prepaid

Leap's Cricket prepaid service goes national

Leap Wireless and its Cricket prepaid wireless service are ready to take the national stage.

Starting Sunday, Best Buy will begin selling Cricket in 1,300 stores around the country, and not just within Leap's region.

This marks the first major step for Leap in its effort to turn into a national brand. The company previously operated its network and served customers in select markets as a regional player, but last year signed a reseller agreement with Sprint Nextel to use its network around the country.

The expansion allows Leap to tap into a much wider audience of consumers hungry for more affordable wireless service. But it also puts the company in direct competition with other national players that offer similarly attractive prepaid plans, including T-Mobile USA, Virgin Mobile, and Boost Mobile. These brands are found in both their own stores and at major retailers such as Best Buy as well.

"This was a chance to build national retail into a larger role for us," Leap Chief Executive Doug Hutchinson said in a recent interview with CNET. "I'm looking forward to building that channel."

But with competition already stiff, it's unclear if Leap can keep up. The company is in the midst of turning itself around by focusing more on smartphone customers and truly flat-rate plans, much like fellow regional prepaid provider MetroPCS. But the company is still early in its turnaround, having lost more than 100,000 customers in the last quarter. … Read more

Quick Take: AT&T U2800A

The U2800A, made by Huawei, is a low-end phone for AT&T's GoPhone prepaid service. Basic inside and out, the U2800A has a standard candy bar design that measures 4.37 inches long by 1.84 inches wide by 0.56 inch deep and weighs 2.68 ounces. The 1.8-inch display shows 262,000 colors (160x128 pixels).

Features include messaging, a personal organizer, a WAP browser, polyphonic ringtones, USB syncing, M3/T3 hearing aid compatibility, and a speakerphone. The U2800A is just $19.99, but you can get it for free if you purchase it online.

Google opens Wallet

The owner of the Qwikster Twitter handle is banking on selling it to Netflix, Verizon unveils a $99 4G LTE capable smartphone, and Google Wallet finally launches with support only on Sprint's Nexus S 4G phone so far.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Google Wallet launches Qwikster Twitter account owner wants cash Dish Networks to unveil BlockBuster streaming $99 Verizon 4G LTE phone Researchers discover HTTPS security hole OS X Lion vulnerable to local users Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

Microsoft previews Windows 8

Facebook organizes your friends into Smart Lists, Google Flight Search takes off, and Microsoft previews the next Windows operating system with a new touch-screen mode.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Microsft previews Windows 8 Facebook unveils Smart Lists Verizon launches $50 unlimited prepaid plan Google Flight Search takes off Intel shows off Ivy Bridge for ultrabooks HTC Sensation XE debuts with Beats Audio Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

Verizon Wireless to launch $50 prepaid plan

Verizon Wireless plans to launch a cheaper contract-free plan nationally this week, allowing it to better compete for bargain-seeking consumers.

The nation's largest wireless carrier will offer the plan, which includes unlimited calling, text messages and Internet use for $50 a month and is known as "Unleashed," on Thursday, according to the Dow Jones Newswires. The offer will be available in Verizon stores, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target.

Verizon's move underscores the growing allure of the prepaid business as one of the last areas of growth in the wireless industry. Verizon has long held a lackluster … Read more

AT&T to add new $25 GoPhone prepaid plan

In addition to unveiling three new Windows Phone Mango devices today, AT&T announced that it will offer a new $25-per-month GoPhone prepaid plan.

The plan includes 250 nationwide voice minutes and unlimited nationwide messaging every 30 days, and launches on September 18. On that day, the carrier will also offer GoPhone customers a new international long-distance calling feature that gives 250 minutes of international calls to more than 50 countries for an additional $10 per month.

T-Mobile to sell service at Family Dollar stores

T-Mobile USA said today that it will begin selling its a prepaid phone and service through discount retailer Family Dollar as the carrier continues to move deeper into the prepaid business.

Family Dollar, which has 6,000 locations, is the next retail chain to announce a partnership with T-Mobile following 7-Eleven. Both are meant to serve as a replacement for RadioShack, which plans to stop selling T-Mobile service and switch to Verizon Wireless next month.

The demographics of the typical 7-Eleven and Family Dollar customer suggest the company is going after the low-end prepaid market, competing against the likes of … Read more

Ask Maggie: On the 4G iPhone that isn't

Millions of iPhone customers may not care whether the new iPhone due out this fall will have 4G technology, since they already think their iPhone can access 4G networks.

A recent survey found that a third of iPhone users think they already have a 4G device. Sadly, the iPhone 4 is just another 3G smartphone. It doesn't even come equipped with technology to give it a speed boost on upgraded 3G networks.

In this week's Ask Maggie, I break the news to one reader who was hoping to experience 4G on his new unlocked iPhone 4. I also … Read more

Verizon may expand its unlimited $50 prepaid plan

Verizon Wireless could expand its unlimited $50 prepaid plan following a small but successful trial, according to a story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.

Known as Unleashed, the carrier's prepaid plan offers unlimited talk, texting, and Web access for $50 per month and was introduced this past April in Southern California and Florida.

"The trial has gone very, very well for us," Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said during a presentation in Boston, according to the Journal. "It didn't cannibalize the base and we actually evaluated our prepaid business and took some share.&… Read more

Virgin Mobile takes on T-Mobile

The battle over prepaid between T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel's Virgin Mobile just got a little uglier.

T-Mobile and its ever-present spokeswoman, Carly, were the targets of a new commercial from Virgin, which argues that it offers the best value for a smartphone customer looking to avoid long-term service contracts.

The advertisement underscores the growing importance of the prepaid wireless business for the national carriers, which traditionally generated a bulk of their revenue with contract customers. As both Sprint and T-Mobile have struggled with the so-called postpaid segment--that is, subscribers--they have looked to add prepaid customers. As a result, … Read more