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Mobile Miscellany: week of April 22nd, 2013

Zachary Lutz
Updated ·4 min read
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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, a familiar smartphone leaked that's said to join the prepaid ranks at Verizon Wireless, AT&T swung back against the DOJ, and Rogers issued its quarterly earnings. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of April 22nd, 2013.

LG Optimus Exceed spilled for Verizon prepaid lineup

Mobile Miscellany week of April 22nd, 2013

Last year, the LG Lucid held its own as one of our favorite budget smartphones on Verizon Wireless. Now, if @evleaks is to be believed, it'll make a return to the carrier's prepaid lineup as the Optimus Exceed. It's reported that even the model number will remain the same, which means you can expect a 4-inch WVGA handset that packs a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3, a 5MP camera and 8GB of storage. Seeing that the Lucid was updated to Ice Cream Sandwich (but not Jelly Bean), it seems likely that we'll see Android 4.0 in this go-around. That said, we'd love to be wrong. [9to5Google]

Rogers releases Q1 2013 earnings

Canada's heavyweight telecom, Rogers, announced the results of its first quarter of operations for 2013, and wouldn't you know it... the company raked in a record amount of cash. Rogers posted a profit of $414 million, which is a 15 percent increase from the previous year, and revenues are up 3 percent for the company, which now sit at $3 billion for Q1. Among Rogers' postpaid subscribers, 71 percent now hold a smartphone, and with a whopping 22 percent rise in wireless data revenue, the company's average revenue per user (ARPU) for the postpaid segment is now up to $68.56. Rogers now holds 7.8 million postpaid subscribers, which is a gain of 257,000 from the year prior. [MobileSyrup]

AT&T blasts DOJ's low-frequency spectrum recommendation

If you recall the Justice Department's recent report that recommended Sprint and T-Mobile receive preferential consideration in low-spectrum auctions, it's easy to understand why AT&T may want a say in the matter -- after all, it's pretty much par for the course. This time around, company senior VP and general counsel, Wayne Watts, blasted the move, saying, "It is surprising that the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice would even propose measures that are so nakedly designed to help specific companies," which he followed with, "The Commission's mandate under the Communications Act is to promote the competitive process, not to pick winners and losers in that process." Naturally, AT&T and DOJ officials disagree over the necessary elements for a competitive environment. According to the DOJ, AT&T currently holds market power. [FierceWireless]

Other random tidbits

  • Cincinnati Bell welcomed the HTC One ($300) and Sony Xperia ZL ($249) into its smartphone ranks this week. Both phones are available for purchase now. [Cincinnati Bell]

  • The Nexus 4 was revealed for a near-term arrival at Bell Mobility, where it'll cost $424.95 outright. [MobileSyrup]

  • The HTC One is now available from Sasktel for $649.99 outright. [MobileSyrup]

  • Bell Mobility and Virgin Mobile welcomed the Sony Xperia J into the fold this week, which is priced free on-contract at Bell or at $179.95 outright on Virgin. [MobileSyrup]

  • Chrome for iOS was updated with security and stability fixes. [Google Chrome Releases]

  • Following a similar release for Android, WordPress was updated for BlackBerry 10 with the same interface. [CrackBerry]

  • Moviefone for Android received a significant visual overhaul that now incorporates Holo style guidelines. [Android Police]

  • Telstra revealed that it'll soon introduce data share plans for its Australian subscribers. [Android Australia]

  • Rogers activated LTE networks this week in Ottawa and its suburbs of Cumberland, Gloucester, Kanata, Nepean and Stittsville. Likewise, the carrier also brought its LTE network to Airdrie, Alberta; Langely, B.C.; Grimsby, Hamilton, Keswick, Orillia and Stratford, Ontario. [Android Central]

  • AT&T introduced its LTE network to Shelbyville, Ky., Morgantown, W.Va., Petersburg, Va., Flint, Mich., Kokomo, Ind., Springfield, Mo., and portions of Acadiana, La. The network also expanded its LTE network within Denver, Colo., and northwest Mississippi. [PR Newswire 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

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[Mobile Miscellany photo credit: Thristian / Flickr]