boost

Updated with correct charges

Boost Mobile has introduced a new plan that rewards customers who make on-time payments. Called the Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage plan, it lets customers reduce the usual $50 monthly charge to as low as $35 just by making payments in a timely manner (unless they're on a BlackBerry plan; see below). The no-contract plan includes unlimited voice, text, Web, e-mail, instant messaging, and 411 calls.

The plan works by reducing the monthly charge by $5 after six on-time payments. So the first month would be $50, the sixth month would be $45, and so forth … Read more

As its big brother Sprint moves on to the latest BlackBerry Curve 3G, Boost Mobile finally gets its predecessor, the BlackBerry Curve 8530. The Curve 8530 is rather long in the tooth at this point--it's about a year old--but if you're a Boost Mobile customer who's been champing at the bit for a 3G BlackBerry, this is your only choice. As a reminder, the Curve 8530 has a 2-megapixel camera with video-recording capabilities, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and stereo Bluetooth. The Curve 8530 will be available for $249.99, with no contract required.

Boost Mobile is getting something it's never had before. On Wednesday, Samsung and Boost Mobile announced the upcoming Samsung Seek, which will be Boost Mobile's first combination touch-screen and slide-out QWERTY keypad phone.

This appears to be identical to the Samsung Seek for Sprint, with a 2.6-inch QVGA touch screen (240x320 pixel resolution), a 1.3 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and speakerphone.

It will also include Web access, mobile e-mail instant messaging, and social networking tools in addition to text and multimedia messaging services. There's GPS support and up to 32GB expandable microSD memory. Extras will … Read more

Motorola has just announced two new handsets for Boost Mobile: the Motorola Rambler and the Motorola Bali. Both are clamshell handsets, but the Rambler has a QWERTY keyboard while the Bali just has the standard number keypad.

As you might imagine, Moto built the Rambler with messaging in mind. It comes with the usual messaging features like SMS, MMS, e-mail, and instant messaging. The Rambler's other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and GPS. It'll be available for $99.99 starting August 11.

Also available on August 11 is the Bali, which is more expensive at $… Read more

To help you keep in touch with your overseas pals, Boost Mobile just announced an International Connect enhancement to its monthly unlimited plan. For $10 a month, you'll get unlimited calls to landlines in more than 150 cities in Mexico; to landlines in the Dominican Republic; to a few Asia Pacific countries (including China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore); and to Canada.

You also get unlimited international texting (which is a great deal). And since this is Boost Mobile after all, you also get unlimited walkie-talkie service from the U.S., Canada, and Baja, Calif., to Argentina, … Read more

Welcome to The 411, my new Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

I am looking for a pay as you go plan with a phone that will last. Can you recommend one? My intent is to keep the cost down to below $20/month with basic texting and calling/receiving calls. -- Sudeep, via e-mail

Since you're looking for a phone that will last, I would recommend a rugged handset that's military-certified to take a beating. Luckily, Boost Mobile offers a number of those. One of the more recent ones is the Motorola Clutch i465, which is rather compact and sports a QWERTY keyboard. It does cost around $80, but remember that's without a contract. As for the monthly plan, Boost Mobile doesn't offer flat rates quite that cheap, but Boost's Pay As You Go option costs 10 cents per text message, and 10 cents per voice minute. If you don't use the phone a lot, you can easily make it under $20 a month.

I live in the Bay Area and I'm planning on buying a prepaid phone but don't know which one has the best features and phones for me. I'm looking for a plan that will let me text, call, use the Web for a CHEAP price, and I'm looking for a good music phone, with a music player and FM RADIO, what is the best plan for me? I send around maybe 130 txts a month, talk around 100 minutes a month, and browse the Web A LOT. What/which plan, phone, and prepaid carrier would be the best option for me? -- ST, via e-mail

I tried looking for a phone that satisfies all your requirements and it was quite difficult.… Read more

Boost Mobile's new Motorola i296 won't win any beauty contests, and its feature set is hardly dazzling, but we can almost guarantee that you'll get a durable phone with reliable call quality. We're basing this assumption on the previous Motorola i335, which resembles the i296 in many ways. Even two and half years after it went on sale, the i335 remains one of our favorite handsets for both Boost and Nextel.

As with most iDEN devices, the i296 is built to military specifications for the usual elements like dust, salt fog, and humidity. It also has … Read more

When Motorola announced its i1 smartphone at CTIA 2010, the rugged Android device was slated for release with Nextel; however,  barring any last-minute announcements, it now looks like Boost Mobile will be the first carrier to offer the i1.

The Motorola i1 will be available from Boost Mobile stores, as well as Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile retail locations, starting June 20. The Motorola i1 is the first push-to-talk Android device and it has a 3.1-inch HVGA touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

It looks like the smartphone will launch with Android 1.6, … Read more

It's always a bit hard to tell just from gazing at CPU specs what exactly we'll see in coming laptops, but Intel's leaked road map of upcoming laptop processors, which provides information on products through 2011, does provide a few hints and interesting notes.

Intel's various geographic code names and ultra-detailed spec charts can get a little sleep-inducing for the average consumer. To boil it down, here are the points that seem most eye-opening, and that could truly pave the way for some cooler laptops down the road.

Things to be excited about in 2010: