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Minecraft XBLA hits 4m mark, PC prepaid cards now in stores
Minecraft is over the 4 million mark for Xbox Live Arcade sales. 4J Studios revealed the figure on Twitter, showing the game that smashed XBLA records is still shifting like crazy. 5 million before 2013 looks well within reach (you heard it here first*).Meanwhile, Mojang today announced that the PC version is now available in physical stores via prepaid cards. The cards cost the same $26.95 amount at which Minecraft is priced online, and can be found at Best Buy, Target, and Walmart stores nationwide.*you probably didn't
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.
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.
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.
Uros' Goodspeed hotspot packs 10 SIM cards, says roaming is for chumps (update: fee differences)
Snagging international data service usually involves either special agreements or steep roaming costs. Not Uros and its new Goodspeed hotspot. The pocketable, 21Mbps HSPA+ router carries a staggering 10 SIM cards and simply uses a local SIM for whichever destination country you visit. The brute force strategy helps Uros offer a relatively low flat rate for 1GB of data per day, no matter where you are on the coverage map: while the Goodspeed itself costs €273 ($352), Uros asks just €5.90 ($8) a day for occasional visits and €9.90 ($13) a month for frequent fliers. It's a very sizable bargain for the jetset, even with a current scope limited to Finland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the UK. A number of "important" countries are due before Christmas, which could make Uros' hotspot a go-to choice for those who just can't stay settled in one place. [Thanks, Antti] Update: Uros has gotten in touch with us to clarify the pricing beyond what we've seen so far. The €9.90 fee covers account details and doesn't "yet" reflect data -- you'll still need to pay €5.90 per day . There's also a chance the rate could go up in future countries, although all the existing countries abide by that rate.
iPhone 5 coming to Cricket September 28th, keeps the pre-paid faithful happy
Well, there wasn't any word about it from the stage yesterday, but we're happy to report that the iPhone 5 will be going pre-paid from (almost) day one. The contract-free Cricket will be first to offer the latest from Cupertino in a pay-as-you-go format, repeating its claim to fame with the 4S. Price is still up in the air, but we expect the 16GB iPhone 5 and 4S to land at the same price points already on the books for pre-paid iOS handsets -- $499 and $399, respectively. It doesn't look like there will be a pre-order period, so you'll just have to carry yourself down to your local Cricket shop on September 28th if your want your 4-inch iOS without the commitment. You'll find the exceedingly brief PR after the break.
Google Wallet to phase out prepaid card, cut-off date set for October 17th
Google Wallet's prepaid card concept has been plagued with its share of security concerns, and though Mountain View seems to have sorted out those issues, it's now phasing out the prepaid card program entirely. The service was intended to make up for a limited choice in debit and credit cards, and now that Google Wallet accepts any and all plastic, the prepaid option is a bit moot. The cut-off date for adding funds to a Google prepaid card is September 17th, and the prepaid option will vanish entirely on October 17th. Whereas users were previously charged $2.00 per month after 180 days without a transaction, they'll get slapped with the same fee after 30 days of no purchases. Google says you can request a refund if you have a remaining balance after the prepaid option kicks the bucket, though it's probably a good idea to just go ahead and spend those leftover dollars. [Thanks, Chris]
VMK preps Africa-designed Elikia smartphone with $170 price, fast track for apps
Congo-based VMK has been blazing a trail for mobile devices in Africa: its Way-C tablet proved that the continent could go its own way without leaning on Asia or Europe. The company promised several months ago to address the same gap with smartphones, and the result is here in the form of the Elikia ("Hope"). The hardware won't shake the cellular world's foundations with its 3.5-inch (and 480 x 320) display, 512MB of RAM, a 650MHz processor and both 5-megapixel rear as well as front VGA cameras, but that's not the point -- at $170 US off-contract, it's much more within the reach of Congo residents, and it even uses the unofficial Holo Launcher to bring a taste of Android 4.0 to what's really Android 2.3 underneath. There's also a minor revolution in app purchasing. As Google Play won't take Congo's credit cards, VMK has its own app store and prepaid gift cards to give the country a similar experience. You'll have to sign on to local carriers Airtel, MTN or Warid to use an Elikia in the near future, but we're hoping the phone expands its reach and levels the playing field. %Gallery-164749%
Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile now available for $299 without contract from Walmart
If you've ever thought it was impossible to score an excellent smartphone alongside a prepaid plan, it's time to reconsider the assumption. Just like the Galaxy S II will soon arrive at Boost Mobile for $360, those willing to brave the crowds at Walmart will save some cash with T-Mobile's version of the handset, which now sells for $299 -- in comparison, T-Mobile currently sells the Galaxy S II for $550 outright. As one caveat, the phone must be sold with a no-contract plan of at least $30, but one can discontinue service whenever they desire. If your wallet is now tingling, you'll find the full PR after the break.
Cricket and RadioShack confirm No-Contract Wireless, ship two Huawei phones to celebrate
RadioShack might have had a difficult time keeping a lid on its partnership with Cricket, but that doesn't mean we aren't interested in the official news. Launching under the expected RadioShack No-Contract Wireless banner, the unfettered phone service includes lets shoppers pick either $25 or $35 plans for basic feature phones or, more importantly, some tempting $50 and $60 smartphone plans. On top of unlimited domestic voice and messaging, these last two rates offer a respective 1GB and 2.5GB of data before throttling kicks in, with hotspot support, international text messaging and visual voicemail reserved for the highest-end tier. You'll find just two Huawei phones if you wander into a RadioShack store for the Wednesday launch: the $40 Pillar, a keyboard-touting basic phone, and a white-tinged, $150 Mercury Ice that iterates on the Android 2.3-toting Mercury only in the change of color. We're promised two additional, unnamed phones before the end of the month, and smartphones on the No-Contract service will be the only Cricket devices shipping with 8GB microSDHC cards to feed that Muve Music habit. The nitty-gritty of the hardware and plans await after the break.
Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for data-focused Brits
It was only in June that we saw Virgin Media shaking up its regular mobile plans for UK residents. The carrier is back for another round, this time to serve the SIM Only customers who thrive on unlocked phones. Four plans starting from £12 ($19) a month all provide unlimited data and text messaging for bring-your-own-phone subscribers, with voice as the only real separating factor: the thriftiest callers get 150 minutes per month, while higher £15, £17 and £25 ($24, $27 and $40) tiers ramp up to a respective 250, 1,200 and 2,500 minutes for chattier customers. The chief gotcha is a lack of bundled landline calling for all but the priciest plan, although existing Virgin Media subscribers can knock an extra £5 off of that rate. If you're the sort who can't bear the thought of a contract, Virgin now has you better covered.
RadioShack No Contract Wireless rate plans leak, $60 will get you everything
We're just about a week out from the rumored launch of RadioShack's Cricket-based No Contract Wireless plans, and more details are beginning to trickle out about the prepaid service. Specifically, we've just received information concerning how much The Shack intends to charge on a monthly basis, and it's just about what you'd expect: you can choose between featurephone and smartphone options, with the former hooking you up with unlimited messaging and your choice of 300 minutes for $25 or 1,000 minutes for $35. As for the smartphone plans, you'll get unlimited voice, messaging and Muve Music downloads on both selections; the $50 option will get you one gigabyte of 3G data (before throttling ensues), while $60 bestows you with 2.5GB data and mobile hotspot use, Visual Voicemail access, unlimited international text and all-you-can-eat directory assistance. As a comparison, Cricket's $35 featurephone plan will give you unlimited voice and SMS, compared to 1,000 minutes and unlimited SMS / MMS / 1X data on The Shack. The carrier's basic smartphone option is $55 and offers unlimited voice, messaging and 3G data (throttled at 2.5GB); this may seem like the better deal -- unless you're interested in using Muve Music. Since you have to pay an extra $10 to add the unlimited music service into the mix on Cricket, you'll see a monthly savings of $5 if you waltz into The Shack for the top-tiered plan. We're still waiting for RadioShack to come clean and acknowledge the existence of the NoContract service, but we'll continue to reveal more details as they come down the pipeline. Check out the featurephone rate plans after the break. [Thanks, Anonymous!]
ZTE-made Concord arrives at T-Mobile and Walmart, caters to the starter crowd at $100 contract-free
T-Mobile wants to offer as much of a lure to smartphone newcomers as to power users who might spring for its truly unlimited data, and the ZTE Concord might just be the right kind of bait. The truly 2010-vintage Android 2.3, 3.5-inch screen and 2-megapixel camera won't get anyone's pulse racing, but a $100 contract-free price is hard to ignore -- even for the sort who'd otherwise be looking for a just-does-calls flip phone. Accordingly, the carrier plans to put the Concord in front of audiences that would rarely care to set foot in a dedicated cellphone store. Walmart is selling the phone today for those comfortable with a Walmart Family Mobile plan. If you'd rather show fealty to T-Mobile itself, you'll have to swing through a Target store on or after August 26th.
Inmarsat brings prepaid model to satellite phone calls
If you need a satellite phone, then you need a satellite phone. There's no getting around it. Researchers, government contractors and workers in remote locations around the globe rely on their near universal (and extremely expensive) coverage to keep in touch while out in the field. That has normally meant pricey, long-term contracts that lock users into service much like our nation's cellular providers. Satellite operator Inmarsat is finally providing an alternative for those that need truly global coverage (specifically, here in the US) by offering prepaid voice plans to owners of its IsatPhone Pro, BGAN, FleetBroadband and FleetPhone devices. The new plans, while no less expensive we're sure, should prove to be quite attractive to those that need satellite service for only short periods of time -- say, just a few months. The new plans will be available starting September 1st for those who want sat-phone service without the commitment. Check out the PR after the break. [Photo courtesy of Tarquin Binary]
Kyocera Rise coming to Sprint August 19th for $20, Virgin Mobile to follow on August 31st for $100
Kyocera announced the QWERTY-packing Rise at this year's CTIA without mention of any carrier support. Regardless, we had a feeling it would eventually end up on Sprint, given the lengthy partnership the two companies have enjoyed -- not to mention a few leaks. Indeed, we got official word this morning that the Kyocera Rise will be available on Sprint August 19th for $20 (after a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year commitment), with Virgin Mobile following up with a prepaid version on August 31st. The non-contract price? $100. That thirty-dollar difference makes for an incredibly tough sell when a contract is attached. For the forgetful Freds out there, the Rise features Android 4.0, a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon S2 processor, a 3.2MP camera and a 1,500mAh battery that claims 8.5 hours of talk time. Check out more details in the press release after the break.
Skype now selling prepaid cards in Mexico, makes it easier to get unlimited calling plans
Believe it or not, prepaid cards are indeed a thing south of the US border. In fact, the majority of folks in Mexico often choose to go this route rather than sticking with some sort of monthly contract. Not surprisingly, Skype's done its homework and has taken note of this situation, as the Microsoft-owned service has announced its plans to start selling a couple of prepaid card options in Mexico. For starters, there's a 100 pesos (around $8) per-month deal which offers an unlimited calling plan to both mobile and landlines in the US, while the pay-as-you-go sheet costs 150 pesos but charges by the minute at a modest .30 pesos and includes calls to more than 170 countries. According to Skype, these cards will be available at multiple stores all over Mexico, such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, 7 Eleven and El Palacio de Hierro.
Ting becomes first US MVNO to hop the Galaxy S III bandwagon, outlines its device roadmap
Ting has drawn a lot of attention among MVNOs for its unique mix-and-match approach to contract-free plans, but it's had to contend with some rather middling phones inherited from its network partner Sprint. That gap in high-end phones will narrow before the summer's up: Ting plans to carry the Galaxy S III within three to six weeks, becoming the first virtual carrier in the US to tout Samsung's flagship. Its version is identical to the Sprint model and will even cost $20 less when you skip Sprint's two-year term, at $529 for a 16GB edition and $579 for its 32GB cousin. If that doesn't satisfy the appetite, Ting is also giving a peek at its menu for the months ahead. Along with adopting LTE this year to make that Galaxy S III hum, the carrier expects to bring in a more moderately-priced LTE phone, a hotspot, an accessible phone and a budget slider. We wouldn't base any carrier switches around an iPhone or Windows Phone option, though. There's only "some progress" coaxing a deal out of Apple, and a Windows Phone is most likely to wait until the first quarter of 2013.
Cricket ships Huawei Ascend Q, offers Android chatting for $140 prepaid
Huawei had said it would deliver the Ascend Q in August, and it didn't waste a moment -- Cricket is selling the Android 2.3 messager as of today for $140 on its prepaid smartphone plans. While the OS, 800MHz processor, 3.2-inch display and fixed-focus 3.2-megapixel camera won't knock any socks off, we found the Ascend Q a solid phone for compulsive chatters when we tried it last month. There's also a 4GB microSD card in the box to get the ball rolling. One minor surprise: Muve Music is getting a minor boost through DTS audio processing that reportedly fills out the sound. As long as there's no expectations of a media extravaganza, Huawei's new hardware could be one of the better bargains in Cricket's stable.
Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps
Avanti has been beaming satellite broadband to Europe for awhile, but it's been tied to a subscription through carrier deals. That's a tough sell to customers who, by definition, don't want to be tied to anything -- which is why the company just launched prepaid satellite internet access for the continent. Although the Ka-band service's 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream speeds won't have anyone dropping their 330Mbps fiber anytime soon, the pay-as-you-go strategy will let travelers and rural dwellers get broadband in a pinch, no matter how spotty terrestrial access might get. Imagine Skype calls during Swiss ski vacations and you've got the gist of it. Carriers will resell the data in healthy doses of 1GB or larger, and Avanti is adamant that there won't be any nasty throttling surprises waiting in store. While exact prices will depend on partners, the provider isn't waiting for those details before it covers much of the Old World: its upcoming HYLAS 2 satellite (what you see above) will share the speed with Africa, the Caucasus region and the Middle East as of August 2nd, making it almost too easy for us to update Google+ in Georgia.
C-Spire debuts pre-paid tablet and hotspot plans
As far as regional carriers go, C-Spire is a pretty big deal. Which makes it all the more surprising that the company hasn't offered standalone pre-paid data plans until now. The southern cellphone network now has three tiers of pre-paid access for your tablet or Mi-Fi, beginning with a $15 100MB package that expires after a week. $30 nets you 300MB over two weeks, while the top tier grants you a whole month's access and 1GB of data -- but will set you back a rather steep $50. Of course, there's always post-paid solutions for the more demanding, that start at $20 for 1GB per-month and go up to $50 for 5GB. For more, check out the PR after the break.
