Hasta La Gadget!

RIM has been planning a 4G-capable BlackBerry PlayBook for so long that CEO Thorsten Heins’ promises of a 2012 launch still made it feel distant. If Bell Canada information breezing past MobileSyrup‘s desk is any indicator, though, the launch is coming sooner than Heins implied — just one week away, as of this writing. The slip has at least the one carrier reportedly offering an LTE-equipped, 32GB version of the 7-inch tablet on July 31st at a price of $550 Canadian ($540 US) without a contract. And yes, it would get that rumored 1.5GHz processor upgrade if there’s any substance to the story. We’d still prefer to see the tablet jump to BlackBerry 10 more than anything, especially at that kind of price, but the RIM faithful could still find something to cheer if they’re looking for a truly definitive PlayBook to make the BB10 wait feel shorter.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

BlackBerry PlayBook with 4G LTE may reach Bell by July 31st, 1.5GHz chip tagging along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virginia’s nTelos was part of a big regional carrier push for the iPhone in April. At the time, though, the only real option at the carrier was to spring for one of the company’s full-fledged smartphone plans, usually on-contract — not a bad value at $80, but a tougher case to make when there’s Cricket and Virgin Mobile iPhones available with a cheaper rate. As of today, nTelos is offering a much sweeter deal for the commitment-phobic. If the $550-plus full price of an iPhone 4 or 4S stays palatable, the option is now open to go prepaid at $55 a month for unlimited voice, messaging and data with nTelos’ FRAWG Nationwide Unlimited Everything plan. You’ll still want to reside in the state for nTelos to truly make sense, but if you regularly cheer the Hokies with pride, going the Apple route just got a lot more flexible.

[Thanks, Garrett]

nTelos starts selling iPhone without contract, Apple’s prepaid sphere grows a little larger originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM gave the impression when it unveiled the BlackBerry Curve 9320 and 9220 that its lowest-cost Curves were doubtful prospects for the US. Thankfully, that’s been proven wrong by Boost Mobile, which just launched the 9320’s CDMA cousin, the Curve 9310. The message-manic BlackBerry comes to Sprint’s prepaid network with its BBM key intact as well as BlackBerry 7.1, a 3.2-megapixel camera and that all-important low price: at $100 contract-free, it’s one of the cheapest ways to leap into smartphones in the US. To top it off, Boost is throwing in a very tantalizing BBM Unlimited plan. The deal offers unlimited calling, text messaging and (naturally) BBM; although it starts at $45 per month, it gradually dips down to a very reasonable $30 per month if owners pay their bills properly for six months. Both the Curve 9310 and its companion plan will be available July 10th, giving us time to find the needed spare change under our couch cushions.

Boost Mobile takes BlackBerry Curve 9310 to the US, spices it up with $30 unlimited BBM, voice and text plan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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