MetroPCS Launches NYC, Boston, Manchester (NH) Markets

This forum post, which includes a press release, says it all. Looks like MetroPCS is putting their new 1700MHz spectrum to good use. It's certainly nice to see yet another carrier offerin gunlimited service in these areas...you've got Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile selling $100 nationwide service, Boost Mobile offering $50 iDEN-powered service and now MetroPCS offering their portfolio, in more places than ever. Plus you get roaming. Good deal? Yep.

MetroPCS Goes Melo

MetroPCS now has the Kyocera Melo S1300 on their site, available for $79. Spec-wise, nothing special. Just your typical long, wide, thin and light bar phone. You do get speakerphone and a decent-sized screen, with web access (1x, no EvDO...but MetroPCS doesn't have EvDO anyway), picture messaging and a fair amount of internal memory (29 MB to be exact). No Bluetooth or camera, though. Personally, I'd get the Nokia 1606 (available for the same price) or, if I wanted a bar phone, the Motorola VE240 ($20 more), but choice is always good, right?

MetroPCS Messager and MyShot Discounts

If you're planning on buying a MetroPCS phone before January 10th, take a serious look at the Samsung MyShot and/or the Messager. The reason: you get cash back for buying. If you buy one phone, you get a $25 Visa gift card back. Two or three phones net you a $50 gift card. Four phones get you a free fifth phone, after a mail-in rebate. The MyShot and Messager are higher on the price scale, at $139 and $199, respectively, however if you want to outfit a family with the phones, the end price of $111 or $159 sounds a bit more attractive...

MetroPCS Gets A Byline

PhoneScoop has caught wind of a Samsung announcement of a new phone for MetroPCS: the r310 Byline. The best way to describe this phone is as a ChatLink-enabled, dual-color-display clamshell version of the r210 Spex. As such, I'm guessing the price will be in the $100 range. So if you don't want a camera in your phone, but you do want a decent-quality flip, this phone is MetroPCS's answer to your desires.

UPDATE: As I predicted, the Byline is now available, at $99.

Latest Cricket & MetroPCS Deals

Looks like MetroPCS and CricKet have a few deals running right now:

CricKet:
$100 rebate w\Motorola Rokr z6m, final price is $129.99 if bought online

MetroPCS:
Samsung Spex for $49, in-store only
ZTE C79 purchases come with a free Jabra Bluetooth headset if you buy online

That appears to be all for now, hope this helps!

CricKet, MetroPCS Drop Phone Prices

As a quick rundown, Cricket now has two $29.99 phones, the EZ and the Motorola v265 refurb. MetroPCS has dropped the price on the Motorola v3s to $179, the z6m to $249, the Samsung Spex to $79 and maybe a few other phones by $10-$20 though I can't be sure which ones :/. Regardless, cheaper phones = good thing. Though I'd wait until tomorrow to buy; there might be some crazy sale or something, seeing as how it's the biggest shopping day of the year.

Motorola intros VE240, Hint QA30 Coming Soon

In an interesting turn of events, Cricket and MetroPCS have launched a Motorola phone, without a camera, with heavy-duty music playback abilities, at a very competitive price.

By heavy-duty music playback abilities I mean that the Motorola VE240 has dedicated music keyw...and a microSD slot. The descriptiion says that it only supports regular-capacity cards (up to 4GB, though 4GB regular cards are hard to come by), but I've seen a phone or two that has suppored MicroSDHC cards despite ostansibly lacking such support...so the VE240 may also exhibit such behavior. It even supports Stereo Bluetooth, so you can rock out without being tethered to this petite bar phone.

By "very competitive" I mean that this camera-less, small--screen handset is available for $99 on MetroPCS and $119 on Cricket...if you buy bricks-and-mortar. If you go online to grab the VE240, CricKet will let you have it for a clinically insane $49.99. Then again, CricKet tends to price their phones at a loss if they're trying to clear out old models...the dual-band EZ and Motorola v265 are both $30 phones if purchased online.

My verdict? Check this phone out if you don't mind not having a camera built in. If you were going to get a low-end cricKet or metroPCS phone, and were looking for a basic MP3 player, this is the model for you...

Also, it sounds as though the Motorola Hint, a squarish bar phone with a slide-out keyboard, may be coming to Cricket/MetroPCS soon as well...

CricKet Expands Coverage, Allows Unlimited Roaming, Slashes Phone Prices

First off, CricKet is now in Madison/Milwaukee, WI. Second, they're in the Savannah, GA area...sounds like the area they bought from Hargray awhile back.

The second development coverage-wise: they've contracted with a bevy of other unlimited carriers (MetroPCS...and apparently Pocket...included) to provide unlimited-use roaming coverage in a ton of markets. The usage is voice-only, and you can't buy a CricKet phone and activate it in one of the roaming areas, but it's a nice bonus for areas in whihc Cricket has less than stellar coverage (ahem, Fredericksburg, TX).

Note that CricKet's ew home area coverage is available for PayGO (overpriced prepaid) customers, but the extended-area unlimited coverage is not. 

Also note that MetroPCS did this earlier, and that one of CricKet's unlimited-minutes (no texting or data) roaming partners is in fact MetroPCS, thanks to the agreement they made recently.

If you're wondering about what the new roaming policies can do for you, check CricKet's new coverage maps out here. Hopefully i'll be able to post back with details on exactly who is provising CricKet with "PEC" (Premium extended Coverage), so you know exactly which fourteen coverage maps you should look at to get a better idea of where you'll be having service now.

UPDATE 1: I've narrowed down the unlimited provider in Kansas to NexTech Wireless. Also, I'm 99.9% sure that Pocket is a roaming partner. With metroPCS, we're up to three out of the fourteen roaming partners present and accounted for. If you have any ideas as to the other eleven, post a comment!

MetroPCS Revamps TravelTalk, Allows For Free CricKet Roaming

MetroPCS is putting their agreement with CricKet into effect...now. You still can't call MetroPCS's coverage monolithic by any stretch, but they now have "300 cities" covered either directly or via free roaming on CricKet's network. The downside: you need a $45 or $50 per month plan to take advantage of this additional roaming, and the only things you'll be able to do are talk and text...but they'll both be unlimited. Also, if you're in Texas, between MetroPCS and CricKet a large portion of the state is covered, albeit with a lot of AWS towers so make sure you have a newer, AWS-equipped phone or you won't get the best coverage.

Speaking of unlimited text, if you have unlimited text messaging on your metroPCS plan within their (and now CricKet's) coverage areas, ou can now send and receive an unlimited number of text messages, even while roaming, at no additional charge. Voice minutes are still either 49 or 79 cents each, however, and rome roaming carriers don't support text messaging, though that number is decreasing to near nil now.

The limited nature of the CricKet roaming agreement is disappointing, but unlimited voice and text in an expanded area, mated with unlimited text messaging practically everywhere, is a very, very nice upgrade for MetroPCS.

MetroPCS Intros Screen-It: Caller ID With Name

On cell phones, Caller ID shows the phone number on an incoming call. If a person is in your address book, you get their name. Otherwise, it's just a number.

Contrast this to landlines, which have included name information on caller ID for a long time now.

MetroPCS is bringing landline-style caller ID with name to your cell phone. Pretty darned cool. The price is reminiscent of landline providers' offerings as well: $2 extra on $35-$45 plans, free on the top-end $50 plan.

So if you miss having a person's name show up on caller ID, you can now get the feature on an unlimited cellular plan. Very cool, though the extra charge for the feature reminds me of AT&T, Verizon etc., not a good thing.

Nokia 1606 on CricKet, MetroPCS

What's tri-band, CDMA and thoroughly average for a basic phone in features but worth paying a premium for? The Nokia 1606 of course. Available now from MetroPCS and CricKet, the 1606 doesn't have any special features like Bluetooth or an MP3 player. It does have a web browser though, and everyone knows that Nokia builds solid phones. It also has an external caller ID screen, mounted vertically a la some of Kyocera's products...which, of course, is better than having no external display, or just a bunch of indicators like the UTStarCom 7126.

The price? $119 on MetroPCS, $129 with $20 off online for CricKet. Expensive for a basic phone on those carriers, but it's a hgh-quality basic phone, so it may well be worth buying.

MetroPCS Intros a ZTE Bar Phone

What's relatively thin, purple, $129 and new to MetroPCS? The ZTE C78 bar phone, of course. Yes, it's yet another phone from the Chinese company, but if you're buying on specs the phone's stereo Bluetooth with file transfer capability and ChatLINK pseudo-Push-To-Talk don't seem to disappoint. Until you find out that the phone looks like it doesn't include a memory card slot. Let's hope this description is a mistake on the part of MetroPCS's web team, but if it isn't, there is still 60MB of on-board memory to put your stuff. Still, with "real" music phones including 1GB or more of internal memory, or MicroSD expansion, 60MB is rather patheic. Then again, that's a decent amount for a phone that costs a mere $129 unsubsidized.

MetroPCS, CricKet Kiss, Make Up

Looks like Leap Wireless (aka CricKet) and MetroPCS have now put aside their litigious differences, and have agreed to swap spectrum and slash roaming fees. This is a nice development since, due to the nature of their customer base and plan structure, the two companies just can't get good roaming rates from the "big boys". Looks like the companies won't merge...yet...but they have realized that they're similar companies with similar phones, similar plans, similar services and generally non-overlapping coverage area, and have agreed to act as such. The spectrum swap (10 MHz) will include areas at and around San Diego\Fresno, Seattle, Washington\Oregon, DFW, Shreveport and Lakeland, FL. No idea of how much money changed hands, but no doubt it's good for the unlimited cellular space. Now the unlimited carriers are up to...oh...2000 levels for coverage, compared with the national carriers.

MetroPCS Updates and Giveaways

In the meanwhile, metroPCS is cooking up a thing or two...

First, they're giving away a $25 Shell gas card to anyone who buys a Samsung phone (including the MyShot and the new Messager) between the first and the 30th of this month. Or you might be one of the 48 people who gets a $2000 gas card ("one year's worth of gas") instead of a mere $25. Or, if you're really lucky, MetroPCS might give you a 2009 Toyota Yaris (but no gas; they figure it's fuel-efficient enough that you'll be happy with just the car). There's only one of the last price, but it sure is a nice prize.

Second, lately I've been putting in the zipcode of a normally-1900 MHz market and getting only 1700-MHz capable phones (34947...I have relatives there). This means one of two things: either MetroPCS is actively advancing their agenda of making all markets of theirs 1700-MHz capable on both a phone and service level in the near term (a good idea so all phones will have coverage network-wide), or they're running out of 1900 capacity in the market and have 1700 up to bleed off the overcapacity with these new phones. I'd tend to think it's the first of these two options; customers get confused when they see MetroPCS coverage on a map yet, after roaming not too far from home, find that their new non-AWS-capable phone won't work in the place they're going without charging a pretty penny for the service.

Third, on plans of $35 or more, calls to Puerto Rico are unlimited. Cool, though this doesn't apply to a ton of people.

Fourth, Loopt (the social network of sorts that's built around "where you at", first seen on Boost Mobile) is now available on MetroPCS. The coolest thing is that it's included on the $50 plan. Otherwise, it adds $4 to the $40 or $45 plans (hint: get the $50 plan if you want the $45 plan and Loopt). So you can now go Loopt-y with your friends on Sprint, Nextel, Boost Mobile and...with certain phones...Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The "select phones" requirement also applies on MetroPCS; as of yet, only the Motorola Razr v3a and v3s, the Rokr z6m, the Samsung u520 and the r430 (MyShot) are compatible. Nothing yet about the Messager.

MetroPCS Intros Messager, CricKet Expands v3s Availability

Looks like MetroPCS has intro'd a messaging conscious phone for their new 1700MHz network. The aptly named Samsung Messager looks reminiscent of the Kyocera M1000 "Lingo"\"Wild Card" but offers a LOT more feature-wise at a similar price ($200).

The keyboard slides out (I prefer slide-out to clamshell-style, plus it's cheaper to have one screen than two, leaving more money for the manufacturer to put other features in) and the phone itsself is packed with features. 1.3 megapixel camera? Check. MP3 player with stereo Bluetooth and a MicroSD card slot? Check. All your other communication features (SMS, MMS, IM, e-mail)? Check.

It's a pity this phone isn't on more carries than just MetroPCS; it's like the LG Rumor, but higher-end and made by Samsung, which in my opinion makes slightly better phones than the company whose acronym stands for "Lucky Goldstar" (how's that for seedy-sounding Asian merchandise?)

On the CricKet front, the Motorola Razr v3s is now available everywhere, at $180-$200 depending on where "everywhere" happens to be ($180 appears to be web-only). Again, the v3s is merely a "Razr Lite" v3a (basically the CDMA analog to the original Cingular Razr) with the addition of AWS-band cellular service capability (for use in newer CricKet markets) and with a different finish (spun-metal versus matte). This is a nice bit of news to be sure, but MetroPCS has had the v3s available for longer than CricKet has, and currently CricKet's AWS-capable handsst lineup trails MetroPCS's by a good bit. The funny thing is that, up until the introduction of service into Las Vegas, this wouldn't have mattered to either company as each serves different areas. But now, with overlapping wireless footprints, the heat is on.

Want MetroPCS with your phone? MetroFlash it!

Have a supported phone more on that later)? Only want to talk and text (most flashing services like this only allow those two things, though more stuff might work on certain phones)? Want to talk and text on MetroPCS? Then swing by a MetroFlash-enabled retailer and turn your CDMA phone (if it's one of the supported models) into a MetroPCS handset. The cost? $30, plus, it seems, your first month of service.

So what are the phone models? See below...though keep in mind that MetroFlash won't work for you if you're in a MetroPCS AWS-only area like Philadelphia or Las Vegas...

Audiovox (CDM-)
8450
8615
8900
8910
8912
8915
8920
8940

...whether the Virgin Mobile Snapper (8915) or Flasher (8912) handsets are included here I'm not sure, but I'd expect not...

Kyocera
K132
K24 v1003
K323
K342
K404
K433
K483JLC
K493
K612b
KE413
KE424c
KE433c
KX1
KX13
KX16
KX160B
KX18 5DW
KX18 5DO
KX414
KX44
KX444
KX5
KX9c
KX9d
KX9d 125
KX9e

LG
5000
AX 355
AX 490
AX 830
AX/LX/UX 260
AX/UX 145
AX/UX 380
AX/UX 390
DM L200
LX 150
LX 160
LX 350
LX 5450
LX 550
LX 565
LX/VI 125
MM 535
PM 225
PM 325
vx1000
vx10000 (enV series I think)
vx3200
vx3280 (Tracfone?)
vx3300
vx3400
vx3450
vx4400
vx4500
vx4700
vx5200
vx5300
vx5400
vx6000
vx6100
vx6200
vx7000
vx8300
vx8350
vx8500 (Chocolate)
vx8550 (newer Chocolate)
vx8700
vx8800
vx9100
vx9400
vx9800 (LG V)
vx990 (enV)
VX/AX 4270
VX/AX 8600
VX/LS 5500

Motorola
c290
e815
e816 (Amp'd Hollywood)
ic402c (Sprint\Nextel Blend)
ic502 (Sprint\Nextel Buzz)
K1m (KRZR)
L7c (SLVR)
v262
v265
v276
v323i
v325i (Verizon v323i)
v3a (RAZR Lite)
v3c (RAZR)
v3c-2 (RAZR ???)
v3m (newest CDMA Razr)
v710
v9m (Razr2)
Ve (Razr Max)
w315
w385
z6m (Rokr\Rizr)
z6tv

...if you're noticing a pattern here, looks like the vast majority of Verizon phones can be moved over...

Pantech
DM-P100 (Disney Mobile)
PN-210
PN-215
PN-218
PN-300
PN-810

Samsung
SCH-
a310
a475
a530
a595
a605
a610
a630
a645
a650
a655
a670
a685
a725
a790
a815
a850
a870
a890
a895
a915
a930
a950
a970
a990
n330
r200
r400
r410
r500
r510
r610
u340
u340-1 (???)
u470
u510
u540
u620
u740
SPH-
a420
a503
a505
a513
a523
a560
a580
a620
a640
a660
a680
a740
a760
a800
a820
a840
a880
a900
a920
a960
i830 (Palm OS!)
m300
m500
m510
m520
m520-1 (Qwest?)
m620

...looks like you can switch over a lot of Sprint Alltel and US Cellular handsets, too...pretty good selection...

Sanyo
Katana DLX
M1
MM 7200
MM 7300
MM 7400
MM 7500
PM 8200
S1
SCP 200
SCP 2300
SCP 3400
SCP 3100
SCP 3200
SCP 4500
SCP 4900
SCP 4920
SCP 4930
SCP 5300
SCP 5500
SCP 5600
SCP 6550
SCP 6600
SCP 6650
SCP 6650q (Qwest?)
SCP 7000
SCP 8100
SCP 8300
SCP 8400

UTStarCom
CDM 7025
CDM 7025q (Qwest?)

No PDAs except the Samsung i830 (?) and very few Audiovox\UTStarCom models. But if you have a mainstream "just-a-phone" you should be good to go to flash your handset to MetoPCS with MetroFLASH. Grr, I don't like lots of caps in product names...

MetroPCS hits Philadelphia

From Trenton to Newark, from Norristown to Williamsdown, a big blue blanket is sweeping the countryside. It's the AWS-powered unlimited service of MetroPCS, which plans to expand coverage a good bit along the southern highways and to the northeast...well, just check out MetroPCS' coverage map here.

If you're in the area, listen to your local radio station. Seems like MetroPCS is running ads, doing sponsorships or something to that effect with a few stations and sports teams in the area. There's also something in there about the Wachovia Complex...

If you're wondering about phone choice, it's getting better but still isn't as good as the nine-phone selection in more typical (850/1900 MHz) areas. Here are your choices:

$100 - Samsung Spex (Bluetooth bar) or UTStarCom 7126M (Bluetooth flip)
$110 - Huawei M328 (Flip with Bluetooth...maybe?)
$150 - Samsung MyShot (Bluetooth flip cameraphone)
$170 - ZTE C79 (1.3 megapixel music-enabled stereo Bluetooth flip)
$180 - Motorola v3s (Razr Lite, comes w\accessory pack)

For more info, swing by MetroPCS' website. The Philly splash is on their front page.

MetroPCS Intros Motorola v3s, Huawei M328, ZTE C79

The other carrier that's big in the news on the unlimited scene? MetroPCS; they've introduced a few phones, given people a way to bring their own phones to the MetroPCS party, and brought service to yet another area...

First, the new phones:

Huawei M328 - This $109 upgrade from the Huawei M318 is the second Huawei phone to hit the US market. It's the fourth consumer device total; Alltel has two Huawei data cards, and has had them for awhile. Anyhow, the M328 is nothing to write home about; its most notable feature is AWS spectrum compatibility (MetroPCS, like CricKet, has some of those airwaves). Next most notable is the possibility of having Bluetooth...it might or might not depending on where Google takes you. Details are sparse on MetroPCS's website at the moment, so you can't tell for sure.

Motorola Razr v3s - At $179 you'd think this is just a Motorola v3a "Razr Lite" with a spun-metal finish. You wouldn't be far from the truth, though this phone also sports AWS band compatibility. Keep in mind that the v3s is nothing special; there's no music player, no high-speed data and no megapixel-plus camera (it's just VGA...if you're thinking "original GSM Razr except for CDMA" you've got the picture) but at least there's a phone that might qualify as high-end on MetroPCS' AWS service. CricKet has the phone too, but only in AWS-only markets. In the meanwhile, MetroPCS is offering a free case and charger with purchase of the v3s, so you might want to buy now if you're into that sort of thing.

...but wait! One more phone is available only in AWS-only areas: the ZTE C79. At $169 the phone shows that Chinese manufacturers have one big advantage: they're cheap, and you can pass on the non-expense to customers. As far as phone features go, the C79 has plenty, ranging from a MicroSD-powered media player with Stereo Bluetooth to a 1.3 megapixel camera to a high-res 2" screen. No wait...the phone is out of stock...or, more likely, not quite in stock. But once the ZTE trucks roll in, MetroPCS should wind up with a full-featured multimedia AWS phone on their hands, which is a good thing for customers in such places as Vegas and Philly whose only choice for MetroPCS are AWS-capable handsets.

...but what about Philly and MetroPCS? See the next post...

MetroPCS Intros Kyocera S4000 Mako...CricKet to be next?

Take a Motorola Razr (you know, the original one, or maybe the relatively new v3a now being sold) or maybe the Original Sanyo Katana. Now change the styling to something more flat, add a little bit to its profile and stick the Kyocera name on it. You now have the Kyocera S4000 Mako. Introduced at CTIA 2008 (CTIA is short for "crazy huge electronics show" or something like that) this low-cost rather-thin no-frills handset is now available on MetroPCS for $139, and (if Kyocera's website is correct) will be on CricKet soon. Yaknow, people on unlimited service could stand for some better phones, but at $139 you can't complain too loudly.

MetroPCS Pledges to Expand AWS, CricKet and Pocket Discount Phones

First off, it looks like MetroPCS is going to expand its AWS service not only to areas where it can't get PCS spectrum, but also to places where it has current service. This has got to be for ramping up capacity, so MetroPCS can get even more customers in the areas it serves without running into the technical limits that a limited amount of wireless spectrum imposes. By the way, note to PhoneScoop: AWS-capable phones are tri-band (cellular/AWS/PCS), not dual-band.

Second, CricKet has discontinued rebates on its higher-end phones, but still has $50 mail-in rebates on their lowest-end, non-camera phones. This means you can get the Samsung Spex for a mere $49.99 after rebates (but before CricKet's $15 activation fee) and three phones (UTStarCom's 7026 and 7126, and Kyocera's K132) for $69.99 after the discounts.

Meanwhile, Pocket has put some of their phones on clearance and is offering rebates of varying sizes on newer ones. Nothing on the older Kyocera Strobe (aka Switch_Back) but the newer M1000 "Lingo" gets $30 off, for an ending price of $169 (plus tax on $199). The Kyocera K132 is $15 off, for an ending price of $65ish. The Kyocera K342 is still $99 after a $40 rebate.

By the way, the Motorola w385 that Pocket sells looks most like the Motorola w37o's and w375's on Tracfone of all of the various models that can be seen on the likes of Boost Mobile "UNLTD" and (formerly) MetroPCS. Interesting bit of trivia there...