Mobile Miscellany: week of December 10th, 2012
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, a company that you're no doubt familiar with announced its departure from the smartphone business, a UK-based carrier put the Nexus 4 up for sale and Republic Wireless made good on a promise. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of December 10th, 2012.
Dell waves goodbye to the smartphone world
Promise to not get all teary-eyed, but Dell announced this week that it's given up on the smartphone business. The decision was revealed by Jeff Clarke, head of Dell's consumer division, who suggested that the company wasn't able (or willing?) to make the necessary investments to be successful. The move shouldn't come as a complete shock, as the company gave the axe to its Streak 5 handset more than a year ago, suspended its involvement in the Windows Phone arena and then shifted its focus to the Chinese market with the Streak Pro D43 -- which itself is now about a year old. [Forbes]
Nexus 4 joins the ranks at Three
If you live in the UK and would prefer going the subsidized route to grab a Nexus 4, then you might mosey over to Three, which is offering Google's smartphone du jour for £29 on a two year contract. To score this deal -- which fetches the 16GB variant -- you'll need to snag the carrier's £35 plan, which includes unlimited data, 2,000 voice minutes, 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes and 5,000 text messages. If you're not so much of a data hound, however, the pricing of the Nexus 4 at O2 remains plenty tempting in its own right. [GSM Arena]
Republic Wireless begins shipping dual-band Defy XT
Good news for those with bad coverage: the dual-band Motorola Defy XT is now available from Republic Wireless. With support for Sprint's 1900MHz and 800MHz bands, the low cost carrier is now able to offer greater coverage to the subscribers of its $19 unlimited plan. As a requisite for the service, the Defy XT can be purchased for $249 and orders are no longer being fulfilled in waves. Instead, Republic Wireless currently pegs its shipping timeframe at two weeks, although that could certainly change if enough people decide to climb aboard at once. [Republic Wireless]
Other random tidbits
AT&T flipped the switch on its LTE network in Hattiesburg, Miss.; Reno, Nev.; Allentown, Pa.; Pullman, Wash.; and Moscow, Idaho (Go Vandals!). The carrier also expanded its LTE presence in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Nashua, N.H.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Wilkes-Barre, Pa. [Android Police]
T-Mobile announced the shift to 1900MHz HSPA+ in Chicago, Reno, Sacramento, Fresno and a large handful of suburbs in southern California. The carrier's repurposed spectrum is now live in 23 markets. [T-Mobile]
