LTE

MetroPCS unveils $55 unlimited 4G plan and new 4G phone

MetroPCS may hand the major carriers some competition, with its new 4G LTE plan for budget-conscious consumers.

Available as a promotion, the carrier's new 4G LTE plan provides unlimited talk, texting, and 4G LTE data for $55 a month for a single line. Families can join in by paying $50 a month for second, third, and fourth lines. Though the deal is being offered as a promotion, the expiration date is open-ended.

MetroPCS President Thomas Keys told CNET that the end of the promotion will depend on the adoption rate by consumers. "We didn't want to set … Read more

Verizon LTE hits 34 new markets, blankets 75 percent of U.S.

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network will be available in 34 new markets, starting tomorrow, and cover more than three-quarters of the nation in a total of 371 markets.

The carrier, which made the announcement today, added that its 4G LTE coverage is expanding 38 existing markets tomorrow as well.

The latest rollout further widens the gap between Verizon and its competitors when it comes to 4G LTE, an increasingly important selling point as consumers begin to care more about network speeds and how quickly they can browse the Internet, stream music, and download attachments and pictures on their smartphones. … Read more

Apple reportedly talks iPhone 5 LTE support with Korean carriers

Will the iPhone 5 support 4G LTE? It seems almost a given at this point, but here's yet another potential sign.

Apple has been negotiating with two Korean mobile carriers to provide the iPhone 5 through their LTE networks, says the Korea Times. Officials from both SK Telecom and KT, who asked not to be identified, reportedly revealed the information.

"KT is in negotiation with Apple to persuade the latter to support KT's 1.8-gigahertz frequency in Korea for the upcoming iPhone,'' one senior KT executive said, according to Korea Times. A KT spokesperson declined to comment, … Read more

LG hits 5 million LTE smartphones sold

As deployment of 4G LTE networks increases, LG Electronics is reaping the benefits.

The South Korean handset maker announced this evening that it had sold 5 million LTE smartphones worldwide, with 1 million of the handsets sold in July alone.

The Optimus LTE -- dubbed the world's first HD LTE smartphone by LG -- was the most popular LG LTE smartphone with 2 million units sold. Also contributing to the success was the Optimus Vu, which sold more than 500,000 units since March.

The company said that more than 10 LG LTE smartphones are available in countries where … Read more

Motorola Photon Q sells for $199.99 on August 19

On Sunday, Sprint will welcome its second Photon to the family. The Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE, with 4G LTE, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, jazzed up with edge lighting, goes on sale for $199.99 with a new service agreement. Preorders begin today.

With the Photon Q's list of specs, it's clear that Motorola is aiming for premium placement in Sprint's lineup. It sports a 4.3-inch LCD "Color Boost" screen (with a 960x540-pixel resolution), an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video support, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing … Read more

Motorola's Photon Q to push the keyboard phone envelope

Editors' note: This article was originally published on July 26, 2012, and updated August 10 with more details.

When we first heard of Motorola's upcoming Motorola Photon Q, we thought that the keyboarded Android smartphone would serve as a nice lifeline for disillusioned and disenfranchised BlackBerry refugees fleeing the sinking ship.

Running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and driven by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, the Motorola Photon Q will certainly surpass Motorola's Droid 4.

While the Droid 4 proved that a QWERTY slider could indeed pack in a swift 4G LTE radio, nimble components, and an excellent physical keyboard, it also suffers from a few shortcomings. First, at half an inch thick and weighing a hefty 6.31 ounces, the phone is big and heavy. Second, the Droid 4 still lives in a time warp, mired by the outdated Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.

Thankfully, the Motorola Photon Q boasts fresher features.… Read more

Alleged iPhone 5 battery photos reveal bump in capacity

Buyers of the next iPhone may get a bit more juice out of the battery.

An image of the new battery sent to and posted by blog site 9to5Mac shows a capacity of 1440 mAh, a bit higher than the 1430 mAh on the iPhone 4S and the 1420 mAh on the iPhone 4, according to iPhone repair shop iFixYouri.

The battery's voltage has also received a small kick, jumping to 3.8 from the 3.7 on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. And the boost in capacity has led to a boost in watts-per-hour, measuring 5.45 … Read more

Motorola teases new 4G phone via Facebook

Motorola has a new 4G smartphone up its sleeve but has turned the device's name into a guessing game.

Hinting about the device on its Facebook page, the company is asking people to identify the phone. Promising a new clue each day all week, Motorola has so far revealed that the new smartphone will support 4G LTE.

The answer is due this Friday, giving people just a couple more days to decide. But more clues many not be needed.… Read more

Sprint LTE pops up in San Francisco Bay Area ahead of schedule

Sprint customers in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area seem to already be getting a taste of the carrier's LTE network.

The company has been hard at work doling out LTE access to certain parts of the country. The launch has so far focused mostly on smaller markets rather than larger cities, but a rumored rollout in the San Francisco Bay Area appears to be running ahead of schedule.

Sprint customers in the Bay area have been tipping off the Android Police enthusiast site about getting 4G LTE connections on their devices. One user around the Palo Alto … Read more

HTC's Q2 profit plunges 60% amid turnaround struggles

HTC's planned turnaround is going to take a lot longer than expected.

The struggling smartphone company posted a second-quarter profit of NT$7.4 billion, or US$247 million, nearly a 60 percent decline from its year-earlier profit of NT$17.5 billion, or US$584.3 million.

Revenue for the Taiwanese company fell by more than a quarter to NT$91.04 billion, or US$3.04 billion.

The results underscore a growing trend in the smartphone business: that virtually everyone but Apple and Samsung is struggling to grow amid intense competition. HTC's One series of phones … Read more