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MetroPCS' Samsung Finesse spotted in the wild
Not even two days after getting official on MetroPCS, Samsung's Finesse has already been captured in the wild. As expected, there's nothing here too shocking for those that have laid eyes upon the Samsung Behold, but the branding is definitely hard to miss. Hit the read link for a few more low-grade shots -- just go in with low expectations and you'll be fine.
Samsung Finesse comes to MetroPCS
$349 sounds a bit steep for a phone like this until you realize that you're getting it completely free of the surly bonds of a contract -- and that's exactly how MetroPCS likes to roll. The new Finesse from Samsung is one of the highest-end feature phones the regional carrier has rolled out to date, looking a bit like a CDMA Behold and offering a 2 megapixel cam, full touchscreen, microSD expansion, and 150MB of storage on-board. They're quoting "2-3 weeks" for online availability, so that gives you a few all-important days to save up that loose change.[Via TrendyCellular]
MetroPCS gets with the BlackBerry program, rolls out Curve 8330
Remember how MetroPCS' COO was spouting off about a BlackBerry in the product pipeline just last week? Well, turns out it's coming out the other end of that pipeline sooner than we thought. The regional carrier's own version of the BlackBerry 8330 will be hitting Best Buy this week and MetroPCS locations by the end of the month, but there's a catch -- AWS isn't supported, so if you're in an AWS-powered MetroPCS market, you're outta luck. That's a shame considering the steal of a plan: $50 buys you unlimited everything (add another $10 for BES), though you'll need to shell out $450 upfront for the privilege.[Via Phone Scoop]
MetroPCS hoping to roll out LTE in 2010
Running through our cheat sheet of American carriers hoping to roll out LTE, regional MetroPCS definitely would not have been on our short list to scrap with Verizon in the race to launch the first commercial network stateside -- but sure enough, they're on there. Recent comments by the COO indicate that they're on track to launch 4G service some time in 2010 -- "probably the latter half" -- which raises the obvious question of why they're in such a hurry. Historically, MetroPCS has been a value brand, concentrating on non-data-centric handsets (in fact, they don't have a single data card or smartphone in their current lineup), but it's been revealed that they'll be deploying a BlackBerry later this year, so it seems they're looking to move up the food chain and capture some of that data revenue the top-tier carriers have been enjoying for the past couple of years.[Via Phone Scoop]
Samsung R310 Byline launches on MetroPCS
MetroPCS phones aren't typically barn-burners, and despite the fancy name, the R310 Byline is no exception to the rule. The simple clamshell's claim to fame is likely its support for ChatLINK push-to-talk service, but otherwise, you get Bluetooth, speakerphone, and a 160 x 128 primary display matched with the glorious splendor of a 96 x 96 color screen on the outside. Sound good? Then pull out your hard-earned $99 and head down to the store, friend.
ZTE C78 ships on MetroPCS
Following a springtime announcement, the unabashedly purple C78 candybar from ZTE is now shipping on MetroPCS -- the Chinese manufacturer's third on MetroPCS this year, and still among the first official ZTE launches in North America. It's not going to wow any power users, but then again, power users don't really belong on MetroPCS to start; instead, you'll find 60MB of onboard storage, a 2-inch display, a VGA cam, and tri-band CDMA in a package that runs just $129 with no contract. And hey, if you buy in, we'll bet you a dollar you're the only kid on the block with a purple phone (excluding that jerk with the Colorwared Curve, of course).Update: Turns out that ZTE didn't have any good reason to issue this "formal announcement" -- the C78's been available in all MetroPCS markets for several weeks now. Thanks, youngcalihottie and Rich!
Motorola VE240 officially coming to Cricket, MetroPCS
As we'd heard back in August, the scrappy little VE240 candybar from Moto is destined for a pair of regionals -- Cricket and MetroPCS. It's got stereo Bluetooth, MP3 support, expandable memory up to 4GB, and that's about it; nothing to get terribly excited about, but the light spec sheet should keep things affordable. It's available now in Cricket's Tulsa market with wider availability coming to both carriers in the next few weeks.
MetroPCS expands coverage with Unlimited Nationwide plan
So, you like talkin', do you? What's that? Not a fan of contracts? Looks like MetroPCS may just have something right down your alley with the new Unlimited Nationwide plan. Said plan enables subscribers to chat in an unlimited fashion in over 300 cities in the contiguous United States without any contract whatsoever, and best of all, the expanded network will be included at no additional charge in the carrier's current $45 and $50 service plans. For those on cheaper qualified plans, the luxury can be added for $5 per month. Interested? The go-live date is November 10th.[Via phonescoop]
Hands-on with the ZTE C79
For Chinese handset manufacturers, North America is one of the last great cash cows that has yet to be milked. It's not an easy market to break into by any means, but with LG, Samsung, and Pantech -- historically the value leaders in the market -- moving up the food chain in recent years, it seems like there could be room for another player or two. Enter ZTE, a company that's quiety snuck through the ranks to become the sixth largest handset maker in the world but has approached Canada and the US with kid gloves so far, starting with a Fastap phone (of all things) on Telus just last year and just recently moving onto MetroPCS in the States with the AWS-equipped C78 candybar and C79 flip.We've been playing with a C79 recently, and let's get this conversation off on the right foot: it's a value phone. Yes, MetroPCS charges $159 for it, but that's completely contract-free with no strings attached, so realistically it'd run just a few bucks if the carrier were to offer it on a two-year deal (which they don't). That being said, this is a case where you get what you pay for -- the C79 feels like a cheap phone through and through. Paradoxically, it's both bulky and uncomfortably light, which definitely contributes to that. The external music controls are weird and unnecessarily small, and while we could really juice the volume on the earpiece during calls, the sound was pretty muddy. On the plus side, the keypad is awesome with large, easy-to-press buttons that even the fattest fingers would have no trouble using, and the screens are bright and reasonably colorful (though the 220 x 176 resolution never lets you forget that you're dealing with a lower-end device here). We also had no problem with the hinge, which is a component that's always at risk of cheesiness when you're dealing with inexpensive hardware -- it felt solid and consistently closed with a satisfying, positive action.With a couple midrange features like microSD expansion and stereo Bluetooth included, we could reasonably see picking this up if it were offered to us for free on contract -- but paying just shy for $160 out of pocket for the C79 is a tough pill to swallow. Then again, when you put things in perspective, ZTE's a brand new player in this market and this phone is a strong early effort. Needless to say, the established players would definitely be wise to keep their eyes over their shoulders over the next couple years.%Gallery-35964%
MetroPCS Screen-it service puts a name to shock callers
Go figure -- MetroPCS, a carrier far from the forefront of most people's mind, is bringing about a feature that couldn't possibly arrive soon enough. The Screen-it service "displays the calling party's name on a subscriber's wireless phone," regardless of whether he / she has said person in their contact list. We know, you landline users have been enjoying this for eons, but up until now, we cellular customers have had to Google phone numbers before the fourth ring in order to find out if it's our dentist or our credit card company calling. Hey, big boys -- can we this stuff out to everyone else not associated with MetroPCS? Thanks.[Via phonescoop]
Merger aside, Leap and MetroPCS put together roaming deal
Just because MetroPCS' unsolicited advances to Leap got rejected doesn't mean it can't check its damaged ego at the door long enough to get some other business put away. The two regionals sat down recently to hammer out a pretty comprehensive package of collaboration, throwing in a new 10-year roaming agreement, a spectrum swap whereby Leap gets coverage in San Diego, Fresno, Seattle, and parts of Washington and Oregon while MetroPCS picks up Dallas / Fort Worth plus some Louisiana and Florida territory, and a mutual agreement to drop any pending litigation against one another. Can't you just feel the love in the air?
ZTE's AWS-packin' C79 now on MetroPCS
True, ZTE's C79 clamshell becomes one of the relatively few phones released to market to support CDMA on the AWS frequency band in addition to the old-skool cellular and PCS bands, but to buyers, that doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot at this point. Instead, they'll be more concerned (and rightfully so, may we add) about the stylish red shell, the 1.3-megapixel camera, 220 x 176 primary display, external music controls, and 69MB of memory on top of a microSD slot. Strangely, there's no EV-DO involved, but this is MetroPCS we're talking about -- which also means we're met head on with a contract-free price of $169. It's available now.
MetroPCS says "yes" to LTE for 4G
Even casual observers may have noticed a pronounced trend in the 4G announcements lately: pretty much everything's turning up LTE. That's good news for global unity, infrastructure and handset development, roaming capability, and time to market, we figure -- and while MetroPCS' 4G declaration in particular really doesn't have a ton of bearing either way, it's just another tiny nail (call it a thumbtack, if you will) in UMB's coffin. The regional carrier used its second quarter earnings call as the venue to announce that it'll be transitioning to LTE for its next-gen footprint, and it won't be wasting much time, either. Said CEO Roger Lindquist, "I think the world is going there, the world phone will be a reality. I think you'll see some interesting developments here over the next six to twelve months." That's a ridiculously aggressive schedule, but it might be an easier one to stick to for a regional like MetroPCS with a smaller total upgrade expenditure. You know where to send the review handsets if that works out for you, guys.[Via RCR]
Samsung Messager goes after LG Rumor crowd
You don't see terribly many low-cost horizontal slider dumbphones from Samsung, and that's left the market wide open for LG with its Rumor and Scoop -- until now, that is. Meet the Messager, a candybar whose sole reason for being is making your texting life a little easier thanks to a QWERTY keyboard that slides out to the side. The 1xRTT data (yipes!) and 1.3-megapixel sensor aren't going to bake any noodles, but at $199 with no contract whatsoever, there's not a lot of room for bellyaching, especially when you throw in A2DP and a microSD slot. Just a hint, though, Samsung: any phone + pretty colors = $$$. Seriously.
Motorola VE240 hitting an American carrier near you?
Cellpassion has unearthed a new candybar from Motorola that it claims will find shelter on "a couple" US carriers -- and judging from the "MetroPCS" front and center on the display, we'd tend to agree. The so-called VE240 really isn't much to look at, but it obviously has a music slant and reminds us a bit of the W388 we first saw not long ago with an added bar of bright orange across the front for, oh... excitement and style, we guess? If the MetroPCS bit checks out, it'll be a CDMA handset, so put away those newfangled SIM cards, GSM fanboys and girls.Update: phoneArena has now scored some high-res shots of the phone and says that it'll be available in Cricket in addition to MetroPCS.
MetroPCS MetroFlash welcomes Verizon, Sprint customers -- and their devices
MetroPCS may not have the largest wireless footprint in the States, but they did take a jab at the larger two CDMA carriers by announcing their intention to take on any Verizon and Sprint customers ready to jump ship -- as well as any "compatible" devices they may want to bring along with them. Sprint already supposedly does this (although we've still yet to hear of it actually really happening), but the specifics of MetroPCS's MetroFlash seem equally unclear. It doesn't sound like they'll reprogram just any CDMA device that walks through their doors, though, just the ones they've had a chance to test on their network. Definitely kills the buzz (and the number of devices that can be ported), but a little open is still kind of better than totally closed, right?[Via Seattle P-I and Mobility Site]
MetroPCS extends push-to-talk to wireline users
MetroPCS has come up with a novel -- and long overdue -- concept where push-to-talkers can now irritate wireline subscribers, too. Kodiac Networks, which is behind the ChatLink service has stated this is the first system that will see PTT extended to users without a client. MetroPCS subscribers will now have the ability to create a friends network of up to 10 people and by simply hitting any key on their phone will be able to join in the push-to-talk fun. The service is set to cost only $5 per month, so what you waiting for, Unlimit Yourself.
Samsung "Spex" en route to a MetroPCS shop near you
The Samsung SCH-r210 Spex is set to wow nobody at MetroPCS in the near future. MetroPCS isn't coughing up any details, yet, but we're hearing it packs dual-band CDMA plus 1700 MHz AWS, a 128 x 128 screen, and, ahh, text messaging. Obviously this handset is doomed for a shining spot on the near-free price schedule, though if you're only looking for a handset that Grandma will appreciate, perhaps this'll ring your bell. No word on release dates or prices, but we'll likely hear more soon.[Via PhoneScoop]
ZTE launches C88 flip on MetroPCS
That handset for MetroPCS that ZTE was promising is finally here -- and while it's not a FasTap phone or anything nifty like that, it's a surprisingly decent midrange piece that should find its way into a fair number of pockets. The Chinese manufacturer is clearly trying to make inroads into North America, and it had previously said that its MetroPCS device would be custom designed for the US market; a good, close look at the C88 has us agreeing that they probably weren't lying. The phone is a clamshell -- just the form factor us Americans can't get enough of -- and includes a camera, speakerphone, decently sized primary display, Bluetooth, and on-device web content. It's available now for $139.
Regionals pick up a couple yawnfest Samsungs
Contain yourselves, folks, this is a civilized society! Please, just remain calm and calmly file into the MetroPCS or US Cellular store to pick up one of these two gems, the r300 flip and the r610 slider from Samsung. Neither one is likely to turn any heads, but the prices are right; the $129 (on contract, naturally) r620 does EV-DO with a 1.3 megapixel cam plus A2DP and microSD expansion, while the lower-end 1xRTT r300 gets flashy with a red exterior but keeps a tight lid on the cash outlay with a $109 asking price. Get 'em both now.[Via Phone Scoop]Read - Samsung r300 for MetroPCSRead - Samsung r610 for US Cellular
