The Samsung Galaxy S4  is landing in Verizon stores tomorrow for $199, but if you want to save $20 and avoid the lines, head on over to Amazon and purchase your device today.

[Via: Android Spin]

Full disclosure: I have Verizon and I’m (finally!) getting a 4G phone, so I’m very happy to hear this!

[Via: Droid Life]

The Hydro Xtrm sports a dual-core Snapdragon 1.2 GHz processor, a 5 Megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.3 Megapixel front-facing shooter. It also includes 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of internal storage, which is expandable to 32 GB via a microSD card. It also boasts Kyocera’s Smart Sonic Receiver technology, which boosts audio clarity and quality.

The Hydro Xtrm operates on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, and was surprisingly fast considering the mid-range spec sheet. The 4-inch IPS WVGA display is very sharp and clear, and showed no signs of lag or slowdown while navigating through the app drawer or home screen panels. The device felt comfortable to hold in the hand, and even though the device had some heft to it, it didn’t feel too heavy.

The Kyocera Hydro Xtrm is now available online for $29.99 after a mail-in rebate and a new two-year service agreement, and will be available in U.S. Cellular stores on May 24th.

With the Latino population growing faster than ever, it certainly doesn’t come as much of a surprise to see a partnership like this form. While we think it’s a smart partnership, this is hardly the announcement that we were expecting to see come from Verizon this CTIA. At best, we were hoping to see a Voice Over LTE announcement or something to that extent and what we got was quite different.

Verizon devices will exclusively be offered by Viva Movil, but the retail locations have J-Lo all over them. J-Lo has helped to pick store layouts, locations, fonts, and a line of fashionable phone accessories. Stores are also said to have play areas for children, inviting customers to bring family and friends.

The first Viva Movil location will open on June 15th in New York, with 15 stores to open by the end of 2013 in Los Angeles, Miami, and more.

For more information about Viva Movil, be sure to check out the official website right here!

Matt Stoiber, senior vice president of devices for Cricket, had this to say about the impact the Galaxy S 4 will have on Cricket’s customers:

“The Galaxy S4 redefines the smartphone and we are very proud to offer our customers the highest level of wireless technology on the market.” He continued by adding that “Cricket’s three smartphone rate plans start as low as $45 per month1 and give customers value-packed choices for the plan that’s right for them with unlimited music included.”

Unfortunately, in order for this deal to be worthwhile, potential customers will have to be eligible to get in on the extremely low down payment price. More importantly, customers will have to live in one of Cricket’s LTE coverage areas — which is a small list of locations.

[via engadget]

• Novatel Wireless MiFi 500 LTE – offers sleek and compact styling, and the ability to connect up to 10 devices with the same 3G or 4G LTE connection. It comes with a 1,800mAh battery with an average of up to 10 hours of use on a single charge; as well as GPS functionality over Wi-Fi, multiple security protocols and other advanced features required by many corporate customers.
• NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot – Sprint’s first CDMA/LTE mobile hotspot to boast international roaming capabilities via GSM, and also the first LCD touchscreen hotspot in Sprint’s portfolio. It has a 2,500mAh battery (good for up to 10 hours of operation) and the ability to connect up to 10 users on Wi-Fi capable devices.
• NETGEAR 341U USB Modem – with a built-in LCD screen display to monitor connection status, signal strength and data usage with a quick glance.

In addition, Sprint also said that smartphones from Samsung and LG with tri-band capability are expected to be available before the end of the year.

[Image from Engadget]

It’s still unclear how much the Galaxy S III will cost sans any long-term commitments, with Sprint wowing to release pricing information at a later date. We do, however, know that interested users will be able to get it in June with Boost Mobile’s no-contract $55 Android Monthly Unlimited plan with Shrinking Payments; or Virgin’s Beyond Talk monthly no contract plans which offer unlimited data and messaging starting at $35 per month.

Those who grab the Galaxy S III from either Virgin or Boost will be able to use it on 4G network in 88 markets to get the “real” (as in – fast) experience.

As part of its preparations, China Mobile has built 1,000 base stations, 700 outdoors and 300 indoors, to cover the Inner Ring region. The whole city will get the coverage by the end of this year.

Initially, the carrier will be offering handsets and modems from Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell and Datang Mobile, with the likes of Samsung joining the party later in the year.

China Mobile looks to have 200,000 base stations installed, covering 500 million people across 100 cities.

As usual, we can’t but be impressed with China Mobile’s figures…

It’ll be interesting to see how things change next year, especially given how T-Mobile just recently changed its whole strategy becoming the “UNcarrier.”

Are you satisfied with your wireless provider?

[via bgr]

The specs of the device are not super impressive by today’s standards, but are functional nonetheless. The Kyocera Hydro Edge packs a dual-core 1 GHz processor, a 5 MP rear facing camera, 4-inch WVGA display and tempered glass. The device also touts Kyocera’s Smart Sonic Receiver, which utilizes bone conduction technology to transmit sound in the noisiest of environments.

Even with the mid-range spec sheet, the Hydro Edge was snappy and responsive, and it’s rubberized back was non-obtrusive and felt comfortable to hold in the hand. I wasn’t able to connect the device to Wi-Fi however, but scrolling through the homescreen and opening apps showed no signs of lag. It’s a snappy little device for sure, and will be great for those who are often in extreme conditions, or have little ones running around anxious to play Angry Birds.

The Kyocera Hydro Edge will be launching on Boost Mobile and Sprint this summer. Pricing was not available, but will be aimed at the lower echelon for certain. If you’re looking for a rugged device at an affordable price point, this could be the smartphone for you.

While the device is has a nice aluminum body, don’t think it to be a weighty piece of kit. It’s rather lights, and it’s 4.5 inch PureMotion HD+ fits in the hand very nicely. The rounded edges surrounding the device also help this great in-hand feel. While the pack plate of the Lumia 925 is polycarbonate, it’s certainly “metal enough” to get the quality feel we’ve come to expect. This isn’t a HTC One, of course, but no phone can really compare to it in the in-hand feel department.

The sides of the 925 are simple, leaving the most important bits. You’ll find the volume rocker, power/lock button, as well as the dedicated camera button on the right side, leaving the left panel of the device clean. Nokia also felt the need to cram the micro SIM card slot, Micro USB port, and 3.5mm headphone jack at the top of the handset, leaving the bottom of the device clean as well.

The back of the 925 is a feast for the geeky eyes. Living within the polycarbonate backing is a large speaker grill, as well as the 8.7MP PureView camera, and the Nokia logo in between the two.

Windows Phone has seen some great handset designs from Nokia and HTC, but the Lumia 925 takes the great design we’ve seen from previous handsets and gives it a great build quality to match the beautiful design.

It’s going to be a tough call between the Lumia 925 and 928 if you’re looking for the next greatest Nokia Windows Phone handset. Still, while the very-plastic 928 has its advantages, it certainly feels nowhere near as great in the hand as the beautifully designed and crafted Lumia 925.

Check out the gallery below!