Mobile Miscellany: week of December 19, 2011

This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of December 19, 2011:

Motorola Droid 4 delayed until February?

According to a memo leaked to VZBuzz, it appears that the Motorola Droid 4 -- the LTE-enabled successor to Verizon's top-tier QWERTY slider -- may be taking too many lessons from the Galaxy Nexus. From the looks of it, the phone won't see the inside of a Verizon store until early February. If this is the case, we'll likely see it at CES. [VZBuzz]

Sprint removing discounts from secondary lines?

The Now Network is making some more changes to its policy, according to a screenshot leaked by SprintFeed, and once again it's not for the better. As of February 1st, service discounts will only be applied to the primary lines on each account, whereas it's currently available to secondary lines as well. This adjustment in the policy would align Sprint's discount procedure much more closely to AT&T and Verizon, which both offer the same discounting policy. [SprintFeed]

Page Plus Cellular launches a $12 monthly prepaid plan

Page Plus, a Verizon MVNO based out of Toledo, OH, just announced a new low-end monthly plan to its prepaid service. The plan, called "the 12," will offer 250 minutes, 250 messages and 10MB of data for $12 per month. It's definitely not going to be a reasonable for everybody, but it's certainly ideal if you don't use your phone for much besides actually making a few occasional calls. [PRNewsWire]

White San Francisco II is coming to Orange

Listed on Orange UK's "coming soon" page is the white version of the ZTE-made San Francisco II. No release date has been set, but if you like the idea of a entry-level device in white with a 3.5-inch display, 800MHz CPU, 5MP camera and Android 2.3, you may not have to wait much longer. [Unwired View]

C Spire launches the Sonim XP3400 Armor

C Spire, the carrier formerly known as Cellular South, introduced a rugged phone called the Sonim XP3400 Armor (seen above) to its lineup. Sonim has been around for a long time, but its phones are typically sold as unlocked GSM devices and rarely get picked up by US carriers. It's available online and in stores for $50 after a two-year commitment and mail-in rebate.

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C SPIRE WIRELESS AND SONIM TECHNOLOGIES TEAM UP TO OFFER
THE TOUGHEST MOBILE PHONE IN THE WORLD

Ultra-Rugged Sonim XP 3400 Armor Combines Toughness and Reliability to form the Ultimate Lifeline

For People Who Need a Dependable Connection on the Nation's First Personalized Network

Ridgeland, Miss. - (December 15, 2011) – C Spire Wireless, the only U.S. wireless provider that offers consumers a full suite of personalized wireless services, is introducing the perfect personalized gift for workers in challenging outdoor and industrial environments – the Sonim XP 3400 Armor ultra-rugged mobile phone.

The Sonim XP 3400 Armor combines ultra-rugged features with the speed and reliability of mobile broadband to offer a highly reliable lifeline for users who work in some of the harshest environments anywhere like farmers, oil rig, construction and utility workers, law enforcement, fire protection and other service industry employees.

Based on feedback from over 500,000 users who perform difficult jobs in some of the most challenging conditions in the world, the phone is engineered to exceed military-grade specifications for toughness. Completely dust-proof, water submersible to 6.5 feet for 1 hour, the phone is drop tested up to 6.5 feet onto concrete and features a 1.5mm thick scratch and shock resistant Corning Gorilla glass lens on a bright, two-inch high-resolution display.

"As a company committed to offering the ultimate personalized wireless experience, we're pleased to carry the Sonim XP 3400 Armor mobile phone," said Terrell Knight, director of business and government sales for C Spire Wireless. "The Sonim XP 3400 Armor sets a new standard for ruggedness and reliability," he added. "This phone is a fast, powerful communications tool for the pros who do the tough jobs every day and will keep them safe and in touch no matter what conditions they encounter."

The XP 3400 Armor features a combination of hardened rubber molded into a reinforced fiberglass casing to give users the confidence to truly take the device anywhere. The phone is certified against salt, fog, humidity, transport shock, thermal shock and operates in temperatures ranging from -5° F to 130° F.

"This strategic partnership with C Spire brings Sonim's legendary ruggedness to the nation's first personalized network, meeting the growing demand among users for a reliable phone in the enterprise segment," said Bob Plaschke, CEO of Sonim Technologies. "The ultra-ruggedness of the Sonim XP 3400 Armor coupled with the dependability, reliability and coverage of the C Spire network make this a must-have device for workers in demanding jobs within the enterprise."

With the XP 3400 Armor, companies with mobile workforces can reduce operating costs, increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction and ensure employee safety. The handset has professional-grade assisted-GPS that delivers highly accurate locations and faster location fixes due to superior signal sensitivity. With up to 9.5 hours of talk time or 850 hours of standby time, the XP 3400 Armor has the power to handle long work days.

The phone is Brew-enabled so it offers certified third party applications such as workforce management solutions. The mobile resource management applications in the XP 3400 Armor offer workforce location monitoring, fleet tracking, monitoring, timecard reporting, real-time work order updates, alerts, job scheduling, event confirmation, data collection and reports.

Additional Features

• 2 MP camera with extra bright LED flash and video recording
• Omni-directional, noise-cancelling microphone to improve worker safety
• 23 mm diameter, water-resistant speaker specially designed for higher volume transmission and reception
• LED flashlight
• MicroSD card slot (up to 8 GB card)
• FM radio
• Media player
• Native email client and HTML web browser
• Widely spaced keys for ease of use with gloved hands or other protective gear
• Comprehensive three year warranty – best in wireless industry and even covers accidental damage

Pricing and Availability

The Sonim XP 3400 Armor is available online at www.cspire.com, in all retail stores and through its telesales group at 1-855-277- 4734 or its Assist for Business Support Center at 1-855-277-4732 for $49.99 after a $50 reward card and a new two-year customer agreement.