T-Mobile is rolling out a new 4G Connect plan that basically lets anyone with the proper 4G hardware get up to 200MB of free mobile broadband per month. If you buy a laptop or tablet that supports the plan, you’ll be able to check your email or stream the occasional (short) video for up to 2 years for no additional fee.
Of course, what T-Mobile is really hoping to do is whet your appetite for internet access on the go so that you’ll sign up for a plan that actually costs money.
The first two devices to support the free data plans will be the HP Pavilion dm1 and Dell Inspiron 14z. We should see additional notebooks and tablets added later this year.
You’ll pick up those devices from retailers such as Dell or Target rather than from T-Mobile.
T-Mobile is also rolling out a major change to its unlimited 4G data plan for smartphones, offering a new $70/month contract-free option.
Too most devices with WWAN capabilities aren’t compatible with T-Mobile’s AWS band.
It’s getting a bit better, they’ve been rolling out 3G on 1900 in a number of metro areas. My Droid 3 on T-Mobile gets 3G over a fair portion of Portland now.