Posts Tagged Now Network
LG Optimus F7 leaked as potential suitor for Boost Mobile
Travel back to the time of Mobile World Congress and you’ll surely recall the LG Optimus F7, a well-specced mid-tier smartphone that left us quite impressed. Now, @evleaks has shared a peek of the device that’s adorned with the Now Network’s branding, and if all goes according to plans, the serial leaker suggests the phone will soon hit Sprint-owned Boost Mobile. A few notable features of the Optimus F7 include a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display, a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, an 8-megapixel primary camera, 2GB RAM and Android 4.1.2, which would pose a heavy challenge to Boost’s current premiere smartphone, the HTC One SV. Naturally, we’d certainly welcome the Optimus F7 on Sprint (and even Virgin Mobile), and given the Sprint Zone branding, we’ll remain cautiously hopeful that Dan Hesse is thinking the same.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: @evleaks (9to5Google)
LG Optimus F7 leaked as potential suitor for Boost Mobile
Travel back to the time of Mobile World Congress and you’ll surely recall the LG Optimus F7, a well-specced mid-tier smartphone that left us quite impressed. Now, @evleaks has shared a peek of the device that’s adorned with the Now Network’s branding, and if all goes according to plans, the serial leaker suggests the phone will soon hit Sprint-owned Boost Mobile. A few notable features of the Optimus F7 include a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display, a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, an 8-megapixel primary camera, 2GB RAM and Android 4.1.2, which would pose a heavy challenge to Boost’s current premiere smartphone, the HTC One SV. Naturally, we’d certainly welcome the Optimus F7 on Sprint (and even Virgin Mobile), and given the Sprint Zone branding, we’ll remain cautiously hopeful that Dan Hesse is thinking the same.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: @evleaks (9to5Google)
HTC One just $99 for customers who switch to Sprint
Current customers stuck with $199 price tag, full price still $549
Sprint is prominently displaying promotions on its HTC One pre-order page indicating that new customers coming to the Now Network will receive $100 off their purchase. Provided you bring your own number to the carrier (presumably to make sure people intend to stick around) and sign a two year contract, the device will ring up at just $99. The HTC One will be finally available on Sprint on April 19th, but pre-ordering before then secures your device, which Sprint says it will attempt to have arrive at your door before it actually goes on sale in stores.
If you're planning on pre-ordering you're unfortunately going to be restricted to just the silver/white model, with the black model still "coming soon". Is $100 enough money to make you consider switching carriers? You can get more info at the source link below.
Source: Sprint
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HTC One just $99 for customers who switch to Sprint
Current customers stuck with $199 price tag, full price still $549
Sprint is prominently displaying promotions on its HTC One pre-order page indicating that new customers coming to the Now Network will receive $100 off their purchase. Provided you bring your own number to the carrier (presumably to make sure people intend to stick around) and sign a two year contract, the device will ring up at just $99. The HTC One will be finally available on Sprint on April 19th, but pre-ordering before then secures your device, which Sprint says it will attempt to have arrive at your door before it actually goes on sale in stores.
If you're planning on pre-ordering you're unfortunately going to be restricted to just the silver/white model, with the black model still "coming soon". Is $100 enough money to make you consider switching carriers? You can get more info at the source link below.
Source: Sprint
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Sprint 4G rolls out to nine new markets
Those on the Now Network will be seeing Sprint’s glorious 4G LTE signal live in nine new markets as the carrier has announced expansion of its network. Folks in Altoona, Pa., Asheville, N.C., Columbus, Ind., Elkhart/Goshen, Ind., Hammond, La., La Crosse, Wis., San Juan, Puerto Rico, Statesville, N.C., and Temple, Texas will all be able to pull down high-speed data on devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 and the upcoming HTC One. This also means those Virgin Mobile and Boost mobile will be able to access LTE in those areas as those Sprint subsidiaries share the same 4G LTE signal. Happy times for all, indeed. Be sure to check for the 4G icon on your phone whenever you get a chance.
[via Sprint]
Sprint LTE Goes Live Today In Nine New Markets
Network Vision has been a fairly slow process for Sprint, but the carrier is flipping the LTE switch in nine new markets today.
- Altoona, Pa.
- Asheville, N.C.
- Columbus, Ind.
- Elkhart/Goshen, Ind.
- Hammond, La.
- La Crosse, Wis.
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Statesville, N.C.
- Temple, Texas
This brings The Now Network’s LTE footprint up to a whopping 67 markets, some one-point-seven gazillion short of Verizon, five-hundred-million behind that of AT&T, and negative sixty-six short of T-Mobile’s LTE network count (on a good day). Note: those numbers are estimates, and may not be exact.
The company is still working on testing and implementing its high-speed network in other areas across the country, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.
- Sprint Rolls Out LTE To More Cities, Begins Network Vision Rollout In Chicago, New York, And Los Angeles
- Sprint Brings LTE To Boston, Austin, Western Puerto Rico, And More, Fails To Achieve Triple Rhyme Bonus
- [Rumor] Sprint Adds Los Angeles To List Of Planned Network Vision/LTE Markets For 2012
- AT&T Lights Up Its 4G LTE Network In 11 New Cities, Including New York, San Francisco, And Los Angeles
Sprint LTE Goes Live Today In Nine New Markets was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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Leak reveals budget-friendly Sprint Force from ZTE arriving March 1st
A new budget-friendly Android is headed to the Now Network. Bearing the carrier’s badging and manufactured by ZTE, the Sprint Force is a low-cost Android 4.0 handset featuring a 4-inch display, 1.5GHz processor, and 5MP camera. It will also reportedly take advantage of Sprint’s ever-growing LTE network.
Other specs include 4GB if internal storage, 1GB RAM, and a 1730mAh battery. All of this for only $49.99 on a two-year contract after rebates, or so the product sheet details. The phone’s launch should only be about a week away, with the handset pegged for a March 1st release.
[via Engadget]
Sprint joins BB10 bandwagon, ‘plans’ to carry devices ‘later this year’
Ah, there you are, Sprint — didn’t speak up at first. Following confirmations by US carriers, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T that they’d be carrying BlackBerry 10 devices this year, the Now Network has joined the fray. While we’ll surely find out the full details from RIM come the OS’s official kick-off on January 30th, details are currently slim. A rep for the company confirmed the news to BGR (and Engadget, for that matter) stating, “Sprint plans to bring BlackBerry 10 to our customers later this year. We will share more details soon.” Notably, Sprint is the only carrier that hasn’t committed to having devices upon the launch of the OS — of course, being the Now Network doesn’t always mean being first.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sprint, RIM
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Sprint’s Trevor Van Norman (update: video embedded)
It’s time for a little carrier love. First up is the Now Network, who just happened to take the wraps of its pay-as-you-go service. We’ll be speaking with Trevor Van Norman, the carrier’s director of product marketing.
Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!
Update: video embedded
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Sprint confirms pay-as-you-go service, promises not to throttle speeds or cap data
Word of a Sprint pay-as-you-go service crossed our desks just yesterday in the form of a leaked slide, and now Big Yellow has confirmed to FierceWireless that the effort, dubbed Sprint As You Go, will launch on January 25th. The Now Network’s new initiative will offer a $70 monthly plan for smartphones and a $50-a-month plan for feature phones. Both options won’t offer premium features such as WiFi tethering and Sprint Navigation, but Sprint says customers will see neither hide nor hair of data caps or speed throttling. As for hardware, the smartphone tier includes the LTE-enabled Samsung Victory at $250 and the LG Optimus Elite for $150. On the feature phone end of the spectrum, Samsung’s Array and M400 handsets are available on the service (presumably ringing up at $80 and $50, respectively). Angling to take advantage of Sprint’s new offer? You’ll have to forgo online shopping this time, as the firm is making the offer available exclusively through it’s brick-and-mortar Sprint Stores.
Filed under: Mobile
Via: PhoneDog
Source: FierceWireless
Sprint makes $2.1 billion bid to acquire Clearwire
After word spread that Sprint was in “active negotiations” to acquire the remaining share of Clearwire, the carrier has tabled a $2.1 billion offer to buyout the company. Sprint currently holds a majority stake in Clearwire but seeks complete ownership of its assets, including spectrum that could be repurposed towards building out the Now Network’s own wireless offerings.
A few key things need to happen before the deal can go through. Obviously, Clearwire would need to agree to the terms, but so would SoftBank, the Japanese company that aims to complete a deal to acquire 70 percent of Sprint by next spring. Even if both parties are kosher with Sprint’s offer, the Clearwire deal is contingent on the SoftBank acquisition going through. The ink likely won’y be on the paperwork until March or April of 2013.
[via Engadget]
Sprint reportedly in talks to purchase remaining Clearwire stake
Sprint’s situation continues to get even more complicated, as it’s being reported by CNBC that the Now Network is currently in “active negotiations” to acquire the remaining half of Clearwire, just two months after it took 51 percent stake in the company and had 70 percent of its own entity acquired by Softbank. That said, there is no guarantee that this particular buyout will occur, as the deal will have to get the Japanese carrier’s blessing before proceeding. According to the all-knowing “people familiar with the matter,” Sprint’s vision in fully acquiring the company is to add Clearwire’s spectrum to its own. It aims to close the deal around the same time the Softbank deal is finalized, which both companies are hoping will take place in March or April.
Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, Sprint
Via: Wall Street Journal
Source: CNBC
Text-to-911 emergency services coming to US carriers in 2014
New details have confirmed that the big 4 US phone carriers have agreed to rollout a brand new service in a joint effort with the 911 Association (NENA) that will allow text-to-911 emergency services. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and the Now Network have all agreed to offer this come 2014. With text messages being such a huge part of daily life we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner.
Apparently the agreement and plan between all four major US carriers and the 911 association has been shipped off to the FCC for approval, and should be seen this month to get things started. Apparently back in May Verizon was dabbling with the idea, but this is a full on agreement by all four carriers to work together and offer this service to all their subscribers.
NENA’s President Barbara Jaeger offered this statement. “As the public becomes more mobile and embraces new methods for communicating, 9-1-1 has to be ready to answer non-voice requests for assistance. This historic agreement demonstrates the shared commitment of parties to serve the evolving needs of citizens in the digital age.”
Plans to launch the service are aiming for early 2014 with the initial rollout complete by May. There will be a bounce-back system in place for regions not yet supported as 911 call centers will need to have required equipment and training to complete this new option. Obviously placing a call for help or emergencies is obviously the best and fastest way to proceed, but this service will be great for hearing impaired as well as those scary situations where silence is needed. This is a good first step by wireless carriers, I’m just surprised this hasn’t been fully implemented sooner. Thoughts on text-to-911 services?
[via SlashGear]
Sprint reportedly wooing Dish with spectrum sharing and MVNO possibilities
Spectrum is a valuable and finite resource, but it seems that Sprint has an overabundance of the stuff. In addition to the capacity needed for its namesake operation, along with its Boost and Virgin Mobile properties, the Now Network is currently leasing its capacity to Ting, FreedomPop, Republic Wireless, Voyager Mobile, Elevate and pretty much any other company that’s willing to ink a contract. Now, Bloomberg reports that Sprint’s looking to bring a biggie on board. According to the outlet’s anonymous sources, Sprint has approached Dish Network with an offer that would allow the satellite company to establish itself as a wireless provider by using the Now Network’s airwaves. Curiously, a fee-based arrangement isn’t the only topic of discussion, as it’s also said that Sprint is exploring a spectrum sharing arrangement with Dish that would put the satellite company’s unused spectrum licenses to use.
For all the potential that such an agreement could provide, talks between the companies are currently said to be in a holding pattern while the FCC completes its review of Dish’s spectrum holdings. As proof that the duo aren’t completely cozy, Sprint is currently lobbying the regulatory agency to impose rules that Dish insists would reduce the viability of its spectrum. Oh, the irony.
[Cell tower photo credit: Paul O'Keefe / Flickr]
Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, Sprint
Source: Bloomberg
Leaked Sprint holiday ad outs BOGO offer on a trio of Samsung Galaxy smartphones
After a couple of Sprint Black Friday leaks here and there, our anonymous tipster is going for a hat trick by revealing the Now Network’s pre-Christmas festivities. Running December 7th through 24th, the house of Hesse will be offering a buy one get one free special on the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Victory. The temporary promo is available to new and eligible upgrading customers alike and requires a new two-year service agreement. Supplies are expected to be limited, so if you’re looking to score one of these snazzy doodads, we suggest that you start mapping out your nearest Sprint stores and put together a plan of attack.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Sprint
Sprint Announces Nine Cities To Receive New LTE Network
Verizon might have a big lead in the race for 4G LTE coverage, but Sprint is doing their best to catch up in implementing their own network. Today, the Now Network announced that within the coming months, nine new markets would be getting some LTE love as they keep growing. Sprint already has LTE [...]
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Sprint adding Spotify Premium to carrier billing for Android customers starting November 11th
A few months back Sprint’s Android customers gained the option to charge Google Play purchases to their monthly wireless bill. In an effort to keep the carrier billing party going, the Now Network will soon be adding this option for Spotify Premium customers. An anonymous tipster has shared with us that starting on November 11th, Sprint’s Android clientele will be able to add the music streaming service’s $10 monthly charge to their bill. While we’re sure that some customers will take advantage of this new option, we can’t help but long for the good old days when people could bill a new phone to their account. Ah, Sprint giveth and taketh away.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Sprint
Sprint adding Spotify Premium to carrier billing for Android customers starting November 11th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sprint Galaxy Note II Gets Its First OTA Update (Build L900VPALJC), Brings Multi-Window And More
Note II early adopters on the Now Network, time to head into the Settings menu and check for updates – Sprint just announced a new OTA is rolling out for its iteration of the phablet. This update brings a few meh changes, like GPS lock setting enhancements, email fixes, and improved text message notifications while talking on the phone. But it also brings one major feature: Multi-Window. It’s good to see this feature start rolling out to U.S. handsets, as it’s been on the Korean and International versions for several weeks now.
Start around the two-minute mark to see Multi-Window in action.
- [Updated] Samsung Shows Off More Of What The Note II Can Do, Including Its Awesome New Multi-Window Interface [Video]
- Ice Cream Sandwich Is Ready To Go For Verizon’s Galaxy Tab 7.7, Should Begin Rolling Out Shortly
- Samsung Galaxy S III On Sprint Gets Its First OTA Update (Version L710VPLF9), Brings ‘Security Updates’ And Not Much Else
- Gingerbread OTA Rolling Out For The HTC Inspire 4G
Sprint Galaxy Note II Gets Its First OTA Update (Build L900VPALJC), Brings Multi-Window And More was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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Sprint Buys Spectrum and Customers from US Cellular in the Midwest for $480 Million
When news broke that Sprint was being purchased by the Japanese company Softbank, one of the benefits to the Now Network was a large amount of cash up front. Sprint is going to be spending a little bit of that money to bolster their network by purchasing customers and a bit of spectrum from regional [...]
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Sprint Spending $480 Million To Acquire U.S. Cellular Spectrum And Customers In The Midwest Area
Call it a new found boldness after the Softbank acquisition, or just an attempt to bolster its numbers in the continued fight against AT&T and Verizon, but Sprint is not letting up. Today, the nation’s number three carrier announced it’s going to buy up some of U.S. Cellular’s spectrum and customers in mid-west states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. Among the newly Now Network’d markets are Chicago and St. Louis.
The spectrum offerings that the company is picking up will be used to bolster LTE service for the markets that Sprint is taking off U.S. Cellular’s hands. It’s not a monumental deal, by any means, but given that the Softbank-owned carrier could use any advantage it can get as it races to compete with the near-duopoly, it’s definitely a good sign.
- Sprint Ends LTE Agreement With Lightsquared, Says Its Network Vision Plan Is Still ‘On Schedule’
- Sprint Is In Talks With Softbank For A "Substantial Investment" That "Could Involve A Change Of Control"
- Sprint Rolls Out LTE To More Cities, Begins Network Vision Rollout In Chicago, New York, And Los Angeles
- Verizon And T-Mobile Strike Agreement To Swap Spectrum, T-Mobile Reiterates Plans For LTE Next Year
Sprint Spending $480 Million To Acquire U.S. Cellular Spectrum And Customers In The Midwest Area was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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[Deal Alert] Wirefly Now Selling Sprint Optimus G Pre-Orders for $149, $50 Off Regular Price
For CDMA users, the GSM-exclusive Nexus 4 can be a bit of a bummer. However, if you’re looking for the same high-powered specs without leaving the Now Network, you can get the Optimus G which David was actually pretty impressed by. Right now, Wirefly and Sprint are both accepting pre-orders for this device, though the former is offering it for about $50 cheaper than you would pay getting it straight from the carrier.
Of course, that’s with a new two year contract or an upgrade on your existing line. Still, it’s a nice little chunk of change to have knocked off.
- White And Regular Editions Of Motorola Droid 2 Global Now Available From Wirefly For Half Of Verizon’s Price – Just $99.99 On A New Two-Year Contract
- Wirefly Launches Pre-Orders For The HTC EVO 4G LTE, Knocks $50 Off The Price ($150)
- Motorola DROID 3 Now Available At Wirefly For Just $149.99 On Contract
- [Update: x2: Prices Lowered] Galaxy Nexus Goes Live On Verizon Wireless, Amazon Wireless, And Wirefly For $299, $199, And $220 Respectively
[Deal Alert] Wirefly Now Selling Sprint Optimus G Pre-Orders for $149, $50 Off Regular Price was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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Samsung Galaxy Note II now available from Sprint for $300 on a two-year contract
Whether you’re an existing or prospecting Sprint customer, the carrier’s new big thing is now on sale. Priced at a whopping $300 with a two-year service agreement, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is the biggest smartphone to hit Sprint since the Hitachi G1000. As a reminder, the Now Network’s Note II features an unbranded home button, a 5.5-inch 1,280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED display, a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.9-megapixel front-facing shooter, Android 4.1 and international voice and data compatibility with GSM / UMTS / CDMA networks. If the aforementioned sounds pleasing to your mobile palate, then the only thing left to decide is marble white or titanium gray?
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Note II now available from Sprint for $300 on a two-year contract originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Galaxy S III Jelly Bean update for US carriers could start tomorrow
We have some excellent news for the millions and millions of Galaxy S III owners here in the US. It looks like Samsung’s extremely popular and powerful Galaxy S III smartphone could actually start seeing the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean starting tomorrow. While this is doubtful, a few leaks from the Now Network have reportedly confirmed the rollout.
According to some leaked internal screenshots from the Now Network, the Galaxy S III is set to start receiving the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as of tomorrow the 25th, and roll out from there. The folks from Phandroid received a screenshot confirming the update, so now it’s only a matter of time.
Earlier this month Samsung confirmed (again) that the US version of their Galaxy S III would see the update “in the coming months” but wasn’t to specific. We’ve heard that before, and hopefully this is the real deal. Get ready to enjoy that Project Butter and Google Now guys.
The leaked document indeed reveals the Galaxy S III will start getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as of tomorrow, and will reach all device owners within one week. Users can also expect bug fixes, and 4G LTE improvements for said device. This is only one carrier out of many, but it’s safe to say T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and the rest should be rolling out the update in a similar fashion, and soon. Stay tuned for more details folks!
Story Timeline
- Samsung Galaxy S III AT&T and T-Mobile Review
- Samsung: Galaxy S III Jelly Bean “coming soon” to the US
- Samsung Galaxy S III becomes T-Mobile’s best-selling device
- Galaxy S III to get Jelly Bean “in the coming months”
- Samsung Galaxy S III getting OTA update on Verizon and T-Mobile today
- Samsung UK confirms Galaxy S III Jelly Bean updates imminent for all carriers
- Unlocked Galaxy S III receives Jelly Bean update in the UK
- Device Name : Galaxy S III (LTE)
- Manufactuer : Samsung
- Carrier : AT&T Verizon
- Announced Date : June 04, 2012
- Release Date : TBA
- Also Known As : SGH-I535 (Verizon), SGH-I747 (AT&T)
- Screen Size : 4.8 Inch
- Resolution : 1280×720
- Screen Type : Super AMOLED HD
- Height : 5.37 Inch
- Width : 2.77 Inch
- Depth : 0.33 Inch
- Weight : 133 Grams
- Battery Type:
- Lithium Ion
- Battery Capacity : 2100 mAh
- Talk Time : NA
- Stand By Time : NA
- Android OS:
- 4.0.x
- Audio Playback:
- AAC
- AAC+
- AMR
- MID
- MP3
- WAV
- WMA
- Video Playback:
- h.263
- h.264 / AVC
- 3GP
- MPEG-4 (MP4)
- WMV
- Messaging:
- SMS
- MMS
- IM
- CPU : MSM8960 Snapdragon
- CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz
- Core : 2
- Ram : 2000 MB
- Internal Storage : 16 GB
- Front Facing Camera :
- Camera Resolution : 8 MP
- External Storage:
- MicroSD
- MicroSDHC
- Camera Features:
- Auto focus
- Flash
- 1080p Video Recording
- 720p Video Recording
- Sensors:
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light
- Proximity
- QWERTY :
- Network Technology:
- GSM
- CDMA
- GSM Band:
- 850
- 900
- 1800
- 1900
- CDMA Band:
- 800
- 1900
- Wi-Fi:
- 802.11b
- 802.11g
- 802.11n
- Bluetooth:
- A2DP
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Location Features:
- Compass
- GPS
- Cellular location
- Wi-Fi location
- FM Radio :
- NFC :
Sprint Expands Its LTE Network To Five More Markets In Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, And Texas
Hey Sprinsters – guess what? The Now Network has some more LTE markets for you. It’s a short list, but at least they’re making progress, right?
- Chicago Area Suburbs: Addison, Bolingbrook, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Kankakee, Rockford, Joliet, Naperville, Palatine and Plainfield
- Gary, IN
- Hutchinson and McPherson, KS
- New Bedford and Fall River, MA
- Wichita Falls, TX
If you’re still waiting on Sprint’s LTE to hit your area (which should be quite a few of you), don’t sweat it. The network has already released a rollout schedule for the next few months – if you didn’t make the cut this time, maybe you’ll have better luck in the near future.
- Verizon Wireless Launching 4G LTE In 26 New Markets On September 15th
- Sprint Rolls Out LTE To More Cities, Begins Network Vision Rollout In Chicago, New York, And Los Angeles
- Sprint Launches New Network Site, Lets You See Enhancements In Your Area
- Sprint’s LTE Network Just Went Live In Kansas City – More Markets To Follow?
Sprint Expands Its LTE Network To Five More Markets In Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, And Texas was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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LG Optimus G hands-on and unboxing
Today we have the pleasure to give you all another look at LG’s new flagship smartphone. Of course that is the LG Optimus G quad-core 4G LTE powerhouse. We have it here to quickly unbox and get our hands all over once again. LG announced this device last month in Korea, and it will be arriving soon for multiple carriers here in the US. Lets take a look at the Now Network version below.
Sadly this smartphone won’t be headed to Verizon, but the folks at AT&T and the Now Network will both be offering the Optimus G with 4G LTE either late this month, or early November. It was announced by both carriers but we still don’t have pricing or an official release date — but both are surely coming soon from the respective carriers. So what’s all the hype about? On paper this is bar none the best Android smartphone to date so lets dive in.
We got a detailed hands-on back in Korea, so this will be more of a second round for those here in the US, especially if you have the Now Network — which was just purchased by SoftBank in Japan. The specs need no introduction but just for kicks we’ll list em again. The LG Optimus G powerhouse rocks LG’s new ZeroGap technology 4.7-inch TrueHD IPS+ display with a beautiful 1280×768 HD resolution. The ZeroGap enables the display to be closer to the front glass for a crisper image, brighter colors, vivid text, and a better more accurate and responsive experience.
Under that beautiful display is Qualcomm‘s (also brand new) Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor running at 1.5 GHz. You’ll get 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage — which is not removable and swappable like the AT&T model — 4G LTE speeds, a 2,100 mAh battery and a massive 13 megapixel rear camera. Yup, unlike AT&T the Now Network will still use the 13 megapixel BSI sensor for awesome images. Then you’ll get a 1.3 front shooter as well. Here’s the skinny in our hands-on and unboxing video.
As you can see LG’s enhanced their lockscreen and animations, and that quad-core really makes everything blistering fast. We’re really liking the few subtle changes LG’s made this time around to what is Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. This morning LG announced the Optimus G will see Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in December, so that’s good news. So far thanks to Android 4.0 and that quad-core processor things are amazingly fast, fluid, stable, and overly exciting. This phone is the best on paper — and so far we’re liking what we’re seeing and feeling in hand too.
Obviously we’ll be giving this a detailed review in the coming days, but we just wanted to share a few pictures, video, and of course benchmarks before we dive in for the full review. Running on the latest Cortex A15 based quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro from Qualcomm this thing surely gets good benchmark results right? Of course! We’ve never seen a stock device hit the numbers this phone is seeing. With Quadrant we were able to jump to over 7400 overall. The important bit, being CPU and I/O was the best with CPU getting 18,704 — while I/O saw a little over 5,600. AnTuTu wasn’t as impressive overall, but in general the Quadrant results are mirroring our hands-on experience — which is absolutely excellent so far to say the least.
The brand new flagship LG Optimus G hasn’t received an official release date from the Now Network, but the folks from AT&T have announced theirs will be available on November 2nd — so we have a feeling others will be right around the same time. I’m already imagining this smartphone with rounded edges and Android 4.2 in what we’re hearing will be the LG Nexus 4. If you’d like to see or hear anything specific regarding the new LG Optimus G with 4G LTE from the Now Network drop us a comment below and we’ll surely check it out for the full review which is coming soon.
Story Timeline
- LG Optimus G promo video teases 13 megapixel camera and IPS display
- LG Optimus G gets official with S4 Pro quad-core, hits Korea next week
- LG Optimus G hands-on
- LG Optimus G vs HTC One X vs Samsung Galaxy S III
- LG demos Optimus G multitasking and more
- LG Optimus G heads to AT&T with quad-core, 2 GB RAM and 8 MP camera
- LG Optimus G Nexus handed out to Googlers according to reports
- LG Optimus G pre-orders open at AT&T tomorrow for $199
- Device Name : Optimus G
- Manufactuer : LG
- Carrier : NA
- Announced Date : September 18, 2012
- Release Date : TBA
- Also Known As :
- Screen Size : 4.7 Inch
- Resolution : 1280×768
- Screen Type : IPS LCD
- Height : 5.19 Inch
- Width : 2.71 Inch
- Depth : 0.33 Inch
- Weight : 145 Grams
- Battery Type:
- Lithium Ion
- Battery Capacity : 2100 mAh
- Talk Time : NA
- Stand By Time : 335 hours
- Android OS:
- 4.0.x
- Audio Playback:
- AAC
- AAC+
- AMR
- MID
- MP3
- WAV
- WMA
- Video Playback:
- h.263
- h.264 / AVC
- 3GP
- MPEG-4 (MP4)
- WMV
- Messaging:
- SMS
- MMS
- IM
- CPU : APQ8064
- CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz
- Core : 4
- Ram : 2000 MB
- Internal Storage : 32 GB
- Front Facing Camera :
- Camera Resolution : 13 MP
- External Storage:
- MicroSD
- MicroSDHC
- Camera Features:
- Auto focus
- Flash
- 1080p Video Recording
- Sensors:
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light
- Proximity
- QWERTY :
- Network Technology:
- GSM
- GSM Band:
- 850
- 900
- 1800
- 1900
- Wi-Fi:
- 802.11b
- 802.11g
- 802.11n
- Bluetooth:
- A2DP
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Location Features:
- Compass
- GPS
- Cellular location
- Wi-Fi location
- FM Radio :
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CNBC: Softbank to pay $20 billion for a 70 percent stake in Sprint
Rumors of Sprint’s $12 billion acquisition by Softbank weren’t exaggerated, they were understated: according to CNBC, the Now Network will announce a $20 billion transaction with the Japanese network on Monday, granting Softbank a 70 percent stake in the company. According to people familiar with the matter, Softbank will purchase $8 billion in shares directly from Sprint, snagging an additional $12 billion in stock at $5.25 a share from other shareholders. The Japanese firm’s payout would net Sprint $3 billion, money CNBC supposes it might use to regain control of Clearwire. Softbank’s cash may also be used to bolster Sprint’s ongoing LTE rollout, which is poised to light up in over 20 markets in the coming months.
Developing…
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
CNBC: Softbank to pay $20 billion for a 70 percent stake in Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 17:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sprint Promises LTE Coverage For San Francisco, 21 Other Cities ‘In The Coming Months’
Sprint would like you to know that, while LTE coverage has not yet been activated in these areas just yet, the Now Network has plans to rollout the shiny new towers to cities like San Francisco and Napa, CA, Naples and Cape Coral, FL, and several markets in midwest and southern states. The network is not live yet, of course. As with the carrier’s previous announcement, this is simply to let people know what’s coming.
Here’s the full list of cities that have been added to the plan:
- San Francisco, CA, San Mateo-Redwood City, CA
- Cape Coral-Ft Meyers, FL
- Dyersburg-Union City-Martin, TN
- Emporia, KS
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Greenwood, MS
- Joplin, MO
- Kokomo, IN
- Lafayette/West Lafayette, IN
- Lexington Park, MD
- Marion, IN
- Napa, CA
- Naples-Marco Island, FL
- Ottawa-Streator, IL
- Punta Gorda, FL
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
- Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
- Sebring, FL
- South Bend-Mishawaka, IN
- Terre Haute, IN
- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
- Warsaw, IN
According to Sprint, before the official launch of these networks, you may see LTE coverage pop up and, in that case, you “are welcome to use the network” (as opposed to politely declining the coverage you paid for?) but there’s no word yet on when the official launch in these cities will occur.
Official Android Police t-shirts are now on sale, with over 25 designs to call yours.
- Sprint Rolls Out LTE To More Cities, Begins Network Vision Rollout In Chicago, New York, And Los Angeles
- Sprint 4G In The San Francisco Bay Area To Launch December 28th, 2010
- Verizon Wireless Adding 21+ New Cities To Its 4G LTE Network On October 20
- Sprint And Clearwire Teaming Up To Provide WiMax In NYC Starting Nov. 1st, LA From Dec. 1st And SF By Year’s End.
- [Rumor] San Francisco Bay Area Lands On Sprint’s LTE Rollout List For 2012
Sprint Promises LTE Coverage For San Francisco, 21 Other Cities ‘In The Coming Months’ was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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Sprint announces 20 additional markets for LTE in the coming months
Sprint has a big challenge ahead of them if it wants to meet its goal of covering most of its customers with 4G LTE by the end of next year, and the Now Network has announced the next step in order to reach that.
The carrier has announced 20 new markets would receive the high speed network “in the coming months.” They didn’t clarify whether or not this meant we’d be seeing all these markets launch by the end of this year, but there it is anyway. If you were curious to know which cities will be getting LTE love soon feast your eyes below:
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA
- Cape Coral-Ft Meyers, FL
- Dyersburg-Union City-Martin, TN
- Emporia, KS
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Greenwood, MS
- Joplin, MO
- Kokomo, IN
- Lafayette/West Lafayette, IN
- Lexington Park, MD
- Marion, IN
- Napa, CA
- Naples-Marco Island, FL
- Ottawa-Streator, IL
- Punta Gorda, FL
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
- Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
- Sebring, FL
- South Bend-Mishawaka, IN
- Terre Haute, IN
- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
- Warsaw, IN
Sure, not all of these markets appear super important to you or I, but any growth is good growth. Let us know if you are lucky enough to live in any of these markets and are excited that Sprint LTE is finally on its way.
SoftBank aims to purchase Sprint with $23 billion bid
After hearing a few initial rumors early this week, it’s becoming clear that the folks from SoftBank are taking a huge interest in one of the United States biggest mobile carriers. The Japanese mobile giant, SoftBank, has issued a bid for Sprint here in the US to the tune of around $23 billion in what appears to be borrowed cash.
Speaking with Reuters, this massive $23 billion loan would do wonders for the folks at SoftBank. Using the acquisition of the Now Network to gain a variety of new hardware partners and manufacturers to add to their growing list. Then in return offer more options and high-end smartphones and tablets here, and in Japan.
We’re hearing this is “a must-do deal” for Sprint while for SoftBank it’s just an attempt to grow their offerings and portfolio. With reports from Yasuo Sakuma, portfolio manager at Bayview Asset Management in Tokyo stating “it’s going to be very difficult to turn Sprint around.” And that is where SoftBank comes into play.
With T-Mobile closely behind the Now Network in 4th place as the largest US carrier, and looking to snatch up MetroPCS and become the third largest in the US things are looking pretty dire for Sprint right about now. What exactly SoftBank brings to the table here in the US to make them a better carrier, and a more successful company is unknown at this point with both having about $10 billion net in debt currently. Could we see SoftBank snatch up the number 3 carrier here in the US? Just to see T-Mobile complete their acquisition and steal the spot? We’ll see!
[via SlashGear]
Sprint Will Hold Off Counter Offer on MetroPCS, For Now
Sprint was none too happy when they got the news that T-Mobile and MetroPCS had gotten together and planned a deal for a potential merger. After rumors that the Now Network was planning a counter-offer to MetroPCS, news today suggests that they might hold off on that offer without knowing what T-Mobile has up their [...]
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