Ting iPhone Beta!

Click here for Ting coupon code

Summary

Pros

• iPhone 4, 4S (along with Android and Windows phones)

Cons

• No iPhone 5, 5S, 5C

Hopefully the die-hard Apple fans can now switch to Ting.

Introduction

I've written plenty about Ting's virtues, and I'll just reiterate that I don't get any freebies or any payment for reviews beyond ad traffic and coupon codes.

YouTube money! EpicMealTime, living the dream of being paid to eat bacon. Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/7492062494/

Ting is a great, relatively new cell phone service provider. After several months of using Ting, and referring it to friends and family, the only negative I've heard was the lack of Apple devices from those who just have to have that type of device. Well, now the wait is over, as Ting has begun quietly allowing people to begin bringing Sprint iPhone 4 and 4S's to Ting.

Discussion

If you don't already know about Ting, I've written some reviews on my experiences on this project:

Ting vs. T-Mobile, $25 credit

Ting Coupon Code and Update: Coverage, Billing, Customer Service

Ting Early Termination Fee Refund

And lest you think I only write positive reviews, see my FreedomPop reviews:

FreedomPop - free internet?

FreedomPop Hub Burst - Free Broadband?

FreedomPop Freedom Phone? Update from San Francisco Bay Area

FreedomPop: it's a trap! Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyku/3082069553/

Conclusion

I'm assuming that people researched Ting before worrying whether this phone or that phone was supported. With that in mind, you can get the latest Galaxy, Galaxy Tab, Windows phone, and now Apple phones as well on Ting (hopefully support for the latest iPhone will come once the Beta concludes).

Epic Winning! Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58638907@N02/5549964876/

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FreedomPop Freedom Phone? Update from San Francisco Bay Area

Summary

Pros

• Works as advertised
• FreedomPop now has access to both Sprint and Clearwire networks

Cons

• Many extra fees
• Limited options for devices
• Apparent contrast between advertised philosophy and actual practices
• Company still does not seem to be at same level as competitors

O RLY?

Introduction

I have been using FreedomPop for three months now, and while there are both good and bad things about the devices and company, my overall impression is a negative one. This is true for both the Freedom Hub Burst (home internet) and Freedom Sleeve Rocket (for the 4th Gen iPod). I am therefore skeptical regarding FreedomPop's upcoming offering of a Freedom Phone, and will go over my reasons below.

Free 500 MB, 200 min, and unlimted texts per month; too good to be true?

Discussion

I had really high hopes for FreedomPop. And I will admit, they seem to follow the letter--if not the spirit--of their claims. However, I am generally disappointed with the company and devices.

For example, while they claim to want to revolutionize the mobile internet space, they seem to be using a lot of tactics to nickle and dime users. There are a lot of extra fees associated with FreedomPop that I don't like. Usage alerts for $2.99/month? Speed Plus for $3.99/month? They even had a monthly maintenance fee of $0.99/month if you did not use at least 5MB per month that they only recently removed.

On a related note, mobile devices are refundable for up to a year, but home internet devices are only refundable in the first 30 days. I feel that there is so much advertisement regarding a year-long return policy and FreedomPop's own rebel image, that it's so easy to not check the fine print as you would with 'big bad corporations.'

Also, I have used both FreedomPop's home and mobile internet devices, and while they were OK, they weren't spectacular, and I would hesitate to even call them good. There was just so many problems, with connectivity issues, overheating, short battery life, etc., that I ended up returning what devices I could, and canceling my account

Doesn't seem to be lot of difference from a UI perspective. FreedomPop had a great idea to essentially turn an iPod into an iPhone that unfortunately didn't work for me.

Conclusion

Based on the FreedomPop coverage map, and the fact that I live in a world-class city next to Silicon Valley, I suspect that problems I experienced with FreedomPop products were not strictly due to network or connectivity issues. The company's stated philosophy also seems to clash with many of their practices, and as stated

In the end, I can neither recommend FreedomPop as a company nor as a service provider, and if you get the Freedom Phone, my advice is to be sure to save the packaging in case you need to return it.

I'm a big fan of new ideas and technology, but FreedomPop doesn't seem to be at the level of other similar companies at this time. Stick with traditional home internet offerings, or look into options such as Virgin Mobile, Republic Wireless, or Ting. 

Ting Coupon Code and Update: Coverage, Billing, Customer Service

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Summary

Pros

• Fantastic, live customer service via phone and email
• Very accurate and thorough billing reports

Cons

• Sprint network
• Limited number of phones

iPhone on the way!

Introduction

I have been using Ting for four months now in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, and am ridiculously happy with the company and service thus far.

Ting! No problems with coverage in San Francisco...

...or Los Angeles!

Discussion

Ting's coverage is the same as Sprint, so if you can get Sprint coverage, you are covered with Ting. Billing is straightforward; Ting has simplified things even more, so instead of estimating your usage and getting billed more or getting a refund depending on the month, Ting now just bills everyone at the end of the month based on usage.

The billing aspect is one of the few things I have to complain about--Ting offers a "live" billing view via it's dashboard, which is more of an estimate. Final bills are completely accurate, but just wait for a few days after the end of your billing cycle, and don't worry too much about what is listed on the dashboard. If there is a problem, definitely call to let them know, and they will take care of it right away.

Customer support is awesome: Ting's call center is open M-F from 8 am - 8 pm EST, is based in Canada (so I was able to get my questions answered on 4th of July). Ting prides itself on answering calls with a live person within a few rings, and I have experienced this personally many times. This is in contrast to other similar companies, that only offer support via email, e.g. Republic Wireless or FreedomPop.

The final thing I will mention is that Ting still only carries a limited number of phones, and these phones are of the Sprint variety. This is that is actually important to note, since Sprint disables the SIM slot on many world phones (essentially forcing you to use their service when traveling abroad). This is not true of the iPhone due to Apple's own restrictions on how carriers could modify their devices, but otherwise if you travel abroad, you may be better off getting a cheap phone with a SIM card slot to use.

I personally don't care about the iPhone, but if it's something you want, be aware Ting doesn't carry it yet.

Conclusion

I keep blathering on about how great Ting is, but it is truly a great company. It is refreshing to find a company that is so responsive to their customers, and goes above and beyond what they say they will do. They have fun giveaways and events frequently posted on their blog and Facebook, and I would recommend checking them out for yourselves.

Seems too good to be true, but, from my experience, Ting has gone above and beyond to make my experience with them as great as possible.

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FreedomPop Hub Burst - Free Broadband?

FreedomPop Hub Burst

Summary

Pros

• ~$100 for the router, 1 GB free data per month
• Potential to earn more free data by completing referrals
• No contract; month-to-month billing

Cons

• FreedomPop currently uses the Clearwire network
• Seem to be using up data very quickly
• Must purchase FreedomPop devices for service

The FreedomPop homepage.

Introduction

Below are some of my general experiences with FreedomPop. More detailed reviews will be published in upcoming articles.

Wild FreedomPop Appeared!

Discussion

FreedomPop is a MVNO that operates on the Clearwire network (plans to expand to the Sprint network are set for sometime in 2013). It offers users either home or mobile internet; FreedomPop requires separate accounts with separate credit cards are required for each device in order to monitor usage for each device.

Home Internet, I choose you!

Mobile users can get 500 MB/month free, while home users get 1 GB/month free. Extra data is billed on a per megabit basis, with prices varying depending on the type of service and plan you end up getting.

I applaud the idea behind FreedomPop, but I definitely think that there is room for improvement. Trying to connect to the Clearwire network is extremely frustrating; I need to stand next to the window or outdoors to even get a weak signal. Also, I appear to be using data at an alarming rate: at this pace, the total will definitely be more than what the free amount is. I will do a side-by-side comparison, visiting the same websites on my mobile phone first on Ting, then on FreedomPop, to get some good comparative data.

Conclusion

FreedomPop definitely has an interesting idea in offering internet as a freemium service. I think it works great as a way to supplement my work phone—more details to follow in future articles—but because FreedomPop currently uses the Clearwire network, and my experiments seem to indicate rapid data usage, I can't recommend it at this time. I'll continue to measure my data usage and post an update when it becomes available.

My data usage on FreedomPop. Good thing I received my router late in the month: after only a three days of light usage (a few minutes of website browsing and emailing each day, no streaming videos or music), I've used up 147 MB. At this rate, I'd reach the 1GB limit on free data in 20.4 days.

FreedomPop - free internet?

Summary

Pros

• Free/relatively cheap data
• Potential to earn more free data by completing referrals
• No contract; month-to-month billing

Cons

• FreedomPop currently uses the Clearwire network
• Seem to be using up data very quickly
• Must purchase FreedomPop devices for service

The FreedomPop homepage.

Introduction

Below are some of my general experiences with FreedomPop. More detailed reviews will be published in upcoming articles.

Wild FreedomPop Appeared!

Discussion

FreedomPop is a MVNO that operates on the Clearwire network (plans to expand to the Sprint network are set for sometime in 2013). It offers users either home or mobile internet; FreedomPop requires separate accounts with separate credit cards are required for each device in order to monitor usage for each device.

Home Internet, I choose you!

Mobile users can get 500 MB/month free, while home users get 1 GB/month free. Extra data is billed on a per megabit basis, with prices varying depending on the type of service and plan you end up getting.

I applaud the idea behind FreedomPop, but I definitely think that there is room for improvement. Trying to connect to the Clearwire network is extremely frustrating; I need to stand next to the window or outdoors to even get a weak signal. Also, I appear to be using data at an alarming rate: at this pace, the total will definitely be more than what the free amount is. I will do a side-by-side comparison, visiting the same websites on my mobile phone first on Ting, then on FreedomPop, to get some good comparative data.

Conclusion

FreedomPop definitely has an interesting idea in offering internet as a freemium service. I think it works great as a way to supplement my work phone—more details to follow in future articles—but because FreedomPop currently uses the Clearwire network, and my experiments seem to indicate rapid data usage, I can't recommend it at this time. I'll continue to measure my data usage and post an update when it becomes available.

My data usage on FreedomPop. Good thing I received my router late in the month: after only a three days of light usage (a few minutes of website browsing and emailing each day, no streaming videos or music), I've used up 147 MB. At this rate, I'd reach the 1GB limit on free data in 20.4 days.

Notes