Hasta La Gadget!

At the close of 2012, Cricket was rather proud to claim that their Muve Music service has garnered more than 1.1 million subscribers. This does not sound like much when you consider other music subscription models that are in the market, but you will need to take into consideration the relatively small size of Cricket in comparison to the other movers and shakers. Still, since its commercial launch in January 2011, Muve Music is said to have been one of the fastest-growing and leading on-demand digital music services in the US, now how about that?

This “achievement” was also made possible thanks to Cricket including Muve Music in every Cricket Android smartphone rate plan, resulting in a differentiating product that keeps consumers interested and happy. I guess when you target the masses with the lowest common denominator while keeping prices low enough to carve a smile on any face, you have more or less got yourself a winner there. Not only that, Muve Music is also said to deliver a high engagement service at lower cost and lower bandwidth compared to alternative streaming music services, which is good news for those who are interested.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Audience eS515 Smart Sound Processor Launched, ION Clipster Makes Your Bluetooth Speaker Wearable,

HTC’s mid-range One VX just recently made its debut on AT&T, and we now have some official word on the US debut of its slightly smaller counterpart, the LTE-equipped One SV. It will be available solely on Cricket Wireless starting January 16th, where it will set you back $349.99 off-contract. That will buy you a 4.3-inch WVGA display (of the Super LCD 2 variety), a 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, front and rear-facing cameras (5 megapixel, f/2.0 and 1.6 megapixel, f/2.2, respectively), a microSD card slot and Android 4.0 with HTC’s Sense 4 interface. As you can see, it also comes in a bright Flame red color, which is the only option for the time being.

Continue reading HTC One SV lands in the US on Cricket Wireless January 16th, $350 off-contract

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

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Source: Cricket Wireless

Cricket, a carrier perhaps best known for its low cost prepaid plans, has released its 4G LTE smartphone, the LG Optimus Regard. While the phone is 4G-capable, it isn’t particularly high-end, so don’t get your hopes up. The Regard is available now, and is priced at $249, a fairly steep fee considering the low-end hardware you get.

The LG Optimus Regard is, aside from its 4G LTE support, unremarkable in any way. The display is a mere 3.5-inches with a resolution of 320 x 480. Inside you’ll find a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM. Around back there’s a 5-megapixel camera. The model offers 8GB of storage space and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The battery is a decent 1,700mAh battery, which means, depending on how you use your phone, you might end up having to charge it partway through the day.

As for Cricket itself, the company is a regional carrier with a large customer base for its prepaid service. The company offers a lot of low-end smartphones, such as the ZTE Muvemusic, as well as a few higher ones. While the phone choices are limited to lower-end devices, those looking for a smartphone without spending a fortune on a contract or higher-end prepaid plan would do well to look into the company.

Although the Optimus Regard is decent for a casual every day user who spends more time browsing Facebook than running hardware-intensive games, the price tag is cringe-worthy in comparison to the specs. Because the handset is contract-free, you’re paying the unsubsidized price. Still, despite the relatively high price and low-end specs, if you’re in the market for a 4G plan without huge costs, the Cricket/Optimus Regard combo might be the right choice for you.

[via Android Community]

LG Optimus Regard is Cricket’s first 4G LTE smartphone is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The ever-so reliable folks at @evleaks have managed to get their hands on a photo of a device dubbed the LG Optimus Regard. Based on the alleged specs, it seems that the Optimus Regard will be headed towards Cricket and will be the carrier’s first 4G LTE handset. No word on when it will be launched, but based on the image above it looks like it will most likely see a release before 2012 is out. So what sort of specs are we looking at here? Well for starters we can expect a 3.5” – 3.7” display with a resolution of 320×480. It will be powered by a dual-core ARMv7 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 710MB of RAM, a 5MP rear-facing camera and will come with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich on board along with 4G LTE connectivity. Not the most powerful phone we know, but given its specs we expect that the LG Optimus Regard will be a low-cost solution for people who just want LTE speeds. Either way we’ll keep our eyes peeled, so check back with us later for more updates.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Leaked T-Mobile road map points at LG Optimus L9 and HTC Windows Phone 8X release dates, LG Nexus 4 name “confirmed” in latest batch of photos,

Shopping for a smartphone can be an exciting and arduous experience. Along with the promise of something new and fantastic, it brings the fear of commitment, and even worse, the prospect of saddling yourself to a lousy device for two years. Fortunately for you, Engadget spends tons of time playing with the latest gear and we’re constantly on the lookout for what’s coming next. If you’re wanting to take the pain out of shopping for a smartphone, you’ve come to the right place. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: your one-stop resource to finding the best and most exciting handsets on the market today.

Before you dive in, however, we’ve introduced a few changes to the buyer’s guide, so take a minute to prepare yourself for what’s in store. First and foremost, you’ll now find alternate selections to supplement our top picks. This should already be familiar to many of you, which is the same format we use for our seasonal gift guides. The next one is a biggie: we’ve dropped the QWERTY selection. By and large, manufacturers and carriers alike have shifted their focus away from keyboard-equipped smartphones, and you’ll rarely find more than one option on any given carrier. That said, if you still insist on the tactile experience, you’ll always find everything you need to know in our reviews. Finally, whenever possible, you’ll now find prices from Amazon Wireless, which allows us to provide you with more compelling budget selections and highlight the substantial savings that you can score by circumventing the carriers. It’s not like they need your charity, anyway.

If you’re curious to see how it all unfolded — and we know you are — join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.

Continue reading Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: fall 2012 edition

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, HTC, Nokia, Google, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, LG, T-Mobile

Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: fall 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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