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Jumat, 02 Mei 2014

lg rumor 2 in Sprint UA profile, QHD displayappears again (Updated)

lg g2 drop test aa 09
Update:
Sprint has made a few revisions to its User Agent profile listing for the LG-LS990 (LG G3). Fortunately the QHD display remains, instead the alterations affect the device’s RAM and camera specifications.
The handset’s RAM has dropped back down to 2GB from 3GB, putting it back inline with the LG G2. On the plus side, the camera modules have received a bump in resolution. The profile now lists the device as having a 16 megapixel rear camera, and the front facing sensor has also received a slight boost to 2.4 megapixels. We’ll have to wait and see what other changes this brings compared with the G2′s camera.
Finally, the software number has changed to “LS990ZV1″ but the profile still states that the device comes with Android 4.4.2, so the update is most likely making adjustments to LG’s specific features.
Original Article:
Back in mid-March a user agent profile from LG’s own website suggested that the upcoming LG G3 would come with a QHD (1440×2560) pixel resolution display. In fact, we’ve been hearing similar rumors since the beginning of the year. These details have been spotted once again, this time in a user agent profile from US carrier Sprint. As well as hinting yet again at a QHD display, the profile contains virtually an entire hardware spec sheet for LG’s next flagship smartphone.
The device in question is listed as the LG-LS990, which is expected to be the Sprint version of the LG G3, whilst the carrier-less version retains the D850 tag that we have seen before. If the QHD displays turns out to be correct, it’s likely that LG will be using the 5.5 inch QHD display that it already unveiled, which has a pixel density of 530ppi.
As well as display information, the UA suggests that the LG G3 will be sticking with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, like the one found in the G2, rather than the slightly updated Snapdragon 801 chip found in other new flagship handsets. Sadly then, this spec suggests that the G3 won’t be one of the first smartphones to feature the upcoming Snapdragon 805 SoC. LG also seems to have brought the RAM count up to 3GB this time around.
Here’s the full spec according to Sprint’s LS990 UA Profile:
  • SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
  • CPU: Quad Core Krait 400 (probably clocked at the standard 2.3GHz)
  • Display resolution: QHD (1440×2560)
  • RAM: 3GB of RAM
  • Internal storage: 32GB
  • External storage: MicroSD cards up to 64GB
  • Rear-facing camera: 13MP (image resolution: 4160×3120)
  • Front-facing camera: 2.1M (video resolution: 1920×1080)
  • Operating system:  Android 4.4.2 KitKat
  • Cellular connectivity: LTE / EVDO / IS2000
  • Other connectivity: GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Sources below.
Of course, this could always be a preliminary spec given to Sprint to help prepare its marketing material, LG may change one or two things before the official announcement. What do you make of the LG G3 based on these specs?
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Minggu, 20 April 2014

Analyst says Sprint and T-Mobile have to merge for both to live

t-mobile sprint

A new report from analyst firm New Street Research says that T-Mobile and Sprint will have to merge lest one of them is forced to fold.

According to the report neither Sprint nor T-Mobile can last for too long, saying that both lack the revenue needed to cover fixed costs. The firm also doubts if either carrier can gain enough new revenue, saying both need to raise an additional $10 billion in the next 18 months to stay competitive. “Both companies aren’t independently viable at the same time,” the report says. “We show that there simply isn’t enough revenue in the industry for four carriers to cover their fixed costs unless there is a significant shift in market share.” Remaining competitive, according to the analyst firm, would include buying more spectrum for both carriers.

New Street Research also makes an argument that in other countries such as Greece, the Netherlands, and Austria, consumer prices dropped when the wireless market consolidated to fewer competing carriers. The argument seems to echo Sprint chairman Masayoshi Son’s comments that Sprint would start a “massive price war” if it was allowed to merge with T-Mobile.

The biggest obstacles to that merger, as New Street points out, and most of us know by now, are the FTC and FCC. Neither government agency wants to see the U.S. carrier market shrink to three carriers. And their arguments make sense. From its current position T-Mobile has been able to shake up the industry with its Un-carrier plans. There is a legitimate fear that a combined Sprint/T-Mobile wouldn’t make the moves the current T-Mobile is making.

Maybe if one carrier was on the verge of failing the government agencies would be more receptive to the idea of a merger, but by then it may be too late. New Street says that at that point the merged carrier wouldn’t be able to challenge the AT&T and Verizon duopoly.

The New Street report is fairly depressing in that it makes a fairly reasonable argument for a Sprint/T-Mobile merger. It’s hard to see that merger being great for us as users. Sure, there’s promises of a “massive price war,” and the examples from other countries hint that maybe it would be a good thing, but there’s always a risk that promises won’t be kept and that the U.S. will prove the exception to the rule.

For now we’ll just have to hope that at least one of them can pull in the revenue needed to live and compete against AT&T and Verizon. The question is, which one would you like to see survive if one of them has to fail?

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Verizon, AT&T and Sprint disable Galaxy S5's download booster

Kris Carlon

Kris Carlon

Putting down roots in Berlin after six years of traveling is a major step for Kris Carlon, who has spent more time living out of a tent lately than sitting at a desk. Kris comes to the AndroidPIT Editorial Team via a lengthy period spent writing on art and culture in Australia and other places he has lived. He joined the Android community while resurfacing in civilization back in 2010 and has never looked back, using technology to replace his actual presence in other people's lives ever since.

There were two features of the Galaxy S5 that impressed me at its launch: the Ultra Power Saving Mode and the Download Booster, which allows you to download 1 GB of data in 30 seconds by combining both Wi-Fi and 3G/LTE data to handle the download. Sadly though, if you're planning on picking up a Galaxy S5 on either the Verizon, AT&T or Sprint networks, you'll have to live without the download booster feature.

AndroidPIT Galaxy S5 Download BoosterDon't go looking for this feature on Verizon, Sprint and AT&T Galaxy S5's. / © AndroidPIT

Android Police originally noticed that demo models of the AT&T variant did not have the feature enabled. FierceWirelessTech then independently confirmed with both Verizon and Sprint that they will not be offering the feature either, leaving T-Mobile as the only major nationwide carrier to include the download booster in its Galaxy S5.

galaxy s5 gear fitInternational versions of the Galaxy S5 get the Download Booster function. / © AndroidPIT

It's not exactly new that some carriers disable features available on international or other variants of a device, sometime due to local laws or other restrictions, but in this case it's a bit of a bummer for anyone wanting to use the feature to quickly and easily transfer data as quickly as possible. Considering most people don't exactly seem to be thrilled by the finger scanner or heart rate monitor on the S5, losing a valuable feature like the download booster is not a great way to market the device on sale day.

What do you think about carriers disabling a feature like this? Would you consider switching companies to keep device features?

Source: FierceWirelessTech, Android Police



View the Original article
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Sabtu, 19 April 2014

HTC One (M8) now avaliable in-stores through AT&T and Sprint, T-Mobile tomorrow

htc one m8 outdoors aa (8 of 14)

The HTC One M8 has been available since it launched on March 25th through Verizon both in-store and online, and online-only for Sprint and AT&T. Starting today, however, AT&T and Sprint are now offering the handset through their brick-and-mortar locations as well.

Sprint and AT&T both offer the M8 for $199.99 with two-year contract, though there are also other options like AT&T Next for those that don’t want to commit to a traditional contract. As for T-Mobile? Unfortunately, it seems that the uncarrier won’t start selling the device until tomorrow, but at least its not much longer of a wait.

Te HTC One M8 is a major update from its predecessor, bringing a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 CPU and 2GB of RAM. Other specs include a 5-inch LCD3 display with a 1080p resolution, a Duo camera configuration, front-facing boomsound speakers, a 2600 mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6.0.

Not sure if the HTC One (M8) is the right handset for you? Be sure to check out our full review, as well as our hands-on coverage below:

So how about it, anyone planning on picking this one up? For those that already made the plunge, what do you think of the HTC One (M8) so far?

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Jumat, 11 April 2014

Did Sprint violate federal law when it laid-off 1,440 workers?

sprint logo

TheDarkThing

Last March, Sprint may have violated federal law when it laid-off 1,440 workers.

In a release, the Communications Workers of America say that Sprint Corp. could owe $4.5 million in back pay to the recently laid off workers. Sprint would owe an average of about $3,100 in back pay to the call center workers and also would be obligated to continue benefits for its former employees through May 17.

Specifically at issue is whether Sprint provided the required 60-day notice under certain federal and state laws. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires 60 days’ notice before an employer cuts pay and benefits in the event of mass layoffs of 50 or more.

Sprint allegedly laid off the workers on March 18 and told the employees that their jobs would be terminated on March 25 with pay through April 8. Sprint filed a report to the Kansas Department of Commerce on March 18, saying layoffs would affect 477 employees, according to kansasworks.com.

Sprint spent more than $165 million in severance and other expenses as part of layoffs in the fourth quarter, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Late Tuesday, Sprint issued a response rejecting the claims.

“Every employee impacted by these job reductions received a minimum of 60 days’ pay and benefits. In some states, where the law requires it, employees received 90 days’ pay and benefits.”

It should be noted that what the CWA alleges is that that Sprint didn’t provide adequate notice under the WARN Act, which requires at least 60 or 90 days’ notice before an employer cuts pay and benefits in the event of mass layoffs of 50 or more.

Violations of the WARN Act are not uncommon. Early in 2013, ESPN lost a lawsuit alleging that ESPN Zone in Baltimore shut down one of their restaurants without giving proper notice to the employees. During August of 2012, Solyndra LLC, the a solar-panel maker, reached a $3.5 million settlement with former workers who claimed they received inadequate layoff notices.

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Switch to the Framily plan and Sprint will reimburse your termination fees

sprint logoPhoto credit: TheDarkThing

In a move that is strangely reminiscent of a certain “uncarrier” campaign, Sprint is offering you up to $650 to leave your current carrier and switch to their Framily plan.

This is a port-in offer for users coming from postpaid plans on another carrier. Sprint offers $300 through their Buyback program if you trade in your old phone, then, show them a picture of your last bill, including early termination fees or installment balance, and they’ll get you up to $350 reimbursement by way of a pre-paid Visa gift card. Conditions apply, as you might imagine.

Sprint Framily Plan Uncarrier

Sprint’s Framily plan allows you to group up to 10 lines under a single plan. Starting at $55/month per line for unlimited talk/text and 1GB of data, the cost is reduced by the price of a Little Ceaser’s pizza for each additional member added to the group. There is a limitation on reductions, with maximum savings getting you down to just $25/month per user. For more info on how all that works, plus options to get more data, read our previous post on Sprint’s Framily plan here.

The new Framily deal starts tomorrow, April 4th, and runs through to May 8th, 2014. Check out all the details on the Sprint website when they go live tomorrow.

bestbuy store

Aside from the deals direct from Sprint, it was announced that Best Buy will be able to sign you up onto the Framily plan as well. All the same Framily plan rules and benefits apply, but if you sign up at Best Buy between April 4th through 13th, they’ll throw in an additional $100 Best Buy gift card.

What do you think, are these the right moves to get users to jump over to Sprint services, or is Sprint just returning fire at T-Mobile for their un-carrier initiative? All that aside, does Sprint have what it takes to be your carrier?

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Rabu, 26 Maret 2014

Does Sprint plan on competing in 2014?

Sprint Logo-w600

Susan Law Cain/Shutterstock

According to Fitch Ratings, Sprint’s financial profile will continue being weak through at least 2014, as their customers continue waiting for network investments. Sprint continues struggling with losses that totaled $1.62 billion in the fourth quarter amid declining revenue. More than 80 percent of Sprint’s annual revenue comes from its wireless business. Fitch Ratings gave one bright area for Sprint going forward. In 2014, Sprint plans significant cost-reduction efforts that could drive $2 billion in savings.

Sprint now seems to be implementing these cost-reduction strategies by cutting a significant chunk of their staff dedicated to repairing and refurbishing phones. A total of 55 slower-performing stores will be shut down across the country within the next few months.

In order to achieve “greater efficiencies,” Sprint cut about 200 workers at the Sprint call center in Overland Park. Additionally, call centers in Sacramento, Calif., Elmsford, N.Y. and Orlando, Florida will be closing, which eliminates about two-thirds of the call-center work force. By last count, Sprint is cutting roughly a total of 1,550 customer service jobs. Sprint seems to be under the impression that by slashing jobs around the country will somehow make their company run more smoothly and with increased efficiency.

“Those reductions come as the result of greater efficiencies that we’ve achieved through simpler pricing plans and improved customer service,” said Sprint spokeswoman Melinda Tiemeyer.

Improved customer service? Last time I checked, I found Sprint at the bottom of the Consumer Report rankings.

“Also, our technology is improving,” Tiemeyer said.

As evidence of the improving technology, a recent Denver Post report shows how tired current Sprint customers are with their monthly $10 LTE data fee for non-existent LTE service that was promised to them by Sprint over a year ago. Many subscribers have taken to Sprint’s own online forums to voice displeasure about the lack of LTE in Denver.

“I have been hearing for well over a year now that ‘it’s coming’ but I’m tired of excuses and having a smartphone with less capability than a flip phone,” user Steph547291 wrote in January on the company’s community message board. “I am absolutely livid about the runaround and increasing plan costs with such a poor network.”

The poor service quality has been reflected in recent reports by independent network evaluator RootMetrics, which ranked Sprint last in Denver and Colorado in two separate reports released over the past few months. To make matters worse, Sprint tacks on a premium data fee of $10 a month for all smartphone owners, a charge it says is needed to “deliver a superior wireless experience.”

Not to worry though as Sprint says it will consider waiving the $10 LTE data fee for subscribers without any actual LTE on a case-by-case basis, though phone owners must call customer service to initiate the review.

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Senin, 24 Maret 2014

Can Sprint become the data king in 2014?

Sprint Logo-w600

Susan Law Cain/Shutterstock

Last summer, Sprint acquired TDD spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band from Clearwire. According to a recent report from Strategy Analytics, this will be a “powerful resource” for Sprint that will allow it to catch up to its competitors. The report notes that Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum is key to enabling the operator to become the “king of data speed.”

Sprint absolutely has the tools in place to build one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, LTE network in the country. Unfortunately, we have been waiting since 2008 to get this so-called powerful 4G network from Sprint and nothing has materialized. At the moment, Sprint has a long way to go if they want to be anywhere near the top with the slowest speeds in the country, the least amount of coverage in major cities and the smallest overall capacity. Last week, Sprint’s own boss called their 4G network “horrible.”

Additionally, the report may backfire on Sprint due to recent actions by the FCC who are reviewing the spectrum screen it uses when assessing industry mergers and acquisitions and whether spectrum caps are needed in the upcoming 600 MHz auctions in order to equalize spectrum holdings among U.S. mobile operators.

In February, Sprint asked the FCC to devise a “weighted wireless broadband spectrum screen” that would come into play when the government auctions off spectrum in reference to lower band spectrum owned by Verizon and AT&T. Basically, Sprint wants the FCC to give competitive advantages to spectrum under 1GHz.

Both AT&T and Verizon responded with statements that accuse Sprint of excluding its 2.5GHz TDD spectrum from this category so that it can bid for more spectrum at the upcoming 600MHz auction, while making it difficult for the top two carriers to effect a winning bid.

AT&T and Verizon whining about Sprint and their spectrum acquisitions is hilarious when you consider that AT&T told the world that they would collapse unless they could buy T-Mobile while Verizon uses spectrum fears whenever they need a political favor.

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Samsung Galaxy S5 up for pre-order from Sprint, priced at $199.99 with contract

samsung galaxy s5 3

Following on the heels of T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and AT&T, Sprint has now officially revealed its plans for the Galaxy S5. Similar to what we’re seeing with US Cellular and AT&T, the handset will set you back $199 with a two-year contract after $50 mail-in rebate.

For those not interested in signing a contract, you can also pick up the GS5 for $649 outright or you can use Spring Easy Pay and pay $27.09 a month for two years. Regardless of which method you use to secure the Galaxy S5, Sprint says the handset will be available April 11th in Charcoal Black and Shimmery White, with pre-orders starting today.

If you’re on a Framily plan, it’s also worth mentioning that Sprint is even throwing in a free Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 — though you’ll need a data plan and two-year agreement to take advantage of that offer.

As a refresher, the Galaxy S5 is powered by a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 CPU with an Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Other specs include 16GB storage, microSD, a 16MP rear camera with ISOCELL technology, 2.1MP front cam, a 2800 mAh battery, and plenty of new features like a fingerprint scanner. For more details on what to expect from the Galaxy S5, be sure to check out our video coverage from MWC:

Looking to grab a companion device to go along with your new Galaxy S5? Sprint has also confirmed it will carry the Gear 2 for $299.99, with the Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit priced at $199.99.

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