FreedomPop intros a free plan: includes 200 voice minutes, 500 texts and 500MB of data per month

Posted on 01/10/2013 by Joseph Volpe

It's no longer a summertime tease: FreedomPop's freemium mobile phone service is now officially a go. Launched in beta today, the operator's basic plan offers consumers a voice/text/data bundle that nets them 200 anytime minutes, 500 texts and 500MBs for the price of, well, nothing per month -- and it's contract-free, too. There's also a more robust unlimited voice and text package for chattier users that runs about $11/mo. Keep in mind, FreedomPop's network piggybacks on Sprint 3G, WiMAX and LTE, so coverage, reception and call quality (it's VoIP) will be vary depending on your location and any data overages will cost you $0.01/MB and $10/GB.

It's not all free champagne and strawberries, though -- there is an actual price of entry, and it comes in the form of HTC's EVO Design, offered at a very reasonable $99. Users accustomed to more device choice will have to hold out until later this year, as FreedomPop does plan to add other Android devices to its lineup. For now, though, it's extremely slim pickings. But can you really look a gift horse in the mouth? We didn't think so, freeloaders.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Refresh Roundup: week of February 18th, 2013

Posted on 25/02/2013 by Zachary Lutz

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

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Refresh Roundup: week of July 30th, 2012

Posted on 06/08/2012 by Zachary Lutz

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Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Software

Refresh Roundup: week of July 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: summer 2012 edition

Posted on 26/07/2012 by Zachary Lutz

Despite the sweltering heat waves, our spirits are high at Engadget, and for good reason: it's time for our summer edition of the smartphone buyer's guide. Here, you'll find our top recommendations for the best smartphones across several US carriers, along with the best QWERTY and budget alternatives. In many ways, it's now easier than ever to find a world-class smartphone, but unless you've developed a strong brand preference, choosing one is likely more difficult than ever before. It's no secret that the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III have firmly cemented themselves as the premier smartphones of the day, but if you're torn between the two, we'll reveal our preference in this latest installment.

Summertime also brought a bit of a shock, as Microsoft revealed that Windows Phone 8 apps won't be compatible with the current generation of Windows Phone hardware. For this reason, we've excluded all Windows Phone handsets from consideration in the latest buyer's guide. While the future of Microsoft's mobile platform looks incredibly bright, a purchase now would guarantee obsolescence in the short-term. Instead, all prospective Windows Phone purchasers must wait for the next generation of handsets to become available -- you'll regret it otherwise.

Naturally, there is no shortage of rumors surrounding the next Apple iPhone, and given the handset's current lack of LTE connectivity, the iPhone 4S is certainly showing its age. While cautious purchasers may choose to bide their time, the iPhone remains top-notch in many other respects, and its arrival at a number of prepaid carriers brought a breath of fresh air to an otherwise stagnant environment.

If you're curious to see how it all unfolded -- and we know you are -- join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.

Continue reading Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: summer 2012 edition

Filed under: Cellphones

Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: summer 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refresh Roundup: week of July 16th, 2012

Posted on 23/07/2012 by Zachary Lutz

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Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Software

Refresh Roundup: week of July 16th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boost Mobile set to offer Smith Micro’s Visual Voicemail features starting on May 31st

Posted on 16/05/2012 by Edgar Alvarez

Up until now, the Boost Mobile crowd's been missing out on those fancy visual voicemail creations, but that's about to change starting on May 31st. Earlier today, Smith Micro announced it's delivering its Visual Voicemail features to the prepaid-friendly carrier, with the upcoming Boost-branded HTC EVO Design 4G being the first slab to offer said tidbits. Smith Micro is also adding an optional service dubbed "Voicemail-to-Text," which -- for an extra $1.99 per month -- will essentially turn those vocal messages into words and send them to you via text message or email. With the launch of the "four-gee" waves in mind, we're certain you're enjoying all the incoming news of late.

Continue reading Boost Mobile set to offer Smith Micro's Visual Voicemail features starting on May 31st

Boost Mobile set to offer Smith Micro's Visual Voicemail features starting on May 31st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget interview: Sprint product execs John Tudhope and David Owens at CTIA 2012 (video)

Posted on 09/05/2012 by Myriam Joire

We managed to catch not one, but two of Sprint's execs yesterday at CTIA Wireless 2012: Director of Product Marketing John Tudhope and VP of Product David Owens. While our discussion was centered primarily around the company's announcements at the show -- Sprint Guardian, HTC's EVO V 4G for Virgin Mobile and HTC's EVO Design 4G for Boost Mobile -- we were able to ask a few questions about the state of Sprint's LTE deployment and the associated value proposition. Want to find out more? Take a look at our video interview.

The Engadget interview: Sprint product execs John Tudhope and David Owens at CTIA 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC EVO Design 4G for Boost Mobile hands-on

Posted on 08/05/2012 by Joseph Volpe

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you -- that's the very same EVO Design 4G we reviewed late last winter when it bowed on Sprint's lineup. Surfing along the carrier's increasingly antiquated 4G WiMAX network, this handset's getting a new berth on Boost Mobile priced at an affordable $299 for pre-paid customers. Much like its girthier Android cousin the EVO V 4G, the physical construction and internal specifications of this device have remained unchanged. It's still packing a 4-inch 960 x 540 qHD display, single-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S2, 1.3 megapixel front-facing / rear 5 megapixel cameras and 4GB of internal storage. So, for the price the prepaid carrier's asking, it's not a bad deal.

The phone is still just as pleasant to hold in hand, owing to a soft touch plastic back that's broken up by a smooth piece of aluminum plating. Again, if you've seen its earlier incarnation, you know what you're getting into, but there is a distinct difference here -- a combo of Sense 3.6 and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Luckily for prepaid consumers, the phone's set to launch sometime this June with that software combo pre-loaded; a sweet perk given its place on the lower end of the consumer spectrum. Hit up the gallery below for a further peek at this re-badged handset.

Gallery: EVO Design 4G hands-on

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

HTC EVO Design 4G for Boost Mobile hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 16:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Mobile USA and Boost take WiMAX live, ship HTC EVO V 4G and EVO Design 4G on May 31

Posted on 08/05/2012 by Jon Fingas

In sync with Sprint's plans to get its sub-brands on 4G using its legacy WiMAX network, both Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile have trotted out their initial 4G lineups. The early Virgin mix includes retreads of two Sprint data-only devices -- a Broadband2Go-badged version of the Sierra Wireless Overdrive Pro 3G/4G hotspot and a matching version of the Franklin U600 previously seen at Clear. Virgin's real star, however, is the HTC EVO V 4G: though it's ultimately the EVO 3D with a slightly more 2D name, it's shipping with Android 4.0 from the start and has HTC's Frankenstein-like Sense 3.6 rather than the 4.0 of the One series. The network upgrade and all three new devices swing into action on May 31, and while your $35 minimum monthly plan will stay in effect even with unlimited on-device 4G, you'll need to spend $300 (contract-free) to take home an EVO V 4G, $150 on the Overdrive Pro or $100 on the U600 stick.

Boost Mobile is also going the Sprint rebadge route through the HTC EVO Design 4G. As with its bigger brother over at Virgin, the single-core EVO Design 4G is identical in hardware to its Sprint equivalent but slaps Android 4.0 and Sense 3.6 on top to keep the software fresh. The update does mark the first time a Boost phone gets Visual Voicemail, so you can feel slightly less guilty when you miss a call. HTC's phone will oddly cost the same $300 off-contract as the more advanced EVO V 4G, although Boost is likely counting on customers sticking around long enough for an all-inclusive unlimited plan to drop to $40 per month and make it worthwhile.

Gallery: Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile 4G devices