Hasta La Gadget!

There was only one form of bacon present at EE’s breakfast event today, but plenty more to chew on, as the UK 4G provider shed light on its new shared plans and PAYG data-only offerings. The sharing scheme, launching on July 17th, will put up to five devices on one bill and allow them to feed from the same data allowance. Starting with any regular contract, you can add other phones or devices at any time. Snagging another phone SIM for one year costs £12 per month, or £17 if you only need it for 30 days — you can also get handsets to go with those SIMs for additional dinero. Every phone plan you tack on includes unlimited calls and texts, but if you only need a SIM for data, it’ll cost £5 each month on a two-year contract, £8 for a 30-day commitment, and more if you want a USB dongle, MiFi hotspot or tablet on top. EE had plenty more to tell us, so head below the fold if you’re up for the full rundown.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Networking, Internet, Mobile

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Verizon was the first US carrier to launch (and famously fumble) its LTE rollout back in 2010, but its long road to 4G nationwide coverage has finally come to a near close. As of today, the operator’s LTE footprint now blankets more than 298 million people in 500 markets across the US, with Parkersburg, West Virginia claiming that 500th market distinction. It’s a milestone Verizon managed to achieve in a little over two years’ time, as the company’s Chief Network Officer Nicola Palmer was quick to point out. The completion of this initial LTE rollout also brings Alaska into Verizon’s coverage map as early as next month — a territory that, before today, didn’t even have 3G — marking the carrier’s network as available in all 50 states.

With a full LTE expansion, however, comes network congestion problems, as subscribers in major cities like New York are already starting to experience. Palmer assured us that solutions are currently underway to shore up capacity in these LTE markets. Verizon’s AWS holdings, in particular, should serve to augment LTE reception in select areas starting in the second half of this year. The same goes for small cell site deployment, which Palmer stressed is an LTE-only initiative. News on the carrier’s plans for LTE-Advanced remain just as vague as ever, with Palmer positioning the standard as yet another tool to enhance current LTE capacity. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t commit to a timeframe for LTE-A nor address concerns about the potential for new pricing tiers when it does eventually launch. Still, Verizon subs will at least have VoLTE (voice over LTE) to look forward to next year — that is, when it eventually clears the company’s rigorous lab and field testing.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon

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Source: Verizon Wireless

At the Samsung PREMIERE 2013 London, Samsung Electronics announced the launch of the GALAXY NX, the first 3G/4G LTE Connected Compact 20.3Mpix APS-C sensor System Camera (CSC) runing on Android 4.2.2 and featuring a powerful 1.6GHz Pega-Q quad-core alongside a gorgeous 4.8″ HD LCD display. Versatile and easy to use, the GALAXY NX combines cutting edge optical performance with connectivity capabilities and galaxy of applications based on Android eco-system, all in one stylish package. The result is a new type of connected device which allows users to turn their experiences into a story that can be instantly shared with anyone they choose, from wherever they might be, in amazing color and outstanding detail.

The LG Optimus F7 with LTE is now available on US Cellular, shortly after leaked documents robbed it of any surprise. It comes with a healthy spec sheet for a mid-range Jelly Bean device, with a 4.7-inch 720p IPS display, a 1.3-megapixel front cam, and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The device is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and has 8GB of internal storage, expandable via the miracle of microSD. You can get the Optimus F7 via US Cellular’s website for $99.99 on a two-year contract, but don’t move a finger-muscle until you’ve checked out our hands-on.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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Via: Android Police

Source: US Cellular

Looks like Sprint really is prepping a 5-inch Android flagship of its own: the Vital. Thanks to an anonymous source, Engadget’s received a motherlode of details on the upcoming, white-labeled device, giving us a glimpse at everything from renders to a slickly produced promo video. Based on the information at hand, the ZTE-made Vital should rep an HD display (resolution unspecified) of the 5-inch variety, an unnamed dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and paired with 1GB RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), NFC and a healthy 2,500mAh battery. As you can see from the image above, the Vital will also be running what appears to be an unskinned version of Android Jelly Bean — version 4.1, according to the documents — and will run on Sprint’s 4G LTE network. We’re not so sure the Vital’s going to sway consumer interest away from its more bold-faced rivals (i.e., HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4). But competition’s always a good thing and if Sprint can price this one right, it might even have a fighting chance. Hit the break for the promo video.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Source: Honeystreet