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Cricket’s new multi-month plans offer big savings for prepaid fans
Pay-in-advance savings let you lock a deal for up to 12 months at a time
Prepaid phone plans offer the potential for savings and flexibility, making them a desirable alternative to traditional postpaid plans for a lot of smartphone users. But where's the in-between for people who both want to save money, and are OK with locking into a slightly longer-term contract? Cricket Wireless is introducing some new multi-month prepaid plan offerings that sound like they're just perfect for this specific nice.
Cricket starts winding down 3G network, presenting a big problem for BYOD customers
Unsupported devices won't be able to be activated starting next week
If you're still using an old, non-LTE-capable phone on Cricket, we have bad news: the company will be shutting down its 3G UMTS networks in February 2022. Additionally, customers will no longer be able to activate their unsupported devices on Cricket starting January 19th, which is only a few days away. Because of the way Cricket handles BYOD phones, this is a real problem.
Plenty of prepaid carriers in the United States already support 5G connectivity, like Metro by T-Mobile, US Mobile, and AT&T Prepaid, but the AT&T-owned Cricket Wireless hasn't made the leap yet. That's finally changing, as Cricket today announced that it is enabling 5G support on some of its plans.
Slowly but surely, HMD Global has been working to get its Nokia-branded Android phones into the stores of US carriers. The Nokia 3.1 Plus for Cricket was the first example, and now HMD is producing two new devices set for carrier sale — the Nokia 3.1 A for AT&T Prepaid, and the 3.1 C for Cricket Wireless.
Despite facing fierce competition, Duo managed to make a name for itself and even passed more than one billion downloads on the Play Store. A nice touch that makes the app fun to use is the special video effects it features during holidays such as Valentine's Day or Holi. Continuing with the tradition, Google wanted to celebrate the launch of the twelfth Cricket World Cup with a special message to supporters of the Indian national team. However, there seems to have been a targeting glitch, as people in many other countries are receiving it, despite having absolutely no ties to the country.
Nokia's nothing short of a legend when it comes to mobile phones, having been responsible for some of the most iconic handsets of all time. Over the years we've seen the brand change hands numerous times, reinventing itself and crossing platform lines in the process, but it's always been a survivor, managing to find its next niche. Most recently that's meant creating some no-nonsense, streamlined Android handsets under the direction of HMD Global. Now HMD is finally making inroads onto the US carrier marketplace, bringing Nokia handsets to both Cricket and Verizon. Today we're taking a look at what that Cricket option has to offer as we review the Nokia 3.1 Plus.
Smartphone shoppers have lots of choices out there, and the increased accessibility of unlocked devices has made it easier for users to select their handsets and carriers independently. But while it's possible for an informed consumer to take that route, there's no denying the one-stop appeal of showing up at your carrier store and going home with a new phone. Manufacturers like OnePlus are definitely enjoying the sales bump that carrier partnerships can offer, and now HMD is looking to get in on this action, too, as it announces the availability of Nokia smartphones at North American carriers.
If the Note9's steep starting price puts you off, but you want in on the Samsung life, Cricket has a deal that might interest you. The prepaid carrier is offering a Galaxy S9 for $500, but there are some caveats here, so let's address those.
Updates to the Play Games app aren't as free flowing as they are for many of Google's other apps, but they often do bring pretty big changes or additions. The latest version bump gives Play Games a huge visual makeover that looks cleaner and puts installed games front and center. There are also three included mini-games to play if you get bored and don't have something else installed yet.
You may not be aware, but ZTE is one of the largest smartphone makers in the US market. That's due in large part to devices like the newly announced Blade X Max; it's cheap and has reasonable specs for the price. This 6-inch phone drops tomorrow on Cricket for a mere $150.
Today is the big day for Samsung—the Galaxy S8 is officially launching after being leaked and speculated about for months. The Galaxy S8 and S8 plus are available at all major carriers and from various electronics retailers. They'll set you back a pretty penny, though.
If the onslaught of carrier unlimited data plans in the last few weeks hasn't worn you out yet, here's another one for you. Cricket Wireless, the AT&T MVNO, has just announced its new "unlimited" data plan. In fierce competition with the likes of MetroPCS, you can score this for $60 per month (with taxes and fees included). That doesn't sound bad at all.
Unlimited smartphone data is back! Roll out the barrels, re-download Netflix, and disable all those "Wi-Fi only" settings options, happy days are here again. But don't throw away your data meter just yet: the new batch of unlimited data plans from American carriers isn't what it used to be. A lack of limits now comes with an asterisk, like your favorite sports star "enhancing" his performance. So the question is no longer, "which mobile unlimited plan is the best?" Instead, it's "which carrier is going to put the least amount of petty restrictions on my so-called unlimited data?"
Every day we seem to be inundated with ads about who has the absolute cheapest data plan. Online, television, billboards, junk mail, even old-fashioned radio - it seems I can't go five minutes without each carrier telling me how much cheaper they are than everyone else, going so far as to hire old Verizon spokesmen and make dubious claims about reliability.
Cricket Wireless is one of many MVNOs in the United States, offering a variety of pre-paid wireless plans using AT&T's network. Back in October, the carrier began offering a temporary $50/month deal that covered 8GB of high-speed data. Not only is that promotion becoming permanent, but Cricket is changing some of its other plans to offer more data.
It's Cyber Monday, folks, and even the little prepaid carriers are getting in on the sales. For today and tomorrow only, customers either joining Cricket Wireless or adding another line to their current account can get a Samsung Galaxy S7 for $324.99, making the phone a whopping 50% off!
Cricket Wireless is one of many pre-paid wireless providers in the United States. Today the company announced that their $50/month plan, as part of a limited time promotion, now offers 8GB of data along with unlimited talk and text. Previously, the plan offered 5GB of data at the same rate.
There is no shortage of choice when you start thinking about following your favorite sports and teams on your phone. Google already has a pretty sweet set of cards in Google Now for a couple of sports, but there's also a lot of benefit in having a dedicated app that has specialized news and commentary, live scores, analysis, and more. ESPN is one of the most popular apps in that category — after all, that's the network's expertise and it's transmitted through the app.
Cricket. Cricket. That's the one like baseball, but with the flat bats and a circular field and a ton of players and black tea afterwards, right? I apologize - as an American it's hard for me to concentrate on sports that don't involve constant concussions and commercial breaks every two minutes. But I am reliably informed that Cricket is enjoyed in Britain and all the places that used to be Britain (except this one). For all of those people, the International Cricket Council has teamed up with the UK arm of Indian publisher Reliance Big Entertainment to offer an official World Cup fantasy app.
I'm an American, and all of the people I know who are into cricket are immigrants. I would let them tell you all about the sport, but they're not the ones writing for AP, so I'll do what I can.