Sprint Nextel is planning to offer the iPhone as early as next month, and as it does with other smartphones (and as soon in its commercials) the company says it will offer an unlimited data plan for Apple’s super-phone, according to Bloomberg.

But as CNET points out, that isn’t likely to last very long.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless both got rid of unlimited data, in favor of tiered pricing options, after the iPhone came to their networks. The iPhone comes with a price for mobile phone carriers — it eats an enormous amount of data from up in the clouds.

The new iPhone would likely overburden Sprint Nextel’s 4G network, forcing it to do the same.

The CNET article cites an analyst that expects Sprint to continue using its unlimited data advertising campaign to lure customers away from AT&T and Verizon, and then pull a switch.

Starting tomorrow, Verizon Wireless will cap the amount of data its mobile users are allowed to download for its formerly unlimited $30 wireless data plan.

The company will also introduce much more expensive plans for users who want to download more data.

The changes will only affect newly enrolled customers, meaning today is the last day people can sign up for an unlimited plan.

AT&T did away with unlimited data plans last year. T-Mobile still offers unlimited downloading, but throttles down users who download a lot of data. Only Sprint Nextel still offers an unlimited data plan with no strings attached.

Starting tomorrow, Verizon users can buy 5 gigabytes per month for $50 or 10 gigabytes for $80. Verizon will charge $10 per gigabyte after that.

There are few things worse than running out of cellphone “juice” at the worst possible time. Well, enter Technocel’s Sprint Battery Boost. The Battery Boost is a portable recharging solution and SD card reader all-in-one for your mobile phone, Bluetooth headset and most micro USB devices. Sprint Battery Boost features include:

• Built-in Battery – With a 600 mAh lithium ion battery, the Battery Boost provides convenient recharging to your mobile or USB device for up to 1 hour of additional talk time* via the micro-USB connector
• Micro SD card reader — Battery Boost doubles as a micro SD card reader that allows you to store and transfer data files including photos, documents and music files
• Retractable USB Connector — When Battery Boost is placed within any USB port such as a computer, home or car charger, it will automatically charge its internal battery. You can even charge a battery and your handset at the same time
• Built-in Carabineer Clip — While on the go, use the built in carabineer to clip it on your belt loop, purse, keys, backpack or anywhere else
• Power button & internal battery status indicator — This indicates a low to high battery charge so you can easily see how much juice you have remaining

"Battery Boost consolidates mobile power and media storage into one convenient all-in-one device.  Perfect for a quick recharge or sharing your latest pictures, movies, and songs, this is one product that you’ll truly never want to leave home without," said Rami Rostami, CEO and founder of Technocel.

Sprint Battery Boost is available for $29.99 at Sprint Stores nationwide, and 1-800-SPRINT1. For more information on product specifications and availability please visit www.technocel.com

With assorted Droid phones seemingly hitting stores every month or so, purchasing a smartphone (if your service provider is either Verizon or Sprint) has all of a sudden become much like buying an automobile or a desktop computer. Meaning, as soon as you take it off of the lot or walk out of the store, it’s almost immediately replaced by something infinitely better.

Well, fear not, owners of the HTC Droid Incredible. The Droid X isn’t that much better than what you already own. In fact, to me, it’s not even close.

Now, don’t get me wrong, (and not to sound like a hypocrite) the Droid X is a technically superior phone to the HTC Incredible. It features more storage space (up to 40GB compared to 24GB) slightly better resolution (854 x 480 to 800 x 480) image stabilization, better battery life, and an HDMI output. The X also has a bigger screen, too; the 4.3-inch touchscreen (with Swype, but you can now install that on the Incredible) beats the Incredible’s 3.7 inch screen. And while that doesn’t sound like it’s THAT much bigger, it is. Trust me.

Silly as it may seem to some, it’s the aforementioned size difference that’s really the reason I can’t say I’d buy the Droid X. To me, it’s like trying to carry around a dinner plate in your pocket. I can’t stress this enough.
IT’S HUGE.
I know it’s just my personal preference, and I realize that smartphones are going to get larger just based on added “bells n’ whistles”, but I still want to use something that is the size of a normal cellphone. While trying to talk on the Droid X, I constantly found myself trying to get comfortable while using it, and I just couldn’t. Also on a device this size, it’s next to impossible to click on anything in the top left corner (missed calls, messages, Tweets) with your thumb, unless you’ve got giant “man hands”.

Speaking of which, I purposely let my girlfriend use the Droid X for a few days (and no, she doesn’t have “man hands”) just to see what her reaction would be, and she returned it to me after one day saying, “I think it’s pretty, but it’s too big for my hands.”
If only she could say the same about yours truly. *sigh*

So, what if the size of the Droid X isn’t an issue for you? Well, while I personally don’t know anyone (no matter how tech dorky they may be) who would hook up a smartphone like the X to their television to watch a movie more than once or twice, perhaps that’s something you want from your phone.
Me? I just want fast internet access, clean and clear reception, some fun apps, a decent camera, and a high res screen. Yes, the Droid X features all of these things, but it just feels like there’s too much going on with this thing. Again, I still want to feel like I’ve got a cellphone in my pocket, rather than a laptop that makes phone calls.

The bottom line? Despite it’s enormous girth, the Droid X is a very powerful device. You get Verizon’s top notch service, and yes, it’s got much better multimedia features than the HTC Incredible. However, if I was forced to choose between this and the Incredible, I’d much rather plunk down my $200 on HTC’s gem of a smartphone.

For the full specs on Motorola’s Droid X, click here.

Wireless carriers consistently rank low in customer satisfaction rankings. One only need troll the pages of sites like Consumerist to understand why. Expensive, spotty service couples with poor customer service makes for quite a set of disgruntled customers.

One of my big beefs with carriers (or even phone makers-I’m looking at you Apple) are carriers that cripple their phones because they’re worried that missing income could erode their bottom lines. Early on, Verizon crippled the RAZR so that uploaded mp3′s couldn’t be used as ringtones, forcing people to purchase expensive twenty second clips of songs that they already purchased for $0.99 from iTunes. Even still, most Verizon phones do not allow personalized mp3 ringtones, and customers must purchase them. On the flip side, Cingular customers, who have access to many of the same phones, are free to use their phones as they see fit.

Of course, this lead the grassroots efforts that lead to consumers hacking their phones. Apple routinely blocks apps from the App store that they find threatening. Such was the case with Podcaster which Apple blocked for “duplicating functionality.” Nevermind the clock apps, and calculator apps, and stock watching apps, and … Need I really continue? On a similar vein, AT&T forced Apple to remove NetShare because tethering your iPhone as a modem violated their contract. Of course, solutions to both of these missing apps are available to users who jailbreak their phones, leaving AT&T and Apple without any income.

While AT&T has allowed VoIP apps to run on iPhones, they have to restrict data to Wi-Fi networks only, eliminating the possibility of using data networks for free minutes. However, not all carriers are so generous. Nokia wants to bundle Skype on their upcoming flagship device, the N97 in Europe. Clearly, this would make the phone quite attractive to consumers already strapped for cash. However, O2 and Orange have refused to even stock the device unless Nokia strips the software out.

Businesses need to stop treating their customers like shoddy criminals and realize that it’s our nature to try and save money any way we can. If the technology exists, why can’t we use it? Carriers should realize that by allowing the software with a small surchange would sell more phones, bringing in more customers and more money. What about that situation isn’t attractive? Could this be why the US and Europe have some of the most underdeveloped wireless networks when compared to Asian countries?

Change may be scary, but it’s time for carriers to embrace new technologies and move forward. People are paying good money for devices-they’re going to want to use them to their fullest extent.