Hasta La Gadget!

If you thought the Nokia Lumia 520 was good, boy are you going to have a great time with the Nokia Lumia 521. Essentially the same device as you’ll be getting internationally, this T-Mobile iteration of the entry-level Windows Phone 8 device brings the same package (with slightly different radio connections and a few extra apps) to the USA, here with the same bright white back cover as we saw across the sea (one of three, as it were).

Hardware

With the Nokia Lumia 521 you’re rolling with a 4-inch display (running at WVGA) which, if you’re using anything sharper at the moment, will be just a bit more pixely than you’ll want to live with. This machine is, instead, made for those users upgrading from feature phones – and it’ll do a fine job of it.

The handset measures in at 4.9 x 2.5 x 0.4 inches and weighs just 4.4 ounces – it’s lighter than it looks. You’ll connect to this machine with a microUSB cord (included in the box) and a microSIM for data, and both the back cover and the battery within are removable. There’s also a microSD card slot under the hood for an additional 32GB of space if you do so desire – you may want to pick up a microSD card when you purchase the smartphone since the 521 works with just 8GB of internal storage.

Inside you’ve got a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor at 1GHz paired with 512MB of RAM. Again, this is meant to be an upgrade for the feature phone crowd and not a battle-ready beast for the top-tier entrants in the Windows Phone 8 world. That said, this machine is swift as much of the Windows Phone 8 crowd simply because the processor paired with this screen – small and low-res as it is – makes for hot-tapping and access to the basic collection of apps available to the whole Windows Phone 8 smartphone collection.*

You won’t be set up for future implementation of T-Mobile’s LTE network, instead kicking it up to today’s fastest data speeds from the network at HSPA+ 21. We’ll be bringing you “top speed” results as soon as we can kick out speeds above the general average – for now you’ll take comfort in knowing we’ve not have a dropped signal anywhere inside the metro area in Minneapolis / Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The back of this machine is replaceable – compatible with the international edition of the handset as well, so finding even 3rd-party offerings in the wild-and-wacky case-making environment will work. Or SHOULD work – always be cautions if you’re buying 3rd party gear. Nokia brings the heat with this machine in white (seen here) as well as yellow, blue, and red.

Software

It should be made clear that this device brings Nokia’s unique collection of Windows Phone apps to the show – the same as each other Lumia both here in the USA and overseas. While you’ll get a limited number of these on the device right out of the box, you’ll have Nokia’s app portals to keep you busy.

*At this point in history it’s difficult to find a smartphone running Windows Phone (Windows Phone 8 and forward, that is), that isn’t able to work with every app in Microsoft’s official app store. Nokia also provides such unique offerings (available to Lumia devices only) as Nokia Music, HERE Maps, HERE Drive, and HERE Transit. It’s all HERE, you could say.

All except – notably – app abilities such as the augmented reality bits of City Lens (as seen with the Nokia Lumia 920 demo we got all the way back in September of 2012, courtesy of Nokia) inside HERE Maps. This doesn’t exist on this machine due to the lack of a digital compass in the 521. With A-GPS and Glonass you’ve still got turn-by-turn navigation throughout the USA

Camera

While there’s no front-facing camera on this machine, the back-facing 5-megapixel shooter is more than enough for the standard social networking sharing and general photo-taking activities you’ll be inevitably taking part in. While Nokia’s real industry-leading efforts in the camera world rest with devices like the Lumia 925 (internationally) and the Lumia 928 (here in the USA with Verizon), the Lumia 521 brings a decent “that’ll do” sort of setup – which you’ll see in example photos and video here.

Battery

While Nokia rates this device at 7.5 hours talk time with standby at 12.5 days, we’ve found the 1430mAh battery to be standing up to a full days’ standard use without issue. If you’re a heavy user, on the other hand, expect to knock this battery out in a matter of hours – especially if you’re streaming video from something like T-Mobile TV (also built in to the device, courtesy of the carrier.)

Wrap-Up

The Nokia Lumia 521 isn’t the nicest Windows Phone 8 device on the market – and it’s certainly not the hottest Nokia machine out today – but it’s not meant to be. Working to be the cost-cutting entry level to the Windows Phone 8 universe with the good ship Nokia – that’s the aim. That’s what this machine will do, too – expect quite a few upgrades to higher-powered Lumia devices once the 521 is paid for in full by users on T-Mobile.

Nokia Lumia 521 Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve been waiting on the Sony Xperia Z for a few months now, and while it’s been available in the US for a while now, no US carrier has picked it up yet. However, T-Mobile announced that the new phone will be exclusively available on their network in the US “in the coming weeks.” The

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Though the original black version of the Google Nexus 4 has been available from T-Mobile for a number of weeks, the white version will be hitting the carrier soon. This machine will be bringing with it the same innards and features as the original Nexus 4, but here carries with it a bit more hard plastic a rim – in white – and a white back as well. This color will join the black version, not replace it, at T-Mobile locations nationwide. UPDATE: Per T-Mobile: The White Nexus 4 will be available online only, and will also be available only for a limited time – keep that in mind!

The folks at T-Mobile have been adamant about letting the world know that they’re offering this and other devices with a different – though not always less expensive – method of payment. T-Mobile’s “Simple Choice Plan” allows users to see how much they’re paying for their device each month and does away with the 2-year contracts that are common amongst other carriers throughout the USA. Instead of a subsidized price, users will be paying $19.99 down then $17 USD per month for 24 months after that.

This is the same pricing scale the LG Nexus 4 is already offered at, again, making this update only based on color. Having held the device in our hands just this week, we can say with great confidence: it’s the same phone, it just looks a little different – and feels ever-so-slightly different as well.

This White T-Mobile Google Nexus 4 has been made available today, the 31st of May, and will be online immediately if not soon. Have a peek at SlashGear’s hands-on with the White Nexus 4 and see it looks up close and personal. Our T-Mobile Nexus 4 review also reveals how this iteration of the device is, indeed, marked for T-Mobile specifically, but retains just as much pure-Google Vanilla Android in it as the version sold straight from Google Play.

White Nexus 4 heads to T-Mobile officially is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We already knew that BlackBerry‘s newest QWERTY device would hit T-Mobile at some point next month, but the wireless carrier officially confirmed a date that customers would be able to pick one up. Starting June 5, the BlackBerry Q10 will be available at T-Mobile stores, as well as on the carrier’s website.

Since T-Mobile got rid of contracts and has moved exclusively to pre-paid plans, customers will be paying full price for the Q10, with a $99.99 down payment along with 24 equal monthly payments of $20, totaling just a penny shy of $580 for the device without being tied down to a two-year contract.

Business customers have had the opportunity to snag a Q10 earlier this month on T-Mobile, as the carrier released the device early exclusively to business customers. However, June 5 will mark the full launch of the device, allowing consumers to get their hands on the QWERTY-equipped Q10, which also comes with a 3.1-inch touchscreen display.

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins thinks that the Q10 will be a huge seller, given the claim that tons of users will enjoy the physical keyboard as well as having access to a touchscreen display. The UK’s Carphone Warehouse actually sold out of all its initial stock of the Q10 in a matter of hours, proving that people really want to own the device.

The BlackBerry Q10 was announced back in late January along with the company’s flagship Z10, as well as the BlackBerry 10 operating system. These new devices are essentially BlackBerry’s attempts to try and wiggle their way back into the smartphone wars, where the company has been left behind in recent years.

T-Mobile BlackBerry Q10 arriving June 5 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

On March 28, we reported on a survey conducted by AT&T, which revealed that just under half of all drivers in the United States admit to texting while driving, despite 98-percent of those individuals reporting that it is dangerous and something they shouldn’t do. Likewise, according to that survey, 43-percent of all teenage drivers say they text and drive. Such is the reason AT&T created the “It Can Wait” campaign, which several carriers just joined.

Earlier today, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon announced that they have joined the “It Can Wait” campaign, which was created by AT&T in 2012 and is slated to begin circulating advertisements on May 20. The carriers aren’t the only ones working towards eradicating texting while driving, however, with in excess of 200 organizations and companies also slated to come on board.

The goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to the dangers of texting while driving, with it primarily targeting teenage drivers. For this reason, the project is set to run radio, TV, online, and in-store advertisements throughout the summer when teenagers are more likely to engage in the activity. The campaign will run through Labor Day.

As part of the campaign, teenagers and other commuters are being encouraged to make an anti-texting-while-driving pledge, doing so on the official It Can Wait website or via its Facebook account. The campaign is also ramping up on Twitter under the hashtag #itcanwait. Videos are already circulating for the campaign, with everyone being encouraged to share stories for the public on texting while driving.

In addition to the advertisements, It Can Wait’s website also features a texting-while-driving simulation game that demonstrates the difficulties and dangerous in sending a text message while operating a vehicle. While the co-branded aspect of the campaign will end on Labor Day, the project itself will continue beyond it.

SOURCE: PC World

Three major carriers join “It Can Wait” campaign against texting while driving is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.