Mobile Miscellany: week of September 9th, 2013
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 week, Virgin Mobile brought two new smartphones to the table and Play Music All Access subscribers received one more way to discover new tunes. These stories and more await. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of September 9th, 2013.
Virgin goes big with ZTE Supreme
Even though 5-inch displays no longer command the same type of shock and awe as they once did, Virgin Mobile is still able to make a splash with the Supreme, which stands as its largest smartphone to date. The device is a rebranded version of the ZTE Vital on Sprint, which sports a 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus, a 13MP primary camera and Android 4.1.2. The Supreme rings in at $300, which carries other bonuses such as LTE connectivity, expandable storage and a dedicated camera button. [Virgin Mobile]
... And debuts a compact phone for a bill
Even as Virgin Mobile is expanding its device portfolio, it's still betting that plenty of shoppers will want a compact Android smartphone. Hence, we now have the Awe, which packs a 4-inch, 800 x 480 display and costs just $100. Other features include a 1.2GHz single-core processor, a 5MP primary camera and Android 4.1. Sadly, the Awe is limited to 3G connectivity, which should be quite a pain on Sprint's network. [Virgin Mobile]
Play Music for Android gains Genre Radio
All Access subscribers of Google Play Music picked up a new feature this week known as Genre Radio. It's a rather simple addition, which allows users to listen to music stations that reflect a particular genre. Previously, users could only create stations that were based on a particular artist or song. Even when playing sub-genres, you can still view upcoming tracks, rearrange the playlist and dismiss songs. [Thanks, Rajiv] [Android Police]
Other random tidbits
AT&T crossed the 400 LTE market threshold this week, which by the carrier's estimation, covers 240 million Americans. [AT&T]
T-Mobile made similar waves in the LTE world this week by announcing that it now serves 180 million Americans across 154 markets. [TmoNews]
The FCC has announced that its upcoming H Block spectrum auction will take place on January 14th, 2014. [FierceWireless]
The BlackBerry Q5 is now available for $400 outright at both Wind Mobile and Videotron. Separately, Wind Mobile is also now carrying the Sony Xperia ZL, which sells for $329 on-contract or $629 outright. [MobileSyrup 1, 2]
