GIV Mobil launches in Lombard, Schaumburg
If you shop at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, you may have noticed a new kiosk for GIV Mobile that opened last week.
The Chicago-based retailer uses the 4G network of T-Mobile USA Inc. and offers no contract deals to subscribers, like other companies are doing now. The difference, however, is that GIV Mobile then donates 8 percent of your monthly Unlimited Everything Plan to a charity of your choice. It lists more than 35 charities in such categories as animal welfare; arts, culture and humanities; education; environment; health; international; and public benefit categories.
The Unlimited Everything plan for $40 per month includes talk, text, MMS, international text and the web for the first 250 megabytes, and $50 per month for those same services for the first 2 gigabytes, said GIV Mobile spokeswoman Elizabeth Lewis.
Regular features for both plans include nationwide coverage, free nationwide long distance, voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling and international dialing.
The Schaumburg kiosk is the company's second. The first GIV Mobile kiosk opened on March 15 at Yorktown Mall in Lombard. The company plans to open more sites in Illinois this year, but Lewis declined to say where or when.
GIV Mobile is owned by Chicago-based PTel Mobile, which has been in business since 2001, Lewis said.
In addition, new subscribers will get a free Android smartphone when they sign up. That free phone is the Alcatel One Touch 991, a $79.99 value, she said.
"There is no deadline (on the free phone)," Lewis said. "This is something we want to incorporate into our brand identity to be the first no-contract wireless company to give away a new, free Android smartphone with a 2-month plan purchase."
Surfing: Speaking of T-Mobile, the provider said it will introduced its Simple Starter value plan, for a single line of 4G LTE data at just $40 a month. It offers unlimited talk and text and up to 500MB 4G LTE data, starting Saturday, April 12. You can choose to pay more by purchasing additional data sessions whenever you like, the company said.
• United Airlines said it has launched its all-new mobile application for the Android platform. It offers new features, smoother functionality and an improved touch-friendly design to enable travelers to access information more quickly and easily, according to the company. The new Android app, available at united.com/mobile, follows United's redesign of the mobile app for the iOS 7 platform, which the airline launched last year.
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