11:27 AM
It seems the LG Nexus 4 hype continues and this has started heated discussions from around the world, is this smartphone really the one worth waiting for? Personally there are many other smartphones out there that are just as good if not better, but we will converse a few things that our readers have hit on and what they think about the Nexus 4 and all the excitement.
On Saturday 28th we reported some appealing news about the Nexus 4 and further disappointment for US with a little twist to boot, it seems that this handset is very hard to own. Many consumers would rather buy the Nexus 4 via Google Play and that is understandable because they was selling outright for only £239 ($376) for the 8GB model, we say “Was’ because they are still out of stock. The news we provided Saturday was mainly about T-Mobile US having the handset in stock and then they were out of stock, but it seems on the T-Mobile website they are back in stock again.
The downside to buying elsewhere rather than Google Play is the money difference, with Google Play you can buy the Nexus 4 outright, buy direct from the likes of T-Mobile and you will have to go the contract route, which is not cheap at all. We can see over on T-Mobile that the cheapest option is the ‘Classic 500 Minute / Talk’ and this will set you back $39.99 per month, add that up over one year is a staggering $479.88 but times that by two because they are on a 2 year agreement and you will pay $959.76, ouch is what we say here, it makes sense to wait for Google Play to get more stock in.
Now we move onto the Nexus 4 hype train, what is all the hype about? We have had many comments fly in over the last few months and we really want to share them on a wider scale so that you can answer them right here, instead of looking at our multiple articles that we have published.
One reader mentioned – “What is all this hype about?” The reader said that they purchased the Nexus 4 after owning the Galaxy Nexus, and said it is a great handset that is faster as well as having a better camera, but it is not exactly and God send. They also mentioned that the Nexus 4 is not like going from the Motorola’s RAZR to the Original iPhone, what do you think about this statement from one of our readers.
Another reader said that if the Nexus 4 is in popular demand, both LG and Google should ramp up production, if they did this they might have an iPhone killer on their hands. When they say iPhone killer they mean one smartphone against another, not the iPhone against all Android phones. Another interesting comment we read was a reader quoting “It’s all about value. Nexus 4 has nearly the same specs as the Galaxy S3, yet costs half as much.”
It does not matter to the buyer who is to blame being it Google or LG, what matters is the Nexus 4 is one of the most sought after handsets on the market and both firms need to capitalise on this and get more stock in. It is a very stupid saga that could damage both Google’s and LG’s credibility.
We here at Phones Review would love to know if you are now considering forgetting the LG Nexus 4 and thinking about purchasing a different phone altogether, if you have anything to say about the Nexus 4 please do share with us. How long will the Nexus 4 hype continue.
Nexus 4 at T-Mobile in stock again.
If you’re still trying to get your hands on the Google Nexus 4 smartphone by LG you’ll no doubt already know that it has been extremely difficult to get hold of. We’ve been keeping you informed with news on this and today we can tell you that if you’ve been waiting for it to come back in stock at T-Mobile more supplies have arrived at last and it you head to the online order page now you should be able to order one. Of course as stocks have been selling out very quickly we don’t know how long this latest batch will last so you may be best to order your Nexus 4 quickly.
The Nexus 4 is a very impressive and notable smartphone and we’ve not held back with our enthusiasm for it. It’s just a shame that the launch of such a significant phone was marred by the poor supplies. Available through the Google Play Store it sold out virtually instantly and the same thing happened with further stock. T-Mobile was the only other avenue in the US for consumers to purchase the Nexus 4 and we recently told how the carrier had stated that more units would be available for sale in more stores and hopefully online on January 23rd. Following that we heard further news that availability was to stabilize soon as production had been increased.
We’re happy to say then that T-Mobile has kept to its word as while a look at the Google Play Store today shows the Nexus 4 still listed as sold out, the T-Mobile website shows stock available. Of course there is a premium to pay for ordering the phone through T-Mobile. The full retail price of the 16GB Nexus 4 is listed at $549.99 or you can obtain it on a two-year contract for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. However when available through Google Play it was being sold unlocked at $299 for the 8GB model or $349 for the 16GB model.
Obviously that’s a big difference in price if you’re buying the phone outright but as stock looks to be improving some may prefer to wait and see if the Google Play Store also gets new stock in soon, although there’s no word on that just yet. If you are tempted to purchase the Nexus 4 through T-Mobile then head to the order page here for more info on the handset and get that Nexus 4 added to your shopping cart while it’s still available. We’ve just checked again before publication and the phone is still in stock at the time of writing. You’ll see at the top of that order page that for a limited time T-Mobile is waiving its activation fee on all devices purchased on a two-year contract and that will save you $35. This offer ends on January 31.
11:17 AM
The closer we get to the January 30 event to formally introduce the BlackBerry 10 operating system and the first devices that will run it, the more leaks we are hearing. After initial concern that RIM was asking too much of the new overhauled OS we’re now getting pretty excited as BB10 and the initial device info we’ve seen so far seem to show real promise. All of the major US carriers have now shown interest in carrying BB10 and today we have news of a leaked T-Mobile roadmap showing a launch date of the BlackBerry Lisbon smartphone, aka the Z10.
We’ve been giving readers news on the Z10 as we’ve heard it including reports that a dummy model of the smartphone had been spotted with Verizon branding. At the weekend we also told how the first phone released running BB10 could release on February 28 according to an internal inventory, although it wasn’t specified if this was the Z10. If you’re a T-Mobile US customer and interested in the upcoming BlackBerry 10 devices then you’ll be pleased to learn of the T-Mobile roadmap that has emerged and lists the Z10 /Lisbon.
The phone is shown with a launch date of March 27th and if you haven’t followed the news so far then the Z10 is a full touchscreen BlackBerry device, although a QWERTY BB10 smartphone is also due to be announced at the event. Some of the specs that have been rumored for the Z10 so far include a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4.2-inch display with resolution of 1280 x 768, 2GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB of onboard storage, expandable via microSD card.
There’s also an 8-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front-facing shooter, 4G LTE connectivity (presumably also HSPA+ for T-Mobile), NFC and a 1800 mAh removable battery. First images also show the handset appears to be sleek and stylish too.
Please remember that information so far is from leaks and so unconfirmed. We should be hearing full specs of the Z10 along with availability and pricing at the January 30 BB10 event and also hope to hear more about the QWERTY handset that will also release soon. WE shall, of course, keep readers informed about further developments as we hear them. The same leaked T-Mobile roadmap also contains news that the ‘New Rate Plan and Data Offers (100% Value)’ will be launched on March 17th, signifying the end of the Classic Plan and the debut of the Value Plan as reported by TMONews.
Views from our readers are always welcome and we’d be interested to hear your views on the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS and the first devices that will use it. Are you avidly awaiting the official announcement and can’t wait to get your hands on a new BB10 phone.
7:16 AM
We’ve been tracking developments on the HTC M7 smartphone and as we get closer to an expected release the more we hear. This is a notable Android handset and will be truly viable competition against some of the best phones on the market. It looks set to be a big success for HTC and we now have some carrier news for potential HTC M7 customers in the US. If accurate it seems that Verizon could be late to the game leaving the other 3 major US carriers to get a head start on sales.
Previous leaks on US carriers for the HTC M7 suggested that AT&T, Sprint and Verizon all looked set to carry the phone and that it was still possible that T-Mobile would also carry the M7. However although it now seems that all four major US carriers will supply the HTC M7, it appears that launch partners for the M7 will be AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. The ubiquitous “trusted sources” are now saying that although Verizon will carry the M7 at some point, it will be delayed.
No reason has been given for the Verizon delay but it is speculated that it may be to allow a gap between the M7 and Verizon’s HTC Droid DNA that only released in November, as they are similar in many ways. Yesterday we gave you news of a possible release of the HTC M7 in the UK and the rest of Europe on March 8 although this is not yet confirmed.
There is still no release date, rumored or otherwise for the M7 in the US but events are taking place on February 19 in London and New York where we hope to hear more. Remember the HTC M7 could just be a codename for this smartphone and that when it’s announced it may well be titled something entirely different. Whatever it’s called it’s one to look forward to as we’ve already heard leaks of a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 4.7-inch full HD display, 2GB of RAM and possibly a 13-megapixel rear camera, all running Android Jelly Bean.
We’ll continue to bring you developments on the HTC M7 and of course the news from the events taking place on February 19. You may also be interested in our comparison of the HTC M7 vs. Galaxy S4
HTC One SV heading for the UK on EE.
For those Android faithful over here in the United Kingdom that love HTC made devices there is a new Android Ice Cream Sandwich sporting smartphone coming from the HTC camp that is destined to play nice on EE in the UK and that smartphone is the HTC One SV, which is said to land on Brit shores in the coming weeks.
A report over on Pocket Now has it that HTC has officially announced the HTC One SV for the United Kingdom, which will become available through selected retailers, operators and distribution partners, one of which will be EE, as the HTC One SV is capable of playing nice on EE’s 4G LTE network.
However, the HTC One SV isn’t the most powerful device HTC has delivered, as the handset does come with a rather modest spec sheet that includes a 4.3-inch Super LCD2 WVGA touch screen along with a 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 dual core processor.
The Android Ice Cream Sandwich handset also offers a 5 megapixel rear facing camera, a 1.6 megapixel front facing camera, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, NFC, Beats Audio tech and all the usual.
It might disappoint some that this mid-range handset is coming with Android ICS aboard; however we previously reported that HTC Android Jelly Bean update device information had been leaked, and on that list of devices scheduled to receive an update to Jelly Bean is the HTC One SV, so that handset will be getting a taste of Android Jelly Bean at some point in the future.
Apparently HTC announced the One SV back at the beginning of last month for some regions, but if you are in the UK you should be able to purchase the device soon, which will be available in Glacier White and Pyrenees Blue options. However, unfortunately there is no exact release date mentioned or any mention of what price tag the One SV will command.
6:40 AM
As you probably know, Samsung’s first Windows Phone 8 handset, the Samsung Ativ S has been a bit of an elusive smartphone what with seeing delay after delay with getting the device out into the mobile space. We recently reported that the Ativ S had been given yet another delay and the device wouldn’t arrive until February 2013. However, it seems that report was wrong.
The word is old Sammy has quietly released the Samsung Ativ S over in Europe, in Austria to be precise, on T-Mobile, and T-Mobile Austria confirmed the arrival of Samsung’s first Windows Phone 8 smartphone by sending WPCentral a picture of the smartphone sitting on yesterday’s newspaper as proof.
Thus the Samsung Ativ S has finally come out to play but only in Austria for the moment, where the smartphone is in stock and available as a free handset on contract for the 16GB model, but there is no sign of the 32GB version
The Samsung Ativ S delays had previously been put down to the success and demand for both the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2, but it would appear that particular reason for delaying the handset is no longer an issue.
As a remainder, the Ativ S sports the same 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD touch screen and 8 megapixel rear facing camera as the Galaxy S3, and also packs a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 dual core processor, and a 2300mAh battery.
T-Mobile Austria is touting the Ativ S as a Windows 8 phone that oozes elegance, and as the smartphone is now in stock and available in Austria, hopefully it shouldn’t be too long before we see the Samsung Ativ S pop up for sale in other markets.
The Ativ S is Samsung's first device to run Windows Phone 8, and with its unveiling at IFA 2012 in Berlin, it was also the first Windows Phone 8 device to be officially unveiled as well.
The Ativ S features a 4.8″ Super AMOLED display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, near field communications, and support for HSPA+ networks. The Ativ S is expected to be available with 16GB or 32GB of internal storage.The phone is known for having very similar hardware to the Galaxy S III, which runs Android.A Samsung executive has noted that demand for Windows-based phones and tablets is low.
6:33 AM
Only a week or so ago we were discussing the likelihood of the Apple iPhone 5 coming to T-Mobile USA as speculation has been rife for some time. However at that time it appeared that this was unlikely to happen very soon with T-Mobile asserting that the price would have to be right before it would make a deal. It now seems that we could be in for an imminent surprise though with an announcement coming as early as next week about T-Mobile and the iPhone.
Previously we told how T-Mobile still wanted the iPhone and acknowledged that the lack of carrying the iPhone 5 had made a negative impact on business in Q3. However the company was unwilling to make unnecessary sacrifices and so it seemed that it might yet be quite some time before the iPhone came to T-Mobile. The latest news today though suggests that we could be shocked at how soon the iPhone may come to T-Mobile, with a possible announcement on December 6th or 7th during analyst day meeting.
Scott Craig, analyst for Merrill Lynch, said in a note to clients yesterday that there was heightened speculation that Deutsche Telekom will declare the iPhone’s arrival very soon on subsidiary T-Mobile, according to Fortune. This, despite the fact that T-Mobile’s LTE network has yet to go live although it has invested huge amounts of money in updating its HSPA+ network to suit current iPhone models. This latest information follows hot-on-the-heels of news yesterday that the Apple online store is about to sell the iPhone 5 unlocked.
If T-Mobile does indeed begin carrying the iPhone this would mean that Apple would have access to 98% of the post-paid market in the US. Craig also added that a T-Mobile iPhone would bump his estimate of 179 million iPhones sold in 2013 by another 4 million units. It’s worth reminding readers that although T-Mobile doesn’t yet carry the iPhone around 1.5 million of the unlocked devices currently use T-Mobile networks after T-Mobile urged AT&T customers to jump ship with its Unlimited & Unlocked promotion.
T-Mobile USA & iPhone, only if price is right.
In the smartphone industry one of the most glaring omissions is that T-Mobile is not a carrier of the Apple iPhone in the US. It has been long-debated whether T-Mobile will one day join the other major US carriers, AT&T Verizon and Sprint in offering the iPhone and the latest news is that T-Mobile still covets the iPhone, but only if the price is right. For now it seems that T-Mobile will have to continue to rely on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Galaxy Note 2 and Google Nexus 4 in a bid to stay in the game.
Many readers will know that AT&T originally had exclusivity of the iPhone and then in 2011 Verizon joined the fun with a CDMA version of the iPhone 4. Following that in late 2011 Sprint made a huge four-year $15.5 billion deal with Apple to also carry the iPhone and although the carrier hopes this will eventually pay off, it has already acknowledged that it’s device subsidy costs have been significantly driven up. It seems that T-Mobile is keen to avoid the same kind of deal, whilst at the same time acknowledging that is has been harmed by not carrying the iPhone. Back in October we reported on speculation that T-Mobile may begin offering the iPhone 5 in early 2013 but news today makes that seem less plausible.
At the Morgan Stanley 12th Annual Technology, Media and Telecoms Conference in Barcelona, T-Mobile USA COO Jim Alling said that although they would love to offer the iPhone, “we want the economies to be right for us,” according to FierceWireless. Although Alling did not directly mention Sprint he did refer to a competitor that recently signed a deal with Apple and would not see a profit from it until 2015, saying that T-Mobile USA would not be signing a similar deal. Acknowledging T-Mobile’s lack of the iPhone though, Alling also conceded, “we recognize that it has been a point of churn for us.”
Alling and other T-Mobile executives also acknowledged that the arrival of the LTE iPhone 5 in September had a negative impact on its business for the third quarter and was likely to also do some damage for the fourth quarter of 2012. However, it was also detailed that around 1.5 million unlocked iPhones now use the T-Mobile network and its SIM-only Value Plans and it’s anticipated that this number will rise with developments to fully utilize HSPA+ at 1900 MHz under its network modernization plans.
T-Mobile USA has made it clear then that although it’s still very keen to carry the iPhone it won’t make what it feels to be unnecessary sacrifices in order to do so. It will be interesting to see what happens next with this but it certainly feels like something that could drag on for some time yet. We’d like to know what readers think about this. Do you think T-Mobile should make almost any necessary investment to carry the iPhone.
6:31 AM
I’m sure everyone knows that over in the good old US of A T-mobile USA doesn’t currently offer the iPhone, but that is soon to change as the carrier has struck a deal with Apple to finally bring their iOS smartphone to their customers. T-Mobile did say late last year that the iPhone would be coming to their network, but the word is it will arriver sooner than later.
According to a report by Reuters, Deutsche Telekom chief exec John Legere has stated that T-Mobile USA will be offering the iPhone in roughly three to four months time to coincide with the carrier’s plan to eliminate handset subsidies.
Legere wouldn’t elaborate on the details of their agreement with Apple, but whilst at CES 2013 in Las Vegas did say that their iOS smartphone and subsidy elimination is coming in 3 to 4 months rather than 6 to 9 months time.
T-Mobile USA’s plan to get rid of handset subsidies this year is to offer customers better flexibility along with lower service prices, whilst the carrier hopes to attract customers from rivals Verizon and AT&T by combining removing subsidies and offering the iPhone that will be a first for the US wireless industry.
Legere also stated that he could possibly up the carrier’s market share by five percent or more from larger rivals that still rely on subsidising handsets giving the customer a discount for committing to a two-year agreement, and remarked that if the old industry infrastructure ignores what the carrier is doing that is a potential.
T-Mobile is currently trying to gain regulatory approval for their merger with MetroPCS, the exec has said that it might not stop there, and he might explore a partnership with Dish Network Corp or possibly with Leap Wireless International Inc.
Analysts have previously said that Leap and MetroPCS networks would go well together, whilst they have also remarked that they see T-Mobile USA or Sprint Nextel Corp as the most likely to partner Dish.
As for Leap, Legere has said that the smaller rival is one of those things that makes sense for them to look at, and although he isn’t in any talks with Dish at the moment, when he was asked if he would consider a partnership with Dish, he said yes.
T-Mobile iPhone 2013 and killing off subsidies.
Well now, it was only a matter of time until we saw Apple gear come to T-Mobile, and the word is the iPhone along with other Apple gear will finally be offered by T-Mobile next year. Apparently T-Mobile and Apple have now entered an agreement that will see the carrier selling Apple products in early 2013, although unsubsidised.
A report over on Gigaom has it that John Legere, the CEO of T-Mobile USA has confirmed that the carrier will offer the iPhone in 2013, but the carrier will also be moving completely away from subsidising all devices next year.
Killing off subsidies will of course mean that if you wish to purchase a device from T-Mobile, the customer will be required to shell out the full price for the device upfront, bring in their own unlocked device, or purchase a device on T-Mobile’s instalment plan.
In 2013 T-Mobile will move entirely to their unsubsidised Value plans that offer the customer cheaper rates for voice and certain data. The carrier says that 80% of their activations last quarter were value plans, and as such they believe there is a big demand for this type of model.
However, when it comes to the iPhone 5, the smartphone commands a hefty unlocked and unsubsidised price tag of between $650 and $850 depending on version, and one of the reasons the iOS smartphone is popular is that operators offer devices with big subsidies bringing the upfront price down to as low as $200.
This means that T-Mobile will need to convince potential customers that shelling out the full price upfront for a device, and using their lower value plan rate will actually save them cash over the two-year contract term.
However, it appears that T-Mobile has a unique and cunning plan of action when it comes to offering the iPhone, with the CEO implying that they will possibly heavily finance the iOS smartphone by selling the device for $99 and then charge $15 to $20 per month in fees over a 20 month period, which basically still sounds to the customer like they are subsidising the device.
6:19 AM
The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been with us for a while now and has sold millions of units around the world, and over the last couple of months the handset has been the centre of attention with regards to the latest Android update for the device. Samsung first pushed the Android Jelly Bean update out at the end of September with it first hitting the UK in the following month, but there is still no sign of the Android Jelly Bean update for the Orange or T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S3, which remains a mystery to why there has been no sight of it yet.
In the UK the likes of Three and O2 were among the first carriers to get the Jelly Bean update out to its customers, which was then followed by unlocked versions of the smartphone to start receiving the updated operating system. Fast forward to now around two months later and owners of the device on Orange and T-Mobile still have no official news from the carrier about the availability of the new firmware.
Looking on various support forums there are many frustrated customers with many contacting their carrier asking for information on when the Jelly Bean update will be released. Some have been told by T-Mobile that it would arrive by early December, but obviously this has come and gone, and on contacting the company again were told they have no idea when the new software will arrive.
Customers of the two carriers that are now part of the EE Company will be wondering when they will ever see the update, and this is at a time when customers of US carrier Verizon can expect to see Android Jelly Bean in the next couple of days.
Samsung has recently begun rolling out another Jelly Bean update in the form of 4.1.2 to unlocked versions of the handset, and it was previously expected that Android 4.2 would hit the Samsung Galaxy S3 early next year.
We have heard of some customers of Orange that have received the update already but these claims can’t be confirmed, and there are many more that are saying they have yet to see any update. Some users are wondering if the delay may have something to do with the merger of T-Mobile and Orange to form EE, and many angry customers have said that they will be leaving the carrier once their contract is finished.Some have decided to use a custom ROM to get hold of the Jelly Bean firmware, but this should only be done if you are confident in such things, and this can invalidate your warranty for the handset.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean rollout for T-Mobile USA.
It seems strange to some of you that the Samsung Galaxy S3 has yet to see the Jelly Bean update rollout in North America. However, we’re happy to report that T-Mobile are now pushing the update, so you’re advised to check now via your Samsung Kies software to see if you have it yet. While this is great news for those with the Galaxy S III on T-Mobile USA, it’s a little disappointing for those on other carriers such as AT&T, as they still have to play the waiting game.
While it’s easy to put the blame on the likes of Samsung to get Jelly Bean later than other devices, more often than not it’s down to the carriers in the US, which is the case this time. What we do find strange is that T-Mobile USA did not even make an announcement that they would be making the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean available, instead it just appeared – but who’s complaining? Although it’s now showing on their support page.
What has surprised us the most though is when Samsung suggested that Jelly Bean would not be made available for the Galaxy S3 until 2013, which did seem a little strange when you consider that these handsets has seen the update some time ago in other countries; although we did explain the reason for this above.
The Galaxy S3 receiving Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean is good in one respect and negative in another because while this is a new version for the handset, it’s not the latest version of Android as 4.2 is. We reported a few days ago that AT&T should also be getting 4.1.1 JB for the Galaxy S3 any day now, so maybe it will appear out of the blue just like T-Mobile.
Speaking of Jelly Bean it looks as though the Motorola Xoom and the Nexus S will not be receiving update 4.2 and will have to stick with 4.1.2. Does seem strange that such old devices received JB long before the newer Galaxy S3, and we all know that these older devices have been struggling to run Jelly Bean.
