12:28 PM
We’ve been informing you about the Nokia Lumia smartphone recently and last week told how a release date of April 24 had been leaked for T-Mobile. Although the phone didn’t arrive then we can now give you the confirmed news that the Nokia Lumia 521 will release as a T-Mobile exclusive on April 27 on the Home Shopping Network so interested purchasers have only one more day to wait.
The Nokia Lumia 521 is a Windows Phone 8 handset and when a potential customer recently tweeted T-Mobile to see if the phone would arrive on April 24 they received a reply to say it would release on April 27 on the Home Shopping Network. The phone will also be available sometime in May from other outlets such as Walmart, Microsoft retail stores and also T-Mobile retail.
Specs of the Lumia 521 include a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, 4-inch display with resolution of 800 x 400, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD. It also has a 5-megapixel rear camera, a 1430 mAh battery and as said previously it runs on the Windows Phone 8 operating system.
Some of the features for the Lumia 521 include Cinemagraph, Creative Studio, HERE Drive, Maps, Panorama and Smart Shoot. Being a Nokia Lumia handset you won’t be surprised to hear that the phone comes in an array of color options. TmoNews gives a price of $149.95 for the Nokia Lumia 521 from the Home Shopping Network and this will also get you a bundled car charger and screen protector.
Nokia Lumia 810 on T-Mobile letdown, no LTE support after all.
There’s some rather disappointing news today if you are the owner of a Nokia Lumia 810 smartphone on T-Mobile USA. You may have been waiting to receive a software update that was intended to update the Lumia 810 with 4G LTE support, as T-Mobile stated back in February. However, we have just received news of a real letdown as the Nokia Lumia 810 will no longer be receiving that update.
Regular readers with good memories may recall that back in February we reported that T-Mobile executives had pledged a software update that would bring the Lumia 810 LTE connectivity. T-Mobile’s new LTE network was not live at that time but we all knew it was coming and T-Mobile was keen to let everyone know that it would have devices available that would be able to use the LTE network once they were needed. This was widely reported by various tech sites after confirmation from T-Mobile so this was in no way some pie-in-the-sky rumor.
We have just learned though from a T-Mobile statement that the Lumia 810 will definitely not receive the update now that would have enabled LTE connectivity. This will no doubt be a real blow to many Lumia 810 customers on T-Mobile as the phone is actually equipped with LTE hardware that just needed a software update to allow its use.
T-Mobile’s LTE network was recently switched on in 7 city regions and earlier this year the carrier said it planned to quickly expand to cover at least 100 million residents in the US by the middle of 2013. It seems odd then that now T-Mobile doesn’t have a single Windows Phone handset with LTE support. Of course some customers may have purchased the Lumia 810 before the announcement of a software update but there may also be many customers who purchased it on the understanding that it would become LTE-enabled for T-Mobile’s new network.
It all seems rather bizarre and even up to last week we still thought the software update for the Lumia 810 was coming. However the rather short and terse statement from T-Mobile makes it quite clear that the update has been cancelled but doesn’t actually give any reasons why this is so. We think this is a pretty poor show and we’re sure that plenty of readers will agree.
We hear from Engadget that they have reached out to T-Mobile asking if any concessions will be offered to those who purchased the Lumia 810 in good faith with the belief that it would at some point be able to be used on T-Mobiles LTE network. However at this point it seems that T-Mobile has not responded. We’d really like to hear your views on this piece of news.
12:25 PM
The Sony Xperia Z has been a popular smartphone in regions where it has been released. It combines sleek styling with some top-notch specs and it has the added advantages of being both water-resistant and dust-resistant. If you’re a T-Mobile USA customer then it looks as though this flagship device could soon be coming your way.
Although there is no confirmation yet that T-Mobile will offer this phone stateside there are reports that the carrier is currently testing this device. Obviously T-Mobile would not be bothering to test the Xperia Z if it had no interest in carrying it and if the tests go well then there’s no reason to think T-Mobile will not announce it will be offering the Xperia Z soon.
The image above purports to be the Sony Xperia Z with T-Mobile branding so testing could be some way along. However we cannot verify the validity of the photo and so urge readers to take this news with a pinch of salt for now. If the Xperia Z does come to T-Mobile USA though then you could soon be taking advantage of its 1.5GHz Snapdragon quad-core processor, 5-inch full HD display, 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera and 2330 mAh battery all running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
If T-Mobile offers the Xperia Z then likely pricing would be one payment of $99 followed by approximate $20 monthly payments over 2 years, which seems to be the price for most high-end smartphones under T-Mobile’s new pricing system. We’ll be following developments on the Xperia Z heading to T-Mobile and will bring you further news as we hear it.
Sony Xperia Z launched in style at London event.
It was such as shame we missed the Sony Xperia Z event in London, looks like we missed a good night. The highly acclaimed Xperia Z launched in style on Tuesday at an exclusive Sony event held in London to celebrate the new flagship, water-resistant superphone.
The multi-award winning Sony Xperia Z wowed guests with its 13-megapixel fast-capture camera, which attendees used to capture and share images of each other throughout the night. Guests also leaped into a ball pit of hundreds of transparent spheres lit with LED lights to demonstrate the Burst Mode function, and action shots were captured by photographers in high definition.
At an event only Sony could have created, international star, Madeon, DJed an electrifying set where his innovative sound met explosive colour. The performance featured remixes from the artist, alongside an incredible visual spectacle. The venue came alive as robot arms, controlled by Madeon, poured vivid paint on installations, which combined with special lighting effects and lasers, created an eruption of colour that complimented this one-off performance. The never-seen-before tech installation created rich detailed visuals that emerged throughout the night and were captured by the superior camera, reflecting key elements of the handset’s Holi Festival-based ad campaign.
The extended Xperia range was also showcased with interactive product displays highlighting the premium Xperia HD experiences. Guests previewed other latest handsets including the newly announced Xperia SP and Xperia L. The new Xperia Tablet Z, which won 10 awards at Mobile World Congress and is currently the thinnest and lightest LTE tablet on the market, was demoed throughout the event and guests were able to view pictures of the event on the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 screens.
HTC One vs Sony Xperia Z vs Galaxy S4 in Android shootout.
The Android platform has some pretty tasty high-end smartphones becoming available at the moment, and today we are comparing the HTC One vs. Sony Xperia Z vs. Galaxy S4 in an Android shootout.
We have run comparisons on these handsets before but not with all three together at the same time that are currently the must have devices in the top end of the Android market, with each of them having their own merits in being regarded as the best smartphone available to consumers.
Display
The HTC One has the smallest of the three displays with a 4.7-inch Full HD touchscreen display that offers users an impressive 469ppi pixel density, while the Sony Xperia Z is using a 5-inch Full HD display with a pixel density of 441ppi. The Samsung Galaxy S4 also has a 5-inch Full HD display with 441ppi.
Processor and Power
Under the hood of the Sony Xperia Z is a Qualcomm quad core Krait processor clocked at 1.5GHz along with 2GB of RAM, while the HTC One has the quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor clocked at 1.7GHz with 2GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S4 comes in two versions depending on the region with one getting the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa processor running at 1.6GHz, or the quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 at 1.9GHz with both versions having 2GB of RAM.
Storage
The HTC One will be available with either 32GB or 64GB storage options that can’t be expanded further, while the Sony only has 16GB on board but this can be expanded by a further 32GB via microSD card. Samsung has always been good for storage options on its smartphones with the device coming in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB options while each of them can be expanded by a further 64GB via a microSD card.
Cameras
Sony has fitted a 13.1-megapixel unit on the back with autofocus and LED flash, which is capable of Full HD video capture at 30fps and on the front is a 2.2-megapixel camera that also supports 1080p video capture. The HTC One has an UltraPixel unit with a 4-megapixel sensor that is capable if 1080p video recording, while around the front you will find a 2.1-megapixel shooter. Samsung has provided a 13-megapixel unit on the back that is 1080p along with the 2-megapixel front facer that is also capable of 1080p video capture at 30fps, and users will be able to use both cameras at once along with a whole host of new features Samsung has bundled on the device.
Dimensions
The Samsung measures in at 136.6mm x 69.8mm x 7.9mm weighing 130grams, while the Sony Xperia Z comes in at 139mm x 71mm x 7.9mm at 146grams. The HTC One on the other hand measures 137.4mm x 68.2mm x 9.3mm weighing 143grams.
Operating System
The Galaxy S4 will be released this week running the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS straight out of the box, while the HTC One is currently on Android 4.1.2 but will obviously see an update to the later version of Jelly Bean at some point, which is the same situation for the Sony Xperia Z.
12:18 PM
The flagship HTC One smartphone is already wowing customers in regions where it has seen a release. If you’re a T-Mobile customer in the US and eager to get your hands on this phone then here’s some news that you should find satisfying as the carrier has confirmed that the HTC One will be available on April 24.
There’s only one more week to go then and although pricing has not yet been confirmed we told readers previously that the price is expected to be $99.99 upfront on the new Simple Choice Plans, followed by 24 monthly payments of $20. This plan enables the user to change to another carrier if desired.
The HTC One on T-Mobile will also have LTE connectivity and will also offer Wi-Fi calling. It will join other phones compatible with T-Mobiles blossoming LTE network such as the iPhone 5, Samung Galaxy 4 and BlackBerry Z10 and T-Mobile made the date official by announcing it on Twitter.
A quick reminder of specs for the HTC One reveals a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, 4.7-inch Super LCD3 display with resolution of 1920 x 1080, 2GB of RAM and 32 or 64GB of internal storage (non-expandable). It also has the UltraPixel rear camera with 1080p video capture, 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera and runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, upgradable to 4.2.2.
HTC One gets early US sales release.
There are many consumers eagerly awaiting the arrival of the HTC One in the US with the device only days away from being available, but now news reaches us that there has been some HTC One early US release sales for the device.
It seems that some AT&T stores in the US have got confused with the launch of the HTC First device that was due to be released officially yesterday, as there has been a number of reports from customers saying they managed to pick up the HTC One instead.
As it is being reported by the Android Community a number of the carriers stores were offering the handset freely to customers with some laying down the cash for the handset and walking out with a shiny new HTC One in their hands.
It seems that it is mainly customers that have already pre-ordered the device but it wasn’t expected to be released until next week, April 19th. The reports state that there was more than a few units of the HTC One available, and it may be a way to counter the offer from Sprint that is offering the smartphone at a discount for customers moving across from rival carriers.
The device is proving to be extremely popular and rightly so as for the first time in a while HTC looks to have a winning device on their hands, which should possibly return the company to its former glories on the Android platform.
12:13 PM
The BlackBerry Q10 smartphone will be releasing shortly in various worldwide regions and is a handset that should garner a lot of attention. This is the first smartphone running on the new BlackBerry 10 OS that features the traditional QWERTY keyboard so favored by many BlackBerry enthusiasts. We can now tell you that pre-orders for the device will begin at T-Mobile USA in the next few days.
The BlackBerry Q10 is set to release from the weekend in the UK and in Canada from May 1 but no firm release date has yet been set for the phone in the US. However, T-Mobile has now announced pre-orders for business customers will be available from April 29 although still has not revealed pricing or an exact release date. The company says in its press release though that this will be supplied at a later date.
The BlackBerry Q10 is powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Plus dual-core processor, has a 3.1-inch Super AMOLED display, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, expandable with microSD. There’s also an 8-megapixel rear camera, LTE, NFC and a 2100 mAh battery.
Previously it was expected that the Q10 may launch on T-Mobile at some point in May and we recently told how BlackBerry has cited an end of May estimate for the US release. Hopefully then the phone will arrive next month as anticipated.
The love for the BlackBerry Z10 is growing and it has now been confirmed that this new BB10 OS smartphone will be available to pre-order March 11th for T-Mobile Business customers, so get your diaries out and mark this date down if you are a business user on the T-Mobile USA network.
We reported 4 days ago that the BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen smartphone would be released to T-Mobile USA business users first, and now we can reveal thanks to Engadget that this handset will cost $249.99 on a two-year Classic plan. We have no idea at the moment when the BB Z10 will be available for the general public in the U.S, but as soon as we know we will let all T-Mobile users know.
Even though the BlackBerry Z10 device will be up for pre-order on March 11 for T-Mobile Business users, we are being told that they could expect delivery by the end of next week, which is good news for those waiting.
No longer called RIM, BlackBerry is already selling the Z10 in more than 20 countries; it is just a shame that our friends in the U.S have to wait a little longer. AT&T and Verizon Wireless are both keeping tight-lipped on when they will release the BlackBerry Z10.
12:10 PM
There’s good news today for T-Mobile customers waiting for its release of the Samsung Galaxy S4 as it’s all systems go for a May 1 release date on the US carrier. This means that unlike previous Galaxy S launches those in the US won’t have to wait until months later to get their hands on this much-awaited smartphone.
T-Mobile is the first of the major US carriers to announce availability of the Galaxy S4 and previously Samsung announced it would release in some world regions in late April. The earliest release date we’ve seen so far is April 25 for the UK so the phone will be stateside only a few days after the initial release. This will no doubt be music to the ears for many potential US Galaxy S4 customers who have become tired of waiting for the latest Galaxy S phone in previous years.
T-Mobile announced the release of the Galaxy S4 at the company’s UNCarrier event and as well as the release date also included the Galaxy S4 on its lists of LTE phones, especially relevant as this week its LTE network went live in the first 7 cities. However T-Mobile has not yet announced pricing for the Galaxy S4 although yesterday it did state the price for the iPhone 5 on its new plans.
The iPhone 5, HTC One and BlackBerry Z10 will all be available on T-Mobile for an initial down payment of $99 with a monthly plan costing $20 for 24 months so it looks pretty likely that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will launch with the same pricing. The phone will be locked though until the phone is paid off.
US Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Axiom & Exhibit Jelly Bean update latest.
News of operating system updates for smartphones and tablets continues to flood in and at the moment it’s all about Android Jelly Bean, still arriving in various forms to various devices. Now we have heard promising news about the Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 update for the US Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini versions, the Samsung Galaxy Axiom and Samsung Galaxy Exhibit.
Although the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini was the phone’s name in many regions of the world, in the US two carriers took on this smartphone. T-Mobile’s version was called the Samsung Galaxy Exhibit while the US Cellular variant was dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Axiom. The best news so far is for those who have the Samsung Galaxy Axiom on US Cellular as Jelly Bean 4.1.2 has already begun rolling out in the last couple of days.
Jelly Bean for the Galaxy Axiom has been issued as an OTA (over-the-air) update or is available through Samsung Kies but similarly to the Galaxy S3 update to 4.1.2 in the US the update lacks Samsung’s Premium Suite, which may disappoint some. However there are plenty of other improvements and changes to make this update well worthwhile such as Google Now, Project butter, improved browser, multitasking and more so we’d urge readers to go ahead with the update to receive these advantages.
If you have the Samsung Galaxy Axiom and want to check for the update then head to Settings to find out. This is a good-sized update so you’ll need your phone to be connected to Wi-Fi before you begin so it doesn’t give up the ghost half way through. This may well be the last update that the Axiom receives though as it’s not clear whether it will receive a further update to Jelly Bean 4.2 and of course Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is scheduled to arrive in the summer.
For Samsung Galaxy Exhibit owners on T-Mobile we have not yet heard that the Jelly Bean update has begun to rollout for their device yet. However, as it has now arrived for the Axiom it seems a good indicator and highly likely that the update will also come to the Galaxy Exhibit in the near future. You may have to be patient for a while longer but the signs are there.
12:02 PM
At last T-Mobile will be selling the iPhone 5, 4S and the iPhone 4 in USA, the iPhone 5 will go on sale from Friday, April 12th. John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA said that customers can now get the iPhone without all the pain other carriers put them through, this is a strong statement but one he feels strongly about.
The iPhone 5 will be available on T-Mobile’s 4G network and today the official press release states that the 4G LTE service has launched in seven major metropolitan areas.
The T-Mobile iPhone 5 will cost $99.99 for qualifying customers plus a monthly contract with competitive consumer rate plans, there will be the Simple Choice Plan at only $50 per month for unlimited talk, and for this monthly price customers will receive text and Web with 500MB of 4G data, 2GB of 4G data for $10 per month per line or get unlimited 4G data for an additional $20 per month per line. If customers wish to add a second line then they need only pay $30 per month with each individual line costing just $10 per month.
There will also be several free premium benefits and these include HD voice, Mobile HotSpot for on-the-go tethering Internet access offering 500MB of 4G data for tethering and Talk and surf at the same time.
T-Mobile iPhone Prices
The iPhone 5 price of $99.99 upfront with 24-month contract at $20 per month on the T-Mobile’s Simple Choice Plan, customers can also get their hands on the iPhone 4S on the Simple Choice Plan for $69.99 down and $20 per month for 24 months. The iPhone 4 will cost $14.99 for the handset and $15 per month for 24 months.
T-Mobile iPhone availability reportedly nears: Update.
When Apple first made the iPhone available it was made exclusive to certain carriers in both the US and the United Kingdom, but things have moved on and most major carriers now carry the device for their customers to purchase. This is not the case for T-Mobile in the US but the availability of the iPhone is reportedly getting closer.
The carrier is holding an event today to showcase its ‘Uncarrier’ plans and a source close to these plans is suggesting that the iPhone will be playing a big part at the event. The handset has long been the Holy Grail for the carrier as many subscribers have been leaving the company to get the handset elsewhere, but things look to be finally changing.
It will be used as the main handset for the new service from T-Mobile where customers can get a new smartphone with no new contract, and instead the customer pays an upfront fee with a monthly charge along with the usual service plan.
The carrier has been haemorrhaging customers that want to own the Apple iPhone, and the iPhone 5 along with the Galaxy Note 2 and BlackBerry Z10 will be used to showcase the carriers 4G LTE network.
It is not known if the carrier will announce availability or pricing for the smartphone at the event, but at least it seems that customers of the carrier will soon have access to the device and won’t have to look at alternative options.
11:59 AM
There are plenty of T-Mobile USA customers waiting for its LTE networks to go live and today we have leaked news for you of launch markets where this will finally happen in only a few days time, on March 26. Although there will be limited amounts of customers who have devices that will be compatible straight away, we can imagine this will lead to a rush of customers now seeking out an LTE-compatible phone for T-Mobile. Read on for further details.
LTE (Long Term Evolution) will give users faster data speeds and a leaked document shows the following cities where LTE will go live on Tuesday, March 26; Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, and Washington DC. However we should point out that not all towers in each city will be upgraded simultaneously so LTE may not be available right across each city at first.
Recently we told about an update being pushed out to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on T-Mobile that would enable its use with LTE so hopefully owners will all have received that update by Tuesday. Once owners receive this update their devices will be able to use LTE.
Other devices that will be available from T-Mobile in time for the LTE launch are the BlackBerry Z10 and the T-Mobile Sonic 2.0 and of course more and more devices will be arriving shortly such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. We’ll remind you that this news of launch cities is so far unconfirmed but does come from an often-reliable source.
There are plenty of T-Mobile USA customers waiting for its LTE networks to go live and today we have leaked news for you of launch markets where this will finally happen in only a few days time, on March 26. Although there will be limited amounts of customers who have devices that will be compatible straight away, we can imagine this will lead to a rush of customers now seeking out an LTE-compatible phone for T-Mobile. Read on for further details.
LTE (Long Term Evolution) will give users faster data speeds and a leaked document shows the following cities where LTE will go live on Tuesday, March 26; Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Jose, and Washington DC. However we should point out that not all towers in each city will be upgraded simultaneously so LTE may not be available right across each city at first.
Recently we told about an update being pushed out to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on T-Mobile that would enable its use with LTE so hopefully owners will all have received that update by Tuesday. Once owners receive this update their devices will be able to use LTE.
Other devices that will be available from T-Mobile in time for the LTE launch are the BlackBerry Z10 and the T-Mobile Sonic 2.0 and of course more and more devices will be arriving shortly such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. We’ll remind you that this news of launch cities is so far unconfirmed but does come from an often-reliable source.
