Latest phones and cell review http://www.freshphones.info Thu, 17 May 2012 19:56:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 en Judge Orders Apple and HTC to Have a Friendly Chat http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/judge-orders-apple-and-htc-to-have-a-friendly-chat/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/judge-orders-apple-and-htc-to-have-a-friendly-chat/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 19:56:19 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10458 The United States Court for the District of Delaware today ordered high-ranking company officials with decision-making power from both Apple and HTC to meet in Delaware to discuss a potential settlement to the patent litigation between the companies. Apple won a U.S. International Trade Commission exclusion order over HTC in late 2011 regarding a single smartphone patent related to data tapping. This week, shipments of new HTC smartphones were halted at customs while they are checked for compliance with the order. The hold up at customs has forced Sprint to delay the launch of its 2012 flagship smartphone, the HTC EVO 4G LTE. The talks, which will be moderated by Magistrate Judge Sherry R. Fallon, are scheduled to take place August 28. It's not clear which managers from the companies will attend. Separately, Apple and Samsung are scheduled to meet Monday and Tuesday, May 21 and 22 to discuss settling their own patent suits.

]]> The United States Court for the District of Delaware today ordered high-ranking company officials with decision-making power from both Apple and HTC to meet in Delaware to discuss a potential settlement to the patent litigation between the companies. Apple won a U.S. International Trade Commission exclusion order over HTC in late 2011 regarding a single smartphone patent related to data tapping. This week, shipments of new HTC smartphones were halted at customs while they are checked for compliance with the order. The hold up at customs has forced Sprint to delay the launch of its 2012 flagship smartphone, the HTC EVO 4G LTE. The talks, which will be moderated by Magistrate Judge Sherry R. Fallon, are scheduled to take place August 28. It's not clear which managers from the companies will attend. Separately, Apple and Samsung are scheduled to meet Monday and Tuesday, May 21 and 22 to discuss settling their own patent suits.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/judge-orders-apple-and-htc-to-have-a-friendly-chat/feed/ LTE Arrives In a Handful of New Markets for AT&T http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/lte-arrives-in-a-handful-of-new-markets-for-att/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/lte-arrives-in-a-handful-of-new-markets-for-att/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 19:18:49 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10457 AT&T's LTE 4G network has grown by a few more markets during the course of the last few weeks. AT&T today announced that LTE is now available in New Orleans, the New Orleans metro area, and Baton Rouge, La., though LTE has been available in New Orleans since earlier this month. Other markets that have access to LTE include Naples, Fla., and a wide range of Chicago's southern suburbs, including Hickory Hills, Palos Heights, Alsip, Country Club Hills, Oak Lawn, and Evergreen Park. Chicago proper has had access to LTE since September 2011.

]]> AT&T's LTE 4G network has grown by a few more markets during the course of the last few weeks. AT&T today announced that LTE is now available in New Orleans, the New Orleans metro area, and Baton Rouge, La., though LTE has been available in New Orleans since earlier this month. Other markets that have access to LTE include Naples, Fla., and a wide range of Chicago's southern suburbs, including Hickory Hills, Palos Heights, Alsip, Country Club Hills, Oak Lawn, and Evergreen Park. Chicago proper has had access to LTE since September 2011.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/lte-arrives-in-a-handful-of-new-markets-for-att/feed/ AT&T Wants Device Subsidies to Be As Low As Possible http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/att-wants-device-subsidies-to-be-as-low-as-possible/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/att-wants-device-subsidies-to-be-as-low-as-possible/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 17:07:14 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10456 AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega told investors at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference today that the company is doing what it can to offer devices with low subsidies. "We have to watch subsidies and make sure that we bring devices to market that customers love and will keep and have low subsidies," he said. In the U.S., wireless network operators often subsidize the cost of handsets for customers who sign new contracts. Customers are then able to afford a decent device, and the carrier recoups the subsidy over the life of the contract. de la Vega cited the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC One X as good examples of devices with low subsidy points. "These are great devices that I think customers will like," de la Vega said. The full retail price of the Lumia 900, for example, is $449. AT&T sells it for $99, meaning it subsidizes $350 of the device cost. The iPhone 4S, however, costs $649 at full retail (16GB version). AT&T sells it for $199, meaning it subsidizes $450 of the device cost. Keeping device subsidies low will help AT&T reduce its margins and other costs. de la Vega also reiterated that the company is working to offer shared data plans later this year, which he believes will help increase sales of tablets.

]]> AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega told investors at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference today that the company is doing what it can to offer devices with low subsidies. "We have to watch subsidies and make sure that we bring devices to market that customers love and will keep and have low subsidies," he said. In the U.S., wireless network operators often subsidize the cost of handsets for customers who sign new contracts. Customers are then able to afford a decent device, and the carrier recoups the subsidy over the life of the contract. de la Vega cited the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC One X as good examples of devices with low subsidy points. "These are great devices that I think customers will like," de la Vega said. The full retail price of the Lumia 900, for example, is $449. AT&T sells it for $99, meaning it subsidizes $350 of the device cost. The iPhone 4S, however, costs $649 at full retail (16GB version). AT&T sells it for $199, meaning it subsidizes $450 of the device cost. Keeping device subsidies low will help AT&T reduce its margins and other costs. de la Vega also reiterated that the company is working to offer shared data plans later this year, which he believes will help increase sales of tablets.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/att-wants-device-subsidies-to-be-as-low-as-possible/feed/ MetroPCS Would Allow Unlocked LTE iPhone On Its Network http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/metropcs-would-allow-unlocked-lte-iphone-on-its-network/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/metropcs-would-allow-unlocked-lte-iphone-on-its-network/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 16:50:48 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10455 MetroPCS CFO Braxton Carter said that were Apple to bring an LTE-equipped version of the iPhone to market, MetroPCS would allow it to access its LTE network. Network access would only be given to unlocked LTE iPhones, not those on contract. Apple only recently began allowing iPhone owners to unlock older devices that aren't under contract. "If you have LTE iPhones out there, it could be an opportunity in the future," Carter said today at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. Carter also noted that the company expects to finish building its LTE network on top of its existing CDMA footprint by the end of the third quarter, though he admitted that the company is having a hard time transitioning customers to the faster network due to the lack of inexpensive LTE phones. "We're in a transition period right now as we wait for low-cost LTE handsets," Carter said. Its current lineup of LTE phones range in price between $250 and $330, but it hopes to bring LTE phones to market next year below the $150 price point. Carter said MetroPCS will only offer a couple of feature phones in 2013, and hopes that 95% of its device portfolio will be LTE-enabled by the end of 2013.

]]> MetroPCS CFO Braxton Carter said that were Apple to bring an LTE-equipped version of the iPhone to market, MetroPCS would allow it to access its LTE network. Network access would only be given to unlocked LTE iPhones, not those on contract. Apple only recently began allowing iPhone owners to unlock older devices that aren't under contract. "If you have LTE iPhones out there, it could be an opportunity in the future," Carter said today at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. Carter also noted that the company expects to finish building its LTE network on top of its existing CDMA footprint by the end of the third quarter, though he admitted that the company is having a hard time transitioning customers to the faster network due to the lack of inexpensive LTE phones. "We're in a transition period right now as we wait for low-cost LTE handsets," Carter said. Its current lineup of LTE phones range in price between $250 and $330, but it hopes to bring LTE phones to market next year below the $150 price point. Carter said MetroPCS will only offer a couple of feature phones in 2013, and hopes that 95% of its device portfolio will be LTE-enabled by the end of 2013.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/metropcs-would-allow-unlocked-lte-iphone-on-its-network/feed/ T-Mobile Debuting New No-Contract Data Plans May 20 http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/t-mobile-debuting-new-no-contract-data-plans-may-20/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/t-mobile-debuting-new-no-contract-data-plans-may-20/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 16:06:32 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10454 T-Mobile USA today announced a new set of mobile broadband plans that will be available free of annual contracts. The plans include several options for users of mobile hotspots, laptop sticks, and tablets. T-Mobile is offering access to 300MB of data for a period of one week for $15. Customers can also choose access to 1.5GB of data for a period of one month for $25; 3.5GB for a month for $35; or 5GB for a month for $50. The new options will be available starting May 20.

]]> T-Mobile USA today announced a new set of mobile broadband plans that will be available free of annual contracts. The plans include several options for users of mobile hotspots, laptop sticks, and tablets. T-Mobile is offering access to 300MB of data for a period of one week for $15. Customers can also choose access to 1.5GB of data for a period of one month for $25; 3.5GB for a month for $35; or 5GB for a month for $50. The new options will be available starting May 20.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/t-mobile-debuting-new-no-contract-data-plans-may-20/feed/ Verizon Readying Price Increases for Wireless Customers http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/verizon-readying-price-increases-for-wireless-customers/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/verizon-readying-price-increases-for-wireless-customers/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 12:53:23 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10453 Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo told investors that the company plans to increase prices for its wireless and FiOS home internet services. Speaking at the JP Morgan investor conference earlier this week, Shammo said that the company expects its new shared data plans will result in customers paying more for their services as a whole. "I think revenue ARPU [average revenue per user] will continue to grow as we get into data share plans and people start to connect more devices [on the network]. As they add more devices, they are going to have to buy up into tiers. So again, you will see the revenue increase there." Shammo's comments were meant to assuage investors' concerns about Verizon's large capital expenditures to build its LTE and fiber networks. Shammo noted that he doesn't think the price increases will cost Verizon customers, and pointed to the company's recently implemented $30 upgrade fee. Shammo said Verizon Wireless didn't see "any impact from a customer base from that fee. So that was the right thing to do." Shammo didn't specify which fees might be increased, not when they might be raised.

]]> Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo told investors that the company plans to increase prices for its wireless and FiOS home internet services. Speaking at the JP Morgan investor conference earlier this week, Shammo said that the company expects its new shared data plans will result in customers paying more for their services as a whole. "I think revenue ARPU [average revenue per user] will continue to grow as we get into data share plans and people start to connect more devices [on the network]. As they add more devices, they are going to have to buy up into tiers. So again, you will see the revenue increase there." Shammo's comments were meant to assuage investors' concerns about Verizon's large capital expenditures to build its LTE and fiber networks. Shammo noted that he doesn't think the price increases will cost Verizon customers, and pointed to the company's recently implemented $30 upgrade fee. Shammo said Verizon Wireless didn't see "any impact from a customer base from that fee. So that was the right thing to do." Shammo didn't specify which fees might be increased, not when they might be raised.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/verizon-readying-price-increases-for-wireless-customers/feed/ LG Optimus LTE II to Hit the U.S. This Summer http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/lg-optimus-lte-ii-to-hit-the-us-this-summer/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/lg-optimus-lte-ii-to-hit-the-us-this-summer/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 12:27:45 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10452

LG today provided more details about the Optimus LTE II in its home market of Korea. The Optimus LTE II runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and will ship with LG's new Optimus UI 3.0. It includes a 4.7-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixels and in-plane switching. It will ship with a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 2GB of RAM. The 8-megapixel camera, which has an LED flash, can be controlled with the user's voice, has a 5-shot burst mode, and can output 5.1 audio via the MHL interface. The Optimus LTE II has a 1.3-megapixel user-facing camera for video chats. Other features include Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC, wireless charging, and DLNA. The device will include 16GB of on-board storage and can support up to an additional 32GB via microSD. The device will first become available in Korea, but later rolled out to other countries where LTE networks are available, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, and parts of Europe. The LG Optimus LTE II is expected to land in the U.S. this summer, though no U.S. carriers have announced plans to carry it.

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LG today provided more details about the Optimus LTE II in its home market of Korea. The Optimus LTE II runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and will ship with LG's new Optimus UI 3.0. It includes a 4.7-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixels and in-plane switching. It will ship with a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 2GB of RAM. The 8-megapixel camera, which has an LED flash, can be controlled with the user's voice, has a 5-shot burst mode, and can output 5.1 audio via the MHL interface. The Optimus LTE II has a 1.3-megapixel user-facing camera for video chats. Other features include Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC, wireless charging, and DLNA. The device will include 16GB of on-board storage and can support up to an additional 32GB via microSD. The device will first become available in Korea, but later rolled out to other countries where LTE networks are available, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, and parts of Europe. The LG Optimus LTE II is expected to land in the U.S. this summer, though no U.S. carriers have announced plans to carry it.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/lg-optimus-lte-ii-to-hit-the-us-this-summer/feed/ Samsung and MetroPCS Settle with Klausner Over Voicemail http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/samsung-and-metropcs-settle-with-klausner-over-voicemail/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/samsung-and-metropcs-settle-with-klausner-over-voicemail/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 12:08:37 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10451 Klausner Technologies today announced that it has settled patent-related litigation with Samsung and MetroPCS regarding its visual voicemail intellectual property. Samsung and MetroPCS now licensing Klausner's patents. Klausner says it has 51 licensees of its visual voicemail patents, including mobile network operators, handset manufacturers, VOIP/cable operators, and enterprise voicemail providers.

]]> Klausner Technologies today announced that it has settled patent-related litigation with Samsung and MetroPCS regarding its visual voicemail intellectual property. Samsung and MetroPCS now licensing Klausner's patents. Klausner says it has 51 licensees of its visual voicemail patents, including mobile network operators, handset manufacturers, VOIP/cable operators, and enterprise voicemail providers.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/17/samsung-and-metropcs-settle-with-klausner-over-voicemail/feed/ T-Mobile to Eliminate 900 Jobs, But Create 550 New Ones http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/16/t-mobile-to-eliminate-900-jobs-but-create-550-new-ones/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/16/t-mobile-to-eliminate-900-jobs-but-create-550-new-ones/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 23:06:49 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10450 T-Mobile USA today indicated that though it expects to layoff 900 employees during its planned restructuring, the company will hire approximately 550 new employees in other areas of the business. The bulk of the new hires will be added to a facility in the Puget Sound area, and T-Mobile says it is going to fill these positions as rapidly as it can. T-Mobile is encouraging employees facing a job loss to apply for any openings within the company that suit their qualifications. T-Mobile also clarified that the layoffs expected this week do not involve technicians in engineering, customer service representatives in its 17 call centers, or front-line retail employees in corporate-owned T-Mobile stores. T-Mobile expects the net number of jobs eliminated through this process to be about 350, which is in addition to approximately 1,000 jobs already slated for elimination.

]]> T-Mobile USA today indicated that though it expects to layoff 900 employees during its planned restructuring, the company will hire approximately 550 new employees in other areas of the business. The bulk of the new hires will be added to a facility in the Puget Sound area, and T-Mobile says it is going to fill these positions as rapidly as it can. T-Mobile is encouraging employees facing a job loss to apply for any openings within the company that suit their qualifications. T-Mobile also clarified that the layoffs expected this week do not involve technicians in engineering, customer service representatives in its 17 call centers, or front-line retail employees in corporate-owned T-Mobile stores. T-Mobile expects the net number of jobs eliminated through this process to be about 350, which is in addition to approximately 1,000 jobs already slated for elimination.

]]> http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/16/t-mobile-to-eliminate-900-jobs-but-create-550-new-ones/feed/ Sprint Now Supports Carrier Billing in Google Play http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/16/sprint-now-supports-carrier-billing-in-google-play/ http://www.freshphones.info/2012/05/16/sprint-now-supports-carrier-billing-in-google-play/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 21:21:22 +0000 admin http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=10449 Google today announced that Sprint supports carrier billing for all purchases in the Google Play Store. This means Sprint customers can now purchase digital goods -- including music, movies, and books -- in the Google Play Store and have the purchases added to their Sprint bill. Previously, only apps were supported.

]]> Google today announced that Sprint supports carrier billing for all purchases in the Google Play Store. This means Sprint customers can now purchase digital goods -- including music, movies, and books -- in the Google Play Store and have the purchases added to their Sprint bill. Previously, only apps were supported.

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