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iPhone 5c, 5s coming to Boost Mobile on November 8
This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, considering that just about every other regional and/or prepaid mobile carrier in the US has announced that they'll soon have (or already have) the new iPhones. Today's addition to the long list of carriers is Boost Mobile, a prepaid mobile virtual network operator hosted on the Sprint network. The company will begin offering the iPhone 5s and 5c on November 8, and existing or potential Boost Mobile customers can get more information here. Show full PR text Boost Mobile to Offer iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on November 8 IRVINE, Calif. – October 21, 2013 – Boost Mobile, a leader in the no-contract wireless industry with its exclusive Monthly Unlimited plan with Shrinking Payments, today announced it will offer iPhone 5s, the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, and iPhone 5c, the most colorful iPhone yet, to customers beginning on November 8. For more information please visit: www.boostmobile.com/shop/iphone. For more information on iPhone, please visit: www.apple.com/iphone. About Boost Mobile Boost Mobile, recently recognized by J.D. Power as "Highest Satisfaction with the Purchase Experience among Non-Contract Wireless Providers," offers wireless phones and services with no long-term contracts. Boost Mobile redefines value for wireless consumers with its Monthly Unlimited with Shrinking Payments no-contract service, where the longer you stay the less you pay with on-time payments for unlimited voice, text and data[1]. Boost Mobile offers nationwide voice service on the Nationwide Sprint Network, reaching more than 278 million people, with no long-distance fees. Boost Mobile offers a selection of quality handsets from BlackBerry, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola and Samsung, ranging from entry-level to Android™ smartphone devices available nationwide at nearly 20,000 major retail stores, including Best Buy, RadioShack, Target, Walgreens and Walmart, Sprint retail stores, independent wireless dealer locations, and on HSN, a leading TV home shopping network. Re-Boost® Cards are available at approximately 100,000 locations throughout the United States. Experience Boost Mobile on the Web at Facebook and Twitter; and purchase products at www.boostmobile.com. # # # [1] Monthly plans include 2.5GB of high-speed data and video streaming limited to 3G speeds.
iPhone 5s and 5c coming to Boost Mobile on November 8th
Apple and the Sprint-owned Boost Mobile aren't the best of buddies, but that's all set to change on November 8th. The carrier has announced that it'll be offering the iPhone 5c and 5s starting the second week of next month, confirming the leaks we saw back in September. You'll be able to snag the devices on Boost's shrinking payments plans, which gives you unlimited talk and text with 2.5GB data for $55 a month.
Boost Mobile ships Samsung Galaxy Prevail II for $180 off-contract
Well over two years after the original graced Boost Mobile's shelves, Samsung's Galaxy Prevail II is being announced for the same carrier. Available for just $179.99 in off-contract form, the handset ships with Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), a 4-inch WVGA touchscreen, 5-megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing cam, and a 1.4GHz processor. You'll also find a 1,750mAh battery, inbuilt GPS / WiFi modules and Bluetooth 4.0. The prepaid carrier is hawking this on its contract-free $55 / month plan, which just so happens to shrink by $5 per month for every six on-time payments -- in other words, those who hang around long enough will eventually be paying as little as $40 / month for nationwide talk, text and picture messaging, as well as web access. Not too shabby, eh?
Boost Mobile Wallet app and prepaid Visa hands-on
Boost Mobile launched a Mobile Wallet app and service today at CTIA 2013 with an interesting twist in that it is tied to a Visa Prepaid card. Boost Mobile customers simply hit up a store to get signed up, download an app onto their handset and once funds are added to their account can use them in a wide variety of ways. From sending money via the app to people in 135 other countries, the ability to pay more than 3,500 billers nationwide, top up your prepaid account and using the included Visa debit card any money in your account can be accessed via that card as well. The app also makes use of your handset's camera with its Quick Check feature -- which is coming soon -- allowing an account holder to snap a photo of a check and submit it using the app to have the check's value added to your mobile wallet once approved -- which is nifty, if you don't use a bank we suppose. There are no month-to-month fees for the service but each bill you pay will cost some $2 and climbs depending on how quickly you need the payment made against the account. The service launches in Los Angeles, San Diego and parts of New Jersey today with rollout to all markets expected by the end of the year. %Gallery-189034%
Boost Mobile now offers unlimited calling to Mexico for $15 per month
We've seen US-based wireless operators offer low-cost calling to Mexico before -- and frankly, creations like Google Voice and Skype have made it cheaper than ever to make a cross-border voice call -- but it's not everyday that you see an MVNO launch a dedicated calling plan to MX. That said, Boost Mobile is today introducing a $15 per month add-on that allows its users to phone up every single landline and mobile number in the country immediately south of America, assuming that it's added on to a monthly unlimited plan. Curiously, the offer is only designed to stand through June 6th, and the company isn't mentioning what that sum will rise to after said date. For those who indulge, that $15 also includes limitless calling to landlines in over 45 nations (including Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Colombia), unlimited calling to Canada, unlimited international text messaging worldwide from the United States and reduced calling rates to over 200 other destinations. Of course, this is assuming you still communicate via voice, which may or may not be true at this stage.
Sprint allows its prepaid carrier partners to de-brand Android phones, rid devices of bloatware
In a move that could only be viewed as a step in the right direction, Sprint has just made a major move in the battle against bloatware. Its newly-unveiled Custom Branded Device Program is being introduced just as prepaid carriers are beginning to see something of a resurgence. In a nutshell, the initiative enables its MVNO partners (carriers like Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile) to customize white-label Android phones. In case you needed to hear it another way, it'll give those partners the ability to "completely de-brand devices from Sprint." Of course, this opens the door for said partners to litter these phones with their own software, but it also provides an option to see phones in a manner that Americans rarely see unless they opt for pricier global (and unlocked) models. Sprint is hoping that the program will allow its MVNO partners -- carriers who sell phones under their own brand but actually rely on Sprint's network for service -- to "have greater, and potentially quicker, access to a large selection of completely de-branded marquee Android handsets out of Sprint and Boost Mobile device inventory with volume pricing included." Presently, Sprint has three devices available for this program -- LG Optimus G, LG Mach and Sprint Flash -- but additional devices are expected to be added by the month's end. Perhaps most interestingly, we reported back in July of 2011 that Sprint was making a "conscious decision to scale back bloatware on smartphones." Here's hoping that decision is soon realized.
Virgin and Boost add LTE handsets to their pre-paid rosters
Just because you don't have a contract tying you down doesn't mean you don't deserve LTE speeds, right? Boost and Virgin Mobile will be getting their very own 4G handsets, with help from Sprint's network. You can pick up Samsung's Galaxy Victory 4G LTE over on Virgin's site, starting today for $300 a pop (with more retailers getting in on the action in the middle of next month). Over on Boost, they've got HTC's One SV and the four-inch Boost Force, both dropping on March 7th. Those handsets will run you $300 and $200, respectively.
Where you at? Sprint Direct Connect Now brings push-to-talk to select Android devices
Sprint announced on Wednesday the availability of its new Direct Connect Now Android app, which brings push-to-talk capabilities to the Kyocera Rise and LG Optimus Elite with support for other devices "coming soon." Compatible with both Nextel and Sprint Direct Connect devices, this free app features group calls for up to 21 people, touchscreen controls, call alert notifications and contact synchronization. While we appreciate this advancement in push-to-talk communication, we can't help but shed a tear reminiscing about the good old days of Boost Mobile's "where you at?" campaign. Please join us as we pour one out and celebrate faded memories of the chirp.
Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: fall 2012 edition
Shopping for a smartphone can be an exciting and arduous experience. Along with the promise of something new and fantastic, it brings the fear of commitment, and even worse, the prospect of saddling yourself to a lousy device for two years. Fortunately for you, Engadget spends tons of time playing with the latest gear and we're constantly on the lookout for what's coming next. If you're wanting to take the pain out of shopping for a smartphone, you've come to the right place. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: your one-stop resource to finding the best and most exciting handsets on the market today. Before you dive in, however, we've introduced a few changes to the buyer's guide, so take a minute to prepare yourself for what's in store. First and foremost, you'll now find alternate selections to supplement our top picks. This should already be familiar to many of you, which is the same format we use for our seasonal gift guides. The next one is a biggie: we've dropped the QWERTY selection. By and large, manufacturers and carriers alike have shifted their focus away from keyboard-equipped smartphones, and you'll rarely find more than one option on any given carrier. That said, if you still insist on the tactile experience, you'll always find everything you need to know in our reviews. Finally, whenever possible, you'll now find prices from Amazon Wireless, which allows us to provide you with more compelling budget selections and highlight the substantial savings that you can score by circumventing the carriers. It's not like they need your charity, anyway. If you're curious to see how it all unfolded -- and we know you are -- join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.
Boost Mobile announces the LG Venice: a $220, 4.3-inch handset with Ice Cream Sandwich
It's only been a few days since we saw those leaked shots of what was rumored to be Boost Mobile's own variant of that Optimus L7 -- and, well, today the LG handset sees its official debut on the prepaid carrier. The LG Venice, as it'll be more commonly known around these parts, boasts a 4.3-inch, WVGA screen alongside a 1GHz CPU, a 5-megapixel camera on the rear (VGA quality on the front) and a video mode capable of shooting up to 720p recordings -- of course, this is all running LG's UI 3.0 flavor of Ice Cream Sandwich. As we've become accustomed to, Boost Mobile is pricing its new Android handset at a decent price ($220), with the device expected to start hitting "exclusive" shelves on October 10th and other "select" retail shops later the same month.
LG Optimus L7 leaks for Boost Mobile as the Venice
The merriment continues at evleaks, which just spilled another smartphone via Twitter. This time it's the LG Venice for Boost Mobile: a rebadged version of the Optimus L7 that just so happens to sport a handsome silvery backplate. This is the second version of the Optimus L7 to be geared for US shores, the first being the Splendor for US Cellular. Absent any drastic changes, shoppers can rightfully expect to find an Android 4.0 smartphone that's paired with a single-core 1GHz CPU, a 4.3-inch WVGA display and a 5-megapixel camera that'll capture video at 720p. Unfortunately, pricing for the Venice remains up in the air, which makes it difficult to know whether it'll provide much of a value proposition within Boost's lineup. Likewise, the all-important release date is also a mystery, although with the carrier actively refreshing its fall lineup, a near-term arrival is certainly within reason.
ZTE Warp Sequent now available on Boost Mobile for $200
Boost Mobile has a history of recycling Sprint's smartphones, but every now and then it releases a first-run phone of its own. This time around we're looking at the ZTE Warp Sequent, a fitting follow-up to last year's ZTE Warp. Packed to capacity with entry-level goodness, the Warp Sequent features a 4.3-inch qHD display, a 1.4GHz processor, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3-megapixel front shooter, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and Android 4.0. So, if you've got a serious hankering for an off-contract Android running last year's operating system, the ZTE Warp Sequent can be yours for $200.
Boost Mobile announces Samsung Galaxy Rush with Android 4.0, available late September for $150
Boost Mobile is in New York City today to take the wraps off of its new fall lineup, and in addition to the Galaxy S II 4G, it'll be joined by the Samsung Galaxy Rush, a small (but slightly souped-up) smartphone that sports Android 4.0. Noteworthy specs include a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen and a 3-megapixel camera. While built-in storage is limited to just 4GB, users will find a microSD slot for expansion. The phone also sports a rather healthy battery, which weighs in at 1,750mAh. According to Boost, the Samsung Galaxy Rush will hit stores in late September for $150.%Gallery-163186% Additionally, Boost Mobile is also unveiling the Samsung Array, a feature phone with a sliding QWERTY keyboard. You'll see it hit stores on September 4th for $60, and you can sneak a peek of it after the break.
Boost Mobile to launch Samsung Galaxy S II 4G on September 6th for $360
Boost Mobile is cranking out a trio of Samsung devices today, and the headliner is the Galaxy S II 4G. Essentially a prepaid version of Sprint's ever-popular Epic 4G Touch, the device will be all yours starting on September 6th for $360. As expected, it sports a 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos chipset, 8MP rear camera with 1080p video capture, 2MP front-facing cam, a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1,800mAh battery and WiMAX and EVDO rev A connectivity. Fortunately, it will run Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, and comes in both white and black options. Read on below for the full press release.%Gallery-163184%
Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: summer 2012 edition
Despite the sweltering heat waves, our spirits are high at Engadget, and for good reason: it's time for our summer edition of the smartphone buyer's guide. Here, you'll find our top recommendations for the best smartphones across several US carriers, along with the best QWERTY and budget alternatives. In many ways, it's now easier than ever to find a world-class smartphone, but unless you've developed a strong brand preference, choosing one is likely more difficult than ever before. It's no secret that the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III have firmly cemented themselves as the premier smartphones of the day, but if you're torn between the two, we'll reveal our preference in this latest installment. Summertime also brought a bit of a shock, as Microsoft revealed that Windows Phone 8 apps won't be compatible with the current generation of Windows Phone hardware. For this reason, we've excluded all Windows Phone handsets from consideration in the latest buyer's guide. While the future of Microsoft's mobile platform looks incredibly bright, a purchase now would guarantee obsolescence in the short-term. Instead, all prospective Windows Phone purchasers must wait for the next generation of handsets to become available -- you'll regret it otherwise. Naturally, there is no shortage of rumors surrounding the next Apple iPhone, and given the handset's current lack of LTE connectivity, the iPhone 4S is certainly showing its age. While cautious purchasers may choose to bide their time, the iPhone remains top-notch in many other respects, and its arrival at a number of prepaid carriers brought a breath of fresh air to an otherwise stagnant environment. If you're curious to see how it all unfolded -- and we know you are -- join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.
Kyocera Hydro hitting Boost on August 3rd for $130, lets you get your Ice Cream Sandwich soggy
It's summertime, time for absent-minded running through the sprinkers with your smartphone in your back pocket. Thankfully, if you can hold out for a few more weeks without having some prankster toss you in a pool at a party, you can pick up the new Kyocera Hydro on Boost Mobile on August 3rd for $130 -- just think of all of the money you'll save on dry rice after your handset takes an accidental dip. The 3.5-inch Ice Cream Sandwich phone sports a 1GHZ processor and can stand being under three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Jump into the the press release after the break.
Boost Mobile takes BlackBerry Curve 9310 to the US, spices it up with $30 unlimited BBM, voice and text plan
RIM gave the impression when it unveiled the BlackBerry Curve 9320 and 9220 that its lowest-cost Curves were doubtful prospects for the US. Thankfully, that's been proven wrong by Boost Mobile, which just launched the 9320's CDMA cousin, the Curve 9310. The message-manic BlackBerry comes to Sprint's prepaid network with its BBM key intact as well as BlackBerry 7.1, a 3.2-megapixel camera and that all-important low price: at $100 contract-free, it's one of the cheapest ways to leap into smartphones in the US. To top it off, Boost is throwing in a very tantalizing BBM Unlimited plan. The deal offers unlimited calling, text messaging and (naturally) BBM; although it starts at $45 per month, it gradually dips down to a very reasonable $30 per month if owners pay their bills properly for six months. Both the Curve 9310 and its companion plan will be available July 10th, giving us time to find the needed spare change under our couch cushions.
Mobile Miscellany: week of May 28th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we learned of another possible prepaid destination for the iPhone (hint: it's a subsidiary of Sprint), and Samsung announced a combined sales total of 50 million Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 28th, 2012.
Boost Mobile set to offer Smith Micro's Visual Voicemail features starting on May 31st
Up until now, the Boost Mobile crowd's been missing out on those fancy visual voicemail creations, but that's about to change starting on May 31st. Earlier today, Smith Micro announced it's delivering its Visual Voicemail features to the prepaid-friendly carrier, with the upcoming Boost-branded HTC EVO Design 4G being the first slab to offer said tidbits. Smith Micro is also adding an optional service dubbed "Voicemail-to-Text," which -- for an extra $1.99 per month -- will essentially turn those vocal messages into words and send them to you via text message or email. With the launch of the "four-gee" waves in mind, we're certain you're enjoying all the incoming news of late.
The Engadget interview: Sprint product execs John Tudhope and David Owens at CTIA 2012 (video)
We managed to catch not one, but two of Sprint's execs yesterday at CTIA Wireless 2012: Director of Product Marketing John Tudhope and VP of Product David Owens. While our discussion was centered primarily around the company's announcements at the show -- Sprint Guardian, HTC's EVO V 4G for Virgin Mobile and HTC's EVO Design 4G for Boost Mobile -- we were able to ask a few questions about the state of Sprint's LTE deployment and the associated value proposition. Want to find out more? Take a look at our video interview. Joseph Volpe contributed to this report
