SamsungCraft
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Samsung Craft LTE phone spied enroute to MetroPCS?
These shots actually surfaced a few days ago buried in the depths of HowardForums, but given what we know of Samsung's R900 Craft thus far -- particularly the fact that it'll be a non-smartphone -- we have no reason to doubt that we're looking at a prototype of it here. What makes the Craft most notable is that it's slated to be MetroPCS' first LTE-capable handset (and one of the first LTE handsets anywhere in the world) for its shiny new 4G network, and it looks like we can expect full sliding QWERTY along with the typical TouchWiz UI elements. We'd like to hate on this thing for not running Android or Windows Phone 7, but hey -- it's almost certainly going to be the first LTE phone to hit these shores, so we're willing to cut it just an ounce of slack this once. The carrier's first LTE markets are lighting up later this year, so we expect to see this with a whole lot less Blurrycam before too long.
Samsung Craft to be MetroPCS' first LTE handset, Dallas-Ft. Worth added as a launch market
When we think "craft," we think of airplanes, boats, and perhaps the occasional needlepoint project -- but all kidding aside, we've definitely heard worst names than "Craft" for a major phone launch, so we've got nothing to complain about here. Regional carrier MetroPCS has announced on its latest earnings call that its first LTE phone -- the FCC-approved R900 from Samsung -- will come to market as the Craft at a price in the same range as its current smartphone lineup which includes the Code for $250 and the BlackBerry Curve 8530 for $280. These guys are still on target to launch in Vegas this year, but it now looks like they'll be adding Dallas-Ft. Worth into the mix as it moves to complete its 4G build-out early next year. It's a seriously aggressive timeline for a carrier traditionally known for cheap voice and text, not blazing data -- but hey, who are we to complain?
