Mobile Miscellany: week of September 23rd, 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 brought a new LTE phone to Boost Mobile, hints of consolidation between Sprint and T-Mobile, and lastly, hints of what we might see at Nokia's upcoming 'innovation reinvented' event. 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 23rd, 2013.
Warp 4G arrives at Boost Mobile for $200
A refreshed version of the ZTE Warp has been unveiled for Boost Mobile, which is available now and sells for $200 outright. In addition to LTE connectivity, the Boost Warp 4G now includes a larger 4.5-inch HD (likely 720p) display, an upgraded 8-megapixel rear / 1MP front camera setup and Android 4.1. [Boost Mobile]
T-Mobile CFO calls Sprint merger 'a logical ultimate combination'
According to Braxton Carter, Chief Financial Officer for T-Mobile, it's not a matter of 'if' the Uncarrier and Now Network join forces, but 'when.' Speaking to Reuters at a Goldman Sachs investor conference, Carter made his case that consolidation would create a more competitive environment in the mobile industry, as both companies market share combined are dwarfed by the customer bases of AT&T and Verizon. He never mentioned whether the companies have engaged in talks, but said the deal is unlikely to happen in the near-term, due to the current regulatory environment that favors four national carriers. [Reuters]
Upcoming NFC tag and Asha phone leak
For a taste of what we might see at Nokia's upcoming 'innovation reinvented' event on October 22nd, look to the latest outings from @evleaks. This week, we were treated to a peek of a colorful NFC tag, along with the Asha 502, which was shown in blue, green, red, yellow, white and black, all enclosed in a clear outer casing. [@evleaks (Twitter) (1), (2)]
Other random tidbits
Canadians can look forward to nationwide arrival of the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Gear, Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy S III Mini on October 4th, with the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition to follow in November. Carriers for the note will include Note 3, Bell, Rogers, Telus, Eastlink, Mobilicity, MTS, SaskTel, Videotron and Wind Mobile. [MobileSyrup]
Rogers has inked a deal with AT&T to provide LTE roaming in the US, but pricing is rather steep, which starts at $7.99 per day for 50MB. [Rogers]
With its latest addition of 8 new LTE markets, AT&T now provides LTE coverage to 400 markets in the US. [Android Community]
Songza, the free music discovery app that organizes songs around moods, is now available for Windows Phone 8. [Windows Phone Central]
Wunderlist Pro for Android, iOS, the web and desktop now supports real-time commenting. [Wunderlist Blog]
The Galaxy Trend 3 is now official for availability within China, which includes a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, Android 4.2 and dual-SIM functionality. [Unwired View]
Must-read mobile stories
AT&T CEO talks up plan for LTE Broadcast video network, remains light on specifics
LG Vu 3 official: 5.2-inch 4:3 display, Snapdragon 800, 13MP camera, LTE-A
Oppo N1 puts a 13MP camera on a hinge, comes with CyanogenMod extras
Samsung ISOCELL smartphone camera sensors promise better colors in low-light
Sony Xperia Z1 review: a high-spec cameraphone without the hump
