "in-kind" purchases (i.e: I'll fix your computer if you buy this stuff from newegg for me.... no taxes for me and cheaper for them). The only electronic device I've allowed myself to purchase in the last three years is a TiVo. Still running on my old 40 hour Series2 :) My TV itself is an old 19" model I had from when I was a kid. I drive a $10,000 Suzuki, because it was the cheapest car I could find with a good warranty. As far as I'm concerned, there is no reason to spend money on any of this stuff.

I guess what I was trying to say though was that the whole message of soceity seems to be "spend, spend, spend". People like you and me aren't "doing our part" to "help the economy". I've actually heard people say that. Deficit spending is persuasive in this country. From an individual level (credit cards are absolutely evil, IMHO) all the way to the Federal Government. Hell, to quote Dick Cheney, "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter". As long as people (and the Government) think they can have stuff without paying for it then this going to continue to be a problem.

I do everything I can to encourage my friends and family to save and live within their means. Few of them heed the message. I know people that spend more time managing their debt (looking for new 0% APR balance transfer offers, refinancing loans, etc) then I spend managing my investments. Which would you rather be doing?

I don't give a shit what my credit "score" is ("score" makes it sound like a game, doesn't it?) and I don't even own a house. When I do buy a house it will be with a proper downpayment and a 15 year mortgage, not a 30. If I can't afford to get a house within those confines then I won't bother. I don't look at a rent as "wasting" money, I'm paying for a service (a roof over my head) and don't have to worry about anything besides writing that check on the 1st of the month.

T-Mobile has an option called FlexPay, which provides for almost all of the advantages of post-paid service, without needing a contract (if you pay full price for the phone).

They are the only (major) American carrier with anything like this though and that's a crying shame IMHO. Why the hell do I need to be locked into a contract for the benefit of having phone service? And don't anybody come back and say "prepaid" as an option -- most American prepaid plans are a joke for anything over and above "keeping the phone in the car in case I break down" usage. They certainly aren't viable options for anybody that talks on the phone for a decent amount and wants to go cellular-only.

Yes -- However, when you add a $10 card, it extends your expiry date for another year.

T-Mobile has a chart of options here -- Note the "Gold rewards" section, your expiration for all cards is one year once you reach gold status.

To reach gold status, you just add $100 once (the initial prepayment, to get the "$100 for the first year" part working)

If you buy fewer than 100 minutes, they cost more and expire sooner

They don't appear to expire sooner anymore, at least according to T-Mobile's prepaid rates page. But, they still do cost more per minute.

For those interested, here's a link to the actual order page.

The two laptops will cost $399.00 USD, and shipping is $24.95 USD (for a total of $423.95 USD). Open to residents of US and Canada only. Paypal is the default payment option (credit cards are also accepted). Of that, $200 is considered a tax-deductible donation. Your contribution also gets you 1 year of free Wi-Fi access at T-Mobile hotspots.

The website says that they will try to deliver the laptop before the holidays, but that initial supplies are limited (TFA says 40,000 units in this first month, with 20,000 ready before Christmas), so if you're keen to get one of these things, you should order sooner rather than later.

I'm certainly curious to see how many orders get put in. If a large number of geeks buy these things as hacking toys, then they could very well become the best platform for a variety of tasks. For example, maybe this will finally be a viable e-book reader (portable, rugged, long battery life, display that can be used in ambient light, etc.). Should be interesting.

No, I suppose I do have the "choice" to spend as much, if not more, on landline service that I can't take with me. Wireless (along with internet access) should be considered a utility in the 21st century, not a luxury.

Bzzzzt! No you can't! Even if you bring your own phone and they aren't subsidizing a dime, none of the big four will let you sign up for post-paid service without a contract. They consider things like mobile to mobile and nights and weekends "promotions" that require a contract, even though they have been offering those things for years now.

Pay as you go is a great option for somebody that only wants a cell phone for emergencies. It's useless for somebody that wants it as a primary means of communication. It will always cost you more then post-paid service and it virtually never has any of the perks (free N&W). The providers have purposefully crippled their pre-paid options because they don't want to see a marketplace like Europe emerge. I'll give a tip of the hat to T-Mobile, who recently came up with something called Flex Pay, that more or less allows you to pre-pay and have the advantages of "normal" service, though a few features are still missing.

They aren't something that people deserve. In many cases they are something that people need to have. Are you telling me that we should have to give up having access to modern technology because the cartel that is control of it is screwing over customers?

Find me one person that said they don't deserve a return. The issue isn't with the profits that the carriers are making. The issue is with how they treat their customers. Are you seriously telling me that it would be impossible for them to make money without long term contracts, crippled phones and AUPs that lock you out of competing services (Verizon Wireless and their data plans)?

It's not a "contract". A "contract" to my mind implies both parties coming to an acceptable agreement to enter into business together. The cellular industry version of a "contract" is a document that is completely biased in their favor, that they can change at any time even after it has been signed. Take it or leave it.

We wouldn't accept this type of behavior on the part of the water company or electric company. While wireless isn't quite as essential to daily living as electricity is, I would again make the argument that in the 21st century it ought to be considered a utility and not a luxury. There is no reason why I should have to bend over and take it up the ass without lube to be able to use a useful service. A service, btw, that wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the public (through our elected representatives) granting them permission to operate on the public airwaves.

Didn't you get the memo? It's "The new at&t" now ;)

Define adequate. I took a coverage hit to switch to T-Mobile instead of Verizon and live in one of the worst areas for T-Mobile (Binghamton, NY). Go to this site and key in "Binghamton, NY" and check it out for yourself.

In spite of the spotty rural coverage, it works at my house, it works all around the city and it works in every major city where I would conceivably travel to. It worked like a charm in the Outer Banks when I went there for vacation. And on a daily basis it provides me with coverage in 90% of the areas where Verizon would have. Plus I can use it anywhere in the World free of charge with an open wi-fi and broadband connection. If I'm willing to pay I can use it almost anywhere in the World with a GSM network. Let me know how seamless that international roaming is for you with CDMA.

If you are an urban/suburban dweller then I don't see why T-Mobile isn't a viable solution. It doesn't work everywhere that Verizon does, but I honestly don't give a shit if my phone doesn't work in the boonies. I only go to the boonies if I want to escape for awhile, and when I'm looking to escape I really don't want my solitude interrupted by my fucking cell phone ringing.

Uhh, don't make it out like it's JUST the US. Most of the Americas use the 850/1900 bands. Europe and Asia tend to be 900/1800 And since when did quad-mode phones "cost significantly more"? My quad-band Motorola V195 on T-Mobile set me back a whooping $20 with one year contract. Don't want a contract? You can buy them on eBay for less then $50.

Uhh, what exactly is a "bad policy"? T-Mobile will unlock them after you've been a customer for three months, free of charge. It's my understanding that AT&T's policy is similar, though I have no direct-hand experience with them.

GSM isn't as widely deployed (outside of major cities) as CDMA is, but it's a workable technology for any geek that would rather have control over their phone and use a published open standard instead of the crippled phones/royalties owed to Qualcomm of the CDMA market.

et's all agree that the US is part of the Third World when it comes to mobile phone service (and broadband, too). Anyone who has spent time in Scandinavia, Korea, Japan, or other advanced countries knows that we usually pay more and get less for our money.

Tmobile is doing this right now but you need to have a branded hub for it to work.

I did some research on this when they started advertising it to current customers, and if you dig deep enough, it turns out that you can use it with a third-party hub. The "learn more" page has a link, Already Have a Router?, which says:

If you already have a wireless router, it will likely work with T-Mobile HotSpot @Home. However, T-Mobile routers have been specifically designed and configured to provide the best possible results in your home.

The main thing seems to be that the branded hubs do traffic shaping to give your voice traffic priority. It also claims to be "Optimized to provide longer battery life for your phone."

They clearly want to sell you a router, though, because they've buried this information about as thoroughly as they can while still making it available through site navigation. I'm not sure, but you might even have to be a current customer and log in to find it.

Tmobile is doing this right now but you need to have a branded hub for it to work.

I did some research on this when they started advertising it to current customers, and if you dig deep enough, it turns out that you can use it with a third-party hub. The "learn more" page has a link, Already Have a Router?, which says:

If you already have a wireless router, it will likely work with T-Mobile HotSpot @Home. However, T-Mobile routers have been specifically designed and configured to provide the best possible results in your home.

The main thing seems to be that the branded hubs do traffic shaping to give your voice traffic priority. It also claims to be "Optimized to provide longer battery life for your phone."

They clearly want to sell you a router, though, because they've buried this information about as thoroughly as they can while still making it available through site navigation. I'm not sure, but you might even have to be a current customer and log in to find it.

but why is that you cannot get cell service at all without the contract?

As far as I know, AT&T, Alltel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless offer cellular service without a contract.

The original Handspring Treos, the 180, 180g and 270, were also clamshells which while lighter than newer Treos were a lot clunkier and a lot more fragile than the Treo 600 and subsequent Treo models. By the time I upgraded to the Treo 600 (which has survived repeated drops onto concrete), my Treo 270's hinge had almost fallen off due to treatment which my Treo 600 routinely shrugs off. That experience has generally soured me on clamshells.

As for which bands GSM carriers use, T-Mobile appaears to only use the 850 band for roaming and includes a map of its coverage here.

I am a techie and like the latest and greatest toys, however for my phone I want it simple. All I want to do is make phone calls with it. No cameras, MP3 players, no frills really.

Since I liked the quality of customer and phone service that T-Mobile offered, I looked at their phones. I came across the Motorola V195s.

Good luck!

I am a techie and like the latest and greatest toys, however for my phone I want it simple. All I want to do is make phone calls with it. No cameras, MP3 players, no frills really.

Since I liked the quality of customer and phone service that T-Mobile offered, I looked at their phones. I came across the Motorola V195s.

Good luck!

I am a techie and like the latest and greatest toys, however for my phone I want it simple. All I want to do is make phone calls with it. No cameras, MP3 players, no frills really.

Since I liked the quality of customer and phone service that T-Mobile offered, I looked at their phones. I came across the Motorola V195s.

Good luck!

I am a techie and like the latest and greatest toys, however for my phone I want it simple. All I want to do is make phone calls with it. No cameras, MP3 players, no frills really.

Since I liked the quality of customer and phone service that T-Mobile offered, I looked at their phones. I came across the Motorola V195s.

Good luck!

Nokia 6030

Their customer service is helpful and friendly. They don't treat me like a lowlife for not subscribing to one of their premium subscriptions. Just a few days ago I called asking if I can have a new number for my recent move (change of area code). Piece of cake.

I love T-Mobile prepaid. I have it, my wife has it, my parents are converted (from Cingular family plan with gobs of unused minutes).

If your mom won't use her cell phone more than 1 to 2 hours per month, she does not need a cell phone plan, she needs a pre-paid cell phone.

I've researched this for some relatives of mine, I decided on T Mobile's pre-paid plan. It's called "T Mobile To Go". T Mobile pre-paid plans don't have any monthly charges and only require 1 purchase per year to retain unused minutes. For those who make seldom use of a cell phone, it offers an aggregated monthly rate of $12 per month or less.

T Mobile always has deals for pre-paid phones. Often you'll be able to get a basic phone and 1 year (1100 minutes) of service for less than $130. You can purchase online or at one of their stores.

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx

Most pre-paid cellular plans charge a monthly fee by burning minutes whether the phone is used or not. T Mobile's pre-plan doesn't do this. And under T Mobile, once a customer has purchased $100 worth of minutes, those minutes won't expire for 1 year. More importantly, after that initial $100 purchase, any future minutes purchased will not expire for a year from the date of last purchase.

So to keep a T Mobile pre-paid account active, one only needs purchase another cheap, $10 card before the year expires. All existing minutes will be carried over. (after having purchased those initial $100 of minutes)

I'm not huge fan of T-Mobile, they have issues just like the rest of the carriers. But their pre-paid plan is superior to any of the others I've researched.

For someone who uses less than 100 minutes per month, the aggregated monthly cost of a pre-paid T Mobile phone can be less than $12 per month, even less after the first year.

Nokia 6030. Small, yet the buttons are easy to work with. Great reception. Great battery life. Simple. Free with a new plan.

Here.

Here's my phone: http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Detail.aspx?de vice=a3823c12-6ced-4420-9110-26a9baa0c22c

I got it for free with 2-year commitment (same as iPhone). It has custom ringtones, video recording, blue tooth, contact info sending, web browsing, email, etc...

>>A lot of that shit by Brian Lam is pointless bitching, without acknowledging the other 1000 fantastic features of the iPhone or acknowledging that Apple...

Why do Apple fanboys require others to worship the products before they are allowed to talk about them?

And end up with a locked phone, an ETF and the exact same incorrect bill being sent to collections.
Great plan!

And as much as the above really sucks, it's still a bargain compared to a lawyer and the time spent to even get a court to look at your case due to the mandatory arbitration clauses in all the contracts.
Even TMobile - whose contract w/ mandatory arbitration clause was called "unconscionable" and "not enforceable" by a appeals court judge 2 weeks ago, still has mandatory arbitration in the first paragraph of their "terms and conditions" on their website
Go ahead, pick up that phone - call the "arbitrators" who were chosen by, and whose salaries are paid by the company who have a grievance with.

The article linked to from the summary seems to speculate a little beyond the official press release from T-Mobile.

Specifically T-Mobile says this will be available from your home Wi-Fi and from T-Mobile hotspots. It makes no mention of general availability from any WiFi location. The story author seems to speculate that this will be due to registration web pages and what-not. Based on my experience with UMA or DMS (Dual-Mode Service) technology and product offerings, I'm imagining the actual reason is E911. The company has to know an approximate location for your phone to supply to 911 dispatchers... Normal location base services (LBS) use antenna face and signal attenuation, or cell tower triangulation, or similar strategies. With WiFi, these don't work... so you need to know the location of the WAP. If it is a HotSpot... T-Mobile already knows and if it is your home WAP... You tell T-Mobile when you sign up for the service.

Also, these types of services do not use SIP (or MGCP or H.323 for that matter), they use GSM tunneled over IP. That is how the meshing is accomplished. The registration event for the GSM-o-IP service is where the MAC address for the WAP being connected to is supplied to the service provider for use with LBS (such as E911).

I suppose it depends on who you trust. Do you trust the J.D. Power rankings?

There's also T-Mobile. Their Total Internet plan allows for unlimited use of their hot spots located in various hotels, coffee shops, etc.

Mine was $30 including $30 of talk time. I think it costs me about $8 a month at the moment (I don't use the phone much :)

They seem to offer a Sidekick Data only plan for $30

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/detail.aspx?tp= tb1&id=90ff4d79-019c-43a6-89f8-e2bb14781ce9

T-Mobile has the Sidekick iD for $99 (with contract and rebate) which isn't too pricey. I've used a sidekick for about 4 years now, pretty much just as a web/email/texting device. It has a great keyboard that you can type at a pretty good pace on. It has an IM client for Aim and Yahoo (I think) as well. http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Detail.aspx?de vice=ab49893d-e81e-4065-ae87-ee2554ab2688

I don't even see the connection between open wireless access points and the problem this guy describes.

Sounds like Yarro is about to flee his sinking ship and swim in the direction of these guys: http://hotspot.t-mobile.com/

The business plan:

1. Outlaw free hotspots ("Save the Children!").
2. Offer proprietary for-fee coldspots with built-in filtering.
3. Become a defacto standard and virtual monopoly.
4. Profit!

Buy a prepaid phone. If you use a GSM carrier like T-Mobile or Cingular, you can buy an unlocked phone (and SIM card) online (I bought mine on eBay). You can also walk into a T-Mobile or Cingular store and buy a prepaid phone with SIM, and airtime cards are available at grocery stores, convenience stores, etc, or you can buy over the phone or online with a credit card. Looks like T-Mobile's cheapest option right now is $30. http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx

Erm I'm sorry 10 dollars, not 5 (for the minimum prepaid card amount). I could swear they had a 5. . . .

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/default.aspx?pl ancategory=4
their site seems to be running fairly slow at the moment. This is for the US, I'm not sure what the t-mobile prepaid plans are like for the rest of the world.

1. GSM - I have family in the UK. Grabbing a new card when I get there for $40 makes a lot of sense over $2 a minute per call
2. Pay as You Go - I hate phones, so rarely use it. Works out about $10 a month for 90 minutes.
3. Cheap ass Nokia phone - $30 (including $35 of air time). If I lose it, I don't care.

They are in the US too. They are the fourth largest carrier here. See http://www.t-mobile.com/

I am guessing

Because you're too busy racing to post inanities instead of looking up the numbers for yourself? It's not like this is s'posed to be a website for tech-savvy folks, and phone carriers sites & their rates are sooooo hard to find (hint: t-mobile.com).

Welcome to the In-tard-web, where every jackass without a clue or fact but with an opinion is eager to share it.

This wasn't a troll or a flame, it was an anti-troll, based on the premise that a public spanking might inspire some more signal over this bozo's nothing-but-noise.

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/default.aspx?pl ancategory=7

Does that not list data-only plans?

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/
300 minutes. thats 5 hours. i spend more than 5 hours on the phone with my girlfriend alone.

are you done?