Sprint brings 4G LTE to 11 new cities

Sprint announced today the activation of 4G LTE in 11 new cities and counties spanning a number of different states, including Virginia, Massachusetts, and Indiana. In its press release, the phone giant touted its high-speed data network as a great new way for users in the following areas to “share a picture, download a video, or check the Web with greater speed and reliability”:

• Anderson, Ind.
• Clarke County, Va./Jefferson County, W.Va.
• Harrisburg/Carlisle/Hershey, Pa.
• Hagerstown, Md./Martinsburg, W.Va.
• Harrisonburg, Va.
• Muncie, Ind.
• Peabody, Mass.
• Salina, Kan.
• Shenandoah County, Va.
• South Bend/Mishawaka, Ind.
• Winchester, Va.

This bolstering of the 4G LTE network makes the grand total of markets Sprint supports up to 43, the great majority of which are areas found on the east coast – west coast cities currently go as far as Texas. 4G LTE is still not listed as available in many areas such as California, an issue that affected my review of the LG Optimus G from Sprint.

For those stuck with 3G at the moment, however, the coverage page on the Sprint website states that over 100 markets should be rolling out in the “coming months.” To see the full list of current cities and counties now supporting Sprint’s 4G LTE networks, as well as to find a link to the rollout plan page, check the source link.

Are you in one of the areas now receiving high-speed, 4G LTE from Sprint? Let us know how it’s working for you!

Source: SPRINT NEWSROOM

LG ‘Optimus G2′ rumored for May launch with 1080p screen

LG's Optimus G isn't even available in some countries yet, but already it seems a successor could be in the works. Reports from Korea's MK Business News suggests that the "Optimus G2" (said to be a provisional name) could be scheduled for launch as early as next May. Key upgrades are said to include a a 5-inch, 1080p display, up from the 4.7-inch 1280×768 panel in the original, and a 2GHz quad-core Qualcomm CPU. LG will reportedly pit the G2 against the successor to Samsung's Galaxy S3.

But here's the kicker — the article also claims the "Optimus G2" will come with Android "Key Lime Pie" on-board. KLP is the widely-expected name for the next major iteration of Android, presumably either version 4.3 or 5.0. We'd be very (very) surprised to see a fresh version of Android so quickly after 4.2, especially considering the short interval between the two flavors of Jelly Bean.

Nevertheless, as a Nexus partner, LG would have privileged access to code ahead of time, which might help it get devices running newer versions of Android to market more rapidly than other OEMs. Stranger things have happened, but we're still inclined to take this part of the story with a large pinch of salt.

The 5-inch screen size and 1080p resolution looks set to become the new standard for high-end phones in 2013. HTC has already launched the Droid DNA on Verizon in the states, while Sony's next high-end device, "Yuga," is rumored to sport a similar display. Likewise, Samsung is rumored to be hard at work on a 4.99-inch 1080p SuperAMOLED panel.

Whatever form it takes, the Optimus G's successor will find itself among plenty of competition.

Source: MK; via: TechCrunch