u.s. cellular

Sprint customers won't be the only ones to get their hands on the RIM BlackBerry Torch 9850, as U.S. Cellular revealed today that the all-touch-screen BlackBerry will be available starting August 26 for $199.99 with a purchase of a data plan and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

The Torch 9850 has a 3.7-inch, an 800x480-pixel touch screen, a 1.2GHz processor, and a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video capture. It's also running the latest BlackBerry OS 7 software, so you'll get such enhancements as better graphics, faster Web browser, and BBM 6.

To … Read more

U.S. Cellular customers looking for a prepaid account will now have two more phones to choose from: the Samsung Gem and the HTC Merge.

The angular, black plastic Gem is a full touch-screen Android 2.2 Froyo handset. It has a 3.2-inch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and it'll cost $139.99.

The heavier HTC Merge has metal accents, also runs Android 2.2, has a 3.8-inch touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and dual-SIM mode for world travel. It costs $299.99.

U.S. Cellular's prepaid plans range from $40 to $… Read more

Let's cut to the chase. U.S. Cellular's Samsung Character is an affordable slide-out QWERTY messaging phone with the kind of traits that place it in the teenage camp. Running Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz Lite interface, its home screens are ruled by widgets, and its apps by texting and music. There is one extra feature I like, but I'd like it more if it showed up as a widget. Watch the video above and read my full review for more on the Samsung Character.

Look, it's a phone that makes calls! U.S. Cellular has not forgotten the lowly basic flip phone with the LG Envoy, which went up for sale today for only $9.99. It doesn't have too many features going for it aside from dual displays, a VGA camera, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging, simple WAP browsing, and that's about it. Hey, sometimes that's all you need from a phone, especially if you're trying to save some cash.

If you're of the school of cell phone design that leans toward messaging cell phones with full QWERTY keyboards, U.S. Cellular's newest phone is meant for you.

The Samsung Character, released today, features a 2.8-inch QVGA touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and of course, Bluetooth support. There's also an onboard music player.

The Character runs on Samsung's custom TouchWiz Lite interface, with three home screens. It costs $39.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, and is available in blue and gray.

The last time we checked in with U.S. Cellular, the carrier was promising no less than seven Android devices by the end of the year. At the time we had a few clues about possible manufacturers, but we were largely left in the dark as to what to expect. Thanks to a recently leaked road map, however, we now have a clearer picture as to what lies ahead for the nation's sixth largest carrier.

As expected, HTC figures to play a prominent role in the second half of 2011 with two phones and tablet on the horizon. Tech-savvier Android fans will enjoy the Desire 2 (Desire S) while new smartphone buyers might gravitate more toward the entry-level Wildfire S. Both of these handsets should replace current offerings and join the U.S. Cellular lineup at some point in October. Before that, however, the HTC Flyer is expected to arrive in August, presumably as part of a back-to-school offering. The 7-inch tablet and stylus combination could make for a good digital assistant, especially if the price is right. … Read more

The LG Cosmos Touch has arrived for U.S. Cellular in the form of the LG Attune. It's essentially the same phone but with a slightly different button layout and it comes in a red color scheme instead.

It has a 2.8-inch touch screen, a four-row QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera, GPS, and microSD support for up to 16GB cards. The LG Attune is meant as a basic messaging phone with a touch-screen interface. It's available now for $49.99 after a $50 rebate and a two-year contract. A data plan is required with the … Read more

Even glancing at U.S. Cellular's smartphone lineup, one thing stands out. With the exception of a couple of BlackBerrys, Android completely dominates. Or it did, until the HTC 7 Pro muscled its way in, a rebranding of Sprint's HTC Arrive.

As staunch supporters of mobile platform diversity and consumer choice, this is a very good thing. The handset, while heavy, has some interesting design elements, including a screen that tilts up when you slide open the QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard itself has rubbery buttons that are easy to press, and the HD video capture and playback are … Read more

As U.S. Cellular promised last week, the carrier is launching its first Windows Phone 7 device this summer (and by this summer, we mean tomorrow). The carrier announced today that the HTC 7 Pro will be available on June 14 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

Similar to the HTC Arrive for Sprint, the smartphone features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a tilting 3.6-inch, WVGA touch screen. The HTC 7 Pro also has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video capture, along with the Xbox Live and Zune integration and other goodies that come with Windows Phone.

The HTC 7 Pro will require a data plan, which starts at $79.99 per month for 5GB of data, unlimited text and multimedia messages, and 450 voice minutes. Customers on one of U.S. Cellular's Belief plans will be able to get the smartphone at the $200 price without having to sign a new contract. … Read more