Apparently several analysts have forecasted that the sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 will be lower than the company’s expectations, and things may get worse once new Apple and Nokia devices arrive. Luckily Samsung has been pretty aggressive with its S4 line, expanding the family out to several new devices like the S4 Active. Now they are planning to launch an S4 with LTE-advanced 4G technology as well.

J.K. Shin, Samsung co-chief executive, told Reuters, “We’ll be the first with the commercial launch of the advanced 4G version of the smartphone“. The device will have a slightly higher price tag than the S4 and will be launched in South Korea as early as this month. They have been in talks with several foreign carriers, though there haven’t been any hints about which ones.

The S4 device which will be using the high speed network will be coming equipped with Qualcomm chips. LTE-Advanced, an upgrade from LTE, is already available in some parts of Russia. The network provides up to twice the speed available via normal 4G. Russian carrier Yota, which was the first to launch LTE-Advanced, is promising speeds of 300Mbps.

Shin said, “As operators seek to provide more data-centric mobile services, I think this will become mainstream 4G technology globally in the coming years”.

But the co-exec’s words are certainly no confirmation that the device will be launched in the U.S. Of course, the network has to launch first. AT&T’s LTE-Advanced is coming in the second half of this year, while Verizon will launch soon by utilizing AWS frequencies. T-Mobile is also expected to launch the network sometime in the future, but no hints about any LTE-A plans from Sprint.\

Can we expect anything else out of the Galaxy S4 with LTE Advanced? While nothing else is confirmed, previous rumors suggest this model might ditch the Snapdragon 600 in favor of a much more impressive Snapdragon 800 processor. What do you think of all these variants of the S4, is this a good thing or are there too many at this point? Share your thoughts below!

The post Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE Advanced Smartphone Coming Soon appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Apparently what we’ve seen so far with T-Mobile’s UNcarrier approach is just the beginning, at least if the latest rumor proves correct. Supposedly two other phases will eventually roll out bring more changes, with phase 2 likely coming sometime around mid-July.

So what changes will phase 2 bring? Apparently there will be some new no-credit check options for those that either have poor credit, no credit or simply wish to avoid having their credit checked for whatever reason.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll qualify for any purchase plans, it just means that you can get in on a Simple Choice plan by buying your device outright. Basically it will be like prepaid – but not.

Supposedly there is also plans to combine their UNcarrier approach with MetroPCS, and is expected to tie in with 15 additional markets that MetroPCS will be launching in.

As for phase 3? We have no clue at the moment.Either way, these supposed phases are merely rumors at the moment, so take them with a grain of salt. What do you think of T-Mobile’s no-contract approach so far, is a real game-changer or more of a gimmick than anything? Let us know what you think!

[ source ]

The post T-Mobile Moving to “Phase 2″ to its UNcarrier Effort in July appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

You may have heard about how SoftBank recently put in a sizable offer to buy Sprint in the United States, but with Dish Networks putting in an even bigger bid for the wireless carrier, SoftBank may be looking elsewhere for more profitable opportunities. More specifically, there is now word that SoftBank is prepared to gobble up T-Mobile USA, buying that division from Deutsche Telekom.

T-Mobile USA has been “on the market” for a good number of years now. We were almost ready to usher in the era of “AT&T-Mobile” before FCC and other federal regulators decided that it wasn’t a good idea to allow AT&T to buy T-Mobile. There may be some other suitors for Old Magenta too and, even as it stands now, it looks like buying T-Mobile is still just a backup plan for SoftBank if they’re not able to get Sprint instead.

In a related but separate story, Sprint recently hired Mike Mullen to be the company’s Security Director. He doesn’t get to start until (and if) the SoftBank deal happens, but he was a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for both the Bush and the Obama administrations. Apparently, there has been some speculation about national security surrounding this deal and hiring the former Admiral should put more Americans at ease about the matter.

[Source]

The post Now SoftBank Wants to Buy T-Mobile USA? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

So much for all that talk about the HTC One not making its way onto Verizon Wireless. Big Red has confirmed through their Twitter account that the handset will be available on their 4G LTE network later this summer.

So, HTC fans on Verizon won’t have to force themselves to try “the awesome” HTC Droid DNA. But no other details are available such as whether or not the One will be available as 32GB and 64GB versions or what the device will cost.

But Sense will certainly be there. Sundar Pichai, senior vice-president of Google’s Chrome and Apps division, announced last week that the HTC One Google edition will be available on Google Play starting June 26. But the stock Android handset will only run on GSM networks such as T-Mobile and AT&T.

The HTC One is currently available on AT&T and Sprint, and will be launched on T-Mobile this week. The availability on all the four major US carriers is of course great news for HTC. So who all are imagining themselves playing with the One on Verizon? Or do you have another handset in mind?

[Source]

The post Verizon HTC One Coming Soon appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Those who have been trying to get your hands on the T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 521 via a great deal but worried about the “out of stock” signs everywhere, should try this new way to get the handset for the lowest price ever. Now, the device can be yours for a very low price of $105 (well, sort of). All you have to do is follow the steps written below.

Go to a local Microsoft Store to purchase the 521 for $149. At the store, talk to a representative and come to a deal of a price tag of $129.88, the handset’s price at Walmart. Then go to “Bing it on Challenge” and compare Google and Bing in a blind test, for which you will be awarded a $25 gift card. And if you use that card, the device’s price has come down to $104.88.

The Lumia 521 is coming with a 4-inch screen, a 5 megapixel camera, HD video recording, 8GB storage (expandable up to 64GB), 512MB of RAM, 1GHz dual-core processor, and it supports 4G (but there’s no LTE). The device is one of the best budget phones available at the moment.

Thanks to WP Central for coming up with this great way to get the Lumia 521 on-the-cheap. Anyone try this method yet, did it work for you?

The post T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 521 For $105 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

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.

[Source]

The post Nokia Lumia 925 For T-Mobile 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.

The in-store release of the much awaited Samsung Galaxy S4 has been delayed by both Sprint and T-Mobile. AT&T appears to be capitalizing on this and have made an announcement via their Twitter account that the AT&T S4 smartphones will arrive in-store on the earlier announced date with no delay.

The handset will be in-stock on April 27^th. This of course is not a surprise since the AT&T Galaxy S4s are already in the hands of those who pre-ordered the device. It will be interesting to see how the carrier performs this quarter with this early availability advantage.

As for the other carriers, Sprint has moved in-store availability of their S4 from April 27th to an undetermined date. While T-Mobile’s S4, which was originally planned to be made available on May 1^st, will only be available in “select stores” starting May 8 and in “all stores” on May 15, according to the carrier’s Twitter announcement.

But the Verizon version will arrive only on May 30^th. They might be focussed on another device at the moment.

[Source]

The post AT&T Will Not Delay Galaxy S4 Release Unlike Others appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

T-Mobile’s new “unCarrier” initiative has certainly attracted quite a bit of attention – not all of it positive. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has now ordered T-Mobile to alter its advertising methods for its new Simple Choice plans, calling their current approach “deceptive”.

The problem is that T-Mobile is marketing their new plans as a way to give customers service without being obligated into a term. This is only partially correct though, as customers who set up device payment plans will still have to pay 24 payments for the device and if they leave early will have to finish paying off the ‘loan’ immediately.

“My office identified that T-Mobile was failing to disclose a critical component of their new plan to consumers, and we acted quickly to stop this practice and protect consumers across the country from harm,” said the attorney general in a statement about the manner.

Likely not wanting to cause too much negative press, T-Mobile quickly turned around to cooperate with the AG office and signed a document titled “Assurance of Discontinuance”.

Under the terms of said document, T-Mobile will have to offer customers that purchased equipment between March 26th and April 25th an option to obtain a full refund for equipment and the ability to cancel their plans if they wish to leave, without obligating them to finishing off their payment plan.

Do you agree that T-Mobile’s new advertising and Simple Choice initiative was deceiving or do you feel that the terms were laid out enough as they previously stood?

[ source ]

The post Washington State Attorney General Takes Issue With T-Mobile’s UnCarrier Marketing appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The long awaited Galaxy S4 was introduced a month ago by Samsung, but people are still playing the waiting game as there hasn’t been any confirmation regarding the release date of the device on any carrier. The good news is that we won’t have to wait too long, at least if we are to believe the leaked document from Staples that you see above.

The leak suggests that the S4 will be available from AT&T on April 26, T-Mobile on May 1, and Verizon on May 30. Of course those launch dates are “tentative”. There is no mention about the S4 model on the Now Network and no pricing details for the handsets sold at Staples. As for T-Mobile? The ‘uncarrier‘ earlier confirmed that they will make the Galaxy S4 available on May 1^st.

AT&T recently announced pre-order starting date of April 16 for the S4, and they will be offering both the 32GB and the 16GB models for $249.99 and $199.99 respectively, with a two-year contract. T-Mobile is expected to offer the device for $99.99 down with 24 monthly payments of $20.

Meanwhile, another leak says that Walmart will start taking pre-orders for S4 on April 16th. No hints on which carriers are involved, but Walmart currently offers the S3 on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

In short, the wait for the next big thing is almost over. Are you anxiously awaiting the Galaxy S4? If not, what handset holds your fancy instead?

[Source]

The post Samsung Galaxy S4 US Release Date Update appeared first on Mobile Magazine.