Cricket

After a year and a half of offering an unlimited smartphone rate with a built-in music download feature, Cricket Wireless will make its Muve Music plan standard on all Android phones, beginning September 2.

This is excellent news if you're a fan of the music rate, which wraps music software for downloading songs and ringtones into the monthly package alongside text, talk, and Web use.

In the year and a half since the plan launched in January 2011, a growing number of Android phones has featured the plan, then a $65 premium on no-contract handsets like the Samsung Vitality … Read more

Leaked price plans for RadioShack's rumored foray into no contract wireless plans show smartphone plans starting at $50 for 3G service, Engaget posted today.

The gadget-focused blog posted rumors last week that RadioShack was getting into the no contract business with Cricket providing the service.

Cricket offers similar no-contract service at other retailers, but according to the previously leaked memo, RadioShack's service will offer "an exclusive 8GB SD memory card with all Muve Music phones."

Today's leak highlights several price plans. Smartphone plans come with unlimited voice, messaging, and the Muve Music downloads. $50 a … Read more

RadioShack may be doubling down on the wireless game.

An alleged internal memo has started floating around the Web indicating that RadioShack will launch a No Contract Wireless service on September 5. According to Engadget, which obtained the alleged memo and posted an image of it, the service will be powered by Cricket, a wireless provider offering no-contract service.

Cricket offers similar no-contract service at other retailers. According to the leaked memo, RadioShack's service will be differentiated by the company offering "an exclusive 8GB SD memory card with all Muve Music phones."

RadioShack currently sells smartphones in … Read more

As expected Cricket Wireless added another Android device to its lineup this week with the Gingerbread-powered Huawei Ascend Q. Listed with a fairly reasonable and contract-free $139.99 price tag, the handset should appeal to consumers looking for their first smartphone.

Hardware for the Ascend Q includes an 800MHz processor, a bar QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2-inch display, and 3.2-megapixel camera. It's not top-of-the-line stuff, mind you, but it's more than what the target demographic is familiar with. Additional details include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G connectivity, a 1,500mAh battery, and a 4GB microSD card with support … Read more

Cricket said there was a bit of buzz around its start of iPhone 4S sales today, with some customers lining up to buy before stores opened.

The wireless service is the first to offer a prepaid, no-contract iPhone, an expensive and unique device for the prepaid market.

The 16GB iPhone 4S costs $499.99, while the 8GB iPhone 4 costs $399.99. The phone comes with a $55 no-contract plan that includes unlimited calling and text messages. The plan also includes 2.3GB of data, after which the carrier will slow the connection down.

A Cricket representative said the phone … Read more

Cricket Wireless is expected to soon carry another Android-powered Huawei handset, or says a source close to PhoneArena. Featuring a portrait QWERTY keyboard below a 3.2-inch display, the smartphone will run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The full details remain unclear, but an official user manual found online advises there is a rear camera and microSD expansion. Called the Ascend Q, the handset has already been spotted in the real world and may be announced in the short term.

Cricket currently offers a couple of Huawei models (Ascend II, Mercury) in select markets but it's still difficult to … Read more

Spotify may be all the rage with the hipster set but many postpaid customers on Cricket already enjoy the carrier's Muve music service. Now retailer Kmart plans to offer Muve along with other Cricket products and handsets in its stores. … Read more

The iPhone is hitting the prepaid market in a big way with Cricket and Virgin Mobile offering Apple's marquee device. But can anyone afford it?

The key dilemma for a prepaid iPhone is exactly what makes the market so strong: the lack of a service contract. Consumers love the ability to jump in and out of a service, but that freedom comes at a price in the form of a higher upfront cost for the phone.

For the iPhone, that's a particularly tough pill to swallow. Cricket, owned by Leap Wireless, is charging $500 and $400 for the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, … Read more

Virgin Mobile will be the next prepaid service to get the iPhone, Sprint Nextel confirmed today.

Virgin Mobile follows Leap Wireless, which last week said it was getting the iPhone for its Cricket prepaid service. Like Cricket, the Virgin Mobile version of the iPhone won't be cheap; the 16-gigabyte iPhone 4S will cost $649, while the 8GB iPhone 4 will cost $549.

The appeal of a prepaid iPhone is the lack of a contract and lower monthly plan. Virgin Mobile will offer a $30 plan with 300 voice minutes, a $40 plan with 1,200 minutes, and a $50 … Read more