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Showing posts with label Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

T-Mobile's LTE network expanding faster than planned, now covers 116 metro areas


When T-Mobile threw the switch on its first LTE markets back in March, the company promised to cover 100 million people by mid year. Four months on, there are 157 million potential customers with access to the un-carrier's still fledgling 4G LTE network. With true 4G now launched in 116 metro areas the expansion is actually ahead of schedule, and could match its HSPA+ footprint within a year. By the end of 2013, Big Magenta plans to cover 200 markets, encompassing 200 million people -- which actually seems quite conservative seeing how quickly the network has expanded so far. In fact, the speedy deployment kinda puts AT&T and Sprint to shame. T-Mo might have waited the longest to get on the LTE train, but it's hasn't wasted any time getting those blazing speeds to its loyal customers.
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T-Mobile Announces Boldest Moves Yet as America's Un-carrier
- Unveils JUMP!(TM) - a groundbreaking approach to more frequent phone upgrades
- Rapidly expands 4G LTE network to cover 157 million people in 116 metro areas
- Launches four-line family plan for $100 per month
NEW YORK - July 10, 2013 - T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) isn't resting after turning the industry upside down with its "Un-carrier" approach to wireless earlier this year. It's picking up the pace and continuing to revolutionize wireless for consumers.
At an event in New York today, America's Un-carrier announced a groundbreaking new program, JUMP!(TM), which enables people to upgrade their phones when they want, up to twice a year as soon as six months from enrollment.
"At some point, big wireless companies made a decision for you that you should have to wait two years to get a new phone for a fair price. That's 730 days of waiting. 730 days of watching new phones come out that you can't have. Or having to live with a cracked screen or an outdated camera," said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile US. "We say two years is just too long to wait. Today, we're changing all that with the launch of JUMP! Now, customers never have to worry about being stuck with the wrong phone. And, yes - it's really as good as it sounds."
In addition to JUMP!, T-Mobile today announced a major expansion of its 4G LTE network to reach 157 million people in 116 metro areas across the United States. The company also unveiled a program enabling families to get four phone lines with unlimited talk, text and Web and up to 500MB of high-speed data for only $100 per month - with no credit check or annual service contract required.
Today's news builds on months of momentum since T-Mobile announced a series of bold moves in March. The announcements included dramatically simplifying its lineup of consumer rate plans to one affordable plan for unlimited talk, text and Web on a nationwide network; eliminating the need for consumers to sign annual service contracts; and enabling customers to get popular smartphones whenever they want for amazingly low upfront pricing.
Since then, market data indicates the company has nearly tripled its flow of postpaid net-new customers from AT&T and shows T-Mobile gaining more net-new customers in May than each of the other major wireless carriers in New York; Los Angeles; Houston; the San Francisco Bay Area; Miami; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.
An Easy "JUMP" to Phone Upgrades
JUMP! from T-Mobile is designed to provide customers with total protection for one of their prized possessions: their smartphones. It offers the freedom to upgrade to a new device more affordably and protects against malfunction, damage, loss or theft - all for just $10 per month, per phone (plus taxes and fees). That's just $2 more than most customers have been paying for handset protection alone.
Beginning Sunday, July 14, customers can choose to upgrade when they want, not when they're told with JUMP! Here's how it works: Customers can upgrade to a new phone, financed through T-Mobile's Equipment Installment Program (EIP), twice every 12 months after they've been in the JUMP! program for six months. Simply trade in an eligible T-Mobile phone in good working condition at a participating store location. Any remaining EIP payments will be eliminated, and current customers can purchase new phones for the same upfront pricing as new customers, with device financing and Simple Choice Plan, a no-annual-service contract. With JUMP!, current customers never pay more for their new phones than new customers.1
T-Mobile's 4G LTE Network Rapidly Expanding
Having a great device means little without a fantastic network supporting it, so T-Mobile is also moving at incredible speed to make its already lightning-fast network even better and faster for customers.
Today, T-Mobile announced that its 4G LTE network now reaches 157 million people across the United States - far exceeding the company's stated midyear goal of reaching 100 million people - and is live in 116 metropolitan areas.
Major metropolitan areas where T-Mobile's 4G LTE network service has launched include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, Miami, and many others. The company debuted 4G LTE less than four months ago.
T-Mobile remains on target to deliver nationwide 4G LTE network coverage by the end of the year, reaching 200 million people in more than 200 metropolitan areas.
In addition, T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network service is available to 228 million people nationwide. By combining 4G HSPA+ and LTE network technologies, T-Mobile can provide customers with a strong, seamless nationwide 4G network experience.
Launching Breakthrough Family Option with No Credit Checks
T-Mobile today is also extending its Un-carrier strategy to families by addressing a huge customer headache: being denied premium family-plan rates because of less-than-premium credit.
Beginning July 14, families can get four Simple Choice Plan lines with unlimited talk, text and Web and up to 500MB of high-speed data for only $100 per month (plus taxes and fees) - no credit check and no annual service contract required.
An average of one in three consumers who apply for wireless service do not have strong enough credit to qualify for the best wireless rates, according to industry data. Other customers prefer to avoid the hassle of a credit check. As a result, these customers may forego service from a top provider or purchase several prepaid lines.
But with T-Mobile, all families can now access a great multi-line deal with no credit check. Simply put down a deposit (roughly equivalent to one month's bill) to get the same incredible multi-line rates and network experience as other customers.
The Simple Choice Plan has been wildly popular with families since its introduction in March. About 80 percent of customers who have signed up for the plan have opted for multiple lines.
Continues to Expand 4G LTE Device Lineup
T-Mobile also is quickly growing its premium lineup of 4G LTE-capable devices. Today, the company announced pricing and availability for three new devices, bringing its portfolio to nine 4G LTE-capable smartphones. The new devices include the following:
Xperia® Z from Sony. T-Mobile will be the exclusive U.S. wireless company to offer Sony's flagship water-resistant Android(TM)-powered smartphone to customers this summer.2 The Xperia Z will be available for $99.99 down, with 24 equal monthly device payments of $20 for well-qualified buyers for 0 percent APR on approved credit3 through T-Mobile retail stores and select retailers, as well as online at http://www.T-Mobile.com starting July 17. On July 16, customers can also pre-order the device online from the same website and receive a free Sony Wireless Bluetooth Speaker gift with purchase (while supplies last). Customers may also purchase the device beginning today at any of the 38 U.S. Sony Store locations, including the flagship store in New York, or online at www.Sony.com/xperiaz/tmobile and will be eligible to receive the free Sony speaker as a gift with purchase (while supplies last).
Nokia Lumia 925. Also starting July 17, T-Mobile's first 4G LTE Windows Phone will be available for $49.99 down with 24 equal monthly device payments of $20 for well-qualified buyers for 0 percent APR on approved credit3 through T-Mobile retail stores and select retailers, as well as online at http://www.T-Mobile.com.
Samsung Galaxy Tab(TM) 2 10.1. T-Mobile will provide current Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 users with an over-the-air software update that will enable customers to take advantage of T-Mobile's 4G LTE network in the coming weeks. Well-qualified customers may also purchase the device with the 4G LTE capability for $99.99 down with 24 equal monthly device payments of $15 for 0 percent APR on approved credit3 through T-Mobile retail stores and select retailers, as well as online at http://www.T-Mobile.com today.
JUMP! may not be available in all locations. See your sales associate at participating T-Mobile retail stores, or go to http://www.T-Mobile.com for details.
For more information, fact sheets, artwork and other collateral materials, see http://multimediacapsule.thomsonone.com/t-mobileusa/t-mobile's-un-carrier-2-0-event.
1 Device pricing may vary based on approved credit.
2 As of Feb. 4, 2013, outside of Japan there are no smartphones with a waterproof rating higher than the Sony Xperia Z/ZL. For more information on Strategy Analytics results, go to http//:www.sonymobile.com/testresults.
3 If you cancel wireless service, remaining balance on phone becomes due. Not available in Washington, D.C.
About T-Mobile US, Inc.:
As America's Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: "TMUS") is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. The company's advanced nationwide 4G and 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences for customers who are unwilling to compromise on quality and value. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile US operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile and MetroPCS. It currently serves approximately 43 million wireless subscribers and provides products and services through 70,000 points of distribution. For more information, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.
Forward-Looking Statement:
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about T-Mobile US, Inc.'s strategy, expected network modernization and other advancements, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "anticipate," "expect," "suggests," "plan," "believe," "intend," "estimates," "targets," "views," "may," "will," "forecast," and other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, are based on current assumptions and expectations, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could affect future results and cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: our ability to compete in the highly competitive U.S. wireless telecommunications industry; adverse conditions in the U.S. and international economies and markets; our significant capital commitments and the capital expenditures required to effect our business plan; our ability to adapt to future changes in technology, enhance existing offerings, and introduce new offerings to address customers' changing demands; changes in legal and regulatory requirements, including any change or increase in restrictions on our ability to operate our network; our ability to successfully maintain and improve our network, and the possibility of incurring additional costs in doing so; major equipment failures; severe weather conditions or other force majeure events; and other risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 8, 2013. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

T-Mobile introduces Simple Choice family plans with no credit check required


As part of T-Mobile's "Boldest Moves Yet" smorgasbord of service changes announced today, the carrier is introducing a family option that doesn't require a credit check. The new plan, which kicks in beginning July 14th, enables families to activate up to four Simple Choice Plan lines with unlimited talk, texting and up to 500MB of data for $100 per month plus taxes and fees. In lieu of the traditional credit check, individuals who want to take advantage of this option can make a deposit equivalent to one month's bill. Otherwise, the available offering is similar to the Simple Choice plan that T-Mobile detailed in March.

Xperia Z for T-Mobile available from Sony today, T-Mobile on July 17th

Sony Xperia Z reaches T-Mobile July 17th for $100 down, $580 up front
T-Mobile teased last month that it would bring an LTE version of the Sony Xperia Z to the US, and it's following through on its promise. The glass-backed flagship is on sale now at Sony's online and retail stores for $25 a month on an installment plan or $580 outright. As rumored, the phone reaches T-Mobile's stores on July 17th; wait until then and you can either pay the full $580 price or put $100 down for the installment option. While you'll want to read our review of the Xperia Z on T-Mobile before you fork over any cash, you'll get to pick up the device very soon if you like what you see.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Sony Xperia Z Ultra hands-on redux: benchmark and camera preview


Sony Xperia Z Ultra handson redux previewing its camera and benchmark performance
You may have already read our Sony Xperia Z Ultra hands-on last week, but since then we've also been able to spend a tiny bit more time with a pre-production unit (with firmware build 14.1.B.1.277). Instead of going over again how hilariously large this 6.4-inch, pen-friendly phone is, this time we'll focus on some early benchmark results, camera performance and Sony's very own UX features.
As you'll see after the break, many of the benchmark scores aren't too far off from what we saw on the MDP phone with the same Snapdragon 800 SoC, and the final units should be optimized with higher numbers. While we didn't manage to get CF-Bench and Quadrant running on the phone, the higher-than-before 3DMark score did cheer us up, meaning either Sony or Qualcomm's managed to fine tune the latter's new Adreno 330 GPU.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Check out this epic 16-minute Sony Xperia Z Ultra hands-on video

The Xperia Z Ultra was announced yesterday and we were quick on our feet on giving you an extensive hands-on of Sony’s phablet. However, we simply didn’t have the time to film the smartphone on camera as extensively as we’d liked. Luckily, Lutz Herkner of Mobilewatch managed to get a prototype of the device and give it a thorough hands-on treatment.

Covering all the basics, Herkner goes through all the major features and gives valuable insight on each of them. There’s even a detailed screen comparison between the Xperia Z Ultra’s 6.4″ 1080p TFT Triluminos display and Xperia Z’s 5″ 1080p TFT display.
Additionally, the Xperia Z Ultra is compared with another phablet in the face of the Huawei Mate. Sadly, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 couldn’t make it, but the Huawei phablet still serves as good reference. Check out the 16:00-minute video to get your Xperia Z Ultra fix.

Sony Developer World videos showcase the specs of the Xperia Z Ultra and SmartWatch 2

We already saw a few promo videos for Sony’s new Xperia Z Ultra and SmartWatch 2, but the Sony Developer World also released videos. They are aimed at devs, which is good since they focus more on describing the features than on getting you to buy one.

The videos don’t really give out new information, but offer a good summary of the specs and clarify some things that weren’t 100% clear yesterday.
The first video is for the Sony Xperia Z Ultra phablet, presented by Marcus Hansson, Community Manager. It hits on the highlight features of the Xperia Z Ultra – a 6.4″ 1080p TFT Triluminos display with X-Reality engine along with the capability to use a pen or pencil as a stylus, a Snapdragon 800 chipset, thin and waterproof design and an 8MP Exmor-RS sensor.



Next up is the Sony SmartWatch 2. It uses NFC for one-touch pairing with your phone, features a bigger, higher-res display than its predecessors and is water-resistant (that was a bit unclear yesterday). It shows notifications from your phone, lets you control apps and music playback and supports third-party apps.
Sony will release an update to the Add-on SDK soon, so current apps for the SmartWatch are not compatible at the moment, but devs will have time to update them to support the SmartWatch 2 by the time it launches in September.




The LCD display is 1.6″ big with 220 x 176 resolution and features a transflective mode, which should enable good sunlight legibility. The battery life of 3-4 days (moderate usage, 1 week light usage) is measured with the watch always on.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

First Sony Xperia Z Ultra AnTuTu benchmark surfaces

A screencap showing off an AnTuTu benchmark score of what is allegedly the just-announced Sony Xperia Z Ultra has surfaced.

We haven’t seen the Snapdragon 800 chipset and the insane clock speeds of its Krait 400 cores before, but as expected it was easily able to top spot the AnTuTu charts. Here, it outperforms even the alleged Samsung Galaxy S4 Advanced (under its codenamed SHV-E330S.)
Here, we have the results alongside with AnTuTu benchmarks we’ve made in our own tests. If these numbers turn out to be the real deal, they’re impressive results to say the least.

AnTuTu

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  • Sony Xperia Z Ultra (alleged) 34758
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 Advanced (alleged) 31491
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa) 26275
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 (S600) 24716
  • HTC One 22678
  • Sony Xperia Z 20794
  • Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 13621
The device is listed by its codename, the C6802, and while no screen resolution is listed, it is clocked in at 2150 MHz, which is the Xperia Z Ultra’s clock speed. Naturally, neither the Xperia Z Ultra, nor the LTE-Advanced Galaxy S4 are running finalized versions of their respective software packages at this point, so the final results might be slightly different, but it’s absolutely guaranteed that they will be impressive.

Sony shows off Xperia Z Ultra TRILUMINOUS and X-Reality Display tech on video

The just-announced Sony Xperia Z Ultra offers a massive 6.4″ screen of 1080p resolution. Besides being ultra crisp, the display features some advanced display technologies that it borrows from Sony Bravia HDTVs and the company provided a short video to demonstrate their benefits.

The TRILUMINOUS technology enables richer colors thanks to a wider palette of available colors, while the X-Reality engine enhances contrast, saturation, and sharpness and reduces noise.
Sony has released a brief video showcasing both features:

Let’s hope that these technologies are as good in practice as they are on paper – Sony mobile displays are notorious for their poor viewing angles, but hopefully, the Xperia Z Ultra will put an end to that unfortunate tradition.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra promo video is live, check it out

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra was officially launched just moments ago and Sony, as is its tradition, has promptly posted its first promo videos on YouTube.

The Big Screen, Big Entertainment video is Sony’s roundup of the Xperia Z Ultra’s mouth-watering features. The X Reality display for richer colors and great sharpness, the water-resistance and its uses (naturally there’s a pool involved), Sony has even got a smart cover-type accessory in the video. Check it out after the break.
Here goes the video itself – it’s almost 2 minutes but worth it.
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra features a 6.4″ X Reality display of 1080p resolution resulting in around 344 pixels per inch and is the first official device to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 chipset. That kind of specs certainly make the first Sony phablet one of the devices to keep an eye on in the second half of the year.