Hasta La Gadget!

A US Cellular rep confirmed today that the carrier is now offering a new unlimited 4G LTE data plan. Customers within the company’s LTE markets can now add unlimited 4G data for $40 per month — only through January 31st of next year, though. If surfing the web on a smartphone isn’t enough, you can add optional tethering for an additional $20, which requires a separate tiered hotspot data plan. Just in time for the holidays, this ample offering lines up with the carrier’s recent LTE expansion and its plan to bring 4G access to 58 percent of its customers by the end of the year. In addition to this promotional data plan, US Cellular is offering a $100 instant rebate on select smartphones, including the Huawei Ascend Y and Samsung Galaxy S III. Not stopping there, anyone who purchases a smartphone or tablet can score a free Samsung SCH-LC11 hotspot. It’s uncertain if this is truly unlimited data or the type that comes with a throttled cap. So, we’d caution you not to go on a Netflix and Pandora binge, as such activities could result in a nastygram from US Cellular for use beyond what the fine print allows.

Continue reading US Cellular promo brings unlimited LTE to smartphone owners for $40 per month, but tethering is another $20

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Source: US Cellular (Facebook)

Sprint has cemented a deal with US Cellular to pick up its PCS spectrum and around 585,000 customers across the Midwest. The deal will land the newly-owned company 30MHz within the 1900 MHz band across Illinois, Indian, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, with the carrier stating that it’ll be putting the extra spectrum to use augmenting its coverage while it continues to roll out 4G.

US Cellular will apparently continue business elsewhere, once the deal passes regulatory approval some time year, stating that it aims to “increase focus on markets where it has strong positions” and “streamline operations” — probably involving its own 4G expansion plans.

Update: There’s a gray cloud to the silver lining. US Cellular warns that over 1,000 jobs will be cut as part of the network handover, most of them a mix of corporate and retail staff based in Chicago. It also says that the network offload reflects the challenges it has getting customers in larger cities: they’re both more expensive up-front and generate twice as much subscriber turnover as in less densely-packed areas. The Sprint deal should wrap up by mid-2013 if all goes according to plan.

Update 2: US Cellular has revised its own job figures and now says the exact tally is 980. While it’s only so much comfort to those affected, the exact amount is slightly more reassuring.

Filed under: Mobile, Sprint

Sprint pays US Cellular $480 million for Midwest spectrum and customers (update 2: 980 jobs lost) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Cellular announced on Wednesday that it will increase its LTE network coverage by 30 new markets on November 5th. The first territories to be be summarily blessed are: Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. While this is great news for customers who call these states home, the carrier has yet to detail which cities will be making the jump to 4G. In the meantime, we’d advise keeping an eye on US Cellular’s coverage map to see if your stomping grounds made the cut. For an encore, the carrier will light up Rockford, Illinois; Medford, Oregon; Yakima, Washington; and Knoxville, Tennessee at an undisclosed time. As for its LTE-ready smartphone roster, your current options are a trio of Samsung-made Android devices: Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II and the Galaxy Metrix. Hopefully, as America’s eighth largest wireless carrier’s LTE footprint increases, so will its stable of suitable handsets. Until then, US Cellular 4G hopefuls, we hope you like the taste of TouchWiz.

Continue reading US Cellular bringing LTE to 30 additional markets on November 5th

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US Cellular bringing LTE to 30 additional markets on November 5th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So far we’ve had the opportunity to review the global edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note II — as well as get our hands on three of the five variants known to be making their way to the US — but tonight we got our first official look at Verizon’s particular flavor. Not that it’s much different than the rest of the crowd: it’s loaded with the same specs we’ve seen on the N7100 model (5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display at 1,280 x 720, 3,100mAh battery and a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.6GHz), with the exception of Verizon-specific LTE bands, and have the same button layout that we’ve come to expect. Of course, there’s that hideous Verizon logo on the main button, but that’s the only visual difference we could spot.

Software-wise, Verizon’s version of the Note II contains the built-in apps we’ve gotten accustomed to with its Android phones: VZ Navigator, My Verizon Mobile, and Mobile Hotspot. The device we picked up was running Jelly Bean, like its counterparts from other carriers. Sadly, no pricing or availability is yet available for the Note II on Verizon, with reps at the Samsung event we’re at saying that it’s up to Verizon to loose that news.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, Verizon

Samsung Galaxy Note II for Verizon hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those of us picking budget smartphones in the US seldom have the choice of a toughened smartphone, and it’s even more of a challenge when we’re not signed on to one of the top four carriers. US Cellular is offering the cost-conscious a (hardened) olive branch by shipping the Alcatel One Touch Shockwave. Skip past the creaky Android 2.3, 800MHz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 display — a shock- and water-resistant shell as well as Dragontrail-based glass should keep the smartphone working through most forms of casual abuse. We also don’t mind having preloaded Amazon Appstore and media apps, although the frugal 2GB microSD card in the box won’t leave much room for any downloading. We’d at least keep the Shockwave on the short list when the $50 price and long-lasting design will leave ample funds for just about everything else.

Continue reading Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50

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Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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