us cellular

4G LTE enabled ZTE Imperial available online for 1 cent

U.S. Cellular announced today that it has begun offering the 4G LTE-enabled ZTE Imperial online for 1 cent with a two-year contract. The device will be available in retail stores starting Thursday.

The midlevel handset runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and sports a 4-inch WVGA touch screen.

Powering the phone is a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 2,500mAh battery (which has an impressive reported usage time of up to 12 hours).

Users will also get a 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of onboard memory along with a microSD card slot for expandable memory, and 1GB of RAM.

While … Read more

LG Optimus F7 from U.S. Cellular is a $100 winner

The fact that the LG Optimus F7 is available on more than one carrier is no surprise. It's an excellent midlevel phone that's packed with quality specs, such as a vivid 4.7-inch touch screen, an 8-megapixel camera, and a dual-core CPU.

Boost Mobile announced today that the F7 will be coming to the carrier on June 27 for $299.99 off contract, and U.S. Cellular customers can already get the device for $99.99 with a two-year agreement.

All in all, despite some of its drawbacks (like its sluggish 3G speeds), I'd still recommend it … Read more

Don't kill the messenger, but here's why you should skip the LG Envoy II

You wouldn't expect high-end features in a simple phone, and you're not going to get them with the Envoy II. Not only is the low-resolution screen hard to look at from certain angles, you also won't get video recording, a flash, or any expandable memory.

True, like its predecessor, this handset is geared toward people who are mostly interested in making calls. But given that, call quality should have been better than it was.

Frankly, for a prepaid price of $49.99 and a contract price of $69.99, I'd want something more. Fortunately for U.… Read more

LG Optimus F7 pops up on U.S. Cellular for $99

U.S. Cellular announced on Thursday that it was adding the LG Optimus F7 to its smartphone lineup, selling the more-than-midrange Android smartphone with a $99 price tag -- with a new, two-year service agreement, of course.

Powered by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, the handset boasts a 4.7-inch 720p LCD IPS display, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, and 8GB internal storage (4.1GB of which is user-accessible). Additionally, the phone features an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and 1080p HD video capture, plus a 1.3-megapixel shooter right above the screen.

Users will also appreciate the LED … Read more

Waterproof, shockproof Kyocera Hydro XTRM available today (hands-on)

LAS VEGAS -- In addition to introducing the midrange Hydro Edge, Kyocera also revealed its slightly more decked-out Hydro XTRM.

Unlike its Edge sibling, which is only waterproof and operates on 3G networks, the XTRM (pronounced "extreme") is both waterproof and shockproof, and runs on U.S. Cellular's 4G LTE data speeds.

You can order the XTRM online today for $29.99 after sending in a mail-in rebate and signing a two-year carrier agreement. Retail stores will begin selling the device starting May 24.

Design Because the XTRM fulfills certain military spec standards for shockproof capabilities, it … Read more

Sprint grabs U.S. Cellular spectrum, customers for $480m

Sprint's network will soon receive a much-needed boost in some Midwestern cities like Chicago and St. Louis, Missouri.

The wireless carrier announced on Friday that it finished inking a deal with regional service provider U.S. Cellular, which is based in the Midwest.

As part of the $480 million agreement, Sprint will gain a total of 30MHz of PCS spectrum, which Sprint says will expand its network capacity in those areas, bringing better service to customers there.

In addition, around 420,000 U.S. Cellular customers will also transfer over to the Sprint family. Sprint and its prepaid arms, … Read more

Flip phones to flip for (roundup)

Don't get me wrong, I still love my smartphones as much as any modern 21st-century kid. But there's something about whipping out a flip phone and then snapping it closed that is very gratifying and nostalgic. And while many phone manufacturers pump out high-tech handsets every season, it's nice to see that once in a while, a simple flip phone still makes it through the pipeline.

Not only do these handsets have the best call quality (and really, isn't that what phones are made for?), but they also are extremely simple to use and can withstand a good knock or two. Below, we've gathered our recent favorites.… Read more

Where and when to buy the Samsung Galaxy S4

The release of Samsung's next super smartphone, the Galaxy S4, is just days away. Sporting an improved design over the Galaxy S3 and packed with a ton of high-end features and specialized software, the Galaxy S4 already is an Android powerhouse. And even better, it will land at all major U.S. carriers plus a few smaller, regional providers.

Note, however, that the carriers aren't following the same release schedule. T-Mobile, for example, will begin selling the phone this week, but U.S. Cellular customers will have to wait until next month. Meanwhile, C Spire and Cricket have … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 up for preorder in U.S. today

U.S. smartphone buyers looking to grab Samsung's Galaxy S4 finally get their shot today.

Preorders for the next Galaxy-class phone have launched at both AT&T and U.S. Cellular today.

The Galaxy S4 is listed on AT&T's Web site with a ship date of April 30. Earlier today, the S4 was available for preorder in just a select number of U.S. cities. But AT&T has since expanded the phone's reach so that it can be preordered throughout the U.S.

The page confirms $199 as the two-year contract price … Read more