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Thursday, July 2, 2015

T-Mobile’s JUMP! On Demand Leasing Program: How It Actually Works

Smartphone leases seem to be the hot topic of the moment, thanks to a public battle between the CEOs of T-Mobile and Sprint. They also seem to be confusing to many, including those in this industry. What’s the difference between T-Mobile and Sprint leases? Do you own your phone or not on a lease? What happens at the end of your lease? Can you buy the phone or do you have to return it? How do upgrades work? Is a lease a good or bad thing? There is a lot to talk about here.

To try and make this all as simple as is possible, we are going to take some time to go through T-Mobile and Sprint’s lease plans, hopefully to give you some sort of comparison of the pros and cons of each. Since T-Mobile’s appears to be a decent deal for those who like to upgrade often, we’ll start there. 


The Basics

With T-Mobile’s JUMP! On Demand (JOD), well qualified buyers can grab a new smartphone with $0 out of pocket upfront, then pay for that phone with equal monthly payments on an 18-month lease. With JOD, you also get to upgrade up to 3 times per year without having to pay anything upfront, which means no upgrade fees. You do have to trade in your current device each time, though. If you ever make it to the full 18-months, you can pay off the rest of your phone or trade your current phone back in for a new one and start the cycle all over again.

Keep in mind that you also have to pay for service, which happens to be a postpaid Simple Choice plan priced at $50, $60, $70, or $80 per month.

Your basic bill would boil down to the monthly payment on your phone lease plus your Simple Choice cost.

Who is this program for?

First and foremost, this is for people who want to use the newest phones at all times without having to pay full retail, but also don’t mind a monthly phone payment. This is for people who like upgrading up to 3 times per year. With that said, if you don’t want to upgrade but once every two years (well, 18 months), this plan will also work for you because it actually ends up being cheaper than the regular JUMP! program. You see, you don’t have to pay the $10 participation fee like you do with regular JUMP!, but you can upgrade 3 times per year. That’s a significant savings. Just keep in mind that at the end of 18 months, if you choose to keep a phone, you’ll have to pay the difference in your total payments and the full retail cost of the phone to own it outright.

What’s up with payments? Do they count towards the cost of the phone?

That’s exactly how it works. Each payment you make counts towards the cost of the phone you are leasing. Let’s say you choose the Galaxy S6, which costs $28.33 per month. After 18 months, you would have paid $509.94 toward that phone. If you decide to keep that phone when 18 months is up, you would then pay the difference in that $509.94 and the full retail cost of the phone ($679.92), which is roughly $170. You could then walk away with your phone, owning 100% of it.

But wait, why would I keep a phone for the full 18 months with this program?

I don’t know why you would do that. The whole point of this program is for you to upgrade all of the time and have new phones without ever having to pay for anything upfront.

Maybe you don’t want to pay that ridiculous $10 per month fee to be a part of the regular JUMP! program, yet love the phone you have, so you are in JOD? That could be an option. With JOD, you could just pay a normal monthly payment without extra fees, never take advantage of the upgrades, then just swap out at 18 months, all while saving $180 in JUMP! participation fees.

What phones are available in JUMP! On Demand?

Currently, the iPhone 6, iPhone 6Plus, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy Note 4, and LG G4, but T-Mobile says more will be added over time.

How do upgrades work?

When you are ready to upgrade, all you have to do is walk into a participating T-Mobile store, hand them your current phone, and sign a new 18-month lease on a new phone. You don’t have to pay anything upfront or to upgrade. You just have to make sure your current phone is in good condition.

Keep in mind that most phones are going to carry different costs. So as you jump from one phone to another, your monthly cost could change. For example, T-Mobile is currently running a $15 promo monthly price for the iPhone 6, but should you jump to another phone like the Galaxy S6, your monthly payment will jump to $28.33 from $15.

Sprint’s CEO thinks this is shady, but it’s not. It’s promo pricing.

You can do this up to 3 times per year.

tmobile jump on demand

So why are people complaining about you never actually owning a phone with this program?

Well, that’s one of the typical complaints you also see with people who debate leasing a car vs. buying one. It’s up to you to decide if you care about ever actually fully owning a phone or if you would rather just keep swapping out for new phones all of the time.

With a lease program, the hope is that you will continue to swap for new phones all of the time to get you to continue to swap and sign 18-month agreement after 18-month agreement. It could be a never ending cycle that keeps you with T-Mobile. For example, if you pay for a phone for 6 months, then swap it for a new phone, you will sign another 18-month lease on that new phone, which then wipes out the 6 months of payments you just coughed up. So as you continue to swap and swap and swap, you also continue to make payments upon payments that never actually add up to you owning anything outright. Can you live with that?

Again, you have to decide if you are the type of person who wants a new phone all of the time without paying full retail or if you are the type of person who wants to feel like they spent their money on something and actually own it in the end.

I typically look at phones like cars – they are a monthly expense, but one that I don’t typically hang on to for long. If I want a new car every couple of years, and I’ve accepted the fact that this is going to be a monthly bill for the rest of my life, I would lease one. If I want a new phone every few months without having to fully pay them off, leasing is also probably the best choice.

What about phone insurance?

Actually, this is one of the better parts to JUMP! On Demand. You see, with the regular JUMP! program from T-Mobile, T-Mobile forces you into paying an extra $10 per month to be able to upgrade at any time, with that $10 cost also covering the price of Premium Handset Protection and Lookout Mobile Security. With JUMP! On Demand, you don’t have to pay that extra $10 fee to be a part of the program and upgrade whenever you want. So, if you are the type of person who never buys handset protection, then with JOD, T-Mobile isn’t forcing you into paying an unnecessary $10 each month. But, should you want some protection, you can add it on for $8 per month.

So in the end, even if you wanted Premium Handset Protection, it’ll only cost you $8 per month instead of $10. You are saving $2 per month with JOD over the regular JUMP!.

What if I cancel mid-way through?

Since you signed an 18-month lease, you would have to pay the remaining payments and return the device to T-Mobile. If there is good news here, it’s that you don’t have to pay T-Mobile for the remaining value of the phone, only the remaining payments.

Where can I sign up for JUMP! On Demand?

At this time, only in participating T-Mobile stores.

So is it worth signing up for?

Well, if you like upgrading a lot, then yeah, it probably is. It’s certainly a better deal than the regular JUMP!, which forces you to pay an extra $10 a month that many of you would rather hang on to. It doesn’t cost anything up front or to upgrade.

The only spot some of you will hesitate at is that whole “never actually owning” a phone part. So you have to decide if you would rather swap out for new phones all of the time and just accept life with a phone payment, or if you want to end up owning phones outright. And even if you do want to own them outright, this is still probably a decent deal, since you can pay for the phone at the end of 18 months anyway.


And that’s it for now. As we see other areas to tackle, we will do our best to add to this post. Questions?

T-Mobile’s JUMP! On Demand Leasing Program: How It Actually Works is a post from: Droid Life



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Water-Resistant Deals: VOXOA Bluetooth Earbuds for $65 and Rage Bluetooth Speaker for $35

With summer in full swing, you might find yourself surrounded by water from time to time, meaning it would be helpful if you had a few water-resistant gadgets surrounding you. On the DL Deals Store, two deals should help you out quite a bit, VOXOA Bluetooth Earbuds for $65, and a Rage Bluetooth Speaker for just $35. 

For anyone who gets really active during a workout, or if you take runs on the beach, the VOXOA Bluetooth Earbuds were designed just for you, featuring water-resistant nano technology to keep your buds safe from the elements. With a built-in high-capacity battery, users can get up to 6 hours of audio playback on one charge. Thanks to the Bluetooth connectivity, you can also control music playback, take calls, and sync with multiple devices simultaneously.

Over on Amazon, these earbuds are priced at $90 with a solid 4-star rating. Not too shabby. If interested, follow the link below.

Features

  • Listen to up to 6 hours of straight audio on each charge
  • Get CD-quality music w/ expansive bass & audio enhancement
  • Fuel your workouts without worrying about loose wires getting in your way
  • Wear as your sweat or in the rain thanks to the water-resistant nano technology
  • Manage calls & skip songs w/ built-in controller
  • Connect w/ multiple devices simultaneously
  • Make & take calls w/ outside noise reduction technology

Deal Link


Rage_Water-Resistant_Bluetooth_Speaker___DroidLife_Deals

Rage Water-Resistant Bluetooth Speaker

If lounging by the pool and jamming out to tunes is more your style, check out the Rage Bluetooth Speaker. With its own resistance to drops, splashes of liquids, and dust, it should keep on rocking in the harshest of times. With its built-in battery, users can get up to 4 hours of music playback while at full volume.

If you have a device not capable of Bluetooth, this speaker also comes with an auxiliary cable for hooking up the tunes old school style. If you are out camping or hiking, the device features a clip for attaching the speaker onto almost anything, such as belt loops, tent polls, or bags you carry around.

Check out the full feature list, then follow the link below to purchase.

Features

  • Small, compact, & lightweight design
  • Resistant against drops, splashes, & dust
  • Perfect for blasting tunes during strenuous physical activities or in rugged conditions
  • Loud, clear audio regardless of whether it’s operating inside or outside
  • Includes an auxiliary cable for non-Bluetooth devices
  • More than four hours of straight play time per charge at full volume
  • Attaches to bags, belt loops, & virtually anything that can accommodate a clip

Deal Link

Water-Resistant Deals: VOXOA Bluetooth Earbuds for $65 and Rage Bluetooth Speaker for $35 is a post from: Droid Life



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Deal: SlickWraps Hosting 40% Off Sale Site-Wide to Celebrate Freedom

To celebrate the 4th of July, SlickWraps is hosting a site-wide sale, allowing customers to take 40% off what appears to be any product they currently sell. This could be a skin for your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or even gaming console. Anything goes. 

For most devices, SlickWraps has a ton of material variety to choose from, but not only that, each material comes in different colors. The customization level for almost any major device on the market is quite high. If you want wood on your Xbox One, they got it. If you want to bedazzle your Nexus 6, they got it.

Follow the link below to find what you want, then enter promo code FIREWORKS.

SlickWraps Link

Cheers Dustin!

Deal: SlickWraps Hosting 40% Off Sale Site-Wide to Celebrate Freedom is a post from: Droid Life



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Speakaboo’s ‘Thomas’s Musical Day for Percy’ is Google Play’s Free App of the Week

Over on Google Play, Speakaboo’s family-friendly Thomas’s Musical Day for Percy is available for free, regularly priced at $5. The app is an interactive read-along for children, introducing them to one of the world’s most famous trains, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Young readers join Thomas as he explores the sights and sounds around Sodor to put on a special surprise music show with Percy, who has broken his whistle. Sad times. The story combines animation, read-along text, and touch-screen interactions to improve reading comprehension.

Do note, if you follow the Play Store link below, the app will show as $4.99. To get it for free, follow the Redeem Link listed below.

Redeem Link | Play Link

Speakaboo’s ‘Thomas’s Musical Day for Percy’ is Google Play’s Free App of the Week is a post from: Droid Life



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Download: Nexus 7 (2013) WiFi Android 5.1.1 LMY48G Update

The brand new Android 5.1.1 (build LMY48G) update for the Nexus 7 (2013) WiFi that first serviced via factory image earlier in the week is now available for download as an over-the-air .zip from Google. Yep, you can sideload this little guy as long as you are coming from LMY47V.

For instructions to sideload using adb, check here. You can download the file through the Google link below. 

Download Link [LMY48G from LMY47V, 18MB]

Cheers Charles!

Download: Nexus 7 (2013) WiFi Android 5.1.1 LMY48G Update is a post from: Droid Life



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Pushbullet Pushes Fixer Upper Update to Android, Windows, and iOS Users

After receiving its largest update to date, the Pushbullet team has taken the community’s feedback and worked up a slight fixer upper update, and is now pushing it to users on multiple platforms. 

There’s nothing major, but for Android users, there is a new share screen, allowing users to share to any of their connected devices with just one tap. The update is being pushed to Google Play now.

Other various fixes are out for Windows and iOS users, plus changes for those who use the Pushbullet browser extensions. You can view these fixes by following the via link below.

Be sure to pick up these updates.

Play Link

Via: Pushbullet

Pushbullet Pushes Fixer Upper Update to Android, Windows, and iOS Users is a post from: Droid Life



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Mystery Google Product Hits FCC With 5GHz and 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth LE, Model Name “GG1″

Here’s a fun way to get the morning started and your brains moving. According to an FCC filing that went live yesterday, Google has a new product in the works under FCC ID A4R-GG1. This product…is a mystery. I thought about using a picture of a Chromecast at the top of this post because part of me wants to believe that this could very well be the new Chromecast that sources of ours said to expect in Q3. But if you read through the various documents in this filing, it could also be some sort of wearable. In fact, it might just be a new Google Glass.

The device isn’t categorized like most devices we see go through the FCC. Most are labeled as a smartphone or wearable, etc. This one is labeled as “BLUETOOTH & DTS/UNII a/b/g/n/ac” with model name “GG1.” Forget the random category name, but is it foolish of me to think that “GG1″ could mean Google Glass? 

After cruising through some of the tests and trying to find any hint as to what this may be, we were able to find that this device supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi in 2.4GHz and 5GHz. It also has Bluetooth LE and rechargeable, non-removable batteries that can’t be accessed by you and I. The product comes with an AC charger and USB cable that when connected to a PC, can provide a “path for charging and data transfer.”

Outside of those features, we should point out that the FCC label is an e-label, meaning it’s not actually on the product, it’s instead embedded in the software of the device. To access it, the FCC’s Label & Location document explains that you need to “navigate to the settings menu,” select regulatory information, and then “scroll left and right to view device e-labels.” Below is a picture of that e-label.

Screen Shot 2015-07-02 at 9.56.40 AM

I don’t know about you, but that rectangular box above looks a lot like a screen from Google Glass.

So is it a new Google Glass? Again, this product is still a mystery. Google and the FCC have done a wonderful job of keeping any really revealing information secret.

I do think that the name “GG1″ could mean Google Glass and that the FCC information showing up in a black rectangle shape as an e-label that is only accessed via swipe gestures in a UI fits that idea. You certainly can’t swipe around on a Chromecast. But I’m also wondering why Glass needs 802.11ac WiFi, with 2.4GHz and 5GHz support. A new Chromecast would benefit from the 5GHz more than Glass. But then again, this device has rechargeable batteries, which doesn’t necessarily make sense for a Chromecast.

This device strikes me as something that is portable and that connects to another device via Bluetooth.

I’m still not sure it’s a new Glass, though. Then again, the Wall Street Journal claimed back in April that a new one would be out soon.

Thoughts?

Via:  FCC
Cheers Justin!

Mystery Google Product Hits FCC With 5GHz and 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth LE, Model Name “GG1″ is a post from: Droid Life



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Chevy Intros ‘Active Phone Cooling’ Tech for Models With Wireless Charging

Chevrolet introduced new technology for phone lovers this morning, bringing a system called Active Phone Cooling that will cool your smartphone while it wirelessly charges inside of your vehicle. 

During testing, Chevy engineers discovered that in a few cases of extreme heat inside a car’s cabin, a phone would suspend charging or shut off completely. To help combat this problem, APC delivers chilled air directly from the vehicle’s air conditioning and ventilation system, allowing the phone to stay cool, even in hot environments. The system only runs when drivers turn on the HVAC system.

As for which models of Chevrolet will feature APC, you can find it in the 2016 Volt and Cruze, as well as 2016 Impala and Malibu models.

Via: Chevrolet

Chevy Intros ‘Active Phone Cooling’ Tech for Models With Wireless Charging is a post from: Droid Life



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Plex Forums and Blog Hacked, User Credit Card Data Said to be Unharmed

Plex announced a server breach yesterday, one which allowed a hacker to access its forum and blog server. Through this breach, the hacker could access IP addresses of users, private messages, email addresses, and encrypted forum passwords. 

The email below was sent out to all Plex users who hold a forum account. It details what happened and the steps Plex has taken to ensure your account is secure following the breach.

Plex states that user credit card data is not stored on their servers, so we can be thankful for that. For now, all Plex needs you to do is change your password, and that should keep your data safe moving forward.

If any additional statements are made by Plex, we will update this post. In the meantime, make sure to change those passwords.

Plex

Via: Plex

Plex Forums and Blog Hacked, User Credit Card Data Said to be Unharmed is a post from: Droid Life



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AT&T Pushes ‘McAfee Factory Reset Protection’ Firmware Update to LG G3

AT&T is pushing an update out to LG G3 owners, but don’t all start jumping for joy just yet. The update is listed as Android 5.0.1, meaning you won’t see Android 5.1 magically appear. According to the changelog, there is only one thing being updated, and it’s basically bloatware. 

As listed, AT&T is bringing McAfee Factory Reset Protection. Once updated, this should mean users will be prompted to enter in a password before a factory reset can take place, giving owners peace of mind that strangers can’t reset their phones without some type of protection.

Of course, if it was my phone, McAfee would already be disabled.

G3 owners on AT&T, be on the lookout.

Via: AT&T

AT&T Pushes ‘McAfee Factory Reset Protection’ Firmware Update to LG G3 is a post from: Droid Life



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Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure had a Bit of a Meltdown on Twitter Last Night, Goes After T-Mobile’s John Legere

As you all know by now, Sprint introduced a new plan this week called “All-In” that’s basically them trying to usher back in the subsidy model of wireless carrier pricing. They bundle the price of a phone with service, just like wireless carriers have done for years but are now moving far away from. Of course, leave it to Sprint to try and re-invent subsidies when no one wants them. Not only that, but the plan included this insanely offensive and quite sneaky video streaming data “limitation” that they have already (sort of) backed away from. It’s mostly a mess of a smartphone plan that also includes a human being having to deal with Sprint’s network on a day-to-day basis.

To make matters more comical, T-Mobile CEO John Legere took to Twitter yesterday to share his thoughts on the plan. He, as you could have guessed, thinks it’s a “miss” and that you should all #sprintlikehell from it. Again, shocker, John Legere is talking sh*t about a competitor. That’s not the story here.

This became a hilarious piece of news when Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure actually responded to Legere’s Tweet in full meltdown mode. Here, take a look. 

Yikes. So let’s talk about what Claure is attempting to say and why he’s mostly clueless.

T-Mobile’s new JUMP! On Demand program allows you to lease a phone at a set monthly amount with the option to upgrade phones at up to 3 times per year. Claure keeps referring to this as a “fake” deal that starts you out at $15 per month on a phone before then jumping you up to $27 per month when you upgrade. He thinks this is “misleading” and that Legere is trying to “trick” people. Except, well, T-Mobile isn’t doing that at all.

That $15 per month price is a limited time promotional price for the iPhone 6. T-Mobile is 100% clear about this. Look at the chart below that they sent us with pricing for all of the phones included in this JUMP! On Demand plan. See, “limited time.” And also, the rest of the phones included in the plan are priced if you took the full retail of the phone and divided it by 24 payments (even though the lease is for 18 months). This isn’t a trick. It’s as clear as can be.

jump-on-demand-phones-pricing

T-Mobile kicked off a new plan and is doing a short-term promotional deal on the iPhone 6 at $15 per month to try and get people to buy in. Almost every company does this sort of thing. It’s called marketing. So yes, if you upgrade from that phone, your next phone won’t be $15, it will be whatever the regular price is for the phone you upgrade to. Why? Because that is a promotional offer on the iPhone 6 to generate some buzz for this plan. If you buy a Galaxy S6 and upgrade in a month to a Galaxy S6 Edge, your payment will be different, but only by a couple of dollars because only the iPhone 6 is on the promo deal. This is all pretty simple.

Marcelo Claure, I get that you are frustrated, but dude, if you are going to come to battle, at least know what the hell you are talking about first. Don’t bring this weak sauce.

And now we wait for Legere to respond…if he even thinks it’s worth it.

Via:  @MarceloClaure

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure had a Bit of a Meltdown on Twitter Last Night, Goes After T-Mobile’s John Legere is a post from: Droid Life



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