Carriers - Android Community

Tagged: Carriers

Nexus S arrives in Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Romania

By Chris Davies
on 21 Mar, 2011

Google's Nexus S has arrived in Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Romania. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone is available on various carriers, depending on country. In Romania, for instance, Vodafone has the exclusive, as the carrier does in Greece and Italy. In Portugal and Spain, retailer The Phone House and Vodafone are offering the Nexus S, while in France it's The Phone House and carrier SFR. As for the handset itself, it's the same 1GHz single-core smartphone made by Samsung, with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and a 5-megapixel camera on the back. NFC and a front-facing webcam round out the main specs. More details in our Nexus S review.

Sprint Motorola XOOM caught in wild

By Chris Davies
on 18 Mar, 2011

A live image of Motorola's XOOM bearing Sprint branding has leaked, adding fuel to the speculation that the carrier is next in line to grab the Android 3.0 Honeycomb slate. Shared by SprintUsers' r0fl, the picture doesn't indicate whether Sprint intends to put 3G or 4G into the tablet. However, rumors earlier this week claimed that Sprint was planning a WiMAX XOOM release (as well as an ATRIX 4G version running on its WiMAX network) which suggests that the carrier's tablet will indeed use 4G out of the box. In fact, depending on when Verizon and Motorola get their LTE upgrade for the original XOOM organized, Sprint could beat them to market with the first 4G model: the carrier is tipped to be launching the new Motorola devices sometime in April. Broader availability will hopefully help push down pricing for the XOOM as well, making it more competitive against the iPad 2. [via BGR]

Verizon HTC Thunderbolt 4G on sale now

By Chris Davies
on 17 Mar, 2011

Verizon's HTC Thunderbolt 4G was already up for pre-order at Amazon yesterday, but right on schedule the carrier itself has thrown open orders for the LTE smartphone. Priced at $249.99 with a new, two-year agreement - or $599.99 full retail - you'll need a voice and data package but get free mobile hotspot tethering until May 15. After that, Verizon is offering 2GB of mobile hotspot use a month for a further $20. Your money gets you Android 2.2 Froyo, HTC Sense, an 8-megapixel main camera, 1.3-megapixel front camera and 32GB of storage. Of course, the biggest thing about the Thunderbolt is the speed, so head over here for all the performance benchmarking your heart could desire.

HTC EVO View 4G trademark filed for tipped CTIA 2011 debut

By Chris Davies
on 8 Mar, 2011

HTC has applied for "HTC EVO View 4G" trademark, seemingly confirming the incoming Android device expected to make its debut at CTIA 2011 next month. Two filings - here and here - lock down the name, though of course don't give us any further details about the device itself. It had been speculated that the EVO View 4G would be a tablet, perhaps even a CDMA version of the HTC Flyer, though there's no specific mention of tablets in the "goods and services" description. However, you could extrapolate from the "portable computers" section, perhaps, so the Flyer may still make a Sprint appearance. Most interesting, though, is the 4G element, with the device certain to have Sprint's WiMAX built in. Considering the HTC EVO 4G is nine months old and still retails for $199.99 with a new agreement, it's about time we had another potential flagship to take its place. [via Good and EVO]

JD Power: Verizon has best call quality nationwide …

By James DeRuvo
on 7 Mar, 2011

In it's most recent study on call quality, consumer polling firm JD Power has found that Verizon Wireless provides the best call quality nationwide than any other mobile carrier. T-Mobile, who's slogan is "get more," was voted as consistently "below average." The study gauged customer satisfaction with wireless carriers and measured factors such as dropped calls, failures to connect, voice quality, echoes, static and late arriving text messages.

Danger Service to be discontinued for T-Mobile’s Sidekick

By James DeRuvo
on 1 Mar, 2011

An executive has leaked that T-Mobile's Danger service for the Sidekick will be discontinued for Sidekick devices effective May 31, 2011. The Service, created by Microsoft, is what the Sidekick relies on exclusively for it's data services. The move may be peremptory as word was recently leaked of a 4G Sidekick coming to T-Mobile soon. The new Sidekick will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread, have a full QWERTY keyboard and support HSPA+.

T-Mobile’s LG G-Slate gets priced

By Chris Davies
on 1 Mar, 2011

LG's G-Slate Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet has been priced, with retailer MobileCity slapping a $699.99 sticker on the 8.9-inch slate. However, there's still no estimated release date, and the RRP is listed as $799.99 - just like the unsubsidized Motorola XOOM. It's not just the $100 that differentiates the G-Slate, either; LG has given the Tegra 2 tablet a twin camera array on the back, for shooting 3D photos and video. More details in our hands-on. [vms a41ddf9f4bdef84fdc73] [via PhoneDog]

T-Mobile Germany confirms huge Motorola XOOM 3G pricing

By Chris Davies
on 1 Mar, 2011

Details on the Motorola XOOM's European launch continue to trickle out, with German pricing and availability confirmed. T-Mobile Germany (Deutsche Telekom) will be offering the 3G version of the XOOM from the end of April 2011, priced at a whopping €699.95 ($968). The carrier will have the XOOM 3G exclusive for three months, before other carriers get a chance to offer the Honeycomb slate (and hopefully drive prices down somewhat). Press Release:

Motorola Xoom™ with UMTS available for three months exclusively from Telekom Feb 28, 2011 First tablet PC with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) Supports HPSA with up to 14.4 Mbit/s download capacity Fast dual-core processor, two 5 and 2 megapixel cameras From the end of April 2011 Telekom will be offering customers the first tablet PC with Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system: the Motorola Xoom. Android 3.0 is the first version of Android developed by Google specifically for mobile devices with large displays. Some of its key features are the home screen with 3D elements, large widgets with extended interaction options and newly designed notification icons. The Motorola Xoom's full-touch display featuring a 25.6 cm (10.1") screen and a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels is the ideal platform for surfing on the go. "The Motorola Xoom fits perfectly with our strategy for the best mobile Internet experience," said Niek Jan van Damme, member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Telekom AG and Chairman of the Managing Board of Telekom Deutschland GmbH. "We are pleased to offer the tablet PC with UMTS exclusively for three months to our customers in Germany." For all applications the Xoom’s 1 GHz dual-core processor provides for its multitasking capability. HSPA technology for bandwidths of up to 14.4 Mbit/s enables high-speed mobile surfing and downloading even large files in a matter of seconds within the Telekom network. You can upload videos, photos and other content at up to 5.76 Mbit/s. A 5 megapixel camera with twin LED flash is integrated into the back of the Motorola Xoom. And that is not all: the tablet is equipped with a second 2 megapixel camera on the front. The Motorola Xoom supports HD video recording and playback and multimedia content can be streamed to your television via HDMI. Other features of the device, which is 247 x 167 x 12.4 mm in size and weighs just 700 grams, are a GPS module, a micro SD slot and a micro USB interface. Telekom Deutschland plans to launch the Motorola Xoom at the end of April 2011 at a price of EUR 699.95. The version featuring UMTS mobile telecommunications technology for mobile data transmission will be available exclusively through Deutsche Telekom for 90 days.

KDDI Samsung SMT-i9100 Android Tablet a lock-in for March 11

By Chris Davies
on 25 Feb, 2011

It's been a long time since we first saw Samsung's SMT-i9100 Android tablet for Japanese carrier KDDI, but the 7-inch slate is almost here. According to KDDI, as of March 11, 2011, buyers will be able to pick up the Galaxy Tab-esque Froyo slate. The specs are unchanged, so you still get a 2-megapixel camera on the back, a 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, WiFi b/g/n, 4GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM. There's a bundled docking station in the box, and a full charge is expected to last around 6hrs. No internal 3G, though, with KDDI suggesting you use a mobile hotspot instead. Frankly, with new Honeycomb slates arriving imminently, this no longer seems that great a device (and it was hardly ground-breaking four months ago); pricing will be the deciding factor, but KDDI isn't saying exactly what that will be until closer to launch day. [via Impress]

Motorola XOOM priced by Verizon: No big subsidies for first Honeycomb slate

By Chris Davies
on 22 Feb, 2011

Motorola's XOOM tablet pricing has been confirmed, with Verizon announcing subsidized and unsubsidized figures ahead of the Honeycomb slate going on sale on Thursday this week. As of February 24, the XOOM will be $599.99 with a new, two-year agreement, or $799.99 with no agreement. Data plans, meanwhile, will be priced from $20 per month for 1GB of access. The promised 4G LTE update is due to arrive sometime in Q2 at no charge, while Adobe Flash Player will also arrive "soon". Adobe has already said Flash Player 10.2 for Honeycomb is coming within the next few weeks. [vms 3b03ae6d3f8540cd6362] Press Release:

Motorola XOOM Tablet To Be Available On The Verizon Wireless Network On Feb. 24 “Best of Show” Winner at 2011 Consumer Electronics Show Delivers the World’s First True Tablet Experience, with Upgrade to 4G LTE in Q2 02/22/2011 BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the Feb. 24, 2011 availability of the innovative new Motorola XOOM™ tablet, which won the coveted CNET Best of Show award at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show for being “the most potentially disruptive technology.” The first device to run Google’s new Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, the Motorola XOOM will be available for purchase from Verizon Wireless for $599.99 with a new two-year customer agreement or $799.99 without a contract. Wireless 3G data service for the Motorola XOOM will begin at $20 monthly access for 1GB. The Motorola XOOM will be upgradeable to 4G LTE service at no additional charge in the second quarter of 2011. A powerhouse in both software and hardware, the Motorola XOOM is built around a 1GHz dual-core processor and 10.1-inch widescreen HD display. The sleek, stylish design features a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chats, as well as a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera that captures video in 720p HD. The Motorola XOOM showcases the innovations of the Honeycomb user experience that improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization, as well as featuring the latest Google™ Mobile services. The Motorola XOOM also features full support for tabbed browsing and support for the Adobe® Flash® Player, available soon as a free download, to enjoy all the video and other rich content available on the Web.