Mobile Miscellany: week of April 30th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we saw the first rollout of Verizon LTE from one of its rural partners, and both the Optimus L7 and Xperia U were spotted for Fido. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of April 30th, 2012.
Motorola Motoluxe set to arrive at Bell Mobility this month
Motorola's Motoluxe, known in China as the XT615, was outed for availability this month at Bell Mobility. The phone wields an 800MHz CPU and Android 2.3.7. Other notable specs include a 4-inch, 854 x 480 display, an 8 megapixel camera, a front-facing VGA shooter and a 1,400 mAh battery. The Motoluxe is hardly the leader of the pack, but if it's piqued your interest, be sure to check our hands-on from CES. [MobileSyrup]
SwiftKey's latest beta brings a UI refresh
The popular alternative keyboard for Android received an overhauled interface with its latest beta update. Of note, the comma once again has a dedicated key (with voice-to-text as the secondary function), and the number / symbols button has a new position in the lower left corner. There are also a number of bug fixes and performance improvements for some devices. [Android Central]
LG Optimus L7 and Sony Xperia U spotted for Fido
It looks like Fido subscribers will soon be able to grab a taste of two phones that met the public at Mobile World Congress, as both the Optimus L7 and Xperia U were recently spotted in a bit of leaked sales materials for the carrier. In terms of specs, the Optimus L7 offers a 1GHz CPU, a 4.3-inch display and a five megapixel camera, where as the Xperia U features a dual-core 1GHz processor, a 3.5-inch screen and a five megapixel rear shooter. No word on pricing or availability, though we'll be sure to keep our eyes on these puppies. [MobileSyrup 1, 2]
Pioneer Wireless goes live as Verizon's first rural LTE partner
Back in 2010, Verizon Wireless announced that it'd partner with smaller carriers to bring its 4G service to rural America. Now, Pioneer Wireless has become the first of such carriers to use Verizon's spectrum holdings and equipment in such a deployment. Thanks to the collaboration, six counties in Oklahoma are now swimming in Verizon's brand of LTE. [GigaOM]
Other random tidbits
Virgin Mobile is offering open enrollment for phone insurance, now through the end of May. The add-on is available for $5 per month, and covers loss, theft and damage. [AllThingsD]
Similar to the UK, the RAZR Maxx will arrive in Denmark, Norway and Sweden as of mid-May. [Android Central, Motorola]
Shipments for the Galaxy Note in South Korea have now surpassed two million units. If you'll recall, Samsung previously announced in March that five million units had shipped worldwide. It seems the phablet is quite popular in the home country. [Sammy Hub]
