CarrierBrandedHandsets
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Sprint Force LTE handset leaks, due March 1st from ZTE
Sometimes tips come out of the blue: while one of our editors was out and about earlier today, someone sent him the Sprint product page above. Turns out it's for a 4-inch Sprint-branded Android phone, the Force, which looks like a version of ZTE's rumored Force that will conveniently work with the carrier's sparkling new LTE installations. Specs are middling, with Android 4.0, an unnamed 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4-inch Gorilla Glass adorned display, 5-megapixel rear camera, 1-megapixel front camera, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of ROM and a 1,730mAh battery. Still, that'll give you quick connection speeds for $50 when it launches March 1st -- presumably on a 2-year contract -- joining its more upmarket 4G ZTE stablemate, the 4.5-inch Flash, at Sprint.
Private-label handsets to bring in $10 billion this year
The majority of global wireless customers want the latest technology with the lowest price when it comes to wireless handsets, right? Global sales of entry-level cellphones in established and emerging markets would seem to confirm this. As such, new research concludes that private-label handset sales will jump 23 percent this year on the way to a $10.7 billion total market. In essence, no longer are those exclusive private carrier "brands" being relegated to higher-end handsets and smartphones (or so the predictions state). The theory behind this is the growing popularity of carrier branding and software customizations needed on low-end handset models -- without large cost additions. Local suppliers, in turn, may be able to fill these needs. Result: more private-label (carrier-branded) and low-end handsets are coming.[Via mocoNews.net and The Mobile Weblog]
