Sprint is shutting down Virgin Mobile ahead of planned T-Mobile merger

Sprint is getting ready for its planned T-Mobile merger by axing one of its prepaid brands. The telecom is shutting down Virgin Mobile service and will transfer all customers to Boost Mobile starting the week of February 2nd. You'll keep your phone a...

UK plans to ban sales of locked mobile phones

The UK's communications regulator is proposing a rule to ban carriers from selling phones that are tied to their networks. O2, Sky, Three, Virgin Mobile and some smaller carriers already offer unlocked phones, but Ofcom wants the likes of BT Mobile/E...

Netgear Mingle mobile hotspot debuts with Virgin Mobile


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Cell Phone Plans That Are The Best


When you compare one cell phone plan with another, it seems like the confusion simply multiplies. But worry not! The latest trends, as far as prepaid cell phone plans are concerned, show three...

Best Prepaid Phone Plans


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Virgin Mobile Employs BlinkWashing Tech for YouTube Channel


The latest technology is almost indistinguishable from magic. Take the case of Virgin Mobile, which with a little help from your webcam features changing advertisements on YouTube based upon how many...

Sprint allows its prepaid carrier partners to de-brand Android phones, rid devices of bloatware

Sprint allows its prepaid carrier partners to debrand Android phones, rid devices of bloatware

In a move that could only be viewed as a step in the right direction, Sprint has just made a major move in the battle against bloatware. It's newly-unveiled Custom Branded Device Program is being introduced just as prepaid carriers are beginning to see something of a resurgence. In a nutshell, the initiative enables its MVNO partners (carriers like Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile) to customize white-label Android phones. In case you needed to hear it another way, it'll give those partners the ability to "completely de-brand devices from Sprint." Of course, this opens the door for said partners to litter these phones with their own software, but it also provides an option to see phones in a manner that Americans rarely see unless they opt for pricier global (and unlocked) models.

Sprint is hoping that the program will allow its MVNO partners -- carriers who sell phones under their own brand but actually rely on Sprint's network for service -- to "have greater, and potentially quicker, access to a large selection of completely de-branded marquee Android handsets out of Sprint and Boost Mobile device inventory with volume pricing included." Presently, Sprint has three devices available for this program -- LG Optimus G, LG Mach and Sprint Flash -- but additional devices are expected to be added by the month's end. Perhaps most interestingly, we reported back in July of 2011 that Sprint was making a "conscious decision to scale back bloatware on smartphones." Here's hoping that decision is soon realized.

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Source: Sprint

Virgin and Boost add LTE handsets to their pre-paid rosters

Just because you don't have a contract tying you down doesn't mean you don't deserve LTE speeds, right? Boost and Virgin Mobile will be getting their very own 4G handsets, with help from Sprint's network. You can pick up Samsung's Galaxy Victory 4G LTE over on Virgin's site, starting today for $300 a pop (with more retailers getting in on the action in the middle of next month). Over on Boost, they've got HTC's One SV and the four-inch Boost Force, both dropping on March 7th. Those handsets will run you $300 and $200, respectively.

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