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FreedomPop intros a free plan: includes 200 voice minutes, 500 texts and 500MB of data per month
It's no longer a summertime tease: FreedomPop's freemium mobile phone service is now officially a go. Launched in beta today, the operator's basic plan offers consumers a voice/text/data bundle that nets them 200 anytime minutes, 500 texts and 500MBs for the price of, well, nothing per month -- and it's contract-free, too. There's also a more robust unlimited voice and text package for chattier users that runs about $11/mo. Keep in mind, FreedomPop's network piggybacks on Sprint 3G, WiMAX and LTE, so coverage, reception and call quality (it's VoIP) will be vary depending on your location and any data overages will cost you $0.01/MB and $10/GB. It's not all free champagne and strawberries, though -- there is an actual price of entry, and it comes in the form of HTC's EVO Design, offered at a very reasonable $99. Users accustomed to more device choice will have to hold out until later this year, as FreedomPop does plan to add other Android devices to its lineup. For now, though, it's extremely slim pickings. But can you really look a gift horse in the mouth? We didn't think so, freeloaders.
Refresh Roundup: week of February 18th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Refresh Roundup: week of July 30th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
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.
Refresh Roundup: week of July 16th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
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
HTC EVO Design 4G for Boost Mobile hands-on
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you -- that's the very same EVO Design 4G we reviewed late last winter when it bowed on Sprint's lineup. Surfing along the carrier's increasingly antiquated 4G WiMAX network, this handset's getting a new berth on Boost Mobile priced at an affordable $299 for pre-paid customers. Much like its girthier Android cousin the EVO V 4G, the physical construction and internal specifications of this device have remained unchanged. It's still packing a 4-inch 960 x 540 qHD display, single-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S2, 1.3-megapixel front-facing / rear 5-megapixel cameras and 4GB of internal storage. So, for the price the prepaid carrier's asking, it's not a bad deal. The phone is still just as pleasant to hold in hand, owing to a soft touch plastic back that's broken up by a smooth piece of aluminum plating. Again, if you've seen its earlier incarnation, you know what you're getting into, but there is a distinct difference here -- a combo of Sense 3.6 and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Luckily for prepaid consumers, the phone's set to launch sometime this June with that software combo pre-loaded; a sweet perk given its place on the lower end of the consumer spectrum. Hit up the gallery below for a further peek at this re-badged handset, or head here to see the phone in action. Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Virgin Mobile USA and Boost take WiMAX live, ship HTC EVO V 4G and EVO Design 4G on May 31
In sync with Sprint's plans to get its sub-brands on 4G using its legacy WiMAX network, both Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile have trotted out their initial 4G lineups. The early Virgin mix includes retreads of two Sprint data-only devices -- a Broadband2Go-badged version of the Sierra Wireless Overdrive Pro 3G/4G hotspot and a matching version of the Franklin U600 previously seen at Clear. Virgin's real star, however, is the HTC EVO V 4G: though it's ultimately the EVO 3D with a slightly more 2D name, it's shipping with Android 4.0 from the start and has HTC's Frankenstein-like Sense 3.6 rather than the 4.0 of the One series. The network upgrade and all three new devices swing into action on May 31, and while your $35 minimum monthly plan will stay in effect even with unlimited on-device 4G, you'll need to spend $300 (contract-free) to take home an EVO V 4G, $150 on the Overdrive Pro or $100 on the U600 stick. Boost Mobile is also going the Sprint rebadge route through the HTC EVO Design 4G. As with its bigger brother over at Virgin, the single-core EVO Design 4G is identical in hardware to its Sprint equivalent but slaps Android 4.0 and Sense 3.6 on top to keep the software fresh. The update does mark the first time a Boost phone gets Visual Voicemail, so you can feel slightly less guilty when you miss a call. HTC's phone will oddly cost the same $300 off-contract as the more advanced EVO V 4G, although Boost is likely counting on customers sticking around long enough for an all-inclusive unlimited plan to drop to $40 per month and make it worthwhile. %Gallery-154875%
Refresh Roundup: week of April 9th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
HTC EVO Design 4G review
It's no secret that we were downright smitten when HTC dropped 2010's proverbial bombshell: the EVO 4G. A knockout device that served not only as WiMAX's ambassador, but also catapulted us into expansive "superphone" territory with what was then a gargantuan 4.3-inch screen. Since then, however, subsequent EVOs haven't exactly been what we'd call up to snuff. The EVO 3D, while "good," made gimmicky trade-offs that kept it from being the home-run we'd hoped for. And others, like Samsung, who were once an Android wallflower have seriously stepped up their game -- so much so, even Google's repeatedly taken notice.Where does that leave us with this year's EVO Design 4G? With middling single-core specs and a mid-range $100 on-contract price, things aren't exactly looking up for a device tasked with wielding a torch branded with the EVO's name. Does it pass muster as a device worthy of its ancestry? Or will the GSM and qHD add-ons keep it from diluting its predecessors good name? Well, frankly, there's only one way to find out, and that's to join us as we explore its intricacies past the break.%Gallery-140874%
HTC announces specifics on Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades, includes Rezound
It's been a little over two weeks since Google unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich along with its first ambassador, the Galaxy Nexus. Since then, a few manufacturers have shared their intent to bring Android 4.0 to specific devices. HTC was initially rather vague about its upgrade plans -- no doubt faced with the daunting task of keeping Sense relevant in light of ICS' vast design improvements -- but tonight the Taiwanese giant issued an official statement on Facebook outlining specifics on its Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades. Basically, it looks like most (if not all) of HTC's high-end phones since the introduction of the Sensation will be getting a taste of Google's latest tasty treat early next year, including the recently announced Rezound. Here's the full statement: HTC knows how excited our fans are to get their hands on Google's latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, so we're thrilled today to announce the first wave of HTC phones that will receive upgrades: We can confirm the brand new HTC Vivid is upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich. In addition, Ice Cream Sandwich is coming in early 2012 to a variety of devices including the HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation XL and HTC Sensation XE, as well as the HTC Rezound, HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G and HTC Amaze 4G through close integration with our carrier partners. We're continuing to assess our product portfolio, so stay tuned for more updates on device upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Ice Cream Sandwich.
Sprint unleashes the HTC EVO Design 4G, available October 23rd for $100
That HTC EVO Design 4G leaked a couple months ago? Oh, it's real -- and Sprint's finally ready to share its story with the world. The tale of the EVO Design 4G is simple enough: for a penny under $100, you can have a WiMAX-capable device with GSM roaming that features a 4-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 CPU, Android 2.3 with HTC Sense UI, Mobile Hotspot, a 5MP rear camera with HD video recording (720p, we presume) and a 1.3MP front-facing cam. In summary, the Design 4G is basically the Hero S with WiMAX and global roaming capabilities. Look for this device to show up online and in stores on October 23rd, and look after the break for the press release.
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 26, 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 26, 2011: Last week we heard the rumor that Sprint would be launching the BlackBerry Curve 9350 on October 2nd, and we've finally received the official confirmation. The device will be hitting stores tomorrow for $80 with a two-year contract. [PhoneArena] The Motorola Photon WiMAX, referred to as the Photon 4G in the US, is now making its way to Japan as KDDI announced the launch of the device this past Monday. [Motorola] Verizon Wireless launched the Pantech Jest 2 this week, which is a feature phone with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. [Verizon Wireless] The Samsung Galaxy Y is now listed as "coming soon" on O2's website, which makes it the second carrier to announce upcoming availability in the UK. The actual date of release, however, is still unofficial. [O2] Softbank (Japan) looks ready to land the ZTE Lord V882, which appears to be an Android device running on Gingerbread, and comes packed with a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 3.8-inch LCD at WVGA resolution and a 5MP camera. [LandofDroid] NTT DoCoMo and Orange have teamed up to offer the Sharp AQUOS SH80F, which features dual 8MP stereoscopic cameras and claims to be the world's first Android device capable of converting 2D content into 3D in real time. It'll first be launched in France on October 6th and will follow to other European and Asian countries shortly after. [Softpedia] Maybe Microsoft Canada just assumed nobody actually reads terms and conditions, because the company outed the names of a few upcoming Windows Phones in the T&C for a developer contest: the Nokia Sabre and a duo of Samsungs named the Yukon and Wembley. The Nokia Searay was also named in the list, indicating the Sabre is a second device running on Mango. [Nokia HDBlog (translated)] In preparation for its Windows Phone debut, Nokia is also rumored to be featuring a new voice navigation system with 3D maps, according to some leaked marketing materials. [WinRumors] Here's a rendering of the HTC EVO Design 4G, also known as the Kingdom or Hero S. [Pocketnow] Samsung may have a midrange device coming soon to AT&T's lineup as a complement to the Galaxy S II. We've already seen the I857 pass through the FCC and show up in a leaked roadmap, and now it appears to have been dubbed the Doubletime, according to uncovered Cellebrite records. [Pocketnow] Also appearing in Cellebrite records are the HTC Vigor (PH98100), Motorola Droid HD (XT912), and the Samsung Nexus Prime (SCH-i515). [Droid-Life]
Leakster names Sprint's latest: Samsung Epic 4G Touch, HTC EVO Design 4G, and Motorola Admiral
We love starting the week with a good leak, and thanks to an anonymous tipster, we're swimming in a flood of juicy names. First, it appears the Samsung Within is getting a new alias, and without delaying your anticipation, let us re-introduce you to Sprint's upcoming Galaxy S II handset: the Epic 4G Touch. As the moniker suggests, the QWERTY keyboard is likely sliding away, though lovers of physical buttons might find solace with the mysterious Epic 2. If your ideal smartphone combines qHD resolution with HTC Sense -- and eschews the 3D display and dual-core CPU -- the Kingdom is one step closer to reality, and it'll be known as the EVO Design 4G. Finally, a new Motorola will arrive at the Now Network, and it's been christened the Admiral. Unlike its peers, it's lacking the "4G" nomenclature, meaning it's avoiding the upper echelons of Sprint's stable... and hopefully sporting longer battery life, too. [Thanks, anonymous]
