Sprint confirmed during a call for its latest results that it was bringing 4G to Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. CEO Dan Hesse expected both of the prepaid carriers to use the older WiMAX network before the end of 2012. More details would come as the launch got nearer, he said.
The coming months will see the arrival of at least one HTC smartphone on Virgin Mobile Canada, with the carrier's website now sporting a page advertising the coming of the HTC One S. Meanwhile, the HTC Evo 4G LTE may show up on Sprint's network in mid-May.
Just as Sprint is getting its first LTE phones, its sub-brands Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile may be getting their first forms of 4G, according to a rumor. The two contract-free carriers were purported by TechnoBuffalo's contact to be inheriting the WiMAX network as Sprint moves its main customer base to the newer LTE standard. Accordingly, the just phased-out Evo 3D and other phones would go to Virgin, possibly under different names.
Sprint on Tuesday confirmed some rumors and unveiled the LG Optimus Elite. The carrier's version of the Optimus Net, which will also have a Virgin Mobile equivalent, will be the most affordable US smartphone ever to support Google Wallet, costing just $30 on Sprint after a contract and rebate. Its support for the needed NFC is an exception to entry level specs, such as a 3.5-inch, 320x480 display, an 800MHz processor, and a five-megapixel back camera with none at the front.
HTC's One V on Friday had its first official release in the company's home area of Taiwan. The more affordable of the Android 4.0 lineup is currently on sale through Chungwa Telecom for the equivalent of about $339 off-contract. To mark the occasion, Netbook News has conducted an unboxing as well as some early tests.
One of LG's entry-level Android phones should reach Sprint and Virgin Mobile with a small twist based on leaks late Thursday. Photos of the Optimus Elite, Sprint's adaptation of the Optimus Net, showed PocketNow the 3.2-inch phone adopting a more conventional but very compact look. Both versions would stand out by being some of the least expensive Android phones yet to have NFC and, through Sprint's involvement, official Google Wallet support.
Virgin Mobile USA has restored service after suffering a near day-long outage across the US. A Twitter update on Wednesday morning stated the data and text service is back. If users aren't yet receiving service, a reboot should force a reconnection. Not all subscribers have indicated a loss of service, however, though Virgin promised over Facebook on Tuesday afternoon that work on restoring the service is being done.
The HTC One V may be coming to Virgin Mobile's US branch. Tips to PocketNow early this week had the aluminum unibody Android 4.0 phone coming to the carrier in late spring. It would cost under $200 off-contract on Virgin, making it not just Virgin's most advanced smartphone but also one of its more affordable models.
Virgin Mobile has announced that it is set to launch PCD's Venture handset. The budget-focused Android device brings a basic set of hardware features, centering around a 2.8-inch touchscreen that sits above a hardware QWERTY keyboard.
The Canadian branch of Virgin Mobile is getting LTE "just in time for new iPad," March 16th, according to a leaked document. Coverage will extend across "14 urban centers," with peak downloads up to 75Mbps, although Virgin says speeds should average between 12 and 25Mbps. An LTE microSIM will be included for free alongside any Flexi-Data Plan, which range from $5 a month for 10MB up to $35 a month for 5GB. People paying an extra $5 get a Mobile TV package which doesn't count against data caps.
Samsung's seemingly abandoned Epic 2 for Sprint might still see the light of day after leaks saw it resurface. The Android QWERTY slider is now in Cellebrite's device tracking system, ACSyndicate found, usually a sign that it's getting close to release. The SPH prefix in front of its D705 model number suggests that it's intended for a Sprint-related carrier, which given Sprint's own absence could mean Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile instead.
Virgin Mobile has announced that it is finally ready to begin its throttling plans, which were mentioned last year but never implemented in October as promised. The carrier suggests it will reduce connection speeds for users who surpass 2.5GB of monthly usage on a Beyond Talk plan.
The Galaxy Nexus is arguably the first official Google phone whose appeal isn't just confined to hardcore Android fans: even those who only know the iPhone by name are taking notice. With a massive 4.65-inch, 720p display, a near-instant camera, and most importantly Android 4.0, it promises not just to be a powerful phone but the most cohesive expression of what Android can be. But can it cross over into the mainstream in a way that previously only Apple could? Our Samsung Galaxy Nexus review settles that question.
Two new entry level phones may soon be joining Virgin Mobile's smartphone ranks. Pocketnow has posted renderings of the Chaser and Venture, two ZTE phones bearing the prepaid carrier's brand. Both are likely to run Android 2.3.
Best known for its file hosting, Tucows is planning a new virtual carrier based off of sprint that could lower the practical cost of a smartphone bill. Ting will drop overage fees in favor of automatic tier changes. Similar to an older Rogers plan in Canada, customers are bumped up to a new tier if they use more voice, messages, or data than included the plan, potentially saving hundreds of dollars over the course of service.
Canada beat the US to getting a commitment for a ship date and pricing for the Galaxy Nexus. Samsung's Android 4.0 flagship will ship both to Bell and to Virgin on December 8, supporting rumors. Both carriers will sell it for $160 on a three-year plan or $650 contract-free.
(Update: Bell too) Virgin Mobile jumped the gun Monday to become the first Canadian carrier to officially commit to the Galaxy Nexus. A pre-order page now lets Canadians sign up for the Android 4.0 flagship, which the carrier has narrowed down to a launch in early December. It didn't give pricing, but it expects the phone to get a discount through its SuperTab plans, including a promo plan for $70 per month with just 200 minutes but 6GB of data and unlimited weekends and evenings from 6PM.
C Spire, once known as Cellular South, confirmed Wednesday that it would be getting the iPhone 4S. The American CDMA carrier plans to carry at least the flagship of Apple's line sometime in the "coming weeks." Prices are presumed to be the same $199 to $399 on contract for 16GB to 64GB.
Australia as is often case has had the distinction of being the first for an Apple launch in carrying the iPhone 4S. Apple's flagship Sydney store showed that demand hadn't tapered for the new model, with hundreds of buyers queued up in line. Both official and unofficial reports have pointed to "tens of thousands" of pre-orders at Optus and Telstra each, selling out of 64GB pre-orders.
Americans visiting the online Apple Store to pre-order an iPhone 4S encountered multiple limitations on what they could buy. The unlocked GSM iPhone 4S won't be available until November in the country despite Canadians and some other regions having the option from the start. No reasons have been given, although it may be either supply or an agreement with AT&T.
T-Mobile started off the week by launching a new phone plan targeted at an audience much more focused on messaging than calls. A $30 prepaid plan will have just 100 minutes of voice but 'unlimited' data and unlimited text. It will support full HSPA+ speeds for the first 5GB and will cost 10 cents for every US minute over the included 100.
Virgin Mobile's US branch committed itself to Android further with two new additions that each bring a first to the prepaid carrier. The LG Optimus Slider is considered a sequel to the almost unusually popular Optimus V and brings in its self-described QWERTY keyboard for frequent messaging. LG hasn't said what processor is inside, but it will come with Android 2.3, a 3.2-inch (likely 320x480) touchscreen, and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
Verizon on Tuesday confirmed intentions to take its $50 unlimited prepaid plan national this week. As of Thursday, prepaid customers will get unlimited voice, text, and data. New phone picks will be limited to basic phones like the LG Cosmos, Pantech Caper, and those from Samsung.
Recently leaked plans for an iPhone on Sprint could see Apple add six million more iPhones to its tally in 2012, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimated Tuesday. Using Verizon's iPhone activations so far, where 11 percent of all cellphones sold are Apple's, he applied the same proportion to Sprint's own expected performance. Having the one extra carrier could accelerate Apple's iPhone sales expansion from 30 percent next year to 37 percent.
Canadian carriers Bell and Virgin Mobile have joined Telus in lowering the price of the iPhone 4. In both cases a 16GB model is just $100, although with Bell this requires a three-year contract, and on Virgin either the contract or coverage under a SuperTab. 32GB models remain as expensive as before, costing $270.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is now shipping at Canadian providers including Bell and Virgin Mobile, with Rogers and Telus expected to update their product pages later on today as well. At the former two, the smartphone costs $600 CAD ($607) without an agreement and $170 CAD ($172) on a three-year/SuperTab contract. Rogers has already said it would charge a steep $250 for the same device.
Owners of the Motorola Triumph are reporting several issues with their devices. For one, the touchscreen is suffering from a flickering issue and the five-megapixel camera doesn't autofocus. Exchanging the device with Virgin Mobile for a new one doesn't fix the issue either, prompting the theory that the problem lies in the software rather than the hardware.
Late last month, Samsung confirmed that it was bringing the Galaxy S II smartphone to North America by way of Canada. None of the three Canadian providers, Bell, SaskTel and Virgin, offered any date, beyond generically this summer, as to when it would be available. Bell has now quietly revealed that it will arrive July 21.
The US branch of Virgin Mobile is hiking the prices on two of its three Beyond Talk plans, according to an announcement. Although in all cases data will be unlimited, the option with 300 voice minutes is being pushed from $25 to $35 a month. The 1200-minute option is likewise going up $5 to $45, but the fully unlimited plan is being reduced $5 to $55. A $10 fee for BlackBerries is being dropped.
LG's Optimus Black is now known to be coming to virtually every US CDMA carrier after FCC listings gave its plans away. A core LS855 model is headed to Sprint, while AS855, US855, and VM855 should reach Alltel, US Cellular, and Virgin. In every case, the chief updates are the expected switchovers to CDMA and EVDO for phone calls and 3G.
Samsung brought the Galaxy S II to North America for the first time with word it was coming to three wireless providers in Canada. This includes Bell, where the handset will be known as the Galaxy S II 4G, along with SaskTel and Virgin Mobile. The dual-core, Android 2.3-powered handset sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen and supports 3G HSPA+ data networks for up to 21Mbps download speeds.
Motorola brought two Android phones to Sprint at a special event Tuesday by unveiling two flagship phones for both Sprint itself and Virgin. The Photon 4G is Sprint's first international 4G hardware and will talk to GSM networks along with Sprint's CDMA, 3G, and 4G networks. The phone stands as Sprint's first dual-core Tegra 2 hardware and packs a 4.3-inch 540x960 screen along with both a rear eight-megapixel camera and a front VGA camera.
Virgin Mobile USA has added a new service tier to its no-contract Broadband2Go mobile broadband offerings. The $20 plan gives users 500MB of data for use anytime that expires after one month even if not used. This tier splits the $10, 100MB offering and the $50, 'unlimited' access offering that provides 3G speeds up to 2.5GB in a month before throttling speeds.
Canadian carriers joined in revealing plans for the white iPhone 4 this week as a pair of discoveries have pointed to the new color coming in. At least one Virgin Mobile store was already getting a "box load," while Rogers was sending an internal memo that was letting stores make orders but couldn't yet sell them, MobileSyrup said.
Sprint at a Friday event confirmed the existence of the Samsung Replenish. The phone is its first eco-friendly smartphone and is built out of 82 percent recyclable material with a minimum of toxic materials as well as 34.6 percent recycled plastic on the outside. The carrier goes so far as to make an optional solar rear charging panel and to offer a special green Sprint ID pack to theme the OS for its mission.
Sprint on Friday said it would put an end to its Common Cents Mobile prepaid service and merge it into the Virgin Mobile payLo sevice instead beginning this May. Common Cents was launched less than a year ago, and current users are being informed that service will be unaffected as long as their accounts remain active and they stick to their existing plans. Additional minutes can be purchased from Virgin Mobile.
Canadian telecommunications and cable provider Bell is now shipping the HTC Incredible S. Virgin Mobile, Bell's sibling, has also now launched the device. At either provider, the phone costs $500 CAD ($519) contract-free or $100 CAD ($104) on a three-year contract with a voice and data plan. Bell requires a minimum $50 CAD ($52) per month plan while Virgin users can get a $40 CAD plan ($41.50).
Canadian wireless provider Virgin Mobile just announced on Twitter that it will soon launch the HTC Incredible S. Exactly when it will be out isn't known, but it's likely to mirror Bell's release on April 14. Virgin will price it at $500 CAD ($512), however, contract-free, according to a leaked Virgin inventory screen.
Virgin Mobile's LG Optimus V has seen an unexpectedly high amount of demand based on first-hand looks. Every retailer that carries the ultra-budget Android 2.2 phone, including Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, has remained backordered for at least the past two weeks. Android and Me didn't check, but Virgin's online store also lists it as "temporarily out of stock."
Virgin Mobile's first Android smartphone, the Samsung Intercept, will get the much-needed update to Android 2.2 on or about March 25, the carrier announced over Twitter on Wednesday. The successor to the Samsung Moment, the Intercept sports a slide-out hardware QWERTY keyboard along with a 3.2-inch LCD touchscreen. It shipped with Android 2.1 onboard.
Virgin Mobile has quietly restricted its unlimited Broadband2Go mobile data plan again recently, capping it at 2.5GB and upping its monthly subscription price. Just over a month ago, Virgin promised the plan will offer 5GB of full-speed data use for $40 per month. The provider is using a soft cap and optionally throttles speeds if the network is congested.
Virgin Mobile today picked up its least expensive smartphone to date by confirming plans for the LG Optimus V. The sibling to the Optimus S at Sprint shares the same 3.2-inch 480x320 screen, 3.2-megapixel camera and 600MHz processor but with a lower cost. At $150 off-contract, the Android 2.2 phone is one of the least expensive in the US.
Virgin Mobile on Tuesday let it be known that it will stop offering its all-inclusive, $40 per month 3G Broadband 2Go data plan. Instead, it will put a soft data cap in place when users reach 5GB of data use during their monthly use, limited access speeds but not quantity. The reason for this is to ensure an optimal experience, Virgin Mobile claimed.
Canadian carrier Rogers and its sub-brand Fido have brought back a system that would let customers more officially unlock iPhones after the sale, a possible leak of its strategy has uncovered. As part of a broader move that would let any subscriber out when out of contract, Rogers has let users get an unlock by calling its help line and having them contact Apple. Once greenlit, the phone needs only to be restored in iTunes to remove the restrictions, iPhone in Canada was told by Fido user Argun Tekant.
Virgin Mobile USA sparked its mobile data plans today by launching a new plan through Walmart. Those who have either the Novatel MiFi 2200 router or an Ovation MC720 modem can get 1GB of data per month for $20 when paying for access through the retailer. The plan is a direct balance between the lightweight $10 for 100MB deal and the $40 unlimited service.
Sprint has been reaping the rewards of the iPad even without an official deal, carrier chief Dan Hesse said in an interview that also raised eyebrows over iPhone discussions. The CEO noted that most iPads were Wi-Fi versions and that he had seen a boost to sales of the Sierra Wireless Overdrive. The pocket router is good for getting the iPad online away from home, he told GigaOM. It can connect to either 3G or 4G and share its connection with four other devices, none of which are options with the iPad's built-in 3G.
As promised, the Samsung Intercept has begun shipping for Virgin Mobile prepaid phone plans. The Intercept is one of the first prepaid Android smartphones in the US and has the full slate of features, such as 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS , and Wi-Fi. The QWERTY slider ships with Android 2.1.
Verizon today officially unveiled the Fivespot, the first portable router to support both Verizon's native 3G as well as world roaming. The ZTE-made router can share its access with up to five devices on Wi-Fi either on EVDO at home or up to 7.2Mbps HSPA around the world, including on the 850MHz and 1,900MHz bands used by AT&T and most Canadian carriers. Verizon preloads a SIM card for its official plans but hasn't said if the HSPA portion is unlocked.
Virgin Mobile has confirmed that it has selected Samsung's Intercept handset as its first Android offering, according to the company's Facebook page. The offering represents a further push into the smartphone market for the prepaid carrier, which offers several contract-free plans with unlimited data.
Confirming an earlier leak, Virgin Mobile has revamped its Broadband2Go data plans and now offers a true $40 unlimited data service. Replacing the earlier four tier arrangement, the simplified two tier pricing structure also includes a $10 option for 100 MB that gives casual users up to 10 days of access when needed. Available for use online from tomorrow, the development is likely to increase competition in the mobile broadband space.
