Obstructions like walls, mountains and fat people; RF interference; weather; and your phone's antenna placement are all things than can dilute your signal to a tiny, staticky trickle. From there, using the power of deduction you can figure out what's hosing your reception and try a couple different fixes. Most obviously, you can actually move your ass, but if your whole house is in a virtual dead zone, there are a range of gizmos like external antennas and repeaters, but be wary of crap boxes promising miracles—they only exist in the X-Files.

Lastly, you can always call your provider to tell them they suck, and where exactly their suckiness is the suckiest, underlined with the vague threat you'll switch to the other guy, and pray that they'll fix it. If you've got other tips, lay 'em down in the comments. [Wired How To]

The Price: Still not official, but T-Mobile says it will be less than $100 with contract when it drops in early September.

The Verdict: Solid, everyman 3G for the masses.

If you didn't know it going in, you might not even realize the TM506 was 3G-capable. There's no big "3G" connection icon like on the iPhone, and nary a mention in the phone's settings. And most surprisingly, the phone ships only with T-Mo and Sony Eric's shitty t-zones browser—which is only a few steps past WAP.

So the first thing anyone with this phone should do is grab Opera Mini—and after doing so, all of the Google apps for Maps and Gmail (the built-in email client is equally miserable). It's smart in many ways to downplay the phone's HSDPA capabilities, since T-Mobile's rollout is still in progress. But the lack of a solid browser built-in is puzzling.

And here's the kicker—at the moment, this thing is lightning fast. I tested it in several locations in NYC, one of T-Mobile's first 3G cities, and we're talking near Wi-Fi speeds on T-Mobile's 1700/2100 MHz HSDPA network. I got a crazy average of 5037kbps using DSL Reports' smartphone speed test, where the iPhone 3G, in the same location at the same time, managed an average of 545kbps. Now before you get too excited, keep in mind that T-Mobile's 3G network is practically empty at the moment—when more 3G subscribers start piling on, speeds will certainly come down to the 600-1000kbps range that T-Mobile says will be the norm. But for now, 3G T-Mobilers will be living the sweet life. Pages load almost instantly with Opera Mini—it's awesome. And when you tether to your laptop (which T-Mobile is fine with)—it's still blazing, which is a great bonus.

Rounding out the rest of the package is everything you'd expect on a mid-range Sony Ericsson piece—A-GPS, 2MP camera with video recording, Bluetooth 2.0, Memory Stick Micro slot, a barebones media player, and all the rest in a light but solid feeling flip form factor (but I could do without the green). In the end, it's not for smartphone people, or worth leaving another network for, but if you're already on T-Mobile and it's time for an upgrade, you could do a lot worse for your money.

And until the network starts to fill up, you'll be putting your iPhone-toting friends to shame.

UPDATE: To clarify some confusion in the comments, all previous phones with 3G support sold by T-Mobile (Nokia 6263, Samsung t639, Samsung t819, Nokia 3555) are UMTS only, which means they'll only get speeds of around 200-300kbps says the T-Mo folks. The TM506 is the first high-speed HSDPA phone for the new network, which should get between 600-1000kbps.

Price seems to be the blurriest bit of info, possibly because it isn't totally set yet. For instance, TmoNews, who has a more proven record, says it might be $150 for upgraders. (One scenario: It's $150 for pre-orders, $200 for eligible people with new two-year contracts. But that seems a little overly complicated.) Monthly plans will be $35 w/ unlimited data/messaging or $25 for unlimited data/400 messages. Most of this sounds about right—not too far off the mark, anyway. [TmoWorld]

The bottom line is that email services on consumer phones are getting better all the time, and you can still pick up a phone like the Blackberry Pearl with email at a value that makes wasting money on a second gadget like the Peek unnecessary—even if the service is stellar. So, what do you think—does the Peek stand a chance? [Peek via Silicon Alley Insider]

The full leaked list (including cities recently launched):

Baltimore - Aug 18th
Houston – Aug 19th
Minneapolis – Aug 20th
San Diego – Sept 15th
Los Angeles – Sept 16th
Phoenix – Sept 16th
Sacramento – Sept 17th
Portland – Sept 18th
Seattle – Sept 23rd
San Francisco – Sept 24th

The remainder of the list of rumored 2008 cities is the same group from April:

Atlanta
Birmingham
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Kansas City
Memphis
Miami
New England
Orlando
Philadelphia
Tampa
Washington, D.C.

Almost there, urban T-Mobilers. [Cellphone Signal via BGR]

These customers will score the phone for $150 (with contract, we're sure) whereas new customers will be able to purchase the handset sometime in October for the same amount. TmoNews also claims that all customers will be required to have Gmail accounts to use the phone.

In addition, the name "G1" has been floating around quite a bit. Whether or not that's an internal nickname for the Dream or its public title is not yet certain. [TmoNews]

Nokia 5610 XpressMusic Rocks on to the Scene with T-Mobile USA
New black and silver Nokia 5310 XpressMusic also joins the XpressMusic family

NEW YORK – August 11, 2008 – Expanding the popular XpressMusic product line, the all-new Nokia 5610 XpressMusic and Nokia 5310 XpressMusic, in a new black finish with silver accents, are available today exclusively in the U.S. from T-Mobile USA. Similar to the Nokia 5310 music features, the Nokia 5610 is outfitted with the most wanted, music-friendly features including easy-to-use external music controls, packaged in a new, compact slider design.

The Nokia 5610 XpressMusic comes ready to rock with an included wired stereo headset, a USB cable for side-loading music and a 2 GB memory card. Its unique music slider key makes accessing music easy with just a flick of the thumb. Aluminum side panels accent the high gloss finish and large 2.2-inch, 16 million color display. Customers can choose from two color options: black with red accents and white with silver side accents.

In addition, the Nokia 5610 XpressMusic delivers crystal clear sound quality, up to 22 hours of music playback and a memory capacity for up to 3,000 songs on an optional 4GB microSD card*. More than just a phone and music player, the Nokia 5610 also features a high-quality 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash.

Adding to the colorful palette of Nokia 5310 XpressMusic options, the device is now also available in a cool black finish with silver accents. The thin and lightweight Nokia 5310 in silver has all the familiar features of the original device including a music player with dedicated external music controls, stereo Bluetooth connectivity, 2.0 megapixel camera, up to 18 hours of music playback and a memory capacity for up to 3,000 songs* on an optional 4GB microSD card. The new black and silver model joins the line of Nokia 5310 XpressMusic phones already available in three color combinations exclusively from
T-Mobile: black/red, black/purple and black/orange.

“Music is one of many entertainment experiences Nokia offers consumers who enjoy the ease of having a multifunctional device with them wherever they go,” said Frank Vium, Vice President of Sales, Nokia USA. “Now with the addition of the Nokia 5610 XpressMusic phone and the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic phone in black/silver, music lovers across the United States have even more choice – great colors and compelling forms in a sleek package.”

Key Features of the Nokia 5610 XpressMusic:
•Music player with dedicated music slider key
•3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash
•Video capture and playback
•MP3 and video ring tones
•Stereo Bluetooth connectivity
•FM radio
•2 GB micro-SD card included in box (support for up to 4 GB)
•Digital music player (supports AAC, eAAC+, MP3 and WMA formats)
•2.2 inch QVGA 240 x 320 display with up to 16 million colors
•Stereo wired headset
•3.5 mm headphone jack, compatible for use with most music player earphones
•Hands free speaker
•Voice dialing, voice commands and voice recorder
•Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; GSM/GPRS/EDGE
•Dimensions: 3.88 in x 1.91 in x 0.67 inches; 3.92 oz

Details are still hazy and very unofficial, but here are a few stray notes:

• Development will be allowed for the Android, WinMo, Sidekick and Java platforms.
• Apps will be presented to users according to popularity, giving independent developers a greater chance for success.
• The approval process has yet to be discussed, so it's still up in the air how rigorous getting an app to the store will be or whether free apps will be allowed.

This could be the start of a new trend among mobile providers. Check out the entire story at [mocoNews].

T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced today the continued expansion of its next-generation wireless network with the launch of 3G service in Las Vegas. The company plans to expand its 3G network to at least 20 additional markets by the end of 2008.

T-Mobile has invested more than $37.5 million in infrastructure and spectrum to bring its 3G service to the Las Vegas market, according to Neville Ray, senior vice president, engineering operations, T-Mobile USA, “Customers in Las Vegas are already accustomed to reliable and robust service from T-Mobile, which gets even better with this additional network availability,” Ray said. “This investment in today’s 3G network also sets the foundation to help customers stay closer to their family and friends in new and exciting ways.”

T-Mobile’s 3G network in Las Vegas supports voice and data services consistent with available service and handset offerings. The company today offers multiple phones that are able to operate on the UMTS network. These phones are designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide the great call quality and rich communication services customers expect from T-Mobile.

Customers using a 3G-capable handset from T-Mobile will also experience faster data speeds when accessing the Web, or downloading content from the T-Mobile t-zones content portal, for example. T-Mobile plans to soon offer its first HSDPA device, along with new and compelling data-centric, all-in-one devices that help make the most of T-Mobile’s high-speed data network. The launch of the 3G network in Las Vegas also enables T-Mobile to accommodate and serve more customers more efficiently through the use of its AWS spectrum.

As the 3G service rolls out in targeted major markets, T-Mobile will continue to build upon its T-Mobile® HotSpot Wi-Fi network — its wireless high-speed Internet offering that launched in 2003 — and its nationwide voice and data network, to empower customers to effortlessly stay connected using the best available network.

The Price: $149 with two-year contract.

The Verdict: It's more features for less money. Not only is the Sidekick 2008 $50 cheaper than the $199 you'd currently pay for the Sidekick LX, it comes with more stuff. The best hardware improvement has to be the reduced size, and at 4.7 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches, it's as long as the iPhone, slightly narrower, but about twice as thick. The second most important feature on an SK is the keyboard, and remains pretty much the same as before: chicklety. If you liked previous iterations, you'll like this one.

The UI and inputs are definitely trademark Sidekick, with the standard trackball on the right for scrolling and button layout that's just about the same as the LX's. It's got video capture and video playback, which were added to the Sidekick LX in an automatic update. Also unique to the 2008 is the ability to custom-design your own external shells at sidekickshells.com. One for $9.99 or two for $14.99.

The Sidekick 2008 continues the tradition of nicely designed and intuitive apps, like email, instant messaging, picture messaging and video messaging. The Sidekick started out as a data communicator—something it still continues to do well—but now can be safely called just a "communicator" because of its more well-rounded features.

The call quality was very good—loud and clear with only minimal background noise—and thanks to its newly reduced size, speaking on it is much less like holding a plastic taco up to your ear. The battery is only 1030mAh compared to the LX's 1540mAh, which may partially explain the reduced size. The Sidekick has never been known to take great photos or video, but the video on the 2008 is decent enough for an MMS, and the photos are only slightly blurrier and darker than the iPhone's. Not fantastic, but manageable.

The most important bit of information that you want to know is if we'd recommend it to T-Mobile users. Definitely. If you're a current Sidekick owner and you're happy with the platform, you'll want to upgrade to this for its improved features and reduced size. If you're not a current Sidekick user but have always eyeballed the series, it's a good time to jump on.

[iPhone-ticker.de (translated), Thanks, Nicolas!]

Ooohh, skins! [cellphonesignal]

Consumerist lays out exactly how to do it (it's for AT&T, but it should still work): Cite the hike as your reason for canceling; don't pay your bill at the new rate; don't give in to a cheaper plan; be steady like a rock. (Update: Make sure you get the notification of the price change first.) BTW, anyone else think doing this pre-iPhone 3G launch (whose 3Gness won't work on T-Mo) is like the worst timing ever? [BGR, Consumerist]

"An eyepiece shows a red target dot, and then transmits an image of the target to a monitor, which relays the information to the gun." According to creator Barry Lamperd, if the holographic sight is on target, you can't miss. Let's hope so—because the company plans to sell the scooter to the US Army to use in crowd control situations (presumably in Iraq), and it will probably make its way down to local law enforcement somewhere down the line. [Lamperd Less Lethal via Sarnia Observer via Danger Room]

We are on schedule and we're very excited to see the momentum continuing to build behind the Android platform among carriers, manufacturers, developers and consumers.

Here's what we make of this.

The WSJ pointed the finger at T-Mobile as the reason why Google's development is being delayed for Sprint and Verizon.

T-Mobile USA expects to deliver an Android-powered phone in the fourth period. But that launch is taking up so much of Google's attention and resources that Sprint Nextel Corp., which had hoped to launch an Android phone this year, won't be able to, a person familiar with the matter said.

To us, Android (the OS) can still be on track for a release at the end of the year, but if the development process is crappy and stuff keeps changing, handset manufacturers will have a more difficult time making their phones. Out of T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon, T-Mobile usually does the least number of customizations on their phones, which makes it more likely that they'll be available by the end of the year. Sprint and Verizon need more time to add their own apps and junk on top.

On the other hand, if Android really is still on track, you should be able to get non-carrier branded Android phones from various manufacturers such as HTC by the end of the year. If you're on a GSM network like AT&T or T-Mobile, you can just go ahead and move that over onto your plan. [Mobile Entertainment via Tech Digest]

The Price: $10 a month with 2-year contract provided you have a qualifying T-Mobile plan ($39.99 standard plan or $49.99 FamilyTime plan), plus $49 for the T-Mobile @Home HiPort Linksys Wireless Router. There's also a VTech cordless phone you can purchase from them for $59.99, or you can just use your own.

The Verdict: Fantastic. Over our Comcast cable internet connection, voice quality was super clear and the people we talked to all said it sounded like we were talking on a landline. Delay—what little of it there was—was on par with a regular landline.

Setup was easy, and you can use the Linksys router in place of your current one, or on your network behind your existing router. There are two SIM slots in it for two lines (only one is active by default), and contains E911 information. All in all, it's a very good alternative to getting a separate landline if you already have T-Mobile cellphone service, and at $10 it's next to free. The only downside is that it still doesn't work with fax, but their engineers are working on it. [T-Mobile]

If you've got 180-91 days left, the ETF penalty drops to $100. 90 days or less, it drops to $50, and with fewer than 30 days, it's either $50 or your monthly fee, whichever is cheaper. But if you've got more than six months looks like you're gonna get smacked. (Update: Consumerist editor and nice guy Ben Popken tells me it's not technically pro-rating, since the fee goes down in increments and never touches zero.) Full details:

T-Mobile Offers Customers Additional Service Plan Flexibility

The Recognized Leader in Wireless Customer Care
Launches ETFs That Decline During the Course of an Agreement

BELLEVUE, Wash. – June 23, 2008 – T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced a new approach to early termination fees (ETFs) that provides greater flexibility for T-Mobile customers.

Beginning on June 28, 2008, the ETF for customers who choose a one-year or two-year service agreement with T-Mobile will decline during the course their contract. The ETF decreases from $200 to $100 if customers terminate service with 91 to 180 days remaining on their agreement; and decreases again to $50 with fewer than 91 days remaining. If customers terminate in the last 30 days of their term, the ETF is $50 or their standard monthly charge, whichever is less.

For customers who do not want term commitments or ETFs, T-Mobile offers a variety of service options, including:

•T-Mobile FlexPaySM: A program that offers customers access to nationwide long-distance calling and roaming, the latest phones, and T-Mobile’s great rate plans including myFavesSM — all without having to commit to a long-term service agreement or make a hefty deposit.

•Prepaid Plans: Flexible plans that give customers the freedom to communicate with no annual contract, no credit checks and no monthly bills. Prepaid options include:

•Pay By The Day: Recently introduced, this option costs $1 per day only on days when the phone is used. In exchange, customers get unlimited T-Mobile-to-T-Mobile calling all day and unlimited nationwide calling from 7 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. All other domestic calls are just 10¢ per minute and text messages are 10¢ to send and 5¢ to receive.

•Pay As You Go (previously named T-Mobile To Go): Customers can purchase minutes as they need them. Customers who purchase $100 in refills become Gold Rewards members and receive 15 percent more minutes on all future refills.

•Sidekick Prepaid (previously named Sidekick To Go): T-Mobile Sidekick® fans receive unlimited domestic e-mailing, Web browsing, instant messaging, and text messaging for $1 per day, and nationwide calling costs just 15¢ per minute.

“T-Mobile continues to set the pace in offering customers a number of flexible plans and services that don’t require a contract to help them stay connected to those who matter most,” said Sue Nokes, Chief Customer and Operations Officer, T-Mobile USA. “In addition, by providing this flexibility and choice, our hope is that T-Mobile customers will be happy customers for years to come.”

Earlier this year, T-Mobile received highest ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates’ Wireless Customer Care Performance StudySM for the seventh consecutive reporting period. Additional information about T-Mobile calling plans can be found at www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/.

[T-Mobile]

A lot of has to do with the fact that Android itself is still baking—it's hard to develop for an OS that isn't totally set and firm to the touch. So, even though Google has lotsa cool prototypes like one "a long touch-screen, similar to the Apple iPhone, a swivel-out full keyboard, and a trackball for navigation similar to the kind on some BlackBerrys," developers are having to constantly rewrite apps because the OS is in flux.

The Weather Channel admits it has already had to "rewrite a few things," and the latest version of Android is going to require some of the biggest revisions yet. The iPhone's SDK on the other hand, is ready to go, and many developers are already familiar with OS X. (And if developers are choosing one platform over the other, that's where Android's real trouble starts.) Topping it off, phonemakers like Samsung aren't having a jolly time integrating it either.

Sprint's woes are in part due to the fact it wants an Android phone with Sprint services, rather than a generic Google-y one. Because of the pushback, they might skip over a 3G Android phone and just do a WiMax one (though that doesn't make much sense to us—the EV-DO footprint is and will be way bigger than gimpy WiMax's, even in the first half of 2009, and that's being optimistic). Curiously, no word on the newly open Verizon's front, but given how messy Android is right now, even with all of its promise, we can't really blame AT&T for sitting it out for now. [WSJ]

* Capture videos using the new video mode
* Playback from the SD card or email attachments using the media player
* Share videos via email, Picture messaging, and Bluetooth
* Listen to songs or videos using a stereo Bluetooth device
* Send and receive photos, videos, or music via Bluetooth
* 3 IM clients & enhancements to AIM® and Yahoo!® Messenger
* Create and join group chats
* See who is logged into IM from the address book or email and instantly start a conversation
* Set a custom status message then keep chatting
* Search for friends in a buddy list
* Got more buddies than you can keep track of? See who’s online right from the address book or email, and search for friends in your buddy lists
* Select how Web pages are displayed based on preference
* PC-like, full-size layout to pan & scan while reading o Standard Sidekick screen-size layout to simply scroll down the page to read · Mini Page to zoom out on an overview of an entire Web page
* Save images from Web pages to the SD card Personalize the way you want to surf
* Device does not restart after a download. Just install an item, and it’s ready to use
* Capture videos and share them directly from the Camera app
* Video integration for playback, send, and save to gallery
* QuickFind: search for keywords across applications to find messages or information
* Spell Checker

I've been seeing "attwifi" access points at every Starbucks I've been to in NYC, and used the free Wi-Fi at two of them, so I figured the transition was complete at those stores, even though the T-Mobile network was still lingering in the background. Can any Starbucks employees lay out more info as to what's going down with the transition? [Reuters via GigaOM]