A Swing And A Miss: T-Mobile Style

So close.  So very, very close.

After moving last year to an unlimited data plan that throttled speed after 2 gigabytes of usage, T-Mobile on Wednesday introduced a new, true unlimited data plan.

The Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan will become available on Sept. 5, and it will range in price, depending on what type of existing plan it is added to.

“We’re big believers in customer-driven innovation, and our Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan is the answer to customers who are frustrated by the cost, complexity and congested networks of our competitors,” said a statement from T-Mobile vice president of marketing Kevin McLaughlin.

One of the new T-Mobile plan's flaws, though, is that it cannot be used for tethering -- that is, connecting multiple devices to the Internet.

Sprint is the only competitor to offer truly unlimited data, and they cost considerably more.  The iPhone is less of a competitive edge as it used to be, particularly when T-Mobile scores better phones like they have been.  Android is pulling away as the most versatile and common OS, so it isn't a deal breaker.

However, tethering is a bigger deal for many consumers.

I depend on tethering to keep me moving while I travel.  I write everywhere, and am usually on location when covering events.  Tethering lets me blog posts, pictures and Facebook with more control and better results than my phone can produce.  I'm not alone.  People who have depended on this service will hold dearly to those grandfathered plans and refuse to make any account changes for fear it will rob us of what we need most... portable Internet.

Still, it will be nice to have unlimited Pandora and video capability when the time comes.  I just hope they thought this through, because a lot of people are going to be really annoyed with this new announcement.