Carriers

Verizon will offer free WP8 phone by end of year

In addition to announcing that its two Windows Phone 8 handsets, the HTC Windows Phone 8X and the Nokia Lumia 822, will be available starting November 13, Verizon will also offer one of its handsets for free by the end of the year.

According to The Verge, Tami Erwin, Verizon's chief marketing officer, said that a phone from the carrier's WP8 lineup will come "in at the free [price] point."

Currently, the HTC 8X retails for $199.99 with a two-year contract, and the Lumia 822 will be sold for $99.99 after discounts are applied.… Read more

Sprint adds 9 new LTE cities to its to-do list

Sprint is building out its 4G LTE network little by little, today listing nine more markets to get LTE treatment.

The areas are:

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. Fort Smith, Ark. Ardmore, Okla. Oakland/Fremont/Hayward, Calif. Eau Claire, Wis. Key West, Fla. Bloomington, Ind. Michigan City/La Porte, Ind. McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas

Minnesota's Twin Cities center is the largest of the bunch, with several key traffic areas also accounted for. Speaking from local experience, the San Francisco Bay Area cities of Oakland, Fremont, and Hayward are significant, high-population coverage areas, though Sprint has skipped the much more populous … Read more

Virgin Mobile to offer Galaxy S2 4G on November 15

Better late than never, right?

Virgin Mobile today announced that it will soon add the Samsung Galaxy S2 4G to its smartphone roster. Priced at $369.99, the top-selling handset of yesterday joins the no-contract carrier on November 15.

Lest you think that is a lot of money to part with, consider that Boost charges the same for its version of the Galaxy S2. Also, T-Mobile and Sprint are asking $499 for their models if you don't sign a contract. … Read more

Verizon won't charge Sandy victims for voice and text usage

As Hurricane Sandy bore down on the East Coast last week, millions of residents were left without power, cell phone service, Internet, and home phone service. In an outpouring of support for people left stranded by the superstorm, several mobile carriers took to the streets offering free device charging stations and access to emergency wireless phones.

Verizon announced this week that it will continue to help Sandy victims by waiving all charges for domestic voice and text usage for its customers in the New York and New Jersey areas between October 29 and November 16.

"Verizon Wireless continues to … Read more

T-Mobile boosts 4G coverage in attempt to lure iPhone users

T-Mobile today added Baltimore, Houston, and Washington, D.C. to the list of U.S. cities served by 4G (HSPA+) on its faster 1900 network.

"As a part of our $4 billion plan to transform our network, T-Mobile continues to strengthen an already fast and competitive 4G experience in major metro areas across the country by installing new equipment and retuning our 4G airwaves to work with more devices," T-Mobile USA Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray said in a statement today.

One of the devices that the carrier specifically highlighted to get the faster 4G coverage is the … Read more

Sprint adds Multi Window View to Galaxy Note 2

Just two weeks after it introduced the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Sprint has begun issuing a software update for the king-size smartphone. A posting on the carrier's forum indicates that the update features a number of minor changes affecting various aspects of the user experience.

Most notable among the changes is Multi Window View, a feature that lets the user run and view two applications at the same time. Considering how much real estate the Galaxy Note II provides, this will likely be an oft-used and welcome addition for many.

Other details found in the change log include GPS … Read more