The post-paid plans only rollover for the month after they are due to expire, so you can’t stockpile a heap of minutes and then spend a week on the phone to your Nanna in Brazil. The rolled over minutes are also only used if you happen to exceed that months quota, meaning that you should hopefully always have enough time for talking and texting.

There are rollover options for data as wellThe plans don’t actually let you roll over your data allowance, although they do include international calls and texting. And if you’re an iPhone user, there are a couple of dedicated rollover plans for you.

Check out Virgin’s site for a complete run down on the different plans.

[Virgin Rollover Cap plans]

Oops! Due to an error you’ve received our previous email by mistake. Please disregard the free upgrade communication as unfortunately you do not qualify for that upgrade.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Warm regards,

The Velocity Team

From all accounts, it seems they sent the upgrade email to a pretty big chunk of their Velocity membership.

Considering I very rarely fly Virgin, I’m unsure whether or not I should be bemused or outraged at the mixup. Anyone want to suggest an emotion for me this morning?

The service, normally $US13 per flight, will now be open to all. It’s good news for Virgin travelers, and it will make booking flights to CES a bit easier, decision wise. Whether or not the equipment on Virgin’s planes can handle everybody hopping online at once, however, remains to be seen. [Google Blog via TechCrunch]

The Mobile Wi-Fi modem runs off a rechargeable Lithium battery, and allows three different devices to connect to it over 802.11b/g. It has a range of about 15 metres, and weighs 90 grams. There’s also a MicroSD slot to offer up to 32GB of storage. It runs on both Optus’ 900MHz and 2100MHz bands.

Starter packs for the Wi-Fi modem will run at $199 from Dick Smith, which includes the modem and 1GB, although apparently that data is only for a limited time. It’ll hit other major retailers in December.

Before we begin, it’s worth noting that online reports are saying that both Vodafone and Virgin iPhones can tether without requiring any special effort, so it’s probably best to try doing it that way first. All you need to do is select the the Settings –> General –> Network buttons on your iPhone, then choose ‘Set Up Internet Tethering’ and follow the prompts. If you get a message saying you need to contact your provider (which is what happens for Optus customers), you can try the solution below.

Also worth noting: This solution is not endorsed by the carriers, and in some cases may in fact be in breach of contract. Therefore, it’s very much a case of “Do it at your own risk” – in the UK, O2 has publicly stated that they “reserve the right to charge customers making modem use of their iPhone or disconnect them,” so don’t come crying to us if Optus or Telstra decide to add a little fee to the end of your next bill.

In any case, here’s how you get tethering on your iPhone, without jailbreaking, for all Australian carriers:

1. Open Safari on your iPhone and navigate to help.benm.at
2. Have a read through all the warnings so you know what you’re in for, then select the Mobileconfigs option.
3. Select Australia
4. Choose your network
5. When the option to Install Profile appears, press Install
6. You’ll get hit with a message saying that the authenticity of the profile can’t be verified and that installation will change settings on the phone. Select Install Now.
7. Once it’s done, exit Safari, go back into Settings –> General –> Network and try to set up tethering again. Follow the prompts and everything should just work.

With this solution, you may need to restart your iPhone to get MMS working again – although some people are saying that it kills MMS completely. And there’s no telling what Optus and Telstra might do once they discover your cheating them out of a monthly tethering fee, regardless of how ridiculous the fee is in the first place.

If you are game to give it a go, let us know how it works for you in comments… And remember – do this at your own risk!

Spaceport America will be the first spaceport in history, and it will host commercial operations by private space travel companies, like Virgin Galactic.

I’m sure that—in a few centuries—this structure will be buried under multiple layers belonging to another huge structure: A giant spaceport—one of many in the world—in which massive spacecrafts will be lifting off and arriving from trips from the Moon, Mars, Titan, and Europa. Or at least, I hope that’s what will happen.

If you are around, you can attend the historic groundbreaking ceremony—the first step in its construction—on Friday, June 19, 2009. Check the link for details. [Spaceport America]

The hybrid Nitrous Oxide rocket that will take SpaceShipTwo to 105km above the Earth at 4000kph (YES!) has fired off for the first time in the southern California desert. Founder, adventurer and cool-guy-at-large Sir Richard Branson is happy:

As Virgin Galactic gets ever closer to the start of commercial operations, we are reaching and passing many important and historic milestones. The Virgin MotherShip (VMS) Eve, the first of our amazing, all carbon
composite, high altitude WhiteKnightTwo launch vehicles, is flying superbly. SpaceShipTwo, which will air launch from Eve, is largely constructed and awaiting the start of its own test flight programme later this year.

Rough translation from Brit:

OMFG THAT KICKED ARSE! I CAN’T WAIT TO GET INTO THAT THING!

Yes, Sir Richard, I totally share the feeling. Even more because this time there have been no problems at all.

One of the cool things about the rocket is that is controllable and can be shut down safely at any time, allowing SpaceShipTwo to glide down to Earth at any time in case there’s any problem. This is obviously one of the biggest concerns for the company: Safety.

The other big thing—other than putting amateur astronauts up there—is being green. They are trying to make the engine as clean as these things could be. The engine will burn for a very short period of time because it will be first lifted by White Knight II, which uses cleaner fuel. In fact, the carbon footprint for “each of its passengers and crew will be about a quarter of that for a return trip from London to New York.”

AirTran said they were going to be the first to get Wi-Fi on every flight, but Virgin just ninja’ed in and beat them to it.

All 100 of Virgin’s daily flights will have Wi-Fi, costing $US12.95 for flights > 3 hours, $US9.95 for flights < 3 hours, $US5.95 for red-eyes and $US7.95 if you just want to use your mobile phone/PSP. Virgin’s already our favourite airline just for being a nice airline, so being able to get Wi-Fi on all flights just makes it better. (AU: US only)[Virgin America]

Starting today, all of Virgin Mobile’s subscription plans have automatically been enrolled in “Pink Slip Protection.” UPDATE: Actually, existing subscribers need to GO HERE to enroll. If a customer loses a job they’ve had for over two months (and is eligible for unemployment), they can have all mobile phone fees including taxes and surcharges waived for up to three months. (We’re guessing that exceeding your minutes may still lead to charges.)

Virgin’s offering isn’t enough to solve the economic crisis, but it’s a kind gesture worth a bit of good PR, and hopefully it will put some pressure on other service providers to follow suit. (AU: I haven’t heard anything about this locally, so I’d expect it’s US-only) [Reuters]