HTC has a “big announcement” for US customers this Wednesday; HTC One M9 release date imminent?

The HTC One M9 has officially launched in Taiwan today, but what’s the word on a release for those of us in other parts of the world? The full schedule isn’t out yet, but HTC’s Jason McKenzie says on Twitter that the company has a “big announcement” for US customers this Wednesday, and used the hashtag #HTCOneM9 to make no mistake that it’s regarding their latest smartphone.

Our immediate hope is that this announcement pertains to the US release date of said HTC One M9. Retailers have (accidentally) suggested it’ll be out as soon as March 25th so there’s a good chance we’ll be let in on official details.

While the Samsung Galaxy S6 got a great deal of the Mobile World Congress attention, the HTC One M9 is just as savory a phone and our early hands-on impressions will show you that. These will be the main contenders fighting for your wallet this Spring so it’s worth staying tuned even if your mind is already made up. See you Wednesday!

Apple plans to steal more Android customers by accepting their trade-ins

One annoyance for many folks looking to leave the Android camp is that they can’t trade their device in if they plan to do their business at the Apple store — Apple only ever cared to buy back their own phones and tablets. A new rumor suggests that could be changing, though.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple is looking to introduce a trade-in system for folks who might own Android and Windows Phone devices. The process will be just like your typical trade-in at any retail store or carrier: you take your phone in, they give you a trade value based on its condition, and you decide whether you want to keep your device or fork it over for store credit.

You’re probably vomiting at the thought of letting Apple judge the value of a device that wasn’t conceived within their Cupertino halls. Believe me, I’m with you. But the company partners with BrightStar to monitor the trade-in values for their own products, and there’s no reason that partnership wouldn’t extend here (in fact, we’d say it’s almost necessary for Apple to team up with existing trade-in valuation companies to execute this ambitious undertaking).

Apple’s already had themselves an unfathomable quarter, and giving Android users an easier way to transition certainly won’t hurt. Would you or anyone you know be more willing leave Android and give the “dark side” a shot through the sheer ease of being able to swap your hardware at one destination?

T-Mobile brings Data Stash to prepaid customers March 22nd

T-Mobile’s Data Stash is bringing rollover back in a good way, but there was still a large sector of their customer base who couldn’t even get in on the fun — those on prepaid plans. That will change March 22nd as the carrier has announced Data Stash will be headed to prepaid.

In case you missed it, Data Stash is T-Mobile’s “rollover for data,” promising that any amount of unused data allotted to you can be rolled into your data pool the following month. Data can be stashed for up to 12 months, so even if you go a few months without eating through your plan it will all stack until you use it or until that data has been “stashed” for 12 months.

It’s not perfect, but T-Mobile definitely didn’t have to do it and we’re glad they’ve shaken up the industry as a result. The company’s next Uncarrier announcement happens this Wednesday, so stay tuned for even more awesomeness coming from Magenta.

[via T-Mobile]

Sprint announces upcoming cities getting ‘Direct 2 You’ traveling reps, now open to new or existing customers

We thought that maybe if we had time to stew it over a little bit, Sprint’s Direct 2 You program would make a little more sense to us. But here we are, a little over a month later and it still sounds like a really strange to move to us. Not bad, mind you. Just strange for a carrier struggling to keep that #3 spot in the US.

In either case, Sprint has announced the next few cities that will benefit from their traveling representatives. Direct 2 You will officially become available in New York City, San Francisco, and Denver starting June 1st. Sprint says their “Xperts” (reps) bring the full in-store “Xperience” straight into the confines of your home. Getting up off the couch to make a trip across town is now obsolete.

The service is completely free, and where it was previously only available to Sprint customers in Kansas City, Miami, and Chicago looking to upgrade their devices (and needing help with setup), it’s now opened to anyone. That means even if you’re currently on T-Mobile and have your heart set on switching to Sprint, Direct 2 You can be at your door in a jiffy.

All you have to do is schedule an appointment by calling Sprint’s 800 number (which can be found at sprint.com/direct2you) and pick the time and place you’d like a Sprint rep to meet with you and give the rundown on your new phone. Sprint says some people have even set up appointments in hotel lobbies or restaurants, so just about anyplace is fair game. Now that’s service.

[Sprint]

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge customers on T-Mobile get Android 5.0 Lollipop

T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is now receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop! It’s 5.0.2, to be specific, and it’ll come in at a whopping 1.1GB. That means you’ll definitely want to jump to a stable WiFi connection and have your phone on the charger before taking it down.

You’ll be looking for software version N915TUVU1COD7, and it can be had over-the-air by heading to Settings > About Device > Software update. Alternatively you can also grab it from Samsung Kies and apply it using a PC or Mac. Be sure to go that route if the OTA is giving you issues, and let us know how it’s treating you once you have it loaded up!

[via T-Mobile]

Straight Talk Unlimited Data throttling now begins at 5GB for customers who bring their own phone

It’s no secret by now that Straight Talk begins throttling customers’ unlimited data once they reach a certain point. The cap used to be a hard 2.5GB until they increased it by 500MB a couple of years ago. Now it’s possible to get even more.

A new promotion for folks who bring their own phone to the company nets them 5GB of 4G LTE data, after which you’ll be slowed down to the less exciting world of 2G/3G. The change goes into effect for all their unlimited plans, though the baseline “All You Need” plan (where you only get 100MB of data period) is obviously left out.

Straight Talk’s website bills this as a “special offer,” so we’re not sure how long it will last or if it’s a permanent promotion. For what it’s worth, the change applies to both new and existing customers so if you’re already going on one of the company’s unlimited plans and you’re using a device you bought independently from Straight Talk you should automatically reap the benefits. We’ll be looking to find out more about the change in the moments to come.

T-Mobile releases 8 new ads attacking Verizon and offers their customers a risk-free trial [VIDEO]

The gloves just came off, folks. T-Mobile has a bone to pick with Verizon and they want the whole world to know about it. The company has just released new ad campaign called #NeverSettle (OnePlus, anyone?), and they kicked things off with a whopping 8 videos to server no other purpose than to show people what they do much better than Verizon ever has.

The talking points cover the usual areas of unlimited data, no contracts, early upgrades and other perks T-Mobile can tout. The company even swears they have the network to take Big Red on, noting that they deliver the fastest LTE speed of any of the nation’s major carriers. Of course, actual coverage of said network is a whole different issue that they took care not to harp on, though they reminded us they’re on track to cover 300 million Americans by the end of this year.

As part of the campaign the company is offering up a free no-risk test drive to any current Big Red customers. Here’s how it’s going to work:

• Port your phone number to T-Mobile and get a T-Mobile smartphone (all the while keeping your Verizon device)


• After the trial, if you decide to switch T-Mobile will pay any early termination fees or device payments up to 0


• If you decide you want to go back with Verizon, simply trade your T-Mobile phone within 14 days, and once you’re back they will even pay the costs associated with reactivation.

The trial starts May 13th, and signups will be taken through the end of the month. T-Mobile didn’t give us an idea on how long the trial would last once you’ve started, but we’ll do our darndest to find out. Be sure to take advantage if you’re truly on the fence, and look straight ahead of the rest of the advertisements T-Mobile dropped today if you’re interested.

[via T-Mobile]