boost

Sprint subsidiaries Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile finally joined the LTE wave today by acquiring their first devices compatible with Sprint's growing network. Though both carriers carry WiMax handsets, Sprint began phasing out that network in favor of LTE last year.

Virgin's Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE is another member of the company's ever-expanding Galaxy family. Its feature set shows that Virgin continues to up the ante on its smartphone lineup.

Running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, it has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Off all the things Eton showed off today at CES 2013, I am most impressed with the BoostSolar charger. It seems to be something that comes in handy when I go on a picnic or do anything under the sun, literally.

The BoostSolar is basically a solar charger on one side and a battery bay on the other side. It comes with one removable 4,000mAh lithium battery. The device's 5-inch solar panel can charge the battery in 10 hours. The battery itself then has enough juice to charge an iPhone twice from empty to full.

The cool … Read more

It's frustrating when you share the Internet between multiple devices and some of them hog all the bandwidth, leaving the rest crawling. Qualcomm has something that could potentially ease this pain.

The mobile chipmaker today introduced its StreamBoost technology, which is designed to "optimize performance and capacity of home networks" by enabling the home router to intelligently manage the broadband connection. Qualcomm says the new technology allots to each connected device and each application the bandwidth it needs, and no more, to ensure the best possible experience on all connected devices.

It's important to note that … Read more

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford will unveil its 2013 Fiesta model, currently its smallest car. And along with its standard 1.6-liter engine, Ford will also be showing its smallest engine, the 1-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost, a new option for the Fiesta model.

Three-cylinder engines are rare in the U.S., only used in the current Smart car or the odd past Asian import. In those applications, they have not garnered a really good reputation. But Ford's little mill may change all that.

Taking advantage of efficiency and power technologies, the 1-liter Ford engine produces 123 horsepower and … Read more

Top carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are losing sales of prepaid smartphones to the likes of Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and MetroPCS, according to an NPD report out today.

Third-quarter prepaid smartphone sales for the smaller carriers rose 23 percent over the prior quarter. But sales among the tier-one carriers dropped by 12 percent over the same period. Why? The smaller players won over customers by offering lower prices and a larger selection of prepaid phones, NPD said.

In the third quarter, 70 percent of smartphone buyers who bought their phones through a prepaid carrier had … Read more

Two years is a long time. In that amount of time you can finish a master's degree or, uh...raise a baby into a 2-year-old child. OK, that latter example wasn't the most illustrative, but what I'm trying to say is that for some mobile phone users out there, two years is too long to be locked down in a carrier agreement. That's why I've gathered a few top-notch, recently released phones on prepaid carriers that are ideal for those who want to be contract-free.

Samsung Galaxy Reverb (Virgin Mobile), September 2012 Though it doesn'… Read more

Boost announced today that it has begun offering the LG Venice, a variant of the LG Optimus L7 and U.S. Cellular's LG Splendor, for $219.99.

The handset has a 4.3-inch screen and runs on the Android 4.0 platform.

Its 5-megapixel rear-facing camera is capable of shooting 720p HD video and comes with an LED flash. A VGA front-facing camera is also included.

As a Boost device, users will get access to Boost Mobile ID, which allows users to customize their phones with preselected apps and widgets, depending on what ID package they choose.

The Venice … Read more

Boost Mobile brings another Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich device under its belt with the ZTE Warp Sequent.

Sporting a 4.3-inch qHD touch screen and a 1.4GHz processor, the Sequent is a midrandge device that's ideal for commitment-phobes wary of carrier contracts.

It's also equipped with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and Bluetooth 4.0.

Powering this handset is a 1,650mAh battery, which roughly translates to 8 hours of reported talk time.

You can purchase this 3G device from Boost for $200.

Boosted Boards is promoting its electric-powered skateboard as the world's lightest electric vehicle. The Kickstarter project packs 2.6 horsepower onto a 12-pound longboard.

The skateboard is powered by lithium batteries, giving the rider up to 6 miles of range. It takes two hours to fully recharge the batteries and manages a top speed of 20mph. Regenerative braking helps the battery along when you're riding.

The skateboard works with a handheld remote control with a throttle, brake, and battery gauge. The remote is designed to tuck a finger through so you can hang onto it even while doing ollies.… Read more