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Cricket brings 5G to all of its phone plans
Cricket is enabling 5G for all its phone plans, and it's doing away with the 8Mbps cap as a result.
Cricket customers will get free HBO Max, if they don't mind ads
Cricket now gives Unlimited plan customers HBO Max for 'free' — if they're willing to live with the ad-supported tier.
Cricket launches 5G service with just one phone
Cricket Wireless has introduced 5G service, but there's only one phone that can use it.
After Math: Can't stop, won't stop talking coronavirus coverage
It's the new sensation that's sweeping the nation: the coronavirus! Maybe you've heard of it. This week's headlines sure have.
AT&T and Cricket offer customers a $15 plan for a limited time
AT&T Prepaid and Cricket Wireless have launched a $15 phone plan that's available for a limited time to both new and existing customers. It comes with 2GB of data, unlimited talk and text and no activation fee -- and it's clearly a direct competitor to T-Mobile's $15 Connect offering.
A 4G flip phone with Google Assistant is coming to the US
Dumb phones are getting smarter. Last year Nokia showed us what was possible in a feature phone with its 8110 4G, now Alcatel is leveraging the same operating system, Kai, to launch a 4G flip phone with Google Assistant integration, as well as apps such as WhatsApp and YouTube.
Nokia returns to the US with help from Verizon and Cricket Wireless
Nokia phones' license holder, HMD Global, chose to put its US ambitions in the back burner to focus on markets where the brand has been enjoying a resurgence these past few years. Now, the company has decided that it's time to release phones in the US with carrier partners again. HMD has teamed up with Verizon and Cricket Wireless to launch two carrier-exclusive Nokia Android smartphones in the country. Neither phone will be available to post-paid subscribers -- Big Red will offer the device under its prepaid offerings -- but the partnerships could still put Nokia phones in more people's hands.
Cricket adds data to its most affordable smartphone plans
AT&T's low-cost Cricket brand has historically been somewhat stingy with data unless you've bee willing to pay almost as much as you would for a regular AT&T plan, but it's loosening things up a bit on November 5th. The budget carrier is adding more data to its most affordable smartphone plans and increasing the worth of its unlimited service. To begin with, you now get 2GB of full-speed data on a $30 plan (versus just 1GB before), and 5GB of data instead of 4GB on the $40 plan. That may not sound like much if you're used to watching Netflix on your phone, but it promises to make a big difference if you're keeping your costs down -- you don't have to be quite so cautious about sharing a photo or streaming some music.
Cricketers will use smart bats to track their performances
Cricket is a game of technique. Throwing the perfect out-swinger, or hitting a clean square drive takes a tremendous amount of practice and skill. If you're watching a professional match at home, it can be hard to keep up with the mind games or understand where a player's execution went wrong. To help, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is adopting bats that have swing-sensing chips inside. They'll be used by "several" batsmen including Ben Stokes, Alex Hales and Jason Roy at the Champions Trophy, which takes place in London, Birmingham and Cardiff next month.
All the places you can buy the Galaxy S8 and S8+
If you're looking to make sure you're among the first to own Samsung's swanky new Galaxy S8 but don't want to line up outside a store on April 21st, you're in luck. Major and minor carriers alike have announced that they're running pre-order campaigns (with some hefty incentives) starting as early as tomorrow. Here's what each has planned:
The best tech for students who like to party
That's all students, right? Right? While not everyone will be headed to toga parties on frat row (we applaud your decision there), all of you are going to need some gear to keep you amused when class isn't in session. In addition to some of the more predictable stuff, like speakers and a Chromecast, we have some more off-kilter recommendations, including an electronic dartboard, a USB turntable, a "music festival survival kit" and even a vaporizer, if that's your idea of a good time. Check out the gallery below for all our party gear picks, and make sure to peruse our full back-to-school guide right here.
BT outbowls Sky to show England's next Ashes series
The 2015 Ashes series may only have concluded yesterday (with England retaining the urn), but broadcasters are already focusing their attention to the next round of tests in two winters' time. After stealing a significant chunk of Sky's prized football coverage away, BT announced today that it's won the rights to the 2017-18 Ashes series, dealing a heavy blow to its rival in the process. As part of its bid, the company secured access to Australian International Cricket and KFC Big Bash League matches from 2016 to 2021, which will include the five all-important Ashes matches in late 2017.
NASA thinks a robotic eel might be the key to exploring Europa
We've seen the submarine that NASA wants to explore Saturn's moon Titan with, but compared to what the aeronautics outfit's looking at for icy climes like Jupiter's Europa it's downright pedestrian. The wormy-looking contraption up above is actually considered a type of amphibious rover and it's pretty different from the Deep-SCINI we've seen previously. Because there aren't exactly electrical outlets anywhere aside from Earth and relying on solar power might not always be feasible, it has to use alternative means for energy. In this case, NASA says antenna on the soft robot's back would draw energy from "locally changing magnetic fields."
ESPN offers standalone subscription for the Cricket World Cup
Talks of ESPN's standalone options are nothing new, and for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the network is offering a cable-free standalone subscription. Access to the event's six-week slate of 49 matches will cost viewers $100 for viewing on the web. Teams from 14 countries begin competition on February 13th, and if you're interested, sign-ups go live on the 3rd. As you might expect, the subscription includes access to all the action via iOS and Android apps too, options that ESPN says will arrive ahead of the first inning. The matches won't air on WatchESPN or any of the traditional channels, but pay-TV companies like Dish Network and Time Warner Cable will serve it up as a pay-per-view add-on -- if you're looking to bundle the bills. If you'll recall, rumors of ESPN's standalone NBA subscription began circulating last fall, and the broadcaster could do the same with Major League Soccer in the future. [Photo credit: Scott Barbour/Getty Images ]
Cricket replaces its music service with one you're more likely to use
Heard any good tunes on Cricket's Muve Music lately? No? We won't blame you. While the all-you-can-listen service has been easy to get on Cricket's phones, it's not all that compelling when powerful alternatives like Rdio and Spotify exist. However, you'll soon have a good reason to use the budget carrier's app of choice -- Deezer just bought Muve Music, and Cricket is unveiling an exclusive deal that brings Deezer's streaming music service to US phones for the first time. If you're a Cricket customer, you can subscribe to Deezer's unlimited access plan for $6 per month instead of the $10 you typically pay for rivals. That's a good enough bargain that even Google Play Music's $8 promo plan looks a tad expensive by comparison.
Nokia Lumia 1320 comes to the US through Cricket, sales begin June 13th
It's been so long since Nokia announced the Lumia 1320 that we just sort of assumed it wasn't headed to the US. Heck, even when the 1320 showed up in an FCC filing we weren't convinced -- after all, it was impossible to tell then what carrier would even support the phone. Well, now we know: Cricket Wireless has just announced that it will start selling the 1320 on June 13th, making it the only US operator to offer the 6-inch Windows Phone. If you're not already a Cricket customer, this might not be reason enough to switch; the device's cumbersome size and patchy call quality are already knocks against. But for Cricket customers, at least, this could be interesting: The 1320 is the closest thing the carrier has to a phablet, and it's only the second Windows Phone device on offer (the other is the much-smaller Lumia 520). In any case, if you happen to be a Cricket user who loves WP8 and wants a bigger-screened handset, this will go on sale Friday for $300 $230 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Note: the rebate is only good through July 10th, so if you really want this thing, better get cracking.
AT&T relaunches Cricket prepaid brand with nationwide 4G coverage
It's a brand new day for Cricket, AT&T's budget wireless arm. Last year, the mobile giant announced plans to acquire Leap Wireless, Cricket's parent company, and has since launched a major refresh, formally introducing the new service today. After purchasing new devices, Cricket customers will be able to access AT&T's nationwide 4G network, including LTE. All plans include unlimited domestic calling, messaging and international texting to 35 countries, and come in at $35, $45 and $55 monthly (after a $5 auto pay credit), with 500MB, 2.5GB and 5GB of data, respectively. You won't be charged for data overages -- instead, Cricket will cap your speed at 128 Kbps for the rest of the billing period.
GameStop to close 120 stores, increase focus on mobile
GameStop intends to close 120 video game retail stores in the current fiscal year as part of its "GameStop 3.0" initiative, the company announced at its 2014 Investor Day event this week. Its plan to scale back gaming operations involves a bigger push into the mobile space, as it will open between 200 and 250 Spring Mobile stores, 20 to 25 Simply Mac locations and 100 to 150 Cricket stores, more than doubling all three retail efforts. The plan to shut down 120 gaming retail locations was first revealed last month in GameStop's guidance for the 2014 year during its fiscal 2013 financial results announcement. The number of stores it expected to close wasn't clear at the time; GameStop noted plans to shutter approximately two percent of its 6,600 stores, amounting to a reduction of roughly 132 stores. We've reached out to GameStop to find out which locations will close in the coming year and will update as we learn more. [Image: GameStop]
FCC approves AT&T's acquisition of Leap Wireless, with some strings attached
AT&T's buyout of Leap Wireless is clearly going more smoothly than its failed bid for T-Mobile. The FCC has just approved the Leap acquisition, leaving only the Department of Justice's A-OK between AT&T and its dreams of additional spectrum. However, the carrier will have to abide by some conditions if it wants all that extra bandwidth. AT&T will have to launch LTE on Leap's unused airwaves no later than a year after the deal wraps up; the provider must also roll out LTE in parts of Texas within 18 months, offload some spectrum in the state and maintain roaming deals while Cricket's network is running. These kinds of requirements are par for the course in wireless mergers, though, and we suspect that it won't be long before AT&T has yet another company under its belt.
Daily Update for October 14, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
