tmobile
T-Mobile to start offering caller ID services
It was only the other day that we talked about the spam filter for Google Voice, but in case you don’t have Google Voice or you don’t particularly fancy it, perhaps this might be a good alternative, especially if you’re a T-Mobile customer.
The carrier will be introducing caller ID services, and if you’re thinking to yourself, “Don’t I already have caller ID?” You’re right you do, but that service is limited to the numbers you have stored on your phone. What T-Mobile’s caller ID service will do is they will list names from numbers that you don’t have stored on your phone whenever you receive a call. We’re not sure to what extent the caller ID will be able to work, i.e. does it work for EVERY number? Either way it sounds like an awesome service, so whenever you start seeing phone calls from telesales companies, you know you should probably not answer that call.
Unfortunately the service will not be free. After the 10 day free trial ends, you will be charged an extra $4 per month that will appear on your phone bill. I guess $4 isn’t that much for a service that would allow you to stop answering unsolicited phone calls. It will not work on all phones either apparently, for example the only device it will work on at the moment is the Samsung Exhibit 4G, with the myTouch 4G Slide when it releases. No word on whether T-Mobile will extend this service to other devices as well.
Patience is a virtue, or so it seems. If you have been rocking with T-Mobile all this while, and are in possession of the HTC One M9, then you would be pleased to know that this particular handset is starting to receive the Android 5.1 Lollipop update. Better late than never, especially when you take into consideration how the unlocked HTC One M9, its developer edition, and the AT&T model has already picked up this update.
The update will come in the form of build 2.7.531.6 via Over The Air (OTA), and it will be a rather hefty 833MB download, which means you would be better off connected to a fast Wi-Fi network to get the job done as opposed to relying on your data. If you haven’t yet received Android 5.1 Lollipop, just head on to the About > Software updates menu from time to time until you pick up the download prompt.
If you are rocking with T-Mobile as your mobile carrier of choice, listen up! Both the LG G Stylo and LG Leon have arrived in the US, and this means you can now get your hands on these highly affordable handsets if you think it is time to change that aging phone of yours. For instance, postpaid customers of T-Mobile who are interested in the LG G Stylo will not have to fork out a single cent at first, but over the course of the next 24 months, you will have to pay a monthly installment of $12.08, resulting in a grand total of $289.92 for the smartphone.
As for the LG Leon, if you are willing to take a similar route, then you will need to agree to 24 equal monthly payments of $6.24, and after wiping off the dust from our calculators, that adds up to a full retail price of $149.76. T-Mobile is also said to be offering the Leon for free after a rebate to its prepaid customers who want to settle for a plan that costs a minimum of $40 each month.
Peace of mind is something that everyone is looking for, and I would suppose that those who are insanely rich would find it rather difficult to attain such a state of mind, taking into consideration just how much that they have to lose should their fortune get wiped out. Then again, those who are not too well off, too, have plenty to worry about, ranging from where to get the next meal to whether one can meet the rent at the end of the month. Not only that, we also have to worry about our privacy in this digital age, and it was not too long ago that a report which touted that documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden did show off how the American NSA and the British GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) hacked into a major SIM card manufacturer’s systems in order to obtain encryption keys half a decade ago. Dutch SIM card manufacturer Gemalto wants to assuage fears among its customers that their SIM cards are secure despite the reported security breach.
It is nice to see Gemalto step forward and make such an announcement, since they happen to be one of the biggest SIM manufacturers in the world, with their efforts resulting in supplying more than two billion SIM cards annually, even catering for all four major US carriers not to mention hundreds of other mobile service providers. [Press Release]