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Mobile Miscellany: week of September 19, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 19, 2011: Opera Software, builder of the popular mobile browser, announced it was acquiring Handster, an app store platform that supports Android, WP7, BlackBerry, and Symbian. [TechCrunch] Samsung unveiled three new HSDPA feature phones destined for India: the Champ 3.5G (S3770), Primo (S5610) and Chat 527 (S5270). [UnwiredView and SammyHub] A leaked image indicates the HTC Hero S will be coming to US Cellular in the near future. The device appears to be the Kingdom, and is expected to feature a 1.2GHz single-core Qualcomm CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 4-inch qHD display and Gingerbread. [PocketNow] Speaking of US Cellular, the Motorola Electrify officially became available for purchase online this week (expected in stores on September 26th), and can be yours for $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate. [AndroidCentral] Wirefly accidentally outed press renders of the Samsung Stratosphere -- on the retailer's Pantech Breakout page. The images have since been removed. [OwenJohnston] A white version of the Samsung Galaxy S II is making the rounds in the UK, but we learned this week that Bell Canada will be launching it well before the holidays. Interestingly, the device in the image (seen above) has retained the international version's three-button layout. [MobileSyrup] Among the barrage of new phones Sprint's releasing on October 2nd is the BlackBerry Curve 9350, according to another leaked employee memo. The price will likely be $80 after a $50 mail-in rebate. [CrackBerry] T-Mobile MVNO Simple Mobile announced a new unlimited prepaid plan for BlackBerry devices for $60 / month, which includes access to T-Mo's HSPA+ network. [N4BB] Huawei appears to have outed press images of the Honor, which is said to have a 4-inch FWVGA LCD, Gingerbread, 1.4GHz CPU (no specifics known yet), and an 8MP rear camera accompanied by a front-facing cam (again, no details on the resolution here). [EuroDroid] A member of the iPhone Dev Team has released a new version of Redsn0w, its popular iOS jailbreaking software, known as 0.9.9b1. Check the link to get the full list of new features. [Technobolt]
Samsung Epic 4G Touch available for pre-order on Wirefly, early adopters get a $50 price break
There's nothing new whatsoever about high-demand phones becoming available for preorder, but it's not every day that you get a discount for being the first kid on the block to get one. As if there's any concern about pushing inventory of the Samsung Epic 4G Touch -- Sprint's variant of the Galaxy S II -- Wirefly is making the phone even more enticing by slashing $50 off the cost, bringing it down to $150 when signing up for a two-year agreement. Doing the math a different way, lighter on the checkbook plus a Samsung Galaxy S II equals happiness. Head to the source link to check out the deal.
Motorola Photon 4G gets the bargain bin treatment at Wirefly, Walmart
Pew pew. Those are the sounds we instantly hear whenever we come across Motorola's Photon 4G. Sadly, the soon-to-be dual-core star of Sprint's smartphone lineup won't come pre-loaded with a laser soundboard on July 31st, but it can be pre-ordered now -- for a significant markdown. All it takes is a quick internetting trip to either Wirefly or Walmart, where this WiMAX handset's up for a $20 - $40 discount. It's not a massive price chop on par with free, but it should move some yellow-tinged operator inventory. If walking the straight and narrow's your bag, you could still always opt for the direct carrier two-year contract option -- but why? Hit the source to get yourself in line for this cut-rate beast.
Wirefly: 'no Skype' on Thunderbolt, but simultaneous 3G voice and data is a go; ships on March 17th
Wireless retailer Wirefly is pushing ahead with pre-orders for the beleaguered HTC Thunderbolt starting at midnight Pacific Time this evening with the promise that they'll start shipping this Thursday, the 17th; that lines up with a whole lot of noise we've heard recently, so we can't really argue with it at this point. They're also confirming a couple rumors that have been floating around since the phone's January debut: first, they're saying "no Skype," which we're taking to mean that the promised Skype video calling app won't be installed out of the box. We're also assuming (or at least hoping) that you'll be able to install the standard voice-only version. Secondly, they're saying that the phone definitely does simultaneous voice and data over 3G, a feature that was just recently made possible on Verizon's CDMA network through software upgrades -- and the Thunderbolt, it seems, will be the first retail device to have the pleasure of taking it for a spin.
Wirefly dropping AT&T sales next month for reasons unknown
Wirefly -- one of the largest independent wireless retailers around -- has made waves in a post by CEO Andy Zeinfeld saying that they'll no longer be offering AT&T devices and contracts as of next month. The reasons for the move are unclear; Zeinfeld says that "circumstances prevent [them] from being able to deliver" on the company's customer service principles -- and considering that it's probably in Wirefly's best interest to offer as many carriers as it can in all but the most extenuating situations, there must be some serious drama going on here behind the scenes. We figure it could be a disagreement on commissions or the terms of Wirefly's contracts with its customers, but whatever the case, the company assures existing buyers that the terms of its guarantee still apply and that it "will work with AT&T toward the goal of offering their products and services again in the future." [Thanks, Dominic]
HTC Thunderbolt gets unboxed by Wirefly, Verizon delays launch?
Third-party mobile retailer Wirefly has just released a seven-minute video detailing the HTC Thunderbolt's unboxing procedure in glorious detail, something that's just liable to make the wait for prospective buyers even more excruciating. Speaking of waiting, word on the street is that the phone might be delayed from its previously-rumored Valentine's Day launch; an ominous screen shot over on Droid Life says there's "no ETA at this time," a fact corroborated by Amazon's removal of the launch date on its Thunderbolt product page. What's more, in announcing its unboxing, Wirefly only says that it'll "begin selling the Thunderbolt soon" without offering a date -- so yeah, all signs are pointing to an open-ended delay here. Let's hope it stays within the short bounds of February, eh? Follow the break for the full video.
HTC EVO Shift 4G handled on video by Wirefly
Kind of unusual for a top-tier third-party retailer to beat everyone else (including the manufacturer and carrier) to the punch with a detailed live video of a new smartphone -- but hey, really, who are we to complain? Wirefly has posted a nearly 10-minute introduction to the EVO Shift 4G that Sprint just made official this morning, comparing it to both an original EVO 4G and a Droid 2 so you can get a feel for the diminutive dimensions (relatively speaking, anyway). It looks pretty fast from the video, and the stock Quadrant score over 1,400 would seem to back up that impression -- but naturally, we're sure it can get even better with some careful ROM tweaking and a timely upgrade to Gingerbread. Follow the break for the full video.
