June 16 - 4:40pm EDT   Wireless provider Cricket on Tuesday announced it is now offering the Samsung MyShot II SCH-r460 handset. The flip phone is a replacement for the current MyShot and sports MP3 music playback capabilities, a microSD memory card slot, stereo Bluetooth, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. It will be the first Cricket phone to offer MyHomeScreen, which lets users customize their home screen with their choice of widgets to quickly access account information, Internet websites or social networking services. [full story]

June 16 - 2:00pm EDT   A US Senate committee today has started taking testimony today from representatives of major carriers over concerns of climbing text messaging rates. The questioning of AT&T, Cricket and Verizon officials follows recent concerns raised by Senator Herb Kohl that the carriers may be colluding on price hikes for SMS even though the actual cost of delivering each message remains the same or is decreasing due to economies of scale. Most major cellphone services have often increased their rates within short succession of each other and rarely if ever drop prices. [full story]

May 22 - 2:20pm EDT   Cricket gained one of its highest-end phones yet today with the addition of the Motorola QA4 Evoke to its roster. It becomes the unlimited-only carrier's first capacitive touchscreen phone and, like the stock model, has a gesture-driven interface that lets users swipe between home screens that control apps, calling, music and other features. A 2-megapixel camera, GPS and a microSDHC slot round out the device. [full story]

March 19 - 9:10am EDT   Cricket today claimed a US first by adding the Nokia 3606 to its stable. The phone has the same "seamless" clamshell design as some more recent flip phones and is distinctly music focused with external, touch-sensitive music controls, the requisite media player, and a microSDHC slot that supports cards up to 8GB. It also has a 1.3-megapixel camera and Bluetooth with stereo audio support. [full story]

March 5 - 4:30pm EST   Wireless provider Cricket on Thursday announced that the Samsung SCH-r211 handset is now shipping. The candybar is a basic phone with support for the carrier's Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) network, with mobile web access and support for downloadable content such as ringtones, wallpapers and access to Cricket Games and Apps. The phone is also capable of sending and receiving text messages. [full story]

February 18 - 4:20pm EST   Wireless provider Cricket on Wednesday announced the immediate release of its A100 handset to customers in its greater Chicago market and said the handset will soon be available to Cricket customers in all of the provider's markets. In addition to tri-band CDMA, the 1,700MHz AWS frequency-compatible handset features a 1.8-inch LCD display with 128x160 resolution. [full story]

January 13 - 4:15pm EST   Recently discovered FCC filings suggest a new Motorola handset will soon be shipping. The FCC documents reveal the unnamed clamshell will be offered in both a dual-band CDMA version as well as a tri-band CDMA handset with support for the 1,700MHz AWS band used by carriers MetroPCS and Cricket. [full story]

November 14 - 10:25am EST   Cellphone manufacturer Motorola on Friday announced the new MOTO VE240 handset will soon be available to Cricket Communications and Metro PCS customers. The candy-bar phone promises to bring with it stereo Bluetooth support and MP3 capability with dedicated music keys. The VE240 has a microSD slot, enabling users to add up to 4GB of memory to the handset. Other than via wireless or wired headphones, the built-in speakerphone can playback music, which users transfer to the handset via a USB 2.0 connection. [full story]

October 21 - 4:35pm EDT   Unlimited wireless services provider Cricket Communications on Tuesday announced it is now offering the Nokia 1606 flip phone handset. As an Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)-capable device, the 1606 is able to take advantage of Cricket's unlimited data plans. Users can browse the net on the 1606's internal 1.8-inch 128x160-pixel display. The tri-band CDMA phone has a 96x32-pixel monochrome external display for displaying basic call information. [full story]

June 12 - 10:25am EDT   Nokia today quietly unveiled the 1580, a starter candybar phone for CDMA carriers, most of which operate in the US. The phone sits just above Nokia's most basic phones with an FM radio as its most advanced feature; the phone also supports using its micro USB connection both to charge and to supply legacy 1xRTT data access to a computer through tethering. A color display, a 2.5mm headset jack, and basic voice memo recording are its other standout features. [full story]

March 27 - 4:35pm EDT   Smaller American carrier Cricket has announced its second and third AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) phones, the MyShot and Spex by Samsung. AWS is a frequency band that was opened up to cellular carriers in 2006, and is used by primarily by T-Mobile. The MyShot is a clamshell phone, featuring a 1.3-megapixel camera, with options like a timer and multi-shot capability. Also present is expanded Bluetooth support, which enables sharing photos as well as contacts. Pricing is $150. [full story]

December 21 - 9:55am EST   Cell provider Cricket concluded the week before Christmas with the introduction of two high-profile phones to its lineup. The appearance of the RAZR 2 V9m marks the first appearance of the handset outside of the top five carriers and is set to take advantage of the carrier's unlimited phone, messaging, and data plans; like the reference versions available at Alltel, Sprint, and Verizon, the Cricket version has a 2-megapixel camera usable for media messaging and a 3G-level EVDO connection for web browsing. The handset continues to Bluetooth with stereo audio support and a microSD slot, and should be available now for $400 without a contract. [full story]