Sprint removes international data and texting fees
Sprint has launched aggressive promotions and incentives for customers on their network in recent months. The latest one takes an idea used first by T-Mobile, a company that Sprint was exploring as an acquisition candidate. Starting today, Sprint customers can take advantage of International Value Roaming. Customers get unlimited international data and texting while visiting Latin America, Europe, and Japan; however, connection speeds are “up to” 2G speeds. While 2G speeds are slow, it should work fine for checking emails and other small tasks. International calls, however, are not free and cost twenty cents per minute.
Hit the break for the full press release.
Sprint Launches Free Unlimited International Roaming, Unlmited Texting and 20 Cents per Minute for Voice Calls When Traveling to Latin America, Europe or Japan
Both consumer and business customers can get significant savings over AT&T and Verizon
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), April 10, 2015 – Beginning today, Sprint (NYSE: S) is introducing International Value Roaming, giving customers the ability to travel to major areas in Latin America, Europe and Japan and roam with up to 2G speeds to read emails and surf the web at no additional charge1 . Additionally, they can send unlimited text messages for no extra charge, and they can call anywhere in the world from these countries for 20 cents per minute. Customers can easily add International Value Roaming to any Sprint domestic plan at http://www.sprint.com/internationalroaming or by visiting a Sprint store.
Eligible countries for International Value Roaming are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Russia, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom.
In Sprint’s customer-centric culture, we are passionate about listening and understanding customers’ pain points and making changes to enhance their experience. One of the main complaints from customers who travel to Latin America, Europe, and Japan is how shocked they are when they return home to find huge roaming bills. Most consumers don’t want to take that risk, so they end up turning off their data roaming while traveling and miss out on all of the fun and benefits of having a mobile phone. We have removed the pain point by offering International Value Roaming coupled with the ability to use Wi-Fi calling.
If customers prefer to connect their phone to the millions of hotspots throughout Latin America, Europe and Japan, they can use Wi-Fi Calling to enjoy free calls from over 200 countries back to the U.S. Wi-Fi Calling is available at no additional charge when calling a U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico phone number2. Wi-Fi Calling is available on iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s and select Android devices. This is superior to AT&T and Verizon who don’t offer Wi-Fi calling on the iPhone and their customers who travel internationally still have to worry about getting charged for every gigabyte of data, every text and every phone call.
“The continuous feedback from our customers indicates how important it is to travel without the fear of high roaming charges,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. “So, we launched free data roaming and Wi-Fi. “Latin America, Europe and Japan are only the beginning. We will continuously add new countries to ensure our customers can use their device virtually wherever they travel.”
Customers looking for higher data speeds can choose from three of our Sprint International Speed Data Roaming options offering up to 3G network speeds3 for one-day, seven-day and 14-day passes, starting at just $15.
Competitive Comparison
All pricing excludes taxes and fees.International Value Roaming also is part of the Sprint Unlimited Plus Plan exclusively available to Samsung Galaxy® S6 and Samsung Galaxy® S6 edge customers. The Sprint Unlimited Plus Plan includes unlimited data, talk, text, Unlimited International text from the U.S., International Value Roaming and a free 32GB Galaxy S6 for $80 per month after $20 credit. It’s the first free lease in the wireless industry4.
The new International Value Roaming from Sprint, with unlimited data and texting, offers a greater value to customers over Verizon and AT&T. With Sprint, customers can travel to many of the most popular locations in the world, including Mexico, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, at no additional charge to their monthly bill. Although Verizon and AT&T currently offer services to additional countries, customers must pay large monthly fees to use their services while traveling. Verizon charges an additional $40 per month including 100 voice minutes5, and AT&T charges an additional $30 per month when choosing a bundle that includes these popular destinations6.
Good for Business
International Value Roaming and International Speed Data Roaming Passes make it simple and affordable for business customers to stay connected when their business or personal travels take them to Europe, Latin America or Japan. Because international travel is an important part of doing business, Sprint is giving business customers what they have been asking for and what they need for free or at a low cost with our speed data buy-ups.
Sprint offers voice and data coverage to additional countries around the world with affordable international data packs and Sprint Worldwide Voice. Visit http://www.sprint.com/international for more information on countries and rates.
About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served nearly 56 million connections as of Dec. 31, 2014, and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past four years. You can learn more and visit Sprint at http://www.sprint.com or http://www.facebook.com/sprint and http://www.twitter.com/sprint.
1Requires GSM and LTE capable device.
2 Wi-Fi Calling supports calling from 200+ countries / territories. Wi-Fi Calling is not supported in select countries, including Australia, China, Cuba, North Korea, India, Iran, Singapore, Sudan and Syria. Sprint Subscribers are not authorized to use the service in countries where Wi-Fi Calling is prohibited by law. Please update your device software to the latest version to get the most current version of the Wi-Fi Calling software.
3Network speeds subject to coverage/device availability.
4Limited time offer. Requires new-line activation or eligible upgrade. No equipment security deposit required. Lease credits required. Unlimited Plus service plan. Taxes apply based on full monthly lease amount. Remaining lease payments apply in full if customer cancels service before the end of 24 months, and customer must return the device or pay the purchase option. At the end of 24 months, customers in good standing can upgrade, purchase or return the leased phone, or continue leasing on a month-to-month basis.
5Verizon: Based on Verizon Global Plan. $25 MRC: 100MB data + $15 MRC: 100 voice minutes, 100 sent texts and unlimited received texts. Available in 140 countries.
6AT&T: Based on Passport Smartphone package. $30 MRC: 120MB data, unlimited text and $1 per voice minute. Available in 167 countries.
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Samsung hypes unboxing the Galaxy S6 with new ‘Anticipation’ commercial
Today, millions of people around the world will have a Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge in their hands for the first time. The feeling of unboxing either device, or any device for that matter, cannot be described any better than with the word “anticipation.” Samsung has decided to show that feeling in a new television commercial that captures all moments of anticipation. The commercial covers moments like blowing out a birthday cake or preparing to perform on stage. It closes with excitement all around and everyone interacting with their Samsung devices.
Hit the break for the commercial.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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Samsung starts pushing out update for the Galaxy S6 Edge hours after release
Even though its only been a few hours since Samsung launched the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in the United States, the South Korean company has already started pushing out an update to the dual-edged variant of the handset.
In terms of added functionality, this upgrade transports the latest build of Android 5.0.2, which carries a multitude of new apps from the TouchWiz ecosystem, that include S Planner, S Note, S Health and Photo Editor.
If you were lucky enough to get your hands on a Galaxy S6 Edge today before they sold out and you want to see if the upgrade is ready for your handset, head into Settings, followed by About Device, then hit Check for Software Upgrade.
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Chromebook Pixel (2015) heads to the United Kingdom on April 21 for £799
At the end of this month, people in the United Kingdom can purchase the upcoming Chromebook Pixel (2015). Prospective buyers will be able to order the device from the online Google Store on April 21. Also, electronics retailer Dixons will carry the Chromebook Pixel (2015). The price to be paid in the United Kingdom is set at £799.
Via: TechCrunch
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HTC now rolling Lollipop update for the Desire EYE in Taiwan
Closely following in Samsung’s footsteps, HTC has now started rolling out the long-awaited Android 5.0.2 upgrade for all variants of the Desire EYE located in Taiwan. The update itself brings the latest build of Lollipop to the handset, in addition to a multitude of additional bug fixes, stability improvements and speed optimizations.
All the changes you’d expect to find in Lollipop are bundled into this upgrade, including support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, a smoother multitasking experience and the recently-announced Material Design guidelines.
As is customary with all manufacturer updates, the upgrade is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device to hit yours handset, you can search for the update manually. To do so simply follow the four steps below:
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll to the bottom and tap on “About Device”
- Hit “System Updates”
- Tap on “Check for update”
Source: Twitter
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Cricket Wireless now selling the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
Another device has joined the Galaxy S 5 and Galaxy S 4 as devices from Samsung sold by Cricket Wireless. The carrier is now offering the Galaxy Grand Prime to its customers. This entry-level handset, which has decent specifications for the price, comes in white only and costs $179 with a new activation.
Key specifications:
- 5-inch, 960×540 display
- Quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz
- 1 GB of RAM
- 8MP rear camera / 5MP front camera
- 2600mAh battery
- 8 GB of internal storage with microSD card slot
- Android 4.4 KitKat
[Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime – Cricket Wireless]
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HTC Butterfly S now receiving Lollipop update in Taiwan
Hot on the heels of the Desire EYE’s upgrade, HTC has just started distributing the long-awaited Android 5.0.2 update for the Butterfly S in Taiwan. In addition to the latest build of Lollipop, the upgrade brings the standard plethora of bug fixes, stability improvements and speed optimizations.
Hit the break for the full changelog.
- Material Design: You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device – from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
- Notifications UI & Priorities: In order to alert you to the most timely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:
- notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
- you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
- you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
- very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
- when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
- you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).
- New Interruptions & Downtime Settings: You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions. You can personalize what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify. The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify. e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend.
- Recent Apps (Multi-tasking): The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications. For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards. This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks.
- Flashlight: Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it).
- Pin a view/app: Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can ‘pin’ a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone.
- Battery: The Battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging. You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life.
- Smarter Internet Connections: With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch.
- Performance: Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimize application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process. Note that the optimization for ART requires more space.
- Security: Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data. Note that the stronger key willonly be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop. Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key. You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu.
In order to install the update, you will have to have 3GB of storage available. If you don’t have enough, we recommend transferring some your files to Google Drive or Dropbox. You’ll also need to be connected to an active Wi-Fi network and have 50% of juice.
If your handset meets all of the above criteria, simply head into Settings, followed by About Device and click Check for Software Update, to download and install the upgrade. Alternatively, you can wait until you receive a push notification prompting you to update.
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Apple Watch Sport Bands Come in Three Pieces, Full Band Swapping Not Possible [iOS Blog]
Earlier today, we shared a service called BandSwapper, designed to let people who purchase an Apple Watch Sport trade their extra unused Sport Bands for a Sport Band in a different size and color. As it turns out, Sport Band trading is not going to be possible, due to the way that the bands are configured.
Ahead of pre-orders, the Apple Watch Sport was advertised as shipping with two separate bands in S/M and M/L sizes, leading people to believe there were two full bands included with each Apple Watch Sport purchase.
Shortly after we shared the BandSwapper site, MacRumors readers began letting us know that customers do not, in fact, receive two complete sport bands when purchasing an Apple Watch that comes with a Sport Band. Instead, the watches come with three band pieces that when put together, allow for two different band sizes in S/M or M/L to fit all wrists.
TechCrunch has confirmed (“with very good authority”) that buyers do not get two full watchbands with an Apple Watch Sport, so sites like BandSwapper will not be able to offer customers a way to trade for a complete band.
You see, Apple Sport Watch models technically do come with two bands, but in practice, it’s not two full bands, but rather three pieces. There’s one piece that attaches to one end of the watch with the fastener, and then two additional bands (the side with the holes) that attach to the other side of the watch. These two bands come in two different lengths — a S/M size for smaller wrists and an M/L size for larger wrists.
In other words, you won’t have an entire extra band to swap.
The band swapping sites could potentially allow customers to swap for half bands to have a watch strap that’s multi-colored, but it’s unlikely that this will be an appealing option to many consumers. It appears that acquiring multiple Sport Band colors will require full band purchases.
Image of Sport Band packaging showing two different straps with holes, but only one strap with a pin. Still shot taken from an unboxing video.
On Twitter, BandSwapper has been suggesting that the three-piece Apple Watch Sport Band configuration is “speculation,” but it has now been confirmed by reputable sources and through images shared on the MacRumors forums.
Cortana’s available in more places in latest Windows 10 preview for phones
Cortana was pretty restricted by location in the first Windows 10 preview for phones but with the latest build it looks like she’s opened back up to more people. We’re seeing it on our devices in the UK, though at the time of writing there’s no apparent official word from Microsoft on exactly where.
HTC One M9 goes on sale today: 11 things you should know
We’ve already taken a look at what you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S6 now that its big day has arrived, and we’ve even shown you were to pick it up from. Let’s not forget that the HTC One M9 is also hitting retailers in the US (and several other markets) today.
While some of you may have not only pre-ordered the One M9 already, there’s a good chance you received it days ago. For those that aren’t sure if the HTC One M9 is right for them, here’s few important things you might want to know before (and after) buying HTC’s latest.
1. Check out the reviews
If you haven’t already, you’ll want to check out our full review on the HTC One M9 in order to give you a better idea of what to expect.
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2. The competitors
The One M9 is up against some very big competition. While the most obvious competitor is the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, there’s also the LG G Flex 2, the Note 4, and the upcoming LG G4.
4. Availability
While we will be bringing you a more detailed look at HTC One availability in the United States a bit later today, the HTC One M9 through most major retailers and all major carriers in the United States. Pricing will vary considerably, depending on if you go with a contract, a payment plan, or buy it outright. For those simply interested in paying full retail price, you’re looking at around $599.99.
5. Colors
The HTC One M9 might not be available in the myriad of colors that you’ll find the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but you do have the choice between gunmetal gray and a silver that has a subtle hint of gold that helps it stand out a bit. Most carriers and retailers are offering both color choices, regardless of what country you are buying the One M9 — though there’s probably some exceptions to that rule.
6. Storage
While the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are breaking away from Samsung tradition and ditching microSD, the One M9 still keeps the expandable slot. This could be a big enough advantage to sway some of our readers over the One M9 and away from Samsung, especially if local storage is important to you. That said, unless you live in Taiwan, the only internal storage option you have is 32GB, though you can easily pair it with an 128GB microSD card.
7. Uh-Oh
For US HTC ONe M9 owners, HTC is offering its Uh-Oh program, a major upgrade to its existing Advantage warranty program. Customers who sign up for Uh-Oh will receive a free one-time replacement if their One M9 or One M8 suffers a broken screen or any water damage. The coverage lasts for 12 months from the purchase of a device, and all users are automatically signed up upon purchasing a device.
8. Ultrapixel camera moves to the front
Ultrapixels aren’t gone with the One M9, but they are moved to a new location. The Ultrapixel camera is now on the front, with the rear receiving a new 20.7MP shooter. While this should allow for a better camera experience than found with the M8, many reviews indicate that the One M9 photo-taking experience still is behind the curve due to post-processing and other camera software issues, and not the new sensor itself. For what it is worth, HTC has updated its camera software to help improve this situation, though most reviews say, even after the update, the camera experience could use a bit more fine tuning.
9. You won’t burst into flames
The HTC One M9 had some early reports claiming it gets super hot, due to the Snapdragon 810 processor. Since then, it’s been proven that this isn’t necessarily the case. Our own Josh Vergara indicated in his review that the phone gets a bit warm, but he wouldn’t go so far as to call it hot. In other words, if you are on the fence about buying the One M9 due to possibly overheating issues, you have nothing to worry about.
10. A beautiful design gets further refined
The One M9 is very similar in design to the One M8, but not indentical. The handset actually feels more like a merger between the One M7 and One M8, taking both phones best features and adding on a few extra coats of paint. Bottom-line, the One M9 is a beautiful phone, even if it’s design isn’t a massive departure from the One M8 and the M7 before it.
11. HTC themes make Sense UI more flexible than ever
If you enjoy theming, you’ll be happy to know that the improved Sense 7 software includes a very robust theming engine. The HTC Theme engine lets you quickly change the entire look and feel of your phone, with built-in themes, add-on themes, the ability to snap pic and use the colors for themes, and so much more.
HTC has really done a great job at making its software experience a bit more customizable.
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