Free smartphone service from FreedomPop is finally here. But you’ll have to meet certain requirements to get the most out of this deal.
I mentioned this service in last week’s column. Here’s how it works: You buy a $99 Android (HTC EVO Design 12GB) that’s a past-generation model. It has a 4-inch screen like the iPhone 5, which is a size that’s considered small in the Android world. Other specs on the phone include a 5 megapixel camera, 12GBs of memory and a 1.2 Ghz processor.
Once you buy the phone, you get 200 calling minutes, 500 text messages and 500MB of data free each month. With that kind of data you can’t watch video or listen to music, but you can do routine web surfing and emails. (You’ll also pay $2.49 a month for visual voicemail service.)
Fortunately, there’s a freemium model here. So if you want unlimited talk and text, you can have it for $10.99 a month. But you’ll still only get 500MB of data at that price. If you want meaningful data, you can get 2GB with unlimited talk and text for $20 a month.
So this is a very cheap, no-contract service that’s in beta right now. I ordered the phone and will try the free plan. As part of the deal, I’ll also have to fill out a steady stream of questionnaires about service quality so FreedomPop can get it right.
Sign up today and you’ll know based on your ZIP and street address if you can be a beta tester. They may be taking limited numbers of people from metro Atlanta and other parts of the country. I’m not yet sure what the strategy is behind the beta rollout.
But you can be sure I’ll let you know if the free service is viable or a real stinker in the coming weeks.
