Less than a year later, the entire thing fell apart. Regulators had jumped into the fray, and they didn’t like what they saw. They didn’t like the decreased competition. They didn’t like the consolidation of spectrum. They didn’t even like the multiple plans AT&T submitted to divest in certain areas where they’d have a near monopoly. And so we were left at the same point as we were before the proposed acquisition.

Unfortunately for T-Mobile, even with the $3 billion breakup fee it received from AT&T, its future looks dim. Nearly all of that $3 billion will help it play catch-up in rolling out an LTE network, and even that won’t come until 2013. That’s because T-Mobile’s spectrum holdings are not great enough for a rollout along the lines of Verizon. Because Verizon had surplus spectrum, they were able to work behind the scenes to build their LTE network, flipping it on without disrupting other services. T-Mobile, in other words, is far behind. And as they can learn from a competitor, playing catch-up is no easy task.

Five years ago, Sprint found itself in a similar position. They were hemorrhaging customers and money. They had switched CEOs, but even then their corporate DNA needed a complete overhaul. While Sprint did make a comeback of sorts, they’re still not out of the woods. In fact, given their position, vastly inferior to those of Verizon and AT&T, they might never fully recover. T-Mobile, it appears, will be in a similar position. Without significant outside help, will they be able to keep up.

T-Mobile and Sprint share further similarities as well. For instance, when Sprint was down it put an emphasis on prepaid services. They have no Sprint prepaid brand, but they do own Boost Mobile, which they propped up in early 2008 with a $50 unlimited talk, text, and data plan. The next year they acquired Virgin Mobile, creating a two-armed prepaid monster that captures a significant portion of the market. Those entities helped Sprint grow even as postpaid shrank. Similarly, T-Mobile has seen gains in prepaid amid postpaid losses for the past two years. In fact, prepaid might be T-Mobile’s only remaining strength.

But is prepaid enough for T-Mobile to survive? While there is a quality selection of T-Mobile Android phones, the network still lacks the ever-popular iPhone. Their plans are popular enough, as evidenced by the influx of prepaid customers. But can they turn a profit on prepaid, which brings no guaranteed income? It’s a tough equation, especially for the fourth largest carrier in America. It’s difficult to see them thriving based on prepaid, given the strong competition out there. Chances are, they’ll need outside help.

While a merger with AT&T seems out of the question, other merger options could become a greater option in the near future. With nearly every carrier moving over to LTE, we’ll see greater compatibility among cellular networks. That could even open up an avenue for a Sprint merger with T-Mobile. This has been proposed in the past, but it seemed unfeasible given that T-Mobile is a GSM network and Sprint is CDMA. Sprint had already experienced compatibility issues with Nextel’s iDEN network, so another technology acquisition didn’t seem prudent. But if both are running LTE networks, the transition could be easier. A merger between the third and fourth largest carriers might have a better chance of gaining regulatory approval than a merger between the second and fourth.

Still more opportunities could arise from smaller regional carriers. Both Cricket and MetroPCS own formidable swaths of spectrum, and both either have upgraded or plan to upgrade to LTE. Sprint could eventually acquire one, with T-Mobile acquiring the other. That would solidify their positions and give them an influx of new customers. Of course, since both Cricket and MetroPCS are prepaid services, that might make for some trouble with Sprint, which works mostly on postpaid. But there is a clear opportunity for the prepaid-heavy T-Mobile.

Given the great power that AT&T and Verizon hold, there seems little chance that T-Mobile, with under 30 million subscribers, can survive on its own long-term. They seem to understand that; in the past few years we’ve heard them having plenty of interest in being acquired. Perhaps that opportunity will come with Sprint, or perhaps they can acquire a smaller carrier to fortify its position. In either case, T-Mobile will need help in one form or another. There just doesn’t seem to be a way for them to survive by their lonesome.

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

Can T-Mobile survive on its own?

OnTheFly

One reader suggested that OnTheFly is a better solution than Orbitz. That makes enough sense, since the developer of OnTheFly, ITA Software, is owned by Google. The app does pull from many resources to find the best flight prices within any given parameters. The app interface is second to none — plenty of competitors could learn a lot by how smoothly it runs through the process. And it does provide you with a comprehensive list of flights, allowing you to find the cheapest.

The only problem is that it doesn’t allow you to book those flights right from the app. Once it adds that, and tweaks a few features, it will certainly be a go-to app. But until then, apps with poorer UIs will win out, since users can book right from the app.

KAYAK

Not sure how this one didn’t make the original list. Just a few years ago Kayak was just some small upstart. In the following years it became one of the biggest and best online travel tools. I remember a few years ago when the app debuted for BlackBerry. It was revolutionary at the time, and it has only gotten better since. And yes, you can book your accommodations right from the app.

Not only does it search for the best deals and let you book accommodations right from the app, but it also stores your itinerary. That’s what sets it apart from apps such as TripIt and Worldmate, since they only store the data. That’s fine if you book from a computer. But if you’re booking from your mobile Kayak is your one-stop destination. Add into that neat features, such as map-based hotel plotting, and it’s definitely a winner.

It’s not easy for apps to maintain high ratings as they get thousands upon thousands of reviews. Yet Kayak has maintained 4.5 stars through almost 25,000 reviews. You can get Kayak for free at the Google M…er, I mean, Google Play.

Cheap Tickets

Surprisingly, Cheap Tickets does not have a mobile app. At a time when seemingly every commercial website has one, they’ve refrained. In one way, that has to be a mistake. Mobile apps increase engagement among users. Many, many people are more apt to download an app for a service than visit it on the web. But Cheap Tickets seems to know that people don’t regularly book travel from their phones. As such, they forewent the app development and instead created a pristine mobile website.

As with all good mobile websites, you needn’t type in a special address. If you needed to visit m.cheaptickets.com, that might be an issue. Instead, you can just go to cheaptickets.com as you would normally, and it brings up the mobile web interface. You can choose to use the desktop site if that’s your thing, but the mobile website is so good that you probably won’t want to. From there you can do everything you can on normal travel sites: search and book cheap flights, find hotel deals, and combine them with a rental car for even more savings.

Again, that’s just a click over to cheaptickets.com. No downloading, no app installation, and no updates. There’s something reassuring about that kind of simplicity.

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

Even more Android travel apps and sites

No, the app will not teach you Brazilian jiujitsu. It will, however, hit you with a constant MMA fix. In the Market it’s called All In One MMA, and that’s really what it is. It hits MMA from all angles: news about the professionals, gear reviews — and a store — plus videos and other useful resources. It’s damn useful for entrenched MMA fans, and absolute must-have for newbies.

The training section is the most useful and practical part of the app. It contains reams of articles from Martial Art Book writer Craight Lightner. While you can visit the website for most of these training tips, having them available on your Android makes them even better. They can be inspirational when on the way to the gym. You can also pick up pointers from each article that help you keep your workout fresh.

The meat of the app comes from the gear. There are three sections that play into this. The video section is the most useful for research. It contains videos demonstrating many MMA products. You can then head over to Reviews, where you’ll see well-written opinions of some serious MMA gear. And finally, you can shop right from the app, picking the products that met your standards.

And, of course, no MMA app would be complete without a news reel. It’s an easy way to stay on top of MMA news and opinions. Even if you don’t use the other sections (yes, there are some MMA fans who don’t participate), the news feed is always there to bring you the latest news. It’s updated pretty frequently, too, so you’ll rarely be left without something to read.

Best of all, the MMA Zone app is free. You can download it from the Android Market.

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

MMA Zone provides everything an MMA fan needs

Our Android smartphones, however, act as a recording apparatus. There are plenty of apps, including simple text apps, that can help us keep tabs on various aspects of our lives. Keeping track of them lets us notice patterns and habits, and with that awareness we can change things we don’t like.

Think of this in the same way as a SCADA system (supervisory control and data acquisition). You use your Android to acquire the data you need. The only difference is that instead of automatic monitoring, as in most SCADA systems, you’ll have to do some of the heavy lifting yourself. There are apps, though, that can automate the process. Once you have the data, though, the control system is on you. That is, your smartphone can acquire and present the data, but you’ll have to fix it yourself.

1. Your spending habits

If you need convincing to start writing down your spending habits, read this post on The Art of Manliness. It’s tough to turn away advice from a success such as John Rockefeller.

If you don’t want to read the post, the gist is this: we have lost a vital connection with our money. When we pay cash, we feel the separation from our money. When we wrote checks, we had to write it down immediately. But now with debit and credit cards, and with online account management, we’ve created a degree of disconnect. It no longer strikes us as fully when we swipe our cards.

Recording your finances is as easy as writing them down in a text document. If it worked for Rockefeller, it can work for you. You an also get a free app, such as Loot, which can provide an easier interface. It also does that whole adding thing for you. With support for recurring transactions, Loot might be the best app out there for this type of function.

2. Your workouts

While many of us consider exercise important, many of us also find it difficult to stick with any regular program. But in the same way that recording your finances can give you a better understanding of your money, tracking your workouts can give you a better sense of your habits. It’s just about finding the right app.

An app such as GymTechnik works well, because it works in many different ways. It not only lets you record your workouts, but with videos and images of movements, you can actually build a routine right on the app. With other features, such as online personal training, it can go a long way to helping you keep your fitness goals.

One thing I haven’t found that I really want: a fitness app with a homescreen widget that lets me know the last time I worked out. That would provide some motivation right there.

3. How much you walk

Let’s face it: working out isn’t for everyone. Don’t be ashamed, though. Some people just don’t value an active lifestyle, and that’s an individual choice. What’s shameful, though, is a life of sloth. That is, sitting at work all day, sitting on your ride home, and then plopping down in front of the TV the rest of the evening. There’s nothing healthy about that, and it can cause plenty of complications later in life.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can remain semi-active even while staying away from the gym. The key, really, is to make sure you’re engaging in everyday physical activity. Simply walking more can help keep your gut from expanding past your current pant size. A simple free pedometer app, such as the simply named Pedometer Free can help you get an idea of your current activity level.

Once you make an assessment, you can then make a game out of it. Every day, try to walk more steps than the last. Every week, try to beat your previous week. Same for months. If you get good enough at the game, soon enough you’ll be losing weight.

4. What you get done at work

You would be amazed at how little we can get done at work every day. Seriously, there are days when I’m at work for eight hours and I feel as though I’ve only done a half hour of actual work. In some ways that might reflect on me as an employee, but in other ways it reflects on the unfocused nature of the modern office. I swear, there are some days where I spend more time taking notes from my boss than actually acting on said notes.

Here’s a little trick I started employing last year: write down everything I accomplished at the office. That is, any effortful action that got me closer to a goal. I don’t include routine tasks, like following up on emails. But I do include every step of a project that I complete. There are still some days when the list is scant, but overall I’ve noticed that I’m writing down more and more accomplishments.

All you need for this is a simple text document. I also recommend using your calendar for this, sending yourself a reminder at the end of every work day to write everything down. Then set a reminder every Friday, or even Saturday, so you can review what you did all week.

5. Books you’ve read and want to read

I know far too many people who say they don’t read, or worse, that they don’t like to read. Not only is reading a pleasurable leisure activity, it can also be an educational one. For instance, I learned more in the two years after college, by reading on my own, than I did all eight years in high school and college combined.

Keeping a wishlist is great. It gives us something to look forward to. I like using my Android Wish List, which I can access on the Android Mobile App for Android, to keep track of books I want to read. There are far, far too many on there, but I keep adding to it anyway. It’s exciting to go through it and actually order the books.

I also like using a simple text document to list the books I have read. It’s a nice little memento of time well spent. I’m not sure I’ve used it for any practical purpose, but for some reason I like keeping it. It’d probably be better if I used a journal app, such as I Journal, to record my thoughts on each book. Since I read while out of the house often, having this on my Android is a big plus.

There are plenty of other life aspects you can record on your mobile. My recommendation is to try them all and see what works for you. That way you can maintain your own SCADA system.

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

Top 5 things to track on your Android

T-Mobile LG G2x

The T-Mobile G2x with Google is built to entertain in a way that makes it stand out from other phones in the market. This phone delivers power and speeds that blow the competition out of the water.

While this phone is fine for everyday use, where it really stands out is in the realm of HD gaming—from anywhere. The G2x features rich 3D graphics that allow users to get immersed in the action like never before. In fact, in many cases, the 3D graphics on this brilliant 4-inch screen could be considered console-worthy. For phone gamers, that means sharper action and more intensity on the latest games. And this phone’s lightning fast speed also comes in handy for surfing the web and streaming videos and movies on the go.

LG Revolution

The Android-powered LG Revolution is Verizon Wireless’ first LTE phone. By supporting 4G-LTE broadband, the Revolution is able to provide users with some of the industry’s fastest download and upload speeds. It also features Wi-Fi and mobile hotspot capability that lets users establish 4G connection with up to eight Wi-Fi devices.

Android 2.2 technology equips the Revolution with Google Mobile Services, including Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Voice and access to the Android Market, all of which perform with fairly good quality. And the Revolution is also one of the first phones to support the new Netflix app for Android – it even comes pre-installed on the phone.

LG Thrill 4G

The defining feature of the LG Thrill 4G (available through AT&T) is simple: It’s a 3D phone. It might be tempting to blow off the 3D claim as a gimmick, but even without 3D capability, the Thrill is a pretty handy device. The phone comes pre-installed with quite a few apps, including a 3D camera, 3D gallery, 3D games and a 3D help guide, as well as demos of games including Asphalt 6, Gulliver’s Travels, Lets Golf 2, Movies, and NOVA, all in 3D.

And because you’re probably asking yourself how a 3D camera works, here’s the deal: The phone comes with two rear-facing cameras that work together to produce a double image that appears to be 3D (without glasses).

T-Mobile myTouch and T-Mobile myTouch Q

The myTouch and myTouch Q are both fan-favorite LG phones from T-Mobile. Both have a beautifully simple design and full touch-screen, and both are Android-powered. The difference comes with the keyboard.

While the myTouch is a completely touch-sensitive smartphone, the myTouch Q is equipped with a slide out keyboard for those who prefer the feel of actual buttons, rather than typing on a screen. Both phones even feature a Genius Button that responds to simple voice commands by making calls, sending texts, and searching the web. Undoubtedly, both phones are a great choice whether you’re looking for something simple as a first smartphone or something sleek and advanced to keep up with changing style and technology.

LG Spectrum

The LG Spectrum (available on Verizon) is a brand new addition to the LG lineup, but don’t be deceived into believing this is just “another” Android phone. The Spectrum shows off a beautiful 4.5-inch True HD display, which makes this a great phone for watching video or streaming TV shows and movies.

As far as the camera goes, the Spectrum has almost no shutter lag, unlike many other Android phones, and full 1080p video can be recorded using the phone’s video function. And, with the right service plan, the phone’s 4G connection can be shared with up to 10 other devices! This drains the battery pretty quickly, but it’s a very impressive feature. Which makes sense, after all, because this is a very impressive phone.

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

The top 5 LG phones on the Android platform

TripIt

How does an app survive over 10,000 ratings in the Android Market with a 4.5-star rating? By being one of the best in its field. TripIt has the travel thing down right. It’s a simple premise, too. All you do is forward your confirmation email to a tripit email address, and it automatically populates the app with your travel information. This includes not only flights, but also hotels, restaurant reservations, cruises, and more.

There’s a social element on top of this, too. You can share your travel plans with friends on Facebook. Maybe you just want to brag a bit. Maybe you’re looking for companions. Or maybe you just like to let your family and friends know what’s going on. In any case, it’s an available feature with TripIt.

Best of all, TripIt is free. You can, however, add a premium service for $49 per year. TripIt calls it “your own personal travel assistant.” Basically, it monitors deals for you, so you can always get the best deal on travel amenities. It also includes alerts while you’re traveling.

Get TripIt from the Android Market.

WorldMate

One of the more established mobile travel apps, WorldMate has made its way to Android. Not only that, but it has picked up the vaunted Editors’ Choice tag. It provides many of the same services as TripIt, but it does add some interesting effects, even on the free version.

Managing your itinerary works the same. You just forward the confirmation email, and WorldMate organizes it all in the app. It’s after that, though, that WorldMate gets interesting. It pulls from Google Maps to lay out your itinerary. This can work well for driving directions, since you’ll have everything already plugged into the device. (And really, how many of us have gotten lost going from the rental car depot to our hotels?) Speaking of rental cars, you can book one right through the app, or otherwise book a car service. You can also book hotels from the app, if you haven’t done so already.

This really is an all-in-one travel app. The only thing you can’t do, really, is book your flight right from it. As with TripIt, WorldMate has a premium tier as well. This includes calendar syncing, flight alerts and statuses, and the stripping of ads. But with a little elbow grease and ingenuity, you can take care of most of those features for free right from your Android smartphone.

Get WorldMate from the Android Market.

Orbitz

While TripIt and WorldMate help you organize your travel plans, Orbitz can help you book them. That is, it lets you do most anything you can do on the Orbitz website. Find your flight, and then add a hotel and rental car to the package. Once you go through the motions and book your travel itinerary, Orbitz will store the information in offline mode, so it provides that same valuable feature that the other travel apps do.

Not only does Orbitz add value in its ability to book trips right from the mobile app, but it also has mobile-only deals. You could actually save money on, say Chicago hotels, if you check the mobile app and find the right deal. There’s also the option to call an agent right from the app, just in case there’s anything you want to ask.

While TripIt and WorldMate do a better job of storing and displaying you travel information, Orbtiz’s advantage is its ability to actually book those arrangements. It might not be a selling point for infrequent travelers, though the mobile-only deals do make it enticing. For the busy traveler, it could prove extremely useful.

get Orbitz from the Android Market.

TripAdvisor

The previous apps have focused on storing travel information and, in one case, booking itinerary. Yet they leave out one stage: planning. An app such as TripAdvisor can complement any of the apps above. It helps you with research, so you know what you’re getting into when it’s time to book.

Think of TripAdvisor as the Yelp of travel. It provides user reviews of hotels, restaurants, and other attractions at hundreds of destinations. You can get information on the amenities, read what other users have to say, and even call the location if a number if readily available. There are even forums, where you can get more information on your travel plans. Add in photos, and it’s a great research tool.

TripAdvisor can be a companion at any juncture. Whether it’s researching a destination before booking, or it’s finding something to do while you’re on the road, this app can be your guide.

Get TravelAdvisor from the Android Market

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

4 Android travel apps you should know about

Pictured above is the NOVO7, which is actually the world’s first Ice Cream Sandwich tablet. It’s a 7-inch device that features a 1GHz processor with 1080p HD video output — not top of the line, but certainly not assembled from the scrap heap. It’s not much with the rear camera, just 2 megapixels, and the front-facing one is just VGA. While there are some downsides, the upside is considerable. That is, the device is selling for just $100. That’s a pretty magic price point. Can it work for this device?

The problem with most cheap Android tablets — the $200 ones you see in Best Buy and Walmart, and on Amazon.com — is that they run Android 2.2 or 2.3. If they ran Honeycomb it might be a different proposition. But with an older OS there’s something of an issue. Advanced users could root the device and install a custom version of Honeycomb. This device, however, comes with Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box. The hardware might be generic, but the software will help compensate for that.

The downshot is that the device only ships from China, and it costs $60 to get stateside. That is, you’re probably better off waiting on it. If they ever ship $100 units to the US, though, it might be a bargain. If not, at least you won’t have spent a lot of money finding out.

Via Phandroid.

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

Will cheap Ice Cream Sandwich tablets sell?

Sprint claims that it uses the data collected by Carrier IQ to “analyze our network performance and identify where we should be improving service.” In that way it’s something like a SCADA, wherein the company is trying to manage its network by gathering as much data as possible. Of course, Sprint has available to it all sorts of other data via Carrier IQ, and their marketing department will likely benefit greatly from it. Will they simply not use the data that they receive — that they pay for — because there has been something of a controversy? Call me a skeptic, but I don’t think it will.

Via The Verge.

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

Sprint admits to installing Carrier IQ on devices

Garden Guide

The Food Gardening Guide, from America’s leading magazine on organic gardening, is a comprehensive gardening app, providing an abundance of expert advice on Crops, Techniques, and Resources.

This app has a balanced mix of beautiful illustrations (as seen in the Crops section), concise articles (as seen in the Techniques section), and links to additional gardening information in the Resources section .

As far as free Android apps are concerned, this is a great one-stop gardening app.

Gardenate

Gardenate is $2.50, but worth every penny.  This is a complete guide to growing popular garden vegetables (with local planting information) for the US, Australia, New Zealand, and UK.  The garden calendar shows the vegetables and herbs you can plant every month.

You can successfully “grow your own” vegetable and herb garden using the information from this app and the Gardenate online community.

Remember to Water

This app helps me remember to water my indoor plants (the ones I completely forget about until they turn brown!), both at home and at the office. It’s simple and keeps me organized by putting my plants on a watering schedule that I create.  How simple is it? Take a photo of you plants, set how often you want to water each and get a reminder. You can set the time of day when you want the reminder to appear. Done!

Each of these gardening apps is readily available online for download to your Android phone or tablet.

Do you have a favorite gardening app? Feel free to share with us!

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

Explore Your Green Thumb with Android Apps

I could sit here and enumerate all the features that BeyondPod offers, but if you can imagine it, BeyondPod likely does it. My favorite features include automatic scheduling of podcast downloads, quick fast forward (which skips you a few minutes ahead), sleep timer, and playlist generator. The home screen widget is also excellent. Best of all, BeyondPod comes in both smartphone and tablet versions, you have a fully optimized app no matter your preference. Again, at $2 I can’t find an Android podcast app that does more.

Here’s the deal. First you have to go download the basic BeyondPod app. You can get it here for smartphone and here for tablets. Those are free, and they’ll provide you with a 7-day full-feature trial. But you might not want to take advantage of that in this instance. See, the unlock key is on sale only through today. It might extend further, but we have no idea. Head to the Market again and download the unlock key for $2. Now enjoy.

Via Android Police.

This post originated at AndGeeks.com - home to all things Android! Also a great source of info about Android Phones.

Podcasting delight: BeyondPod $1.99 this weekend