Google Debuts 'Project Fi' Wireless Service in Partnership With Sprint, T-Mobile

[ArtOfWarfare]

As a t-mobile subscriber, will this either help or hurt my service?

I don't know that anyone could tell you that right now.

Were I you, or any other T-Mobile or Sprint subscriber, I feel like I'd swap to Project Fi in a heartbeat. It's more for less.

As is, I'm with AT&T so I'm not sure. Plus I have an iPhone 6+, not a Nexus, so I'll have to wait and see.

 

[Sl4ck3r]

Without iPhone onboard, this project is bound to fail. Mark my prophetic words.

No one is on board, its a beta. They say it clear as day in the article. It works on one phone for now.

 

[spectrumfox]

And now all the usual Google FUD is going to keep on coming up to put it all down just because it's anything Google-related (just as it happens with anything Facebook-related). Because other companies aren't gathering our data and haven't been doing it for ages. And because it's irrelevant what the specifics of any of this are, it's enough just to focus on the "Google" (or "Facebook" or something similar) keyword.

Truth.

If Apple came up with this idea (think iFi or Apple Fi), we'd never hear the end of how absolutely genius it is, and how Apple is revolutionizing the mobile industry.

 

[dojoman]

$10/GB lololololololol

 

[macintologist]

Sounds expensive. I pay $80/mo taxes included for 600 minutes and 3GB shared between 3 people, which is $26 each/mo.

 

[AlphaTeam]

I love Google. They are the most innovative technology company around today. I can't wait.

 

[nutmac]

Anti-Google bias aside, I think this is great idea. Few things of interest:

• Invitation-based for Nexus 6 users only.
• No family plan.
• Post paid. You must pay taxes and fees.
• $20/month for unlimited text in 120+ countries, unlimited voice (international long distance extra) in US.
• $10/month for 1 GB, automatic overage (no unlimited plan).
• Credit of $0.10 per every unused 10MB toward next month's bill.
• Uses Sprint and T-Mobile's 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE) towers.
• Automatically connect to curated WiFi hotspots.
• Data capped at 256 Kbps (3G) in other countries.
• Voice calls are $0.20/minute in other countries (cheaper for WiFi calling).

No family plan makes it more expensive than T-Mobile that I am currently using.

 

[genovelle]

This is MacRumours. an Echo chamber for Apple. Truth and facts are irrelevant here. Just blind hate.

Though, I do have to admit the question of how does Google benefit from this will need to be answered. What sort of information is being collected.

They're offering the service in Canada (although only at 3g speeds). To do so they will have to be very specific with their data collection. Bell just got in hot doodoo with the regulators here for data collection on their mobile users (enough so that they had to completely cancel the entire program)

On the other hand, As a consumer who is stuck with either Bell or Roger's ridiculous rates, project Fi looks promising to help me save a few bucks. I am not a big data user on mobile, I have a 2gb plan that I never max out. Yet, even with shrewd negotiation, and threatening a lawsuit for lieing to me during purchasing, I got them down to $50/mth.

with this plan, I would be down to $30/mth

However. in Canada, 20c / minute of voice calls over cellular might start adding up, since its not included (like the American version is) and being limited to 256Kbps 3G is just not acceptable.

It's very odd for someone on an Apple Fan site to not want be bombarded with Apple hate and love for anything their competitors do. How silly of them.

 

[diddl14]

And you don't have to worry anymore if Google might be tracking anything you do...

 

[LordVic]

It's very odd for someone on an Apple Fan site to not want be bombarded with Apple hate and love for anything their competitors do. How silly of them.

There's a singificant difference between "apple hate" and "liking a competitor"

they can be mutually exclusive. you CAN like something a competitor is doing and not hate apple.

I really hope thats not a hard concept

 

[eac25]

Yeah, because I want Google to actually be able to capture EVERY keystroke...

 

[diddl14]

I love Google. They are the most innovative technology company around today. I can't wait.

Me too. That's why I'm hanging out on MacRumors.

 

[spectrumfox]

All the fear-mongering here about Google following us and tracking our every move is funny, especially considering the iPhone's that we all have in our pockets at this very moment are following us and tracking our every move, courtesy of our cell carriers.

Every website you go to, every call you make, every text you make, everyone and anyone you associate with, every physical location you visit... everything.

If you really don't want to be tracked, lose the cell phone.

 

[FasterQuieter]

I have been staying off-contract waiting for the time somebody would offer reasonable pricing like this. Shame it's limited to the Nexus 6.

 

[ssspinball]

And now all the usual Google FUD is going to keep on coming up to put it all down just because it's anything Google-related (just as it happens with anything Facebook-related). Because other companies aren't gathering our data and haven't been doing it for ages. And because it's irrelevant what the specifics of any of this are, it's enough just to focus on the "Google" (or "Facebook" or something similar) keyword.

What a strange argument. "Other's have been doing this bad thing, so therefore it's ok!"

Other companies have never been as pervasive and intrusive as Google and Facebook. Modern technology has made it possible and they have taken advantage of it.

 

[Sl4ck3r]

I really hope thats not a hard concept

Its really sad, but true. Undying devotion for something they have no stake in. I bounce between the 3 major camps (Apple, Google, MS) and will pick the best solution available.

Bill Gates once said something along the lines of "Im going to do things the best I can, If someone else is doing them better, then Im going to do it that way, maybe Ill improve on that, but eventually someone will improve beyond that"

Best question you can ever ask is "Why are we doing it like this and can it be done differently" never should the answer "Because its always been like that" be acceptable.

 

[burgman]

As you go about your day, Project [spy] Fi automatically [collects your data] connects you to more than a million free, open Wi-Fi hotspots we've verified as fast and reliable [connections to our overlords at XXX]. Remember kids, do no evil!

Uh, Apple logs WiFi, so does Microsoft. As an early Skyhook wireless war driver I can assure you this has been going on since 2003. Just because some newbies have achieved awareness doesn't mean that data collection is a Google thing.

 

[spectrumfox]

What a strange argument. "Other's have been doing this bad thing, so therefore it's ok!"

Other companies have never been as pervasive and intrusive as Google and Facebook. Modern technology has made it possible and they have taken advantage of it.

AT&T and Verizon are both MUCH more intrusive about your activities than Google or Facebook.

How many of you are on AT&T or Verizon?

 

[oneMadRssn]

The pricing here isn't very compelling. In fact, it actually seems rather pricey if you compare to even the priciest ATT or Verizon family plans.

 

[pgiguere1]

I read the article, and watched the video...but I'm not sure what any of this is, how it improves how my devices already hop from network to network, why I should care about it, or what I need to do to actually use it.

What is it?!

Exactly my reaction after watching the video. How to make a 2 min video that doesn't really say anything .

I understood better by reading only a couple sentences on tech blogs reporting about it.

The video doesn't mention the different carriers specifically so all I understood initially was "This allows your phone to switch from Wi-Fi to 3G to 4G to LTE, and even connect to different antennas!" and I was like "Isn't this already how all phones work? What does this do specifically?".

 

[spectrumfox]

The pricing here isn't very compelling. In fact, it actually seems rather pricey if you compare to even the priciest ATT or Verizon family plans.

Why would you say something like that that just isn't true?

You should look up how much an unlimited voice/text + 3GB data plan at AT&T or Verizon costs, then get back to us.

We'll wait.

 

[ssspinball]

All the fear-mongering here about Google following us and tracking our every move is funny, especially considering the iPhone's that we all have in our pockets at this very moment are following us and tracking our every move, courtesy of our cell carriers.

Every website you go to, every call you make, every text you make, everyone and anyone you associate with, every physical location you visit... everything.

If you really don't want to be tracked, lose the cell phone.

So because cell phone carriers present a threat we should therefore expose our private information to both cell phone carriers and Google, who happens to be the worlds largest advertising company? Very bizarre logic! I know I prefer to minimize my risk, not maximize for no apparent reason.

 

[Sl4ck3r]

Uh, Apple logs WiFi, so does Microsoft. As an early Skyhook wireless war driver I can assure you this has been going on since 2003. Just because some newbies have achieved awareness doesn't mean that data collection is a Google thing.

The best part is that the same people that have a problem with data collection are complaining about bugs, poor service, slow innovation. If these companies dont know whats important to us then how the hell are they supposed to offer us services that we find compelling and are willing to purchase.

Google isnt the NSA, they arent "spying" on us in our personal lives. They are tracking things that we like and do to offer better services that we will actually purchase. Id much rather see a pointed ad for technology than a tampon commercial that doesnt have any relevance to me and will never make them money.

 

[spectrumfox]

So because cell phone carriers present a threat we should therefore expose our private information to both cell phone carriers and Google, who happens to be the worlds largest advertising company? Very bizarre logic! I know I prefer to minimize my risk, not maximize for no apparent reason.

If you REALLY want to minimize your risk, feel free to toss your iPhone into the nearest recycling bin.

If you simply want to pretend you're minimizing your risk just so you can bash Google, then by all means, continue.

 

[ginkobiloba]

T
Google isnt the NSA, they arent "spying" on us in our personal lives. They are tracking things that we like and do to offer better services that we will actually purchase. .

You could then say that the NSA is also tracking you to offer you a better service : security.