T-Mobile changing the way we travel with phones?

WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOOOOOAH.

This is pretty groundbreaking stuff, and we don’t want to startle you guys but, it’s pretty hella exciting.

T-Mobile has announced a new way of doing things. Something that (we hope) will change how other carriers do things in the future as well as change how we travel.

CEO John Legere has dropped a few hints on Twitter – “Today is the day! The day we change the way the world uses their phones!”

And then they did. So here’s the deal.

Starting October 20 for new customers and October 31st for existing customers, T-Mobile’s Simple Choice Plan, will include unlimited 2G data in 115 countries, free texts, and calls for only 20 cents per minute, all without signing an annual contract!

We don’t know about you guys, but this is something we are really excited about. 

Traveling internationally with your phone is always super useful and yet also really annoying.Previously, there has just been too many choices, and none of them were good.

Do you choose to try to buy a local sim in each country? Or one sim to rule them all that kind of works and costs a bajillion dollars? What about using your home sim and being really careful until you forget and start playing online mushroom wars drunk one night in Sofia?

Thanks to T-Mobile, now you don’t have to worry about it!

The international data comes at no additional cost as long as you’re on the Simple Choice Plan, and unlimited free texts and 20 cent phone calls will be an additional $10/month. This addition will also enable unlimited calling to landlines on over 70 international countries.

Take a look here to see what countries are included and all the extra details:

And remember, this means you can use your smart phone overseas, SAHWEET, but it doesn’t mean you always should. C’mon, don’t be that guy. Or the guy who travels with a guitar. We hate that guy. Sorry guy.

Virgin offering shiny new iPhones at shiny new prices!

Virgin Mobile USA, a subsiduary of Sprint Mobile, has begun selling the shiny new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C!

And here’s the extra good bit- the pre-paid brand are offering a$100 discount from the normal (unsubsidized) pricing!

Sahweeeeht!

The 16Gb phones will be available both online and in retail stores whilst the 32 GB and 64 GB iPhone 5s and 32GB iPhone 5c are only available at Virgin Mobile’s website.

As is to be expected, stock is somewhat limited, especially on the gold iPhone 5s and the yellow 16Gb iPhone 5C models.

Another Sprint subsidiary, Boost, is expected to be offering a similar deal in the weeks to come.

Yay for Virgin!

Image courtesy of 9to5mac.com

How to pre-order the new iPhone 5C

Alright you guys, so this blog post is all about how to pre order the iPhone 5C. That’s cool. It’s also weirdly difficult to describe when this can actually happen. We know what’s right, we think, but it sounds wrong. So we’re gonna try it so that there can be no misunderstandings.

You will be able to pre order the iPhone 5C at 12:01, the night time version, on the 13th of September. So, like, when its the 12th of September, wait until it’s 11pm, wait an hour, and then you can go ahead and pre order!  That’s California time, too. Make sense?

Now, we got the time right, but what do you do then? Well, you do a little jig, cos you’re buying an iPhone 5C b*tches!

Then, you do this stuff. (Do most of this stuff before midnight though, cos the amount of iPhones available for pre order will shrink. Real fast.)

You need to decide if you’re buying on or off contract.

For the free spirits out there, you can buy the iPhone 5C off contract with T-Mobile, or SIM free. You can do both through Apple.

If you do this, you’ll be buying the phone outright for $549 for 16Gb, and $649 for 32Gb in both of these options, but you don’t get a SIM with the SIM free option. Duh.

If you choose the SIM free option you WILL need a SIM from somewhere at some stage for the phone to work as a phone. Specifically, you’ll need to get a GSM compatible nano-SIM. Your iPhone will be unlocked, so you can use a SIM from any carrier, domestically or international, as long as it has the right specifications as above.

If you choose to buy the iPhone 5C off-contract with T-Mobile, you will be choosing them as your mobile provider, and will pay them month to month for data, voice, text etc, but you won’t be locked in to a contract and can exit any time. Your phone will arrive with a nano-SIM card already installed that you can activate by visiting an Apple Retail Store or a T-Mobile store or by calling T-Mobile.

If you’re already on contract, but really want the new phone, you have the option to upgrade. You are of course eligible to upgrade once you have ended your current contract, after 2 years.

But, here’s the thing. A lot of people don’t realize that you are more than likely eligible for an upgrade 18 months after your contract started, not two years. It’s definitely worth checking! Go check, dudes.

For Verizon, Sprint and AT&T upgrade eligibility, you’ll most likely need the number for the phone you would like to upgrade, the last four digits of the primary account holder’s Social Security number, and the billing ZIP Code. To see if you’re eligible for an upgrade, or to see the price you qualify for, check out this link.

For Sprint you can also use your phone- dial *2, press send, press 1, enter your phone number and then press 1 to check for eligibility.

AT&T also has the option to check your upgrade eligibility via your phone, just dial *639# and press send and you will receive a text message shortly after letting you know when you’re eligible for an upgrade.

If you’re a little unsure about the whole idea of upgrading, you should talk to your carrier. BUT, you should also read this– If you are eligible for an upgrade, it means that all you have to pay to get the new phone is the price Apple shows next to the phone.

For the 5C, that means that when you upgrade and preorder, you will pay upfront and outright $99 for the 16Gb version and $199 for the 32Gb version. You will be committing to another 2 year contract with the provider.

If you are not eligible for an upgrade, but you reallllly want the new phone, you can, of course, get it. You will pay an extra fee, and how much that fee is depends on the carrier, but i’ll give you an example.

Say you started a new 2 year contract this time last year when you bought the iPhone 5. You’re a year into your contract, so you won’t be eligible for an upgrade, but you’re going to go ahead and get it anyway, because hey, it’s a free country right?

Your carrier will more than likely be absolutely cool with that, because that means they have your business guaranteed for another 2 years, but, they will charge a fee, which will more than likely be about $200. So you’ll be paying $300 upfront for the iPhone 5C 16Gb, and $400 upfront for the iPhone 5C 32Gb.

You also absolutely always get to keep your old phone, so that you can use it as financial leverage! It’s a stinky old iPhone! Sell it for CASHMONEY, YO!

If you’re joining up with a new provider, you’re looking at 2 year contract and paying upfront $99 for the 16Gb or $199 for the 32Gb. When choosing a new provider it’s important to look at their plans, and it’s also important to check out the coverage maps of each of the options. You can do this below by clicking on the blue links.

AT&T Coverage Map

Verizon Coverage Map

Sprint Coverage Map

T-Mobile Coverage map

Ok, so now you know what category you’re in, and you’re prepared for all your choices and options, how much you have to pay, which carrier, upgrade eligibilty, etc.

Now it’s almost midnight.

Dance!

And then, time to move!

You can pre-order on all of the carrier’s websites, as well as Apple’s.

To buy straight from Apple, go to this link.

Choose your color, you sparkle pony you. You have the option of blue, green, yellow , pink and white.

Next, choose the model you want, the smaller 16Gb or the 32Gb. The bigger the GB ( Gigabytes), the more stuff you can have on your phone, basically. Things that take up storage space include photos, videos, lots of songs or apps. 1000 songs is about 7Gb, for example.

Once those decisions are made and entered into the system, you’ll have to fill in some personal details, you will need a credit card, and you will need to press enter at the end. You will need to do a little dance. And send it to us. Yeah, do that.

Remember, if you’re upgrading from an iPhone 4S or older and have accessories that use the old connector port, such as a dock or something, you will also need to purchase a lightening to 30 pin adaptor.

And, guys, last year the iPhone 5 pre order was sold out in about an hour. So be quick. If you miss out, you have to wait until the 20th of September, when they’ll be available in store.

Happy pre-ordering! Remember – 11PM, Californian time, on Thursday the 12th of September. You have one hour after that until you can pre – order.

Image courtesy of The Verge. addictinginfo.com, iphonehacks.com, speres.com & sweetclipart.com

Samsung’s Smartwatch and Galaxy Note III revealed Sept 4th!

It’s all happening!

Samsung has confirmed that come September 4th, they will be holding a special ‘Unpacked Episode 2’ at The IFA in Berlin.

IFA, if you’re wondering, is the excellent sounding Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, or, if you’re one of those people who like things to be explained clearly –  one of the biggest industrial and consumer electronic trade shows in the world.

At the IFA last year Samsung unveiled the Note II, and the year before that the Note. It stand to reason that everyone is expecting the unveiling of the Galaxy Note III at this years event. Pretty cool.

At their Unpacked Episode 1 on March 15th this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S4 handset at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. The event was also streamed live to Times square- a flashy  display it is believed they will replicate at the Unpacked Episode 2 event.

So what can we expect from this event?

As we’ve said- we’re more than likely looking at the unveiling of the the Galaxy Note III,

AND ( this bit’s a little bit exciting),

Samsung new Smartwatch, purportedly called the Galaxy Gear. Fandroids excite!

Samsung are apparently super excited that they get to show the world their Smartwatch before Apple even gets there’s to the gate. The tech world will, of course, be very interested in matching them up against each other when Apple does release their rumored iWatch, and this will very likely happen late this year or early 2014.

Until then, though, on September 4th, we will be able to feast our eyes on Samsung’s Galaxy Gear.

According to SamMobile, the Smartwatch is likely to come in four different colors with a fifth being released a week later. The colors will be white, orange, gray, black, and the fifth color will be white gold.

It is also said to have a 2.5-inch touchscreen display with a camera, speakers, and an accelerometer.  The watch will not be a stand alone device, using bluetooth and NFC to draw data from your smartphone.

These are said to be the specs:

New iPhone Announcement!

iPhone Announcement!

<<TRUMPETS!!>>

Yesterday the announcement date of the next iPhone was revealed to the world by the good folk over at AllThingsD ( or the secret mystery sources of AllThingsD).

You guys wanna know? Yes? No?

Thought so. OH MY GOD IT’S THE 10^TH OF SEPTEMBER!

That’s only a month away!

Last year Apple announced the iPhone 5 on the 12^th September, and released the phone to pre-order customers on the 21^st September.

If Apple sticks to its previous announcement and release schedule that means that the new iPhone will be available to the public by around the 23^rd September.

ONLY A MONTH AND A LITTLE BIT AWAY!

Uh… we’re pretty excited.

Of course, Apple doesn’t have to stick to their previous schedule and can do anything they want… and there is no indication of whether this announcement will be about the rumored next generation iPhone 5S, or the also rumored cheaper model iPhone 5C… or both!

Stay tuned for a round up of rumors surrounding the release(s) so you can get just as excited as us (is it possible? We’re not sure… ) AND know how and why and what and when to upgrade to the new phone!

Excuse us, we have to go run around in circles now. Bye!

Image courtesy of intermezzo.typepad.com

Now Samsung are trademarking names for smart watches!

Samsung has officially trademarked the name ‘Samsung Gear’ last week. Cool, cool, but what has that got to with watches iPhone Antidote?

Included in the  trademark application made by Samsung are mentions of ‘Parts and fittings for watches, wristwatches, electronic clocks and watches, bracelets  watchbands, control clocks and watches that communicate data to personal digital assistants’

Sounds like a smart watch and smart watch accessories to us!

Add this up with a quote in March from Samsung’s executive vice president of mobile business who said that they have been ‘preparing the watch product for so long’ and that ‘We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them.’

So much smart watch excitement! Who will release it first? Will that person then sue the other person for ever and ever over stolen ideas? Will anyone wear them or is the time for watches over? Will they make our lives better? Will they solve global warming? Will they have sandwich making capabilites?

Only time will tell!

Image courtesy of Mashable.

The iWatch

Good news for those of us waiting for a brand spanking ( ooh) new Apple product!

Yesterday, Apple’s application to trademark the term ‘iWatch’ in Japan was made public.

iWatch is, of course, the rumored name for the first wearable Apple device and the potentially out of this world Smart Watch. The trademark was applied for on June 3rd this year and is actually the second time that Apple has applied to trademark the name, the first being in Russia in February.

Momentum (and the rumor mill) for this product is building rapidly. Yesterday’s reports come after Bloomberg posted in March this year that according to their sources there were 100 engineers working on the planned smart watch, and after Tim Cook said in May that the wearable device market is one just waiting for innovation. And who better to do it than Apple?

Unlike other Smart Watches currently available (see the wonderful Pebble Watch), the much speculated iWatch will most likely be a stand alone device, with biometric potential that could turn the way we use technology on it’s head.
Suckily, experts agree that we probably won’t see the iWatch until the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2014.

C’mon Tim Cook! We want wearable device innovation, and we want it now! Or soon! Please?

Image courtesy of  Forbes.

Deal of the day

Listen up kids! One most excellent deal of the day, brought to you by AT&T.

Online only, for a limited time and with waived activation, you can now get a new phone on a 2 year contract for HALF the price at AT&T. That’s  a HALF price discount. Divided by two, people.

Here’s how you get it:

Step 1. Choose a smartphone priced between $0.99 and $199.99 ( we’d say go for the iPhone 5. Wait, was that obvious?…).

Step 2. Magic! ( also…choosing an appropriate plan and stuff)

Step 3. You get a 50% discount automatically applied to the phone in your shopping cart.

So, iPhone Antidote, can you give me an example?

We sure can guys! This means that you can get a 16gb iPhone 5 for only $100! That’s RAD!

You wanna know what else would be rad?  I got a couple more steps for you…

1. Buy shiny new iPhone online using 50% discount. Laugh maniacally.

2. Send us your old stinky iPhone. Laugh maniacally.

3. We give you a bunch of cash for stinky old iPhone, and hey, that new phone cost you next to nothing! LAUGH MANIACALLY.

This deal is only available online and for a limited time so get your butts into gear! As always, terms and conditions apply, check out the deal here: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/smartphones.html

Image courtesy of Forbes.

WWDC lowdown!

Alright guys, so yesterday was THE BIG DAY!

The four day annual world wide developers conference for Apple began yesterday morning, kicking off at the Mascone Centre in San Francisco at 10am.

As per usual, WWDC began with a perfectly orchestrated keynote speech given by Tim Cook, featuring a few other key Apple guys AND more importantly, featuring some new Apple software and hardware announcements and previews.

DOUBLE RAINBOW EXCITING!

For the first time, the keynote was broadcast live from the Apple website and on Apple TV.

The two hour address was, as expected, super stylishly presented, with multiple media presentations, some jokes, and a few fantastic and even surprising new Apple products and updates.

The top things you should know about that were announced today are:

– The new Mac Pro. Stellar, revolutionary and round.

– iOS 7, the biggest change to iOS since the iPhone came out.

– OS  X Mavericks – the new operating system named after a California beach break.

– New Macbook airs with super extended battery life.

– iTunes Radio – the much talked about radio product that actually sounds better than we expected!

Super double rainbow exciting, right!?

We’ll have even more from WWDC coming up this week!!

Apple vs Samsung Update

For those who have been enjoying the life of those who live under rocks, Apple and Samsung have been very unhappy with each other over the last little while. They have expressed this unhappiness through the law, as you do.

They have both basically been going back and forth calling each other big cheaters and copiers and tattle tales  over their technology patents being infringed upon.

This has been going on for a while, but this time, Apple has lost. The United States International Trade Commission are the people in charge, and they have just overturned a previous judgment from last year, which had ruled in Apple’s favor.

They are now saying that, yes, Apple did infringe on some of Samsung’s patents, specifically to do with their 3G technology, and have henceforth banned some of Apple’s products from being imported into the States.

What does this mean iPhone Antidote?

Well, at the moment it means that the following AT&T products are banned from US imports and sales; iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G, and iPad 2 3G.

This doesn’t mean anything if you have any of those models currently, or are planning on buying a used model. It also doesn’t affect Apple very much to be honest, because those products are specific to AT&T and are all old models.

What it does do is pee Apple off, and worsen the relationship between the two biggest smartphone providers. Yaaaay?

Apple will be appealing, with the defense that Samsung made these patents available for use under FRAND terms. FRAND = Fair, Reasonable and Non Discriminatory. This is used to cover technology that is a standard and is meant to prevent litigation like this, and it seems to have been ignored by the ITC in their ruling.

Hey, guys, why can’t we just get to the part where we’re all friends and making super awesome blow our minds technology? Huh?

Image courtesy of applerumors.it