Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Alright T-Mobile, seriously, how can you charge $299.99 for a Wing on contract with a straight face (do carriers have faces?) while every single one of your competitors is rocking a device that's essentially two generations fresher for the same price? Alltel becomes the latest to add HTC's quintessential WinMo QWERTY smartphone to its stable, charging $279.99 for the privilege of adding a Touch Pro to your account on contract after $100 rebate."

If Alltel is available in your area, you might want to check out the HTC Touch Pro as it's now an option for a pretty reasonable $279.99. You can check out more at Alltel's website, which for the record can be a bit of a pain to use. In order to see any of Alltel's phone options, you have to plug in your zip code and Alltel doesn't have a presence in my area. So, after trying a random zip code for Atlanta and even New York, I ended up using a Little Rock, AR zip code (Alltel's home city) just to see the phone. Why can't they at least offer some basic information without making it a hassle? Do tell, Alltel. OK, rant off. Enjoy the HTC Touch Pro or consider ordering it unlocked from our affiliate site.

"Verizon Wireless has agreed to acquire Alltel from the private equity firms that currently own the nation's fifth-largest national wireless provider. Verizon Wireless will acquire Alltel's assets, including 13 million customers and coverage in 57 markets where it has no presence, as well as Alltel's debt. The merged companies will surpass AT&T's 71 million customers to become the nation's largest provider of wireless goods and services with 80 million customers. The move will greatly expand the regions where Alltel's customers can roam without incurring fees, and also gives Verizon's customers greater freedoms in the rural markets where Verizon previously had no coverage. The merger should be completed by the end of 2008, depending on the required regulatory approvals."



I have used Verizon's network for several years. One of it's real strengths when I travel, is coverage in major cities. However, when I visit family in more rural locations, the coverage can be pretty poor, or even non-existent. Hopefully the merger with Alltel will provide greater saturation for the combined company. As always, your mileage may vary, especially since Alltel seems to have a reputation for very "hopeful" coverage area maps. According to a BetaNews story, one natural fit between the two companies, besides the CMDA standard, is that both are already working on LTE "fourth generation services".

"Alltel today became the first carrier to bring EVDO Rev. A to the Touch. This new ROM includes a new bootloader and radio, and is specific to the Alltel Touch. In addition to Rev. A this new ROM "improves Bluetooth performance, fixing connectivity issues with some headsets and other devices" and gives Alltel customers the ability to receive video messages. Interestingly, there is no mention of GPS and it is confirmed that this is still not working. We've been hearing rumors of a Sprint upgrade since January, and Verizon initially said their variant would launch with Rev. A and GPS, so we'd expect both carriers to have new ROMs out sooner rather than later."



Alltel Touch users can find their firmware update here to ROM version 3.04.671.2. It includes a speed bump with EV-DO Rev. A, Bluetooth performance improvements, and the ability to receive video messages. Sprint and Verizon users are cautioned they could brick their devices if they try this update, so wait!