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Mobile Miscellany: week of May 28th, 2012

Zachary Lutz
Updated ·4 min read

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we learned of another possible prepaid destination for the iPhone (hint: it's a subsidiary of Sprint), and Samsung announced a combined sales total of 50 million Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones. 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 May 28th, 2012.

iPhone 4 / 4S reportedly coming to Boost Mobile this fall

Cricket may have been the first US prepaid carrier to snag Apple's smartphone, but according to TechnoBuffalo's Mark Hearn (previously of SprintFeed), Boost Mobile is also set to snag both the iPhone 4 and 4S in early September. Hearn stated that it's unclear whether the latest addition would qualify for the carrier's $50/month unlimited plan -- although anything more expensive would be quite the folly if Boost expects customers to purchase the phone outright. [TechnoBuffalo]

Virgin Mobile launches unlimited WiMAX hotspot plans, starting at $35/mo

Mobile Miscellany week of May 28th, 2012

With services from Freedom Pop, NetZero and H2O Bolt cropping up, it's becoming quite obvious that Clearwire and Sprint have a bit of excess capacity on the WiMAX network. Now, Virgin Mobile is jumping into the game with its offer of an unlimited 4G hotspot data plan for just $35/mo. The plan carries a restriction of just 2GB of data usage on Sprint's 3G network, but for those needing more of that slow, slow connection, Virgin is also offering a $55/mo plan that carries a 5GB limit on the 3G network -- also with unlimited 4G. The MVNO currently has two devices that'll support WiMAX: a USB dongle for $100 and a mobile hotspot for $150. [Phone Arena]

Samsung announces 50 million Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones sold

It's a bit of a PR stunt and a worthwhile milestone at the same time, but Samsung has officially sold a combined total of 50 million Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones. Broken down, it works out to 24 million units for the Galaxy S and 28 million for its more powerful sibling. Also of note -- no pun intended -- Samsung has announced that Galaxy Note's sales have now exceeded seven million. When we last checked in with the Galaxy Note at the end of March, it'd topped just five million -- not bad for a phone so large that the term 'phablet' was coined. [Samsung PR (translated)]

Leak suggests Virgin Mobile Canada to launch BlackBerry Curve 9320

Mobile Miscellany week of May 28th, 2012

Brace yourselves for mediocrity, but internal documents suggest that Virgin Mobile Canada is set to make the BlackBerry Curve 9320 official on June 4th. According to MobileSyrup, the phone will sell for a very reasonable $150, which seems rather necessary given it's non-touch QVGA display. For what it's worth, its integrated BBM button can now be called... well, the BBM button. [MobileSyrup]

Telus now offers iPhone unlock service, fee said to be $50

Mobile Miscellany week of May 28th, 2012

MobileSyrup recently reported that Telus would soon offer its services to unlock the iPhone for its customers, and sure enough, the carrier's site now confirms it. You'll need to place a call to Telus customer support to get the wheels in motion, and it's claimed that you'll be charged $50 for the assist. [MobileSyrup, Telus Mobility]

Other random tidbits

  • The HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE is thought to debut on Verizon Wireless for an obnoxious $300, but a recent leak suggests that the carrier hopes to take the sting off with an equally obnoxious $50 rebate. [PhoneArena]

  • The LG Optimus L7 is now available for pre-order in Canada through Future Shop. [MobileSyrup]

  • AT&T has expanded its LTE network to Cleveland, Ohio. [AT&T Wireless PR]

  • Sprint has acquired another billion dollars of debt -- otherwise known as financing -- from Deutsche Bank and others, which will be used to purchase equipment from Ericsson in pursuit of the carrier's Network Vision project. [Phone Scoop]

  • The Motorola RAZR Maxx is now official for Telcel in Mexico, which is said to be available during the first part of this month. [Motorola PR]