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Cricket's ZTE Chorus hands-on
Cricket's latest Muve music service device -- which by the way just became the 2nd most popular music service in the US -- the ZTE Chorus made an appearance at CES so we decided to give it a once over. First off, the OS kinda looks like Android, though, of course isn't. The housing, and display quality are rather low end, and while we can look past the housing quality being cheap, we can't ignore the fact that the display and touch sensitivity on this phone is very poor. On the upside it does have Muve and for folks looking to get in on that ecosystem, the $50 Chorus might just be the ticket for those only concerned with music. Quick gallery is just below.
Cricket unveils ZTE Chorus, its third Muve Music smartphone
We're not saying much, but a little bird told us about this travesty months and months ago. Now, it seems that Cricket is ready to act on its plans, and well, here's the ZTE Chorus. It's certainly a handsome device, but sadly, there's not a whole lot going on underneath the hood. It combines a 3.2-inch 400 x 240 (WQVGA) resistive touch display with a 600MHz CPU, a 2 megapixel camera and a 1000mAh battery. Seeking redemption, the Chorus is the third smartphone in Cricket's stable to offer Muve Music access, and its $40 price tag (after some hefty rebates) is nothing to sneeze at, but really, even without contract, don't saddle yourselves down with this one, folks. The Samsung Vitality is a much better device, costs only two Jacksons more, and is free of all that self-loathing buyer's remorse. Yes, we hear the chorus, but why not travel to the beat of a different drum? If you haven't been fully dissuaded, you'll find the complete PR after the break.
Cricket takes a great leap forward, expands footprint with a little help from retail friends
After inking a wholesale spectrum agreement with Sprint last year, Leap's going for broke and rolling its "value-driven" Cricket service out nationwide on September 25th. The expansion includes a sprinkling of Walmart stores, Dollar General and even cable-shopping channel HSN, but the majority of its new reach will come from a partnership with Best Buy. In addition to offering monthly plans for dumb and smartphones alike, the operator's also serving up specific Muve Music service packages to play nice with three upcoming handsets. Along with the Samsung Vitality and ZTE Chorus (both to be available before the holidays), Cricket's introducing its first ZTE smartphone -- the Score. Don't go looking for high-end specs here, as the 3.5-inch Android device runs Gingerbread atop a 600MHz processor and includes a 3.2 megapixel camera. Feature phone users will also get a couple of new options to choose, with the Huawei Pillar and Samsung Chrono offered on the provider's PAYGo service. If you're in the mood to dig through PR spiel, skip past the break for a trio of pressers.
Cricket intros the Samsung Vitality, the first Android to offer Muve Music
If executed properly, Muve Music could be a pretty nifty idea. But up until now, the all-you-can download music service from Cricket Wireless has been offered on the Samsung Suede featurephone... and that's it. Fortunately, the Samsung Vitality will come to the rescue as the prepaid carrier's first smartphone to provide the beats. We've seen this device before as the Admire, which runs on Android 2.3, has a 3.5-inch HVGA (480 x 320) display and is powered by an 800MHz CPU. The phone also includes a 3.2 megapixel cam, 1,600mAh battery and a 4GB microSD card. It may not sound all that tempting, but the price could turn a few heads: the Vitality will be available for $200 -- that's sans contract, folks -- and requires a $65 plan which will hook you up with unlimited data, voice and music. Sounds like this Muve Music feature has sprung back to life. Follow the break for the full press release.
Samsung Vitality with Muve Music serenades itself to Cricket
If you remember the Samsung Admire at MetroPCS, then the manufacturer's Vitality handset will look mighty familiar. It's coming to Cricket and will join the Suede (a feature phone) as the network's only smartphone with Muve Music. Like the Admire, it features an 800MHz CPU, 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 3.2MP camera and runs stock Gingerbread. While its price and release date remain elusive, we're told the requisite plan will ring in at $65 per month -- a spendy leap for the network that goes chirp in the night. Perhaps that's the rub when you combine an Android plan with unlimited song downloads, ringtones and ringback tones. Hey, nobody ever said it'd be cheap to be law-abiding. [Thanks, Daone]
Cricket Muve music service and Samsung Suede hands-on
Cricket offered us a chance at a deeper look and demo of its Muve music service this week at CES, and of course we just couldn't pass it up. First off, the Samsung Suede -- while only a feature phone -- seems to be a fairly capable device, wandering between the many sub menus within the app was slick, smooth, without major hiccups, and general usability was snappy. The Muve service rings in at $55 and brings all kinds of unlimited together: nationwide calling, text -- including unlimited global text -- picture / video messaging, 3G mobile web, unlimited full track downloads, ringtones, and ringback tones. The service will launch in Las Vegas this month -- so we'll expect some of you'll need to polish your patience skills -- and roll out to other markets during Q1 and early Q2. The intro music lineup includes some one million tracks with a major bump to two and a half million in a month or two. The show was about as loud as a jet taking off. So, as to sonic fidelity, that remains a question, but a trip to your local brick and mortal can definitely satisfy your curiosity -- that is if you're pondering taking the plunge. %Gallery-112626%
