Many of the customers who were trying to get their hands on the T-Mobile Lumia 521 via HSN and Walmart were disappointed. The device is still out of stock. But maybe you are destined to play with the newly announced Nokia Lumia 925 which is headed to Big Magenta sometime in the near future.

Similar to the Verizon-exclusive 928 and the 920, the Lumia 925 features a 4.5-inch display (1280×768 resolution), a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, an 8.7MP cam, and 4G LTE. It also has 1 GB of RAM and a 2,000 mAh battery. All these might appear as ancient, but are more than enough to smoothly run Windows which is lighter than Android.

The Lumia 925 will be available in black, gray and white, and is coming with a “metal design”. Its edges are surrounded by a silver-colored frame that will work as an antenna, and on the back there’s a polycarbonate cover. And the 925 is also thinner at 129 x 70.6 x 8.5 mm and lighter at 139 grams when compared to the 920 which measures in at 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 and weighs 185 grams.

Although lighter and thinner, the device is coming with only 16 GB of non-expandable storage, unlike the 920 and the 928 which ship with larger storage. And to enjoy wireless charging with the 925, you will have to buy back covers which are sold separately.

So are you going for one of the best budget handsets out there, the Lumia 521, or the higher end 925 which is expected to cost upwards of $600? Or how about the 920? Or the 928?

Check out the video below which shows Nokia’s Kristina Bjorknas explaining a few things about the 925.

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T-Mobile Q1 2013 results are out and the numbers are showing both good and bad news. According to the UNcarrier, the first quarter has brought the “first positive branded customer growth in four years”. The carrier’s postpaid customer base grew by 3,000, which is the first growth since 2009.

T-Mobile also saw 199,000 branded postpaid net losses, an improvement of 61 percent year-over-year. They added 579,000 customers, but those are mostly from MVNOs on their network (376,000) and pre-paid additions (202,000). The postpaid churn at 1.9 percent is apparently the lowest since Q2 2008. Furthermore, the carrier is saying that they have sold about 500,000 iPhone 5s since the device’s launch on April 12. T-Mobile is also highlighting their 4G LTE launches.

But revenue is down 7.5% year over year, although it’s up 12.4% compared to Q4 2012. And net income dropped from $200 million (Q1 2012) to $107 million.

Of course these numbers do not reflect the MetroPCS merger, about which John Legere, President and CEO of T-Mobile, is saying that “things only get more exciting from here”.

The new ad posted below is a T-Mobile punch at AT&T. Check it out and leave your thoughts on the UNcarrier in the comments below.

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The post T-Mobile US Q1 Results Show Good And Bad News appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The Home Shopping Network started offering the Nokia Lumia 521 on T-Mobile last week and it’s currently being listed as sold out, although they resupplied the stock once. That’s not surprising as their $149.95 deal certainly makes the Windows Phone 8 handset one of the best budget phones out there. But Walmart has come out with an even sweeter deal.

The 521 is available on the Walmart website with a price tag of $129.88 without contract. But this deal does not seem to involve any free accessories, such as the car charger and screen protector available from HSN. But, unsurprisingly, the device is out of stock almost immediately, although it is available in some of its stores.

Just to remind you, the 4-inch 521 features a 5MP cam, HD video recording, 8GB storage (expandable up to 64GB), 512MB RAM, 1GHz dual-core processor, and it supports 4G (but no LTE).

Those are quite decent specs for the very low price. If you are planning to switch to Windows Phone over a more established iOS or Android, then this is the deal for you. But we are not sure when Walmart will have the handset back in stock again. We will keep you updated, so stay tuned to Mobilemag.

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The post Nokia Lumia 521 From Walmart For $130, But Sold Out Already appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

T-Mobile is certainly having problems with the release of the Galaxy S4, but good news for those of you who are waiting for a budget Windows Phone 8 smartphone to hit Big Magenta. The Nokia Lumia 521, T-Mobile’s version of the Lumia 520, is now available at HSN.

You can get the device for an off-contract price of $149.95 (or four payments of $37.49), and the offer includes a car charger and screen protector and free shipping. You can also find the device at Walmart and Microsoft retail stores, but you will have to wait till May 11^th and probably that bundle deal will only be available from HSN. And it will hit T-Mobile’s stores on May 22^nd, according to Engadget’s sources.

The 4-inch Lumia 521 supports 4G but not LTE. But it is one of the best budget phones around, with decent specs and a good looking design. You can find the HSN order page here.

So, are you interested? Or are you too into Android like millions of others around the world?

The post T-Mobile Lumia 521 Now Available At HSN appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Rumors and leaks about the Nokia Lumia 928 for Verizon have been flying around for a while now. Now we might finally have leaked images showing us exactly what the 928 looks like.

The leaked press shots, which come to us courtesy of @evleaks on Twitter, allow us to take a peek at both the black and white versions of the 928. This probably is what’s heading to the Big Red as this Twitter account holder has a reasonably solid track record of leaking press shots of unannounced devices (though even he gets things wrong from time to time).

Looking at the images, the 928 features a PureView camera with Carl Zeiss optics and both a xenon and LED flash. It also appears to have an upgraded speaker and is compatible with 4G LTE.

The device is expected to be a bit lighter and thinner than the 920, but it still looks quite bulky. As for the specs of the device, most likely it’s coming with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB RAM and 32GB storage. That might appear to be primitive by modern standards, but Windows Phone 8 is lighter than Android and does not need the best available specs to run smoothly.

We have heard reports that the 928 will be announced on April 25^th. We will let you know as soon as we get more info, so stay tuned to Mobilemag.

Are you looking forward to getting the Verizon Lumia 928?

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The post Verizon Nokia Lumia 928 Leaked appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Rumors of an ultra-large smartphone line from Samsung have been floating around for a while now. Samsung has finally come forward to confirm that they are in fact pushing the line between smartphone and tablet with their new Samsung Galaxy Mega line.

The Galaxy Mega will have two different models, a 5.8-incher and a massive 6.3-inch model. As for the specs, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 will come with a 720p display, LTE, 8/16GB storage and a 1.7GHz dual-core processor. The smaller Mega will have a qHD display, HSPA connectivity, 8GB storage and a modest 1.4GHz dual-core processor.

Both models come with IR blasters, allowing the handsets to work as universal remotes for your TV. The two Galaxy Mega models also share the same 8MP camera, 1.5GB RAM, microSD and come standard with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

As you might have noticed, these are far from “premium” devices, instead falling somewhere between low and mid-range. Their big displays will certainly mean they won’t come dirt cheap, though. No word on exact pricing, but it seems likely it will fall under the pricing for the Note 2 and Galaxy S4.

When is the Samsung Galaxy Mega line heading to a market near you? It’s hard to say if or when the phones will arrive in the North American market at this stage, but we do know that they are expected to arrive in Europe sometime next month.

Are the Samsung Galaxy Mega handsets too big?

Part of what makes Samsung great is that it offers a little bit of something for everyone. There are tiny-tiny 3-inchers, 4-inchers, 5 and even now 6-inch models. While the Galaxy Mega might be too large for some of us, there is clearly a demand for massive handsets.

The Mega might be a little out of place up against someone’s ear, but for those that use a bluetooth handset and mostly text and use the Internet – the Mega could be exactly what they are looking for.

The beauty of Android is that it is an open-source operating system and vendors are free to put it on any type of hardware they desire. What do you think? Is the Galaxy Mega too big for you or could you see yourself using one of these massive handsets?

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The Sony Xperia ZL has been available for purchase in the United States since mid-March, though only through Sony’s website for an outright price of $759. For those of us that can’t afford such a huge upfront cost, the ZL is finally making its way to a carrier, though one that many of those in the United States have probably never heard of: Cincinnati Bell.

Unless you live in the Cincinnati, Ohio or one of its nearby suburbs, you might not be aware that such this independent regional carrier exists and even has roughly 500,000 subscribers. If you do happen to live in the area and are interested in the Sony Xperia XL, it will touch down on May 1st for $249.99 after a mail-in rebate and after committing to a two year contract.

For those that need a refresher course when it comes to the Xperia XL’s hardware, it is powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, has a Full HD 5-inch display, a 13MP rear cam, 4G LTE and has Android 4.1 Jelly Bean onboard. There are also a few other useful goodies like NFC and infrared capabilities.

It’s a shame that Sony’s best handsets to date (the Xperia Z and ZL) have yet to really make much of an impact in the North American market. Cincinnati Bell is a good start, and hopefully it will bring the attention of a larger carrier such as Verizon or AT&T.

What do you think of the Sony Xperia ZL? Anyone happen to be a subscriber to Cincinnati Bell? If so, does the Xperia ZL interest you or not?

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It’s no secret that Google is working on unifying it’s chat and message services in to something called Babel, and the Play Store could really do with a spit and shine, so it’s hardly surprising to see leaks appearing online showing both. Starting with Babel, some users are claiming that a message appears when deleting certain messages in Gmail. The message says:

“All conversations have been moved to the Trash. Because one of more are part of a Babel chat, these messages are still available in other Babel chat applications.”

Not only a pretty solid clue that Babel is on the way, but a nice feature too.

As for the Google Play 4.0 redesign, the above screenshot is said to have been briefly seen on the YouTube page of a Google employee. It has since been deleted but as you can see from the image we have here the new version of Play looks to be bringing better search and app discovery to Android.

And as a bonus leak, the screenshot could also has come from an updated 4G LTE verso of the Nexus 4 as evidenced by the notifications bar.

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T-Mobile customers can now finally start pre-ordering Apple’s iPhone today. In line with its new ‘uncarrier’ initiative, you won’t have to sign a traditional contract to get your hands on the phone.

T-Mobile’s iPhone 5 will set you back $579 up front. That’s a lot of cheddar, and T-Mobile understands that not everyone will be able to swing this cost outright. As an alternative, you can always choose to pay $99 down and make 24 payments of $20 to T-Mobile.

As far as plans are concerned, the iPhone 5 will work with the new $50 Simple Choice plan, which includes unlimited talk, text and 500MB of data. Additional options include boosting the data to 2GB for $10 more, or getting unlimited 4G data for just $20 extra.

For those wondering, if you decide to cancel with T-Mobile before your iPhone payments are finished, the phone will be carrier locked until you either trade it back in or pay off the balance on your account.

What do you think of T-Mobiles new approach, additionally any T-Mobile customers interested in getting their hands on the iPhone?

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For years there have been rumors that Facebook would jump into the mobile market with its own OS, or at least some kind of Android fork. Today the company officially unveiled Facebook Home, which is essentially a custom launcher for Android.

Unlike a fork or new OS, this is just Android with a custom skin and no changes to the core of the OS. That means all the Google apps like the Play Store are still there.

What makes Home worth having? For those that are heavily invested into the Facebook world, it creates an immersive experience that is designed around “people” and, of course, Facebook posts.

Home lives both on the ‘home screen’ and the lock screen, using a new cover follow to engage in messages, as well as a new app system called “Chat Heads” that is designed to combine SMS and Facebook messages into a unique experience that runs on top of any app you are currently using.

Introducing the HTC First

Later this month, there will be two ways to get the Facebook Home experience. One of these methods is to download the app when it hits Google Play on the 12th of April, as it is designed to work with many existing Android handsets.

Installing is a simple process, but for those that simply wanted a pre-installed experience, there is also the HTC First. This Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core powered smartphone features 1GB of RAM, a 720p 4.3-inch display, a 5MP rear cam, 1.6MB front cam, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, 4G LTE and Android 4.1 using Facebook Home.

In the United States, the phone can be had through AT&T for $99 with a two year contract.

What do you think of Facebook Home and the HTC First? Interested or not?

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