Mobile Mania

Just in time to nab your soon-to-be-jailbroken copy of iPhone OS 3.0, AT&T has now confirmed that commitment-free iPhones are going to happen -- soon, in fact. As of next Thursday, you'll be able to waltz into the AT&T store of your choice and pick up an 8GB or 16GB unit for $599 and $699, respectively; that's a little harder to swallow than the normal $199 / $299, granted, but in exchange, you're free and clear without two years of your precious life sold off to a wireless carrier like it's a cheap piece of meat. You're worth more than that, you know?

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2008 marked the end for many a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), most going under in a flood of bankruptcies or getting consumed but their parent networks. It sure seems like no company in its right mind would want to wade back into that graveyard, but Zer01 is thinking differently, pledging to launch a new network within a network next month at CTIA 2009. Its services will be provided by AT&T, but it'll undercut the competition with a combination of a $69.95 monthly unlimited voice and data plan and a complete lack of contracts, as well as unlimited international calling (to 40 countries) for just an extra $10. What's the catch? The company will rely on a VOIP application for routing of all calls, and right now that app only works on Windows Mobile. That'll be a roadblock for many, and given AT&T's somewhat limited (and generally flaky) 3G data coverage we're a little concerned about call quality, but just the same can't wait to see how this one turns out.