u.s. cellular

If you are a fan of Samsung's tiny mobile router, the SCH-LC11 mobile hot spot and for some reason don't want to use Verizon, there's now another choice.

U.S. Cellular today announced the launch of the same device on its own network. The company said that for a limited time, the device is slated to cost $50, after a $50 mail-in rebate, in cities that currently have U.S. Cellular's 4G LTE coverage and those that will by the end of the year.

For now, U.S. Cellular offers 4G LTE service in select cities … Read more

U.S. Cellular launched the Pantech Verse yesterday, a messaging phone with a vertical slide-up QWERTY keyboard.

Phone like the Verse may seem a dying breed when you consider all the smartphones making a splash at shows like CTIA and on store shelves, but there's an audience for those looking for simple and cheap.… Read more

Every weekday afternoon, CNET Update delivers the top tech stories of the day. The show keeps a close eye on emerging trends, hot devices and new apps. And it's all in less than three minutes.

In today's show, Microsoft's got the hots for Nook, LG has its head in the cloud, and we're battling pigs in space! (space! space! space!):

Microsoft is investing $300 million in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary that will handle digital and college business. With this investment, expect the Nook to become a stronger player against the Kindle and iPad.

A … Read more

U.S.Cellular and Alltel Wireless have joined up with Wal-Mart to take on the cell phone frontier of big-box retail distribution.

U.S. Cellular, a regional carrier out of Chicago, and Alltel, based in Little Rock, Ark., will begin selling select phones under the U Prepaid brand in 18 states some time in May.

U Prepaid, a pre-existing Alltel brand, will kick off at Wal-Mart with four phones: the Android-powered Samsung Repp, LG Attune/LG Exchange and LG Saber feature phones with QWERTY keyboard, and the simpler Samsung Chrono.

Customers will ride either U.S. Cellular or Alltel's … Read more

Sprint and AT&T aren't the only ones with big LTE plans. U.S. Cellular is taking bold steps to build out 4G LTE wireless data access, too. In February, the carrier announced the Samsung Galaxy S Aviator, its first smartphone to link to the provider's swift new infrastructure, and just last week it revealed its first 4G tablet. Today U.S. Cellular has officially launched the $199 handset. … Read more

U.S. Cellular makes good today on a February promise to launch its 4G LTE market with a tablet.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 marks U.S. Cellular's first LTE offering, making it the fourth U.S. carrier (behind MetroPCS, Verizon, and AT&T) to offer devices on the LTE, or Long Term Evolution, technology for 4G data speeds.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 slate, which has been available unlocked and with other carriers for months, features Android Honeycomb OS, a 10.1-inch WXGA touch screen (a 1280x800 HD resolution), a 1 GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 … Read more

When U.S. Cellular picked up the Samsung Galaxy S II, it gave me a chance to lay some fresh eyes on a familiar device long after it ceased being the de facto best Android Gingerbread phone around.

I'm happy to report that it's still a terrific phone, and one with components that can stand against most of the next wave of more advanced phones, with one major and one minor sticking point. The major caveat: it won't support LTE. The minor one: it's U.S. Cellular's priciest offering, at $230 after a $100 mail-in rebate (so you're out over $300 up front).

However, if you can afford the cost, and if 4G data speeds aren't your primary concern, then you're looking at the carrier's newest flagship phone.

Check out the video, the photos, and all the pros and cons in this full review of the Samsung Galaxy S II for U.S. Cellular.… Read more

If there remained any doubt of the lasting mainstream appeal and marketing clout of the Samsung Galaxy S II Android Gingerbread smartphone, U.S. Cellular's plan to take on the handset erases it all.

The nation's sixth-largest carrier will join T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint in offering a version of the phone that's already sold more than 30 million units worldwide.… Read more

Smaller carrier U.S. Cellular has designs to serve up 4G LTE to an additional 14 states this year.

By the second half of 2012, the wireless provider has said it will roll out cutting-edge 4G data infrastructure to "select" cities in multiple parts of the country: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

In addition to offering high-speed wireless access to these areas, the company will also hawk a Samsung 4G LTE mobile hot spot in the spring designed to spread its 4G signal to up … Read more