Tag: Stephen Stokols
Anniversary’s are a time to celebrate and FreedomPop chose to commemorate the occasion by introducing their first ever FreedomPop-branded mobile device and a price designed to make it affordable to the broadest audience as possible. Check out the release and highlights of the resulting coverage below.
LOS ANGELES, CA – October 1, 2014 – Celebrating FreedomPop’s one year anniversary of the world’s first completely free mobile service with free voice, text and data, the company continues its mission to bring free mobile to the masses with the introduction of its first FreedomPop-branded devices, all priced under $100 MSRP.
The device shipping today is the FreedomPop Liberty, a 6.7-inch, 4GB Android phablet with wi-fi at $89 MSRP. Coming in the next month is the FreedomPop Frenzy, a 10-inch, 4GB LTE Android tablet at $99; followed by an $89 LTE Android phone in the coming months; and an expansion of its high-end devices including the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Note 3 that will retail for almost half of the current MSRP available today.
The FreedomPop Liberty, FreedomPop’s entry level phablet, is larger than the Apple iPhone 6 Plus (6.7 inches for FreedomPop versus 5.5 inches for Apple) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (5.7 inches), yet retails for a fraction of the price (FreedomPop Liberty with free voice and text at $89 versus $749 for Apple iPhone 6 Plus with 16GB, without contract, or Samsung Galaxy Note 4 on AT&T at $664.99 without contract). The FreedomPop Liberty was kept wi-fi-only to ensure the lowest price, but users looking to roam over cellular can bundle a FreedomPop hotspot with 500 MBs free data per month for a one-time cost of $49.
“While Apple and Samsung battle at the high end of the phablet market with the iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4 costing more than $600, FreedomPop is ensuring that anyone can get the same super-sized experience at a super-affordable price,” said Steven Sesar, FreedomPop’s COO. “We are focused on bringing low cost devices to accompany free mobile service to ensure no one is left behind.”
All devices come with FreedomPop’s 100 percent free text and voice service giving users 200 voice minutes and 500 texts free each month.
Sesar added, “FreedomPop will continue to sell its current product line of third-party phones and tablets with voice, text and data capabilities, but today marks the first step toward FreedomPop’s own low cost, private-labeled devices designed with our customers in mind.”
FreedomPop’s appeal spans users who want a low-cost way to access the mobile Internet through to users looking for an affordable, high-end device with free voice, data and text – either as a primary device or “+1”.
To order a FreedomPop Liberty, Frenzy, or any of the family of mobile devices, and to sign up for the FreedomPop service now, go to freedompop.com/liberty.
- CNET
- Crazy-big, stupid-cheap FreedomPop Liberty boasts 7-inch screen for $90
- By Jessica Dalcourt
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.cnet.com/products/freedompop-liberty/
- GigaOm
- FreedomPop starts making its own low-cost smartphones, starting with a 7-inch phablet
- By Kevin Fitchard
- October 1, 2014
- https://gigaom.com/2014/10/01/freedompop-starts-making-its-own-low-cost-smartphones-starting-with-a-7-inch-phablet/
- Tom’s Hardware
- FreedomPop Breaks New Ground, Begins Making Own Tablets And Smartphones
- By Seth Colaner
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.tomshardware.com/news/freedompop-making-own-tablets-smartphones,27797.html
- TheNextWeb
- Budget carrier FreedomPop gets into branded hardware with sub-$100 smartphones and tablets
- By Josh Ong
- October 1, 2014
- http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2014/10/01/budget-carrier-freedompop-gets-branded-hardware-sub-100-smartphones-tablets/
- FierceWireless
- FreedomPop launches its own branded $89 Android phablet, targets low-cost device market
- By Philip Goldstein
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/freedompop-launches-its-own-branded-89-android-phablet-targets-low-cost-dev/2014-10-01
- WirelessWeek
- FreedomPop Selling Branded Sub-$100 Phones to Keep Up with Demand
- By Ben Munson
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2014/09/freedompop-selling-branded-sub-100-phones-keep-demand
- PhoneScoop
- FreedomPop Trots Out $89 Liberty Tablet
- By Eric Zeman
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=14680
- MultiChannel News
- FreedomPop Uncorks Its Own Low-Cost Mobile Product Line
- By Jeff Baumgarten
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.multichannel.com/news/technology/freedompop-uncorks-its-own-low-cost-mobile-product-line/384328
- Liliputing
- FreedomPop launches a $89 tablet
- By Brad Linder
- October 1, 2014
- http://liliputing.com/2014/10/freedompop-launches-a-89-tablet.html
- TWICE
- FreedomPop To Add Private-Label Phones, Tablets
- By Joseph Palenchar
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.twice.com/news/smartphonestablets/freedompop-add-private-label-phones-tablets/54201
- Geeky Gadgets
- FreedomPop Liberty And Frenzy Tablets Unveiled Starting At $89
- By Julian Horsey
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/freedompop-liberty-and-frenzy-tablets-unveiled-starting-at-89-01-10-2014/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+geeky-gadgets+(Geeky+Gadgets)
- Ubergizmo
- FreedomPop Delivers Brand New Devices Without Breaking The Bank
- By Edwin Kee
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.ubergizmo.com/2014/10/freedompop-delivers-brand-new-devices-without-breaking-the-bank/
- Tablet News
- FreedomPop Debuts an $89 Tablet Called Liberty
- By Radu Iorga
- October 1, 2014
- http://tablet-news.com/2014/10/01/freedompop-debuts-an-89-tablet/
- Prepaid Phone News
- FreedomPop adds Liberty phablet for $89, first of its own branded low-cost devices
- October 1, 2014
- http://prepaidmobilephonereviews.com/freedompop-adds-liberty-phablet-89-first-branded-low-cost-devices/
- Android Headlines
- Freedom Pop, America’s Free Carrier, to Launch Own-Brand Devices for Under $100
- By David Steele
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/10/freedom-pop-americas-free-carrier-to-launch-own-brand-devices-for-under-100.html
- SocalTech
- FreedomPop Launches Branded Devices
- By Ben Kuo
- October 1, 2014
- http://www.socaltech.com/freedompop_launches_branded_devices/s-0057200.html
Our own April Mayrath has been busy racking up frequent flier miles as she flies to local TV stations to provide advice on the best tech gadgets and apps for the holidays. We are proud to give some broadcast love to the companies we love, including FreedomPop, Gogobot, Azumio, LifeTrak, and Sleep Genius.
So far April has appeared on KUTV-CBS in Salt Lake City (you can watch by clicking below), and on KVVU-FOX in Las Vegas. That’s just the start – more to come!
Happy Holidays!
Today the FreedomPop team announced an additional $5M A.1 round, bringing their total Series A up to $16M. Existing investors DCM and Mangrove participated, helping the company address the extraordinary demand seen for their products, especially the upcoming Freedom Phone slated for launch later this summer.
The image above is a poster in one of FreedomPop’s offices signed by notable visitors, including their VCs, and heck, even me.
Here are a few coverage highlights on today’s news:
Multichannel NewsLands $5 Million Round As it Prepares to Launch ‘Freedom Phone’By Jeff BaumgartnerJuly 11, 2013http://www.multichannel.com/technology/freedompop-stacks-more-cash/144355 TechCrunchFreedomPop Raises Another $5 Million To Help Launch Its Freemium Mobile Phone ServiceBy Chris VelazcoJuly 11, 2013http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/11/freedompop-raises-another-5-5m-to-help-launch-its-freemium-mobile-phone-service/ All Things DigitalFreedomPop Rakes In Another $5 Million to Fund Free Mobile ServiceBy Ina FriedJuly 11, 2013http://allthingsd.com/20130711/freedompop-rakes-in-another-5-million-to-fund-free-mobile-service/ TheNextWebFreedomPop raises $5 million to meet strong demand for upcoming free phone serviceBy Josh OngJuly 11, 2013http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/07/11/freedompop-raises-5-million-to-meet-strong-demand-for-upcoming-free-phone-service/ Wireless WeekFreedomPop Raises Another $5 Million for Free Wireless ServiceBy Ben MunsonJuly 11, 2013http://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2013/07/freedompop-raises-another-5-million-free-wireless-service GigaOMGearing up to launch its VoIP service, FreedomPop raises another $5MBy Kevin FitchardJuly 11, 2013http://gigaom.com/2013/07/11/gearing-up-to-launch-its-voip-service-freedompop-raises-another-5m/ Light ReadingFreedomPop Grabs $5M to Support Android PushBy Dan JonesJuly 11, 2013http://www.lightreading.com/smartphones-handsets/freedompop-grabs-5m-to-support-android-push/240158083 PC MagazineFreedomPop Nabs $5M Ahead of Free Phone Service LaunchBy Stephanie MlotJuly 11, 2013http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2421665,00.asp SoCalTECHFreedomPop Gets $5M In New Funding For Free Phone, Wireless ServiceBy Ben KuoJuly 11, 2013http://www.socaltech.com/freedompop_gets__m_in_new_funding_for_free_phone_wireless_service/s-0050246.html HNGNFree SmartPhone Service From FreedomPop Gets $5 Million Toward ProjectBy Tyler McCarthyJuly 11, 2013http://www.hngn.com/articles/7484/20130711/free-smartphone-service-freedompop-gets-5-million-toward-project.htm Pulse 2.0FreedomPop Raises $5 Million From Existing InvestorsBy Annie BakerJuly 11, 2013http://pulse2.com/2013/07/11/freedompop-raises-5-million-from-existing-investors-89522/ International Venture Capitalist PostFreedomPop raises additional US $5 millionBy IVCPost Staff ReporterJuly 11, 2013http://www.ivcpost.com/articles/10877/20130711/freedompop-raises-additional-5-million.htm TelecomPaperFreedomPop raises additional USD 5 mln in fundingJuly 11, 2013http://www.telecompaper.com/news/freedompop-raises-additional-usd-5-mln-in-funding–954839