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Virgin Mobile Intros Samsung Mantra, Data Card

June 19, 2009 · 1 Comment 

Virgin Mobile has officially entered the wireless data card business, though their product of that sort won’t arrive until the end of this month. In more immediate news, $59.99 will now buy you a Bluetooth-equipped camera phone, the Samsung Mantra.

The Mantra has a mere VGA camera, but Bluetooth and the Samsung name are two pluses on the new flip phone on Virgin Mobile’s Sprint-powered service. However the UTStarCom Arc offers the same features for $10 less, if you can live with not having a name brand phone with a normal form factor.

The broadband card is more interesting. It’s not the best deal out there; the card weighs in at a hefty $149.99 from Best Buy, and data plans are skimpy, offering only 1GB of data for a $60 monthly fee. In contrast, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T offer 5GB of data access for that amount.

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T-Mobile Offers Prepaid BlackBerry

June 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

Looks like T-Mobile is now, through a partnership with Best Buy and possibly Target, pushing Bleackberries on their prepaid service, making them first operator to do this on a national scale. MetroPCS also offers a Blackberry, but service is limited to their regional coverage area, and the dual-band Blackberry Curve doesn’t work in newer MetroPCS markets.

The Blackberry in question is the “Pearl II“, a more media-focused model with RIM’s SureType keyboard rather than a full QWERTY part. The smartphone has a 2-megapixel camera, WiFi, Stereo Bluetooth and a full-size headphone jack. The price for the phone is $299.99, expensive compared to postpaid (where it’s often given away to entice people into expensive data plans) but $50 less than the usual non-contract price.

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Boost Rolls Out Red Moto i9

June 1, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

Boost Mobile Motorola i9 RedDon’t like black phones? If red is better, you’re in luck; Boost Mobile now has the red Motorola i9 Stature, a very high-end phone for the Nextel-powered provider and a great complement to Boost’s sassy $50-and-not-a-penny-more unlimited plan. The phone retails for the same price as the black i9: $299.99. A hit on the wallet to be sure, but not too bad considering all of the phone’s contract-free features. Plus, it’s red.

Boost Mobile Unveils Messaging Phone: i465 “Clutch”

June 1, 2009 · 1 Comment 

Motorola i465 ClutchYesterday Boost Mobile introduced Motorola’s first ever QWERTY iDEN phone, the first-ever Boost-compatible QWERTY phone, in fact, available from anyone except RIM (BlackBerry). The cost: $129.99.

The big bar phone can do more than text, however. In addition to hallmark Boost features like nationwide walkie-talkie and GPS, the i465 has a 1.3 megapixel camera with video recording capability. The phone also has Bluetooth.

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Motorola Evoke to go live on CricKet June 3rd

May 30, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

Wanted to get CricKet service, but wanted to get a touch-screen phone with said service? Starting around June 3rd, you’ll be able to do just that, provided you have enough cash on hand. The phone in question is the Motorola Evoke QA4, a luscious slider with a whopping 2.8-inch screen and a slide-out numeric keypad for those who get queasy at the sight of an all-touchscreen unit.

Previously, touch-screen phones could be had on CricKet service, but they’d have to make the jump, via complicated “flashing” techniques, from other carriers, an iffy process to say the least. This one is so far exclusive to CricKet, so everything should work great out of the box, including high-speed 3G internet on CricKet’s relatively new AWS band, which serves places like South Texas and Chicago. Read more