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Wait, what inventory shortage? US Cellular doesn't seem to have any issue with getting the Samsung Galaxy S 4 on its retail and virtual shelves -- it confirmed to us in an email that it will begin selling the flagship device on April 30th. You'll be able to purchase the 16GB version in either white or black for $199 with a two-year commitment. If you didn't get in on the pre-order, now's your chance to get hooked up.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
In response to a customer's question about Windows Phone plans, US Cellular used its official Facebook page to proclaim its intent to launch a WP8 device in the near future. While the representative specifically mentioned Windows 8 (sans "Phone"), we reached out to US Cellular for clarification. A company spokesperson confirmed our suspicions, stating that a device running the mobile platform will indeed be launching. We'll have to wait until next month to get additional details about it, but USCC customers biding their time for a WP8 smartphone will soon have the opportunity to grab one for themselves without making the move to a different carrier.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Microsoft
AT&T's not the only operator to grant early adopters the opportunity to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S 4 on April 16th -- US Cellular will be following suit as well. While the regional carrier hasn't announced pricing or any other details on availability yet, interested customers will be able to at least start the purchase process before it hits retail shelves. Head to the source to sign up for email alerts on pricing and availability, and we'll keep you posted as soon as we hear updates.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung
Source: US Cellular
Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all have already done it, and now it's US Cellular's turn to start distributing the Android 4.1 batch to its own variant of Samsung's Galaxy S III. According to the carrier, said Jelly Bean update is set to hit the flagship, TouchWiz-loaded handset this Friday, December 21st, carrying now-accustomed features such as Project Butter, Google Now and a slew of other enhancements to the camera app, notifications, widgets and, naturally, the overall user interface. US Cellular didn't give us a specific time as to when we can expect the goods, but it did say the update will be available over-the-air and via USB -- either way, you may want to bookmark that source link below, as more in-depth installation details are expected to show up there come Friday.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Samsung
Source: US Cellular
US Cellular's latest figures show that while the network saw its revenues remain constant, net profits fell by nearly half compared to the same period last year. It coined $35.5 million in net profit this quarter, down from the $62.1 million it made in Q3 2011 despite bringing in $1.04 billion in turnover both times. The cause of this reduced profitability is said to be down to higher subsidies on LTE devices, which represented a full 50 percent of the company's smartphone sales in the quarter.
While the carrier has reversed the trend of losing customers, it only managed to add a rather measly 9,000 new customers in the three-month period. That could be part of the motivation behind US Cellular selling off a big chunk of its Midwestern operations to the now cash-rich Sprint -- so it can concentrate on areas where business is stronger.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
US Cellular takes hit on LTE devices, profits halved to $35.5 million in Q3 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sprint has cemented a deal with US Cellular to pick up its PCS spectrum and around 585,000 customers across the Midwest. The deal will land the newly-owned company 30MHz within the 1900 MHz band across Illinois, Indian, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio, with the carrier stating that it'll be putting the extra spectrum to use augmenting its coverage while it continues to roll out 4G.
US Cellular will apparently continue business elsewhere, once the deal passes regulatory approval some time year, stating that it aims to "increase focus on markets where it has strong positions" and "streamline operations" -- probably involving its own 4G expansion plans.
Update: There's a gray cloud to the silver lining. US Cellular warns that over 1,000 jobs will be cut as part of the network handover, most of them a mix of corporate and retail staff based in Chicago. It also says that the network offload reflects the challenges it has getting customers in larger cities: they're both more expensive up-front and generate twice as much subscriber turnover as in less densely-packed areas. The Sprint deal should wrap up by mid-2013 if all goes according to plan.
Update 2: US Cellular has revised its own job figures and now says the exact tally is 980. While it's only so much comfort to those affected, the exact amount is slightly more reassuring.
Sprint pays US Cellular $480 million for Midwest spectrum and customers (update 2: 980 jobs lost) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Americans who were eying Motorola's Droid RAZR M and just weren't keen on Verizon's typically overt branding now have at least one alternative. US Cellular is giving the big-screened, small-sized smartphone a slight respin as the Electrify M, with a subtler (if less Kevlar-laden) design wrapping around the same 4.3-inch screen, 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and LTE that we've come to know. The carrier applies a light touch to the Android 4.0 build as well. Those who want to take advantage of US Cellular's giant LTE expansion this month won't have to wait long between the widened coverage and a new device to use with it: the Electrify M goes on sale online as of November 8th, and retail a day later, at the same $100 post-discount price as its Verizon counterpart.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
US Cellular intros Motorola Electrify M, gets a slice of the Droid RAZR M on November 8th for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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US Cellular announced on Wednesday that it will increase its LTE network coverage by 30 new markets on November 5th. The first territories to be be summarily blessed are: Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. While this is great news for customers who call these states home, the carrier has yet to detail which cities will be making the jump to 4G. In the meantime, we'd advise keeping an eye on US Cellular's coverage map to see if your stomping grounds made the cut. For an encore, the carrier will light up Rockford, Illinois; Medford, Oregon; Yakima, Washington; and Knoxville, Tennessee at an undisclosed time. As for its LTE-ready smartphone roster, your current options are a trio of Samsung-made Android devices: Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II and the Galaxy Metrix. Hopefully, as America's eighth largest wireless carrier's LTE footprint increases, so will its stable of suitable handsets. Until then, US Cellular 4G hopefuls, we hope you like the taste of TouchWiz.
Continue reading US Cellular bringing LTE to 30 additional markets on November 5th
Filed under: Cellphones, Networking, Mobile
US Cellular bringing LTE to 30 additional markets on November 5th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Despite being involved in a recent national security controversy in the US, Huawei isn't quite ready to slow down its plans to bring as many handsets as possible over to Stateside shores. Today, the Chinese company is making its Gingerbread-packing Huawei Ascend Y available to US Cellular subscribers, giving folks who want to keep spending to a minimum yet another Android option on the regional carrier. The Ascend Y itself boasts a 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 screen, which is paired alongside a 3.2-megapixel rear camera and, for audiophiles, DTS Envelo -- a technology "for virtual surround sound to enhance audio experience." The Huawei Ascend Y is up for grabs now at a decent price of $30 (with a two-year contract, of course), though the carrier's site currently has it listed for a mere one cent. No word on how long this promo will last, so those of you interested may want to check out the source link below right about now.
Continue reading Huawei Ascend Y heads to US Cellular, is available now for $30 on contract
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Huawei Ascend Y heads to US Cellular, is available now for $30 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 23:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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