edithrenas: T-Mobile says its Nexus 4 won't provide WiFi calling, makes a stronger case for going unlocked

Thursday, November 1, 2012

T-Mobile says its Nexus 4 won't provide WiFi calling, makes a stronger case for going unlocked

T-Mobile has already made an odd pair of decisions around its approach to the Nexus 4, namely its choices to ask $200 on contract and $500 up-front for a smartphone that costs $349 unlocked. It might be time to add a third quirk to the list, if a forgivable (and not entirely surprising) one. The carrier has confirmed to TmoNews that it won't be offering WiFi calling through its edition of Google's flagship; if cost or coverage makes cellular voice a scarce resource, VoIP might be the only viable backup. We weren't assuming that T-Mobile would suddenly layer the Nexus 4 in custom features when the very point is to run an unspoiled Android 4.2, but the strategy leaves us even less of an incentive to submit to long-term commitments when a virtually identical, unfettered Google Play model beckons. November 13th is looking better every day.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG, T-Mobile