metro

If nothing else, 2012 has shown that the mobile industry is a pretty tough business to be in.

Many handset manufacturers, wireless carriers, and component suppliers felt the pressures of mobile business sink in, and as a result, there were a lot of shake-ups this year.

The same pressures and competitive dynamics are expected to persist next year, so expect a lot more action. The following predictions are based on conversations with industry sources over the last few months, market trends, speculation, and a little wishful thinking.

One thing's for sure, the industry should keep us all on our … Read more

Although ZTE is pouring more money into high-end phones like the ZTE Warp Sequent, the Chinese manufacturer is still releasing entry to mid-level handsets as well.

Today, the prepaid carrier, MetroPCS, is offering the ZTE Avid 4G, a mid-range 4G LTE handset, for $149.

Running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the handset has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor.

It also has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a front-facing VGA camera.

In addition, its 4-inch TFT display has a 480x800-pixel resolution.

Other features include Wi-Fi hotspot, and joyn capabilities, which is MetroPCS' content sharing and chat client.

T-Mobile announced today that it added five new metro areas to its list of U.S. cities served by 4G (HSPA+) on its faster 1900 network, including Chicago, Reno, and three regions in California.

"T-Mobile has now enhanced the network in 23 metro areas, and we have already reached 100 million people with this improved network experience," T-Mobile USA's chief technology officer Neville Ray said in a statement. "These upgrades will now provide voice and data enhancements, improved signal strength and in-building coverage for customers."

One of the devices that the carrier specifically highlighted to … Read more

It may look much more like the Samsung Galaxy S3 than the original Samsung Galaxy Admire, but the Samsung Galaxy Admire 4G, available today from MetroPCS, does boost the Admire name.

Namely, it adds LTE connectivity, which brings much faster data transfer compared to Metro's 2.5G network.

However, those hoping to brandish a high-end smartphone won't get one in the Admire 4G. Instead, the specs stack up to a small, but affordable entry-level device.

Let's start with the 3.65-inch HVGA screen, which is minuscule by today's standards. Then add the 1GHz processor, and top … Read more

Decor8 is a simple app for Windows 8 that enables users to customize the look and feel of their desktops, lock screens and the new Modern UI environment. Though Windows 8 comes stocked with some basic options, Decor8 adds extra features to give users that extra level of personalization and refinement.

After you install the app, Decor8 will appear on the Start screen like any other tile. When you open the app, you'll be greeted with an options menu that appears mighty hard to discern from a standard Windows 8 settings menu. From the Background settings, choose any custom … Read more

Decor8 is a simple app for Windows 8 that enables users to customize the look and feel of their desktops, lock screens and of course, the new Modern UI environment. Though Windows 8 comes stocked with some basic options, Decor8 adds extra features to give users that extra level of personalization and refinement.

After you install the app, Decor8 will appear on the Start screen like any other tile. When you open the app, you'll be greeted with an options menu that appears mighty hard to discern from a standard Windows 8 settings menu. From the Background settings, choose … Read more

Top carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are losing sales of prepaid smartphones to the likes of Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and MetroPCS, according to an NPD report out today.

Third-quarter prepaid smartphone sales for the smaller carriers rose 23 percent over the prior quarter. But sales among the tier-one carriers dropped by 12 percent over the same period. Why? The smaller players won over customers by offering lower prices and a larger selection of prepaid phones, NPD said.

In the third quarter, 70 percent of smartphone buyers who bought their phones through a prepaid carrier had … Read more

By definition, the no-contract carrier model is designed to save you money over the two-year contract agreement that reigns supreme here in the U.S.

The question is: How much do you really gain by going prepaid, and what do you lose from the subscriber experience? Without a doubt, no-contract carriers like MetroPCS, Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, and Cricket Wireless can dramatically cut your monthly cell phone bill, but there are trade-offs.

I'm not going to dive into every carrier's pricing structure and phone offerings, so for the sake of comparison, I'm going to break down the … Read more

T-Mobile USA has lost close to half a million subscribers during the third quarter, according to the company's earnings statement out this morning (PDF).

The network lost a total of 492,000 postpaid contracts -- the lucrative long-term contracts that that bring in regular income for a cellular network -- during the quarter, causing a drop in its average revenue per user (ARPU) to $42.78, a decline of 7 percent on the same quarter a year ago.

The firm also reported a net 287,000 wholesale customers, including machine-to-machine (M2M) agreements and through its resellers.

However, T-Mobile USA … Read more