Sprint (NYSE: S) announced that Friday, April 19, as the availability date for the highly anticipated new HTC One®, the latest international smartphone with Truly Unlimited™ data while on the Sprint Network. HTC One reinvents the mobile experience by providing users a live stream that feeds personally relevant updates, a breakthrough camera that brings the photo gallery to life and the first dual front-facing stereo speakers on a phone with amplified audio.
HTC One will be available with 32GB of internal memory in Silver or Black in Sprint sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Sprint Business Sales, Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and Web Sales, for $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement (excludes taxes and surcharges). New and existing customers can pre-order HTC One beginning Friday, April 5, at www.sprint.com/htcone.
HTC One is equipped with eco-friendly attributes, including Underwriters Laboratory Environment (ULE) Platinum Certification, the highest level of environmental performance recognized by sustainable requirements established by ULE and Sprint, and packaging that is 98 percent recyclable.
HTC One brings users an unprecedented smartphone experience with unique features including:
HTC BlinkFeed™ – a bold new experience that transforms the home screen into a single live stream of personally relevant information, such as social updates, entertainment and lifestyle updates, and news and photos with immersive images so the user no longer needs separate applications to find out what’s happening. HTC BlinkFeed aggregates the newest content from relevant and interesting sources, giving it to users at a glance, all in one place, without the need to jump between multiple applications and websites.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. introduced Galaxy S® 4, successor to the award-winning Samsung Galaxy S III. Sprint (NYSE: S) will offer the U.S. variant of Galaxy S 4 in the second quarter of this year.
Fared Adib, senior vice president-Product Development at Sprint, issued the following statement:
“Sprint is excited to bring the benefit of Truly UnlimitedSM 4G LTE data to the U.S. variant of Galaxy S 4 in the second quarter of this year. Our customers will appreciate the ability to use Galaxy S 4 to surf the Web, share pictures and videos, and use this smartphone as much as they want without worrying about throttling or overage charges on their monthly bill due to data caps. NPD Group data indicated in 4Q 2012 that Sprint was the top U.S. seller of Samsung Galaxy S III, so we believe our customers will also enjoy its successor’s features and unlimited data.”
Sprint will offer up to $150 in savings for small businesses who buy any Sprint smartphone plus an LTE mobile broadband device. As a bonus, now through the end of May, the company will add a credit of up to $100 on eligible customers’ invoices for every wireless line that a small business switches to Sprint.
Small businesses will earn up to $100 off any smartphone, including all top-of-the-line iPhones and Samsung devices in Sprint’s product portfolio, and up to $50 off Sprint’s LTE Tri Mode USB or Sierra 4G LTE Tri-fi hotspot. The tri-mode and tri-fi hotspot enable quick connections to Sprint’s 4G LTE, 4G (WiMax) and 3G networks.
The special offer, valid through May 9, enables small businesses to chat, access email, check websites or Web conference at faster speeds than ever before – at a lower price. No matter if it’s on a train or in a coffee shop, the mobile broadband + a new smartphone offer is designed to keep small businesses connected, just like their big-business brethren.
The big discounts on all smartphones and select LTE mobile broadband devices are part of a Sprint initiative to attract and keep a larger share of the small-business market with better offers and customized service. Sprint recently opened Sprint Consult Centers in its retail stores to simplify the wireless buying process for small businesses. Each consult center offers a complete package of products, services, and certified expert advice customized to small business owners’ needs.
Many of Sprint’s customers enjoy the ease and freedom of its Truly UnlimitedSM data plans, but for customers who have chosen a different option Sprint wants ensure they can easily monitor and manage their wireless usage.
Today, Sprint is announcing the expansion of its current usage alert program to include wireless voice and text messaging services – demonstrating Sprint’s commitment to ending “bill shock” well in advance of the CTIA-The Wireless Association® deadline of April 17, 2013.
“Our customers deserve an enjoyable, seamless and stress-free network experience,” said Bob Johnson, chief service and information technology officer for Sprint. “Giving them the tools and alerts to manage and monitor their voice, data, messaging and international service use should translate into a first-rate customer experience.”
Customers can elect to receive these free alerts via text message or email through Sprint’s Ready Now program or by accessing their account via Sprint.com. If a customer doesn’t choose a preferred method of communication, Sprint will provide alerts via text message as a default.
Usage alerts for Sprint customers will operate as follows:
Voice: Sprint will provide usage alerts when customers reach approximately 85 and 100 percent of their plan limits for voice minutes. The primary account holder will receive a notice via text message or email that they have reached the applicable threshold. For example, if a customer is on a 450 minute Everything Data Plan, then the customer would receive an alert when approximately 383 anytime voice minutes have been used and again at 450 minutes.
Text Messaging: Sprint will provide usage alerts when customers reach approximately 85 and 100 percent of their plan limits for messaging. Usage alerts are sent to the primary account holder based on the aggregated total of messages allowed for plan and add-ons. For example, if a customer has 500 texts in their plan and a 500 message add-on they would receive an alert when approximately 850 messages have been used and again at 1000 messages.
Here is an example of another Samsung/Android flaw that allows someone to see your homescreen or even to run an app while the phone is locked. Is this a Samsung problem? Is it an Android issue? Well, that’s yet to be seen but here is the video nonetheless.
Boost Mobile, a leader in the no-contract wireless industry and ranked “Highest in Purchase Experience among Non-Contract Wireless Providers” by J.D. Power and Associates1, strengthens its diverse handset lineup with the addition of the March 7 release of the HTC One SV and Boost Force. Both Android™-powered smartphones will operate on the Sprint 3G and 4G LTE networks, bringing 4G LTE to Boost Mobile customers in more than 50 markets, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas and Houston, and will be available in nearly 170 additional cities in the coming months.
Both Android-powered smartphones pair the speed of 4G LTE with the value of Boost Mobile’s no-annual contract $55 Android Monthly Unlimited with Shrinking Payments plan. For every six on-time payments, the cost of Boost Mobile’s Android Monthly Unlimited plan shrinks by $5, eventually getting down to as low as $40 a month for unlimited nationwide talk, text messaging, Web2, email and calls to 411. Payments do not need to be consecutive to qualify for the next savings milestone.
“Japanese wireless carrier Softbank intends to help fund the acquisition of a 70 percent stake in Sprint by releasing bonds to investors.
According to Bloomberg, Softbank will release bonds worth 370 billion yen ($4 billion) based on 1.47 percent four-year notes, which will go on sale to investing parties on February 25 through until March 11 this year. Earlier this month, bond sales were pegged at $3.2 billion.
The Japanese firm intends to secure and finalize a $20.1 billion stake in Sprint, which would swell its customer base to 96 million subscribers in both the United States and Japan — far outweighing the Japanese carrier’s closest rival, NTT DoCoMo, who caters for approximately 60 million users. In addition, this acquisition would mean that Softbank has the means to enter the lucrative U.S. market and become the world’s third-largest carrier.
The deal is yet to be approved by the Federal trade Commission (FTC), which holds the power to approve or prevent the acquisition.
“ Sprint has quietly flipped the switch on its 4G LTE network in some areas of San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C., suggesting an official launch may be close at hand. While confirming a report that first appeared in The Verge, a company spokesperson did not specify which sections of the cities would have access to the speedier network. ”
If you live in NYC, San Francisco or Washington DC you may have already noticed that some parts of your city may have access to LTE 4G speeds. No specifics relating to which parts of these cities show the upgrade have been released. If you have hopped onto any of these LTE 4G spots, feel free to share the location!
Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced plans to carry the new HTC One® smartphone later this year. The new HTC One introduces HTC Sense® innovations that reinvent the mobile experience, including a personal live stream right on the home screen, photos that come to life and an audio experience that features dual front-facing stereo speakers.
The smartphone will benefit from Truly Unlimited? 4G LTE data, text and calling to any mobile with no metering, no throttling, and no overages, all while on the Sprint network. Additional details, including pricing, will be shared closer to availability. Customers can get more information about the new HTC One smartphone from Sprint by visiting www.sprint.com/htcone.
“In a world where technology is constantly evolving, Sprint is really excited to bring our customers the latest in smartphone innovation from HTC,” said David Owens, vice president-Product Development, Sprint. “We feel that combining the advanced features of the new HTC One with Sprint’s Truly Unlimited 4G LTE data plans allows our customers to really take advantage of the data capabilities of the smartphone without having to worry about data caps or throttling making it a big win all around.”
While Android may be Google’s creation, Samsung is the one that is creating the most devices for it. IDC posted some interesting numbers to back up this statement. Mainly, “Samsung was the biggest contributor to Android’s success, amassing 42.0% of all Android smartphone shipments during the year.” The San Francisco Chronicle had the following to say:
“No surprise: Google’s Android mobile operating system continues to dominate, hitting 70 percent of the market in the fourth quarter. Apple’s iOS was at 21 percent, up from 14.5 percent in the third quarter. (That shows the effect of the iPhone 5).”
It is becoming apparent that even if other manufacturers stopped catering to Android, Samsung still leads the competition and Android would remain strong. What are your thoughts on this?
