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Samsung SCH-R900 approved by FCC: first US LTE phone is go
We first caught wind of the SCH-R900 after MetroPCS announced that it would be first to carry the Samsung handset when its fledgling LTE network lights up in select markets sometime after the summer. Now the FCC has been kind enough to bless a preproduction R900 with its approval. Not much is known about the dual-mode CDMA / LTE device other than what we can glean off the broad-shouldered image above and certifications for Bluetooth, 802.11b/g WiFi, dual-band 1700 / 1900 LTE and EvDO data. The future: it's what's for breakfast.
Metro PCS to join Android game with a Motorola QWERTY slider
A four-row sliding QWERTY keyboard? Check. Metro PCS splash screen? Check. Motorola insignia? You better believe it. The folks at AndroidGuys have obtained what very strongly appears to be Metro PCS' first Android phone, and along with a handful of pics there's some alleged specs, too. From the man (or woman) behind the curtain: a 600MHz processor, 3 megapixel camera, and Android 2.1 with Motoblur dressing. An EVO 4G combatant it is definitely not -- nor ever intended to be -- but we wouldn't be surprised if the price turned more than a few heads. Any indication of price, release date, or even official name is, however, still a mystery.
MetroPCS bringing LTE to Las Vegas this year, Samsung doing infrastructure and first LTE handset: the SCH-r900
Look out folks, we're about to go LTE, and it's not from where you were expecting: MetroPCS is building out an LTE network in "various metropolitan markets," with Las Vegas due to go online first in the second half of 2010. Samsung will be doing the infrastructure work, and is running the presser here at CTIA, with a pretty impressive display of room-based LTE show of force. Samsung, as previously announced, will also be building the first 4G handset for the network, dubbed the SCH-r900, though they aren't sharing any other details about the device at this point. Samsung ran a quick demo of 4G performance using some laptops and a couple of racks of LTE parts (we'll have video up momentarily), and was also running some sort of LTE prototype (pictured above), though we don't know squat about it. PR is after the break. Update: There's video after the break! Witness those blazing 4G speeds for yourself, you'll be amazed and astonished. Or at least mildly entertained. %Gallery-88924%
US Cellular follows Alltel's lead, deploys Samsung Freeform
If this contoured piece of QWERTY kit looks familiar, it should -- it's the same as the Freeform that came late last year to Alltel. US Cellular's version is the same thing (heck, it's even the same color) with a 1.3 megapixel camera, 2.2-inch 176 x 144 display, four-row QWERTY keyboard, and memory expansion up to 16GB via microSD, perfect for the on-board MP3 player (and if you're not a music kind of person, it'll take you a good long while to fill up 16GB worth of storage 1.3 megapixels at a time). Pricing and availability haven't yet been announced, but we'd expect it to be pretty easy on the pocketbook.
MetroPCS goes a second round with Mister Cartoon for Moto's VE440
Motorola's unassuming VE440 candybar was not a phone that we'd ever taken as the kind of device a company would revisit to craft a special edition -- but then again, we don't really understand Mister Cartoon either, so what do we know? That's right: just as it did last year with the Samsung Messager, the regional has paired up with tattoo guru Mister Cartoon to coat the VE440 in black and chrome trimmed with two positively frightening interchangeable covers. The new version comes bundled with a 1GB microSD card and two "exclusive" Snoop Dogg tracks, which -- considering the phone's $89 off-contract price after rebate -- might be worth the cost of admission alone. It's available now; part of the proceeds will be donated to youth centers within MetroPCS' market areas, so you can feel good about the purchase despite what the glaring skull on the back of the phone wants you to believe.
Samsung Caliber coming to MetroPCS, TouchWiz in tow
It's not every day that a carrier exclusively offering contract-free service spits out a full touchscreen device, so the freshly-announced Caliber from Samsung becomes a pretty interesting proposition for MetroPCS customers. Although it lacks EV-DO Rev. A, it still makes do with Rev. 0 and features a 3.2-inch touchscreen, full HTML browsing, microSD expansion up to 16GB, and 3 megapixel camera all stuffed into a 2.2 x 4.5 x 0.47-inch package (interestingly, those dimensions are quoted with the "standard battery," so there might be an extended battery in the pipe that produces a hump on the back of the phone). It's available right now for $249.
Samsung Stunt for MetroPCS performs surprisingly few stunts
MetroPCS' bread and butter rests in the low- to mid-end of the handset spectrum since it offers its devices on a pricey contract-free basis, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that the freshly-announced Stunt from Samsung doesn't mess with the time-tested formula. The candybar trudges along with a 160 x 128 display, Bluetooth, AWS CDMA (like all MetroPCS handsets these days), and a shell utterly devoid of meaningful industrial design -- that's it. No more, no less. And sometimes, simplicity is a beautiful thing, right? It's not showing up on the carrier's site just yet, but the Stunt should be available today.
T-Mobile USA putting out feelers for network partnerships?
Deutsche Telekom has made little secret this year of the fact that its American wireless unit is on thin ice; whether that's a result of poor coverage, a failure to keep pace technologically, weak spectrum allocation, or a combination thereof is a source of endless debate, but none of it is stopping T-Mobile USA from pushing forward aggressively with a nationwide 21Mbps HSPA+ rollout in 2010. Of course, network buildouts of that magnitude don't come cheap, and hungry investors are still marching on DT's doorstep asking when they might be able to expect black ink. A couple loose-lipped tipsters to German paper Handelsblatt have said that the next step could very well involve a major partnership with another carrier -- as opposed to an outright acquisition like we've heard before -- possibly with Clearwire, MetroPCS, or AT&T. T-Mobile USA has been famously tight-lipped so far on its 4G plans, instead concentrating on building out a solid 3.75G one, which means that its long-term plans are wide open -- partnering with Clearwire would likely mean aligning itself with WiMAX, while both MetroPCS and AT&T have already committed to LTE. Another possibility apparently being thrown around involves bringing in a financial partner (a sugar daddy, if you will) to shore up the carrier's bottom line, but either way, we suspect this'll all end up deciding the carrier's post-21Mbps strategy.
Samsung Code comes to MetroPCS, Windows Mobile 6.5 decides to stay home
Can you imagine Dell or HP selling a Vista laptop a couple months from now? No, you probably can't -- but we've got the mobile equivalent of that faux-pas going on here with MetroPCS' introduction of the rumored Code from Samsung, a portrait QWERTY device with EV-DO, a 2 megapixel camera, and microSD expansion up to 32GB. To be fair, WinMo 6.5 does far less for Standard than it does for Professional over its 6.1 equivalent, but still, it's just a little awkward for all parties involved. If you can get past that minor oversight, though, check it out now at your local retailer for $299 contract-free.
MetroPCS and Virgin Mobile scrap over MetroFlash program
Last year, MetroPCS kicked off the respectably ballsy practice of inviting competitors' subscribers to bring their CDMA phones over to get flashed for use on its network, prompting Virgin -- a carrier that plays in the same value space as MetroPCS -- to take issue. Long story short, Virgin ended up filing a lawsuit against MetroPCS citing a couple claims: one, that MetroPCS is willfully interfering with Virgin's customer contracts, and two, that the flashing ultimately results in a trademark violation since Virgin's logo is still on the phone. Funny how law works, isn't it? Anyhow, a court's thrown out the contract claim but is allowing the trademark issue to proceed, making this an interesting one to watch. In the meantime, anyone looking at bailing to MetroPCS and planning on taking some hardware along for the ride might want to look into that sooner rather than later -- you never know what sorts of injunctions might come out of this. [Via Phone Scoop]
MetroPCS commits to offering dual-mode LTE handset from Samsung next year
LTE's not just a big boy's game, it turns out -- regional carrier MetroPCS has been tooting the 4G horn for the better part of the year, too, and they're starting to detail how they plan for it to go down. On the back end, Ericsson equipment will oversee the operation, while the company's inaugural LTE phone will come courtesy of Samsung (why are we not surprised?) in a dual-mode configuration with support for both CDMA and LTE on board. That makes good sense considering that MetroPCS' (and Verizon's) LTE footprint will be a mere drop in the bucket compared to its CDMA one for the foreseeable future -- but what's surprising is that they expect to have it ready in "late 2010." That's incredibly aggressive for an LTE phone since Verizon (and most manufacturers) are making no secret of the fact that modems are the initial focus, not phones, a philosophy further evidenced by the fact that an LTE voice standard still hasn't been established. It'll be really interesting to see what form the phone takes and how voice will be handled -- there's a proposal for routing voice over legacy CDMA on the table, so it's definitely a possibility here, especially considering the phone will have CDMA on board anyway. [Via Phone Scoop] Update: MetroPCS has told Phone Scoop that it plans on rocking VoIP via LTE rather than using its existing CDMA infrastructure for voice, which is a pretty interesting play -- let's just hope they settle on a standard rather than trying to roll their own tech.
Cricket, MetroPCS launch Samsung Messager II
Seemingly unconvinced that enough people had said "hey, you spelled 'messenger' wrong" after the first model, archrival regionals Cricket and MetroPCS have both launched Samsung's Messager II with a 2 megapixel camera, EV-DO, and a pair of keypads: one slide-out QWERTY, one numeric permanently affixed up front. Admittedly, the name is no stranger than the "Vice" brand adopted by the phone's twin sister up in Canada, but isn't it kind of ironic that a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard be given a name that nearly everyone thinks is a typo? Find this sucker now on MetroPCS for $149 and Cricket for a hair under $200. [Via Phone Scoop]
MetroPCS intros Mister Cartoon-tweaked Samsung Messager
Say you like Samsung's low-cost texting wizard for MetroPCS, the Messager. In fact, you like it a lot. Problem is, you keep looking at it and saying "it's missing something." What could it be? 3G? A 5 megapixel camera? Naw, don't be crazy -- what this baby really needed was a glowing yellow angel on the back. Fortunately, MetroPCS is happy to oblige, hooking up with tattoo wizard Mister Cartoon to offer a customized version of the phone -- shell, wallpaper, ringtones, the whole nine yards -- which'll be available later this month. To kick off the new model in style, the regional carrier's going to be auctioning off the first ten models signed by the big guy himself starting this weekend; if those end up being too rich for your blood, you'll have dibs on the other 29,990 unsigned versions for a to-be-announced price.
Oh, by the way: July 22, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009: For some reason known only to Samsung, it seems the S9110 watchphone won't be coming to the UK any time soon. Of course, if you've got unlocked GSM 900 / 1800 units floating around France this month, it should be a simple matter to get 'em anywhere in Europe. LG's second quarter report revealed an astounding 32 percent jump in phone shipments quarter-over-quarter, setting an all-time best 29.82 million units. The company specifically calls out the next Black Label phone -- presumably the BL40 -- as one of the phones it's pinning its hopes and dreams on toward the end of the year. [Via mocoNews] iPhones can now be used to generate RSA SecurID tokens, which should make a great many enterprise iPhone users happier than pigs in poo. Google Maps 3.2 has been released for Windows Mobile and S60. The big feature here is layered data, meaning you can add and remove different bits of information (Latitude, traffic, and so on) one layer at a time. A picture atop Samsung USA's mobile site suggests a new QWERTY slider is destined for MetroPCS. It's labeled Messager, but looks nothing like the Messager we're acquainted with -- instead, it looks suspiciously like Bell's Vice. [Via Phone Scoop]
MetroPCS rolls out mega-cheap international calling plan
If you do a lot of calling to other countries and you're on a budget (or, heck, even if you're not on a budget), it's going to be hard not to sit up and take notice of MetroPCS' ridiculously affordable new option. Subscribers to the regional carrier's $40, $45, and $50 service plans will be able to tack on unlimited international calling for just $5 a month, offering access to "over 100" countries representing "over 1,000" destinations at no additional charge -- they're being coy about the exact numbers, but at any rate, "over 100" countries is a lot by our geographically-impaired count. So, you know, don't be shy about ringing up that buddy in Luxembourg a little more often, alright?[Via Phone Scoop]
MetroPCS working with ZTE on LTE-based smartphone
It's still pretty wild to think that scrappy lil' MetroPCS -- a carrier known better for ultra-cheap phones, regional coverage, and no contracts than it is for high-speed data -- intends to roll out its first LTE markets in the same year as Verizon, but hey, we definitely like their moxie. Of course, live LTE networks require LTE hardware, and it turns out that the company is hooking up with ZTE to make that happen. MetroPCS already enjoys a healthy relationship with the Chinese manufacturer, but the LTE tie-up should serve to strengthen the bond -- not to mention the fact that they're looking to move upmarket by introducing a smartphone with "a large screen and an HTML-compatible browser" according to Forbes. Sure, on paper, you might say that you'd rather have an HTC device, a Pre, or an iPhone -- but how's your willpower going to be treating you when MetroPCS is offering 50Mbps tethering?
MetroPCS nabs the Samsung Tint
If you're looking for 3G, well, you can keep on looking, but the new Tint flip from Samsung has a few things going for it. MetroPCS' latest AWS-enabled piece does GPS, support for the carrier's ChatLINK "push-to-talk social networking tool," voice recognition, and changeable faceplates -- and what's more, you've got both pink and grey included in the box. If neither of those colors suit your fancy, you've got more options available to you a la carte -- and you can use the Tint's Bluetooth support to make it happen, if you're so inclined. We haven't seen the Tint go live on MetroPCS' site just yet, but it should be available now.
MetroPCS intros $3 unlimited calling to Mexico, plenty of strings attached
Regardless of the caveats, $3 a month is a microscopic penance to pay for the ability to call Mexico ad nauseam, but buyers just need to be careful that it's going to meet their needs before taking the plunge. The newly-introduced feature on value carrier MetroPCS advertising "unlimited calls to Mexico," but as the asterisk up there implies, there's a catch: the unlimited calling is only to Mexican landlines -- not cellphones -- and only those landlines in a list of 200-odd cities. You also get unlimited texting to handsets on America Movil, Movistar, Iusacell, and Nextel Mexico, which is a nice bonus -- but why texting and no calling? [Via MobileBurn]
Motorola Hint QA30 texts its way onto MetroPCS
So this is shaping up to be a week of "me toos" for the regional carriers, it seems; we have the LG Banter migrating from Alltel to US Cellular, and we've got the Motorola Hint hitchhiking from Alltel over to MetroPCS. Like the Banter, the unusually-shaped Hint goes squarely for the texting crowd with a full QWERTY keyboard -- but unlike the Banter, the Hint goes for a portrait slider. Features include a 2 megapixel camera, 140MB of onboard storage with microSD expansion, a 2.5-inch QVGA landscape display, and of course, AWS support for MetroPCS' airwaves. It runs $249 contract-free. [Via MobileBurn]
MetroPCS sees huge influx of customers, intros GroupLINE
We'd already heard that right about now was a great time to be in the prepaid cell business, and that's being proven quite definitively by MetroPCS' Q1 subscriber results. We're told that the firm saw a net addition of 684,000 customers in the first three months of 2009, representing an astounding 51 percent increase year-over-year. While celebrating mightily, the company also saw fit to introduce a "one-call communication solution targeted at families and friends who are trying to save money in today's economy by 'cutting the cord' and replacing their landline telephones with wireless phones." Said "landline replacer" is called GroupLINE, which enables up to five MetroPCS Family Plan subscribers to receive calls on a shared GroupLINE number while still maintaining their individual mobile numbers -- all for just $5 per month. So, anyone looking to tighten the belt by going prepaid? Your options are getting good.[Via GigaOM]Read - MetroPCS resultsRead - GroupLINE launch
