So with AT&T coming out with it’s $60 a month prepaid unlimited talk and text plan it looks like maybe cellular companies in the United States are finally starting to get competitive. Well, T-Mobile wants to remind people that it is the most affordable cellular provider out there. With it’s growing 3G coverage and a cell phone selection that is growing more and more competitive with it’s Android-based selection, T-Mobile is looking more like a real competitor in the national cell phone market.

It seems like the company is getting tired of being dead last in the list of national carriers. T-Mobile has the fewest subscribers in comparison to Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, and Sprint.  It is planning on doing something about it.

T-Mobile has realized that people want to pay less for their cell phone bill. Sprint figured this out and created a $99 unlimited plan with unlimited everything. T-Mo may now trying to one-up the number three carrier by offering the same thing (unlimited talk, text, and data) for $50 a month.

The rumors that are surrounding Project Dark include the carrier offering data intensive phones such as the Nokia N900 and more Android devices such as the Motorola CLIQ. The rumors go on to say that the next stage is the spreading of a 21Mbps HSPA+ system being rolled out across the country. To compare, right now AT&T is still trying to introduce a 7.2 Mbps data coverage.

Of course, all of this is just based on rumors floating around the internet. T-Mobile has always been the carrier with the spottiest coverage, but usually the cheapest price (other than small, regional carriers). This does seem like a move that the company would make to entice people to drop their contracts with other carriers and switch.

A few days ago, I was talking to Chris about cell phone companies and their ability to compete and I told him that if one of the major carriers started dramatically dropping their prices then others would follow suit. I also said that if other carriers could get their hands on the iPhone, prices would drop dramatically. But because AT&T has a firm hold on the iPhone, it isn’t likely to see other carriers get it any time soon and therefore, AT&T won’t be dropping their prices.

Sprint and Palm have announced the release date for the new Palm Pre. The device is the first to be released from Palm with its new WebOS platform. Until this point, Palm has only had its outdated PalmOS operating system and Windows Mobile on its Treo and Centro phones. With the PalmOS not ever having had a real update and Windows Mobile the bane of many smart phone users’ cellular experiences.

Perhaps because I, myself, am an avid Sprint user, I feel that the Pre has a lot to offer not only me but many of Sprint’s millions of customers.

On June 6th when the phone is released, there is expected to be a shortage, so says Dan Hesse, the CEO of Sprint. With that in mind, Sprint is purposely not advertising the phone as heavily as it should regarding the device.

The Pre is getting a lot of attention right now because it is something that may actually come from Sprint and Palm (both companies have been all but written off as failures) that may actually be a success. Not only that, there are a lot of people out there saying it may give the iPhone a run for its money. I would love to see this phone give the iPhone a run for its money; I have had time to play with the iPhone and will honestly say that it is truly a great device. The fluidity in movement with the operating system is amazing and Palm really has to keep up with that in order to be seen as a true competitor to Apple’s phone. The Pre is also being released just two days before the Apple conference where it is expected for the company to release information regarding a new iPhone model. As of now, there are a few rumors floating around, but aside from an OLED screen and a glowing Apple logo on the back, the rumors are few and far between.

Of course, I have a biased opinion of Sprint’s service and phone selection because I have been with the company since 2005 when I switched from T-Mobile. I have always been happy with the phones and especially the service (they have 3G coverage in my small Mississippi town of around 20,000 without students, 35,000 with). While Sprint’s customer service may not be the most amazing out there, I have always been able to get the answers to all the questions I have regarding to my service. Once, I was on the phone with customer support for over two hours trying to fix my problem I was having (I was not receiving phone calls while I was at home), and the most amazing part was that the problem was directly related to another carrier’s tower I was roaming on, not Sprint’s service. Sprint was actually able to take care of the situation.