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Cricket and MetroPCS now offering financing on select smartphones
Taking a very "un-carrier" approach, Cricket and MetroPCS recently introduced financing programs that allow prepaid customers to purchase high-end smartphones with a reduced upfront cost. Cricket has partnered with Progressive Finance to cover the cost of its devices, while Metro is using Billfloat as its lending option. Keeping things unconventional, these new programs do not use credit checks and instead only require that customers have a valid checking account. Cricket customers whose purchase exceeds $200 can apply for financing at retail stores and authorized dealers. The program covers up to 90 percent of the premium with the upfront charges being the remaining balance and the first month of service. Loans are amortized for up to nine months, with interest waived on accounts paid off within the first 90 days of financing.
MetroPCS announces the Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G: 3.65-inch screen, LTE and $169 price tag
Perhaps it's because the holiday season is well upon us, but MetroPCS decided now was the perfect time to welcome Samsung's Galaxy Admire 4G to its growing portfolio of wallet-friendly handsets. With today's introduction of the overhauled Admire, the Wireless for All carrier is surely expanding on its LTE-on-a-budget promise, as the device comes priced at a mere $169 (and that's without a beloved two-year commitment, of course). Naturally, this means we can't expect many high-end, drool-inducing specs onboard, but that's not to say some folks out there won't appreciate the 3.65-inch, HVGA display, a 1GHz CPU, 3-megapixel rear shooter and a taste of Google's famed Gingerbread -- after all, there's always that other galactic brethren if you're interested in getting more bang for your buck. The Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G will be up for grabs starting today on the MetroPCS website, while those looking to stop at nearby brick-and-mortar shop are going to have to wait until tomorrow to pick one up.
IRL: ColcaSac's Hanakapiai sleeves, the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S III on MetroPCS
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Two sleeves, two phones. That's what we've got in store for you this week, with Darren dropping $55 on two protective cases and two of our intrepid staffers trying out some new handsets. On team Android, we have Edgar setting aside his Galaxy Nexus to try out the GS III, while Jon Fingas (team Phone, really) trades off between a GNex and iPhone 5. How does he like his new iPhone apart from mapgate and that minor purple flare issue? Read on to find out.
Department of Justice asks MetroPCS for more info regarding T-Mobile merger
We can't say we're exactly surprised, but it's still worth noting that the United States DOJ has contacted MetroPCS to ask for additional information about the company's recently announced merger with T-Mobile. The adequately-named "Second Request" will be essential before an actual consolidation approval can be made, and MetroPCS has stated it plans on being fully cooperative so that it can "obtain the approval of the transaction as soon as possible." Additionally, the Wireless for All carrier says it's pretty confident on the Department of Justice's ability to see the proposed merger is "both pro-competitive and pro-consumer." In the end, it's nothing more than a required hurdle before the two telcos can move on with their original plans. Official word from MetroPCS can be found inside the presser below.
MetroPCS intros first Rich Communication Services on LTE, touts universal contacts and chat (video)
Smartphone users are well immersed in a world of contact syncing, media sharing, VoIP and video calls. They're just not used to finding everything in one place, let alone guaranteeing that any carrier-level features will work with other phones and providers. MetroPCS is hoping to put itself ahead on that front by offering a potentially universal fix. It's the first carrier anywhere to launch the Rich Communication Services standard on LTE, which provides a perpetually synced contact list that serves as the launching pad for everything else. Early adopters of the Joyn-branded service can chat through text, share media (including during calls) and start up WiFi voice or video calls without needing yet another specialized service and the extra sign-in that goes with it. Right now, the very young state of RCS on LTE leaves it behaving more like the isolated services it's trying to replace -- on MetroPCS, only those with the Galaxy Attain 4G and an after-the-fact Joyn app download can get the experience as intended. As long as more devices and carriers come onboard, though, the technology might be the long-term key to pulling us away from fenced-off conversations in Google Talk or Skype.
MetroPCS breaks 1 million LTE customers, makes $193 million profit despite losing 312,000 users in Q3
MetroPCS might be the smaller of the two parties in the proposed merger with T-Mobile, but it certainly knows how to coin a profit in difficult times. The carrier recorded a massive $193 million net profit this quarter, $44 million more than it made in Q2, despite losing 312,000 subscribers in the three month period. The reason behind the rosy numbers was a combination of cash-saving exercises and canny investments in securities, pushing total revenue to $1.3 billion. The network now has just under nine million customers, with more than a million of those subscribing to one of the company's LTE packages. It's also managed to reduce churn down to 3.7 percent, a reduction of 0.8 percent since Q3 2011. CEO Roger D. Linquist remarked that the next quarter will see the business "re-energize" subscriber growth at the expense of its bottom line -- probably wise, given that it's lost just over half a million customers in the last six months.
Samsung Galaxy S III is the first MetroPCS handset to support Google Wallet
While the US wireless industry seems far away from finding a universal mobile payment system, T-Mobile's new BFF MetroPCS appears to have made its choice. Taking to its official Facebook page, the carrier announced on Monday that the Samsung Galaxy S III is its first handset to support Google Wallet. In choosing Google's mobile payment platform, MetroPCS joins two of its biggest competitors, Sprint and US Cellular. It should be noted that T-Mobile is deeply committed to Google's wireless payment competitor Isis, which recently became ready for public consumption. Once the two carriers exchange nuptials next year, it's possible that we could be looking at the wireless industry's first mobile payment Brady Bunch. However, looking back at T-Mobile's previous attempts at mobile matrimony, we won't be holding our breath waiting for this union to become official.
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.
Samsung Galaxy S III hitting MetroPCS next Monday for $499 off-contract
We got tipped off way back in August and managed to get a little hands-on time with the variant, and now that October is well under way, MetroPCS is offering up some more info on its Galaxy S III offering. The popular Samsung handset will be hitting the carrier's stores and site on Monday, October 22nd. Off-contract pricing for the Android smartphone's gonna run you $499, on top of $30 to $70 a month for one of the carrier's LTE plans. Spec-wise, you're getting a 4.8-inch SuperAMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM. More info on the offering can be had in the press release after the break.
Deutsche Telekom: T-Mobile / MetroPCS merger to be completed by June 2013
Just precisely how the T-Mobile / MetroPCS merger will pan out still seems yet to be decided. What is clear, however, is that majority share-holder, Deutsche Telekom, hope to have the deal done and dusted between April and June next year. CFO for the German giant, Timotheus Hoettges, told Boersenzeitung that we'll have to wait until the second quarter of 2013 before one of the parties will have to start ordering new stationary and corporate polo shirts. In the meantime he was keen to point out that not all current financial arrangements should feel ause for concern, noting shareholders wouldn't have their remuneration policy affected by the merger, thanks to the spiffy financial year it's had.
Deutsche Telekom and MetroPCS agree on $1.5 billion T-Mobile merger (updated)
Apparently the "significant issues" that stood in the way of a prospective T-Mobile and MetroPCS deal couldn't have been too onerous. Just a day after acknowledging that talks were underway both boards have approved the deal according to the Wall Street Journal. Details of the deal haven't been officially announced yet, but Financial Times Deutschland are reporting that the two carriers will be combined into a single unit in which Deutsche Telekom will hold 74 percent of shares. MetroPCS will have a 26 percent stake in the company and receive a $1.5 billion check for its troubles. Expectations are that this will put the kibosh on a recent deal T-Mobile struck with Crown Castle to lease its mobile towers for $2.4 billion. The new larger carrier will maintain the T-Mobile branding with new CEO John Legere at the helm, though, it appears the deal is structured as a reverse merger. Meaning that MetroPCS is in essence taking over T-Mobile and not the other way around. Even with its combined subscriber base, the new T-Mobile will lag Sprint in the battle for AT&T and Verizon's table scraps. However, it will finally give Deutsche Telekom the graceful exit from the US market that its been so desperately seeking for some time. This merger with a much smaller competitor is unlikely to raise the ire of regulators and will allow the German company to reduce its involvement and investment in a slow controlled manner by selling off stocks. We're still awaiting official announcements from both companies and will update as the statements roll in. Update: Official PR from T-Mobile and a video statement from CEO Legere are now waiting for you after the break. There's a few new interesting details, including that MetroPCS's CFO will be holding on to his position post merger. Interestingly, even though the carriers will become one company, for the foreseeable future they will maintain separate pools of customers. However, we wouldn't be surprised to see that change as the LTE rollout accelerates and gives T-Mobile a true 4G offering. As Legere notes in the clip below, this is just the first step and the deal isn't expected to close until sometime during the first half of 2013. Update 2: As part of the strategy moving forward the new company plans to move customers off MetroPCS' CDMA network and on to T-Mobile's GSM frequencies for 3G service by 2015. The spectrum would then be repurposed to build out an LTE network.
Deutsche Telekom mulling T-Mobile / MetroPCS marriage
Well, turns out that rumors of a MetroPCS and T-Mobile merger weren't completely off base. While we wouldn't expect Deutsche Telekom to announce the sale of its US property any time soon, the German giant has confirmed that its holding talks with America's sixth largest mobile operator to combine the two networks. The prospective deal would involve combining the two into a single entity, with Deutsche Telekom as the majority shareholder. Of course there are significant obstacles in the way, including divergent network technologies and distinctly different marketing strategies. This is, of course, just the latest scene in the ongoing piece of corporate theater that almost saw the struggling magenta carrier absorbed by AT&T. We'll of course be following closely to see if such a move would sit a little better with government regulators. The complete statement from Deutsche Telekom Metro PCS confirming the talks is after the break.
Ask Engadget: best Philadelphia wireless carrier?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Joe, who has helped inspire a regular feature and also wants to know which carrier he should pick for Philadelphia. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Hey! I loved your question about NYC carriers and thought it would be a great idea to let your visitors sound off on other major cities. I'd love to hear opinions on Philadelphia carriers myself, so if you could possibly consider adding this, I think it would be appreciated by many." Way back in April, we asked you about which carrier rules the roost in NYC and it caused a little sensation, with hundreds of you bombarding the Ask Engadget inbox to ask if we'd do your city or state. We'll be sprinkling them in every now and again to let you sound off about the coverage in your local area, so if you live in Philadelphia and have world-class (or world's worst) signal, let us know in the comments below.
ZTE Anthem 4G hands-on (video)
Metro PCS' first American LTE phone may be fast when it comes to download speeds, but not so much when it comes to basic functionality. The ZTE-built Anthem arrives next week at MetroPCS providers for $249.99 ($219.99 after a mail-in rebate), and it comes with an aging OS -- Gingerbread. Yes, when we got our hands on the device this evening, the very first thing we noticed was the decidedly elderly operating system that ships with it -- so, it's not the freshest Android device on the block. The Anthem's touch functionality didn't give a good first impression either, not responding on the first try for a handful of basic functions, and slowly dragging from pane to pane. The phone sports a 4.3-inch WVGA display that's decent enough, especially when compared with other recently introduced mid-range smartphones and runs on a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon CPU (the company wouldn't specify which precisely). The phone itself is on the excessively chunky side, but given its off-contract berth and $249 pricing, that lack of design finesse is to be expected. MetroPCS reps wouldn't confirm whether an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich is on the books for the Anthem, but if you're plunking down for this clunker, it's probably not much of a concern. Check out the gallery below for additional shots and head on past the break for a brief video tour. %Gallery-166202%
Samsung Galaxy S III for MetroPCS hands-on (video)
Considering the recent glut of smartphone announcements, news of yet another Galaxy S III variant shouldn't have you tittering with glee. But for those of you tied to MetroPCS and hankering for a beastly mobile option, that 4.8-inch handset is almost ready to ship. Shown off at the carrier's booth here at Pepcom, the designed by nature device is virtually unchanged, save for branding on the back that nods to the 4G network it runs on. Otherwise, it's the same TouchWizzed Android ICS experience we've come to know and love. There's no official word on pricing or a concrete release date -- outside of a very vague end of Q4 bow. But still, if you want to take a sneak peek at this off-contract option, check out the video after the break. %Gallery-166199%
ZTE Anthem 4G unveiled for MetroPCS, has us singing a dual-core, LTE tune for $219
Although ZTE is no stranger to the US, it hasn't been as quick to embrace LTE-based 4G as some of its rivals. The new Anthem 4G for MetroPCS puts the company back in sync, and then some. In addition to the faster speeds, the company's first American LTE phone touts a comparatively speedy dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 screen and perks like HDMI video output with Dolby Surround sound. Our only immediate reservation is the use of Android 2.3, which really shouldn't be on any shipping devices almost two years after it first left Google's doors. Any takers may forgive the old software when they see their bill, though -- the Anthem 4G's $219 contract-free price will put it at the more affordable end of MetroPCS' spectrum when it arrives sometime within the next few weeks.
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 27th, 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, MetroPCS welcomed the Coolpad Quattro 4G into its stable and we also caught wind of a redesigned Huawei Mercury for Cricket. 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 August 27th, 2012.
MetroPCS reveals Samsung Galaxy S III as part of fall lineup
Turns out the LG Motion 4G wasn't all that MetroPCS had up its sleeve for reveal today, as the prepaid carrier separately let its new fall lineup slip, and wouldn't you know it, among those devices is the Samsung Galaxy S III. Joining the superphone will be a smaller Sammy smartphone, and like the LG Connect 4G, it'll support VoLTE -- curious that the carrier isn't touting the feature for the Galaxy S III, don't you think? ZTE will also be making another go at MetroPCS, as an Android handset with a 4.3-inch screen is now in the cards, but other relevant specs remain sorely absent. Rounding out the lineup will be an import from Coolpad, which is said to wield a 4-inch screen and will retail for $149. According to Phone Scoop, we may see this one make an official debut later this week. Naturally, none of these slabs carry the same clout as the Galaxy S III, and if you'd like to get a bit more familiar with the soon-to-be premiere smartphone at MetroPCS, be sure to check out PC Magazine below, which managed to score a hands-on with the latest version of Samsung's finest.
LG Motion 4G for MetroPCS hands-on (video)
The recent unveiling of that LTE-loaded Galaxy S Lightray doesn't appear to have slowed down MetroPCS, as the Texas-born carrier's quickly following up with yet another 4G handset to bring to its growing smartphone portfolio. Enter the economical 3.5-incher LG Motion 4G. Unlike the aforementioned offering from Samsung, however, the wallet-friendly network's now betting high on selling this new handset on the cheap and, naturally, is flaunting the "4G LTE For All" unlimited access as one of the device's biggest traits. But how exactly does it stack up in the real world? Well, the good news is we were amongst a select group of folks gathered at Manhattan's Andaz, and were lucky enough to take it for a quick spin. So head on past the break to get a better feel for our first, early-on impressions of MetroPCS' newest Android slab.
MetroPCS outs LG Motion 4G in tandem with unlimited all-you-can-eat plan
LTE doesn't have to mean premium pricing -- just ask MetroPCS. The budget carrier, notable for its recent launch of VoLTE, has announced the availability of a limited time promo service bundling unlimited voice, text and data dubbed Wireless for All. And to help give that initiative a proper public splash, the company's tossed in some new kit: LG's Motion 4G. That handset, a humble 3.5-incher, is actually the first Android 4.0 device to bow on the company's lineup and bears a familiar dual-core CPU setup clocked at 1.2GHz, HVGA display, 5GB of internal storage (expandable to 32GB via microSD), a 5-megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p video and 1,700mAh battery. As ICS handsets come, it's certainly no big leaguer, but at $149, plus the addition of that all-you-can eat $55/mo plan, it's hard to find fault with affordable. Skip on past the break to peruse the company's official presser.
