Verizon Wireless will soon publish an API that allows users to temporarily “turbocharge” their data speeds for a fee. The new API must be implemented into mobile apps by their developers, and it will offer users a “turbo button” that gives individual apps a speed boost. PCMag reports that the service will be tied to an on-device payment system, and subscribers will have to pay each time they want to temporarily increase their data speeds. These pay-per-use speed boosts will also be given priority when Verizon’s network is congested. In order to work, the turbocharge feature requires that an app utilize a “network optimization API” that Verizon doesn’t expect to publish until the third quarter next year.

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Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata said sales of the company’s Nintendo 3DS device in Europe and the United States were weaker than expected after the portable gaming console made its debut in April for $250. However, Nintendo dropped the price of the 3Ds to $179 after the company reported its first quarterly operating loss. The move quickly boosted sales in Japan and has reportedly resulted in a huge boost of sales in the United States, too. Nintendo sold 50,000 units between August 1st and August 12th before slashing the price of the console. The company then sold 185,000 more units during the rest of August after it reduced the price, a figure that’s up 260% from the same 19-day time period in July according to figures Nintendo quoted from the NPD Group. “Consumers are responding very positively to the new suggested retail price of $169.99 for the Nintendo 3DS,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Star Fox 64 3D and the new Flame Red color launching [on September 9th], and Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 arriving later this year, Nintendo 3DS will offer consumers cutting-edge entertainment and tremendous value this holiday season.” Read on for the full press release from Nintendo.

NINTENDO 3DS SALES UP 260 PERCENT FOLLOWING PRICE REDUCTION

Sept. 8, 2011

Nintendo sold more than 235,000 Nintendo 3DS™ portable entertainment systems in the United States in August, and the system finished as the No. 2 best-selling dedicated game system for the month, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. About 185,000 units were sold following a price reduction on Aug. 12, an increase of more than 260 percent during the comparable 19-day time period in July.

“Consumers are responding very positively to the new suggested retail price of $169.99 for the Nintendo 3DS,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Star Fox 64 3D and the new Flame Red color launching tomorrow, and Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 arriving later this year, Nintendo 3DS will offer consumers cutting-edge entertainment and tremendous value this holiday season.”

Other Nintendo milestones reached in August include:

Nintendo sold more than 590,000 total hardware units in August, including more than 190,000 Wii™ systems and more than 165,000 units of the Nintendo DS™ family.
For the third month in a row, the majority of the best-selling software SKUs play on Nintendo platforms. August featured five of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20.
So far in 2011, more than 50 million units of software have been sold for Nintendo platforms.
In total, 540 million units of software have been sold for the Wii system and Nintendo DS family of systems combined.

We’re here live at the Boost Mobile’s media event in New York City where the prepaid carrier just announced the Samsung Galaxy Prevail — its first CDMA Android powered smartphone. The Galaxy Prevail runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) and sports a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, 2 megapixel rear-facing camera, Bluetooth, and free subscription to Telenav for voice-guided turn-by-turn directions. During our initial hands-on, it was immediately clear that the Galaxy Prevail does not have the same hardware prowess as other Samsung devices with the Galaxy namesake. There’s no 4-inch Super AMOLED display, it’s incapable of recording 720p video, and it felt a bit sluggish navigating through menus and panning on web pages. That’s not necessarily a deal breaker, though, as the Galaxy Prevail is available for a very reasonable $179.99 contract-free. When used with Boost Mobile’s $50 all-you-can-eat smartphone plan — which includes unlimited talk, text, and web browsing — the deal gets even sweeter. It’s certainly a welcome addition to Boost’s portfolio, especially for those looking to save a few bucks without sacrificing all that a smartphone can offer, but certainly isn’t going to woo many (read: any) users away from their current Android handset.

In response to the tsunami and earthquake, Boost Mobile has announced that it’s joining other U.S. carriers in waiving fees for texts and calls to Japan. It will credit international fees for text messages and surcharges made for voice calls to Japan for a one-month period. Boost Mobile says its airtime rate of $0.10 per minute still applies for customers on its Pay As You Go Plan. Credits will be retroactive from March 11th and will be honored through April 11th, 2011. Hit the jump for the official statement.

Boost Mobile Offers Fee Waivers and Credits for Wireless Calls and Texts To and From Japan

Here at Boost Mobile we are saddened by the events in Japan and our hearts go out to those impacted by this tragedy. To aid wireless customers in making critical contact with family, friends and emergency personnel in Japan following last week’s earthquake and resulting tsunamis, Boost Mobile is waiving and/or crediting all standard text messaging and international fees for customers sending and receiving text messages to/from Japan. In addition, Boost is waiving and/or crediting all surcharges for voice calls made to Japan. The standard airtime rate of 10 cents per minute will still apply for customers on our Pay As You Go plan. Credits will be retroactive from March 11 and continue through April 10, 2011.

Typically, the word “shrinkage” isn’t a good thing, however… if you’re a wireless provider it could actually be a selling point. Today, Sprint announced a new program known as “Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage” for its Boost Mobile prepaid customers. As Boost’s website explains:

Boost will lower your monthly payment by $5 for every 6 on-time payments. Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage customers can shrink their monthly payments from $50 to as low as $35/month. BlackBerry Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage customers can lower their monthly payments from $60 to as low as $45/month.

The idea seems pretty ingenious, trying to retain budget conscious consumers using value-based incentives. The offering is available for both new and existing customers and all that is required is an on-time payment. Hit the read link to check out the potential savings.

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Just like we said last night, June 20th will see the U.S. retail release of the Motorola i1. It will be available from Boost Mobile retailers as well as from both Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile. Pricing was not disclosed (we imagine it to be around $350), but we did get confirmation that you’ll be able to hook up the world’s first Push-to-Talk Android smartphone to Boost’s $50 unlimited voice and data plan.

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Thanks to one of our connects, we’ve scored a shot of Sprint’s playbook which contains some upcoming launch dates. The first on the list confirms that the Motorola i1 we scooped way back will definitely launch on June 20th in stores. However, it won’t be available in stores for purchase until July 11th. Next up is the Samsung Intercept M910 (what some have referred to as the Samsung Moment II). The presumably Android-based Samsung Intercept is due to launch on July 11th as well, for online and in store purchases. What would the nation’s first 4G carrier be without some 4G market launches? We’ll see a number of cities get lit up for Sprint Speed in July, and some of these include Rochester, NY, Syracuse, NY, Kennewick, WA, Pasco, WA, Visalia, WA and more.

Some huge news this evening in the world of prepaid mobiles as Sprint has announced its new strategies for Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. With some 60 million Americans using prepaid mobiles, Sprint feels the time is right to make an all-out assault on the market. Said Sprint’s Dan Schulman: “This is the year that prepaid moves to the forefront of the wireless industry. In the first quarter of 2010, more than half of the mobile gross additions in the U.S. selected prepaid, and we predict that approximately 70% of the net adds in 2010 will choose plans without a contract,” adding that “the no-contract market has clearly moved beyond the credit-challenged and lower income segments.” Here’s what’s in the pipeline.

As of May 12th, Virgin Mobile will begin offering Beyond Talk plans. Ranging from $25 to $60 per month, each plan includes unlimited SMS/MMS, email, data and web. The $25 plan includes 300 minutes, the $40 plan 1,200 minutes and the $60 plan has unlimited minutes. Throw in an extra $10 per month and you’ll be able to hook a BlackBerry up to BIS. Yes, you read that right. $35 for a BlackBerry with unlimited data. If you’re a bit puzzled as to why Virgin is more focused on data and texts over voice minutes, the reason is simple: the amount of voice minutes used by young adults continues to plummet as email, IM and SMS grows at a rate of 150% during the years 2007 to 2009. Factor in 1800% growth in mobile data in this segment and it’s pretty obvious Virgin is one of the few companies that actually caters to the demands of its customers. This brings us to its new handsets. Virgin Mobile will be bringing the LG Rumor Touch and Rumor 2 ($149.99 and $89.99, both only available off contract), and Kyocera Loft ($69.99) into the fold with the BlackBerry Curve 8530 launching at the end of May with a retail price of $299.99.

As for Boost, not much is new in terms of plans (keep in mind it just announced that unlimited calls to 411, email and IM were recently added to its $50 unlimited plan which also includes all the talking, texting and web you wish), but now we know for sure that it will soon be carrying the Samsung Rant and Kyocera Incognito, Mirror and Juno.

Hit up the jump to check out the press release.

SPRINT’S PREPAID MULTI-BRAND STRATEGY

FOCUSES ON DISTINCT CUSTOMER SEGMENTS

Differentiated Brands Old & New Aim to Serve

Increasingly Diverse Audiences, Tackle Specific Competitors

WARREN, N.J. – May 6, 2010 – Sprint [NYSE:S] today officially unveiled its comprehensive multi-segment approach to the prepaid wireless marketplace. Since Sprint’s acquisition of Virgin Mobile USA, Inc., the company has rolled out a series of new prepaid products, enhancements and industry-advancing products, each designed to appeal to specific customers in the wireless space.

“We brought together the resources and experience of the Boost and Virgin Mobile teams in late 2009,” said Sprint CEO Dan Hesse.  “Since that time, we have been developing the critical pieces of our multi-brand prepaid strategy.  Our approach to the prepaid market can truly set us apart from the competition with tailored offers that will address specific needs in this growing market.”

“This is the year that prepaid moves to the forefront of the wireless industry,” said Dan Schulman, president of Sprint’s prepaid group.  “In the first quarter of 2010, more than half of the mobile gross additions in the U.S. selected prepaid, and we predict that approximately 70% of the net adds in 2010 will choose plans without a contract.”

“With almost 60 million people now on prepaid service,” Schulman continued, “the no-contract market has clearly moved beyond the credit-challenged and lower income segments.  The prepaid market has changed dramatically, with customers across multiple demographics and lifestyles demanding a wide variety of handsets, features, and plans tailored to their specific needs and wants.”

Sprint’s prepaid portfolio will initially be driven by four brands, with each focused on a specific audience.  “The launch of this portfolio goes far beyond changing prices,” explained Schulman.  “We are introducing innovative and attractive offers for specific groups of customers based on usage and habits – from those who are on limited budgets and use their phones infrequently to those who want high-end devices to use for all their communications, entertainment and social networking.”

Virgin Mobile USA

Reinventing prepaid wireless once again, Virgin Mobile will introduce an innovative new value proposition that focuses on serving customers who use text and data services to power constant connection with their social networks.

With unlimited messaging, email, data and web included on all plans starting at just $25 a month and a new high-end handset lineup, Virgin Mobile will offer a clear alternative for customers who want a data-driven service without expensive annual contracts and thousands of unnecessary voice minutes. With the addition of the lowest-priced BlackBerry® service plan in the market, Virgin Mobile will provide real value for individuals looking to stay connected without compromising on handset or service quality.

The way youth and young adults communicate has changed dramatically over the past few years.  Data from Nielsen shows that usage patterns for postpaid mobile subscribers aged 18-34 shifted from 2007 to 2009.  Minutes of talk dropped over 10% while messages sent and received grew by more than 150%.  The amount of data usage within this group grew by over 1800% during the same time period.

Beyond Talk™

On May 12, Virgin Mobile will unveil three new “Beyond Talk” plans that all include unlimited messaging, email, data and web [with no incremental fees or taxes]:

• The revolutionary $25 plan is the industry’s lowest price point for unlimited messaging, email, data and web with 300 minutes of voice per month, ideal for high-end device users seeking an unbeatable price to enable the text and data services they need.
• The $40 plan includes unlimited messaging, email, data and web with 1,200 minutes of voice per month — the perfect value for those seeking an affordable plan with everything they need.
• The $60 plan includes unlimited messaging, email, data and web with unlimited voice to offer great value for high-end smartphone users expecting an unlimited plan to cost much more.

For the first time, Virgin Mobile customers can add Blackberry® data service to any of these plans for just $10 more, enabling an unprecedented $35 plan consisting of both voice calling and Blackberry data service.

“Our new offers target a continuing evolution in wireless consumer behavior – increased use of text and data services as a form of wireless communication over talk,” explained Schulman.  “These Beyond Talk plans offer the most accessible solution for customers seeking that data-driven lifestyle — unlimited text and data on their terms without a contract, at prices they will love, without requiring them to buy extra minutes they don’t need.”

New Handsets

Virgin Mobile’s new handset lineup proves that a two-year contract isn’t necessary to get a hot data-driven device:

• The Blackberry Curve™ 8530 smartphone is a particularly desirable device without a contract.  Key features include an approachable form factor, full-QWERTY keyboard, optical track pad, Wi-Fi connectivity, dedicated media keys, and 2 MP camera.  The Blackberry Curve 8530 smartphone will be available for $299.99 at retail and at www.virginmobileusa.om at the end of May.

• The LG Rumor Touch™ at $149.99 is the first full touch interface handset from Virgin Mobile and is only available without a contract on these plans. Customers can use all the data they want and message all of their friends easily and simply with a Beyond Talk plan. This handset is ideal for the super-connected with an external memory drive that can store up to 16GB of data.

• The very popular LG Rumor 2™ QWERTY launched last year, also only available without a contract from Virgin Mobile.  For $89.99, it allows customers to message quickly and easily with preloaded apps like the Ultimate Inbox, threaded messaging and Connect social networking. The popular Opera Mini web browser is included as well.

• The Kyocera Loft QWERTY for $69.99 suits message-savvy customers perfectly with an embedded instant messaging and email application, and message threading for SMS and MMS in a single inbox. The camera phone includes the networking features mentioned above as well as a Google Maps and other navigational applications.

Virgin Mobile USA continues to serve its current base of prepaid customers with a wide range of handsets, monthly unlimited plans, Minute Packs, Texters Delight and Broadband2Go.

Broadband

Broadband2Go, launched last year under the Virgin Mobile label, also targets the needs of the high data-using crowd that wants easy wireless Internet access wherever they are but doesn’t want to sign a long-term contract.

“Since we expanded distribution, lowered the price, and added more data capacity without changing prices, sales have tripled,” said Schulman.  “We’ll continue to enhance this product line as well, possibly under multiple brands to include new services and the very latest in high speed networks, including 4G where available.”

Broadband2Go operates on Sprint’s Nationwide Network, unlike other prepaid broadband offers.

Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile continues its popularity by focusing on consumers who love to talk and text and stay connected with the best value and straightforward monthly unlimited pricing.  With more than 25% of U.S households now wireless-only for voice, Boost offers value and service that is second to none.  This week, Boost added unlimited 411 calls, email and instant messaging to its $50 Monthly Unlimited plan, which also features unlimited talk, text and web access.

Boost’s ever-increasing suite of CDMA handsets, introduced in late January, is driving significant consumer demand.  The Blackberry Curve 8830 smartphone, launched earlier this year, is joined by the Samsung Rant™ and, from Sanyo by Kyocera, the Incognito™, Mirro™ SCP3810 and Juno™ on the CDMA side.  Depending on a customer’s choice of features, Boost Mobile also is available on the Nextel National Network for push-to-talk technology.

Assurance Wireless

First launched late last year, Assurance Wireless is a free wireless service developed specifically for the 37 million eligible low-income households who need it most. Qualifying customers – often cash-constrained individuals eligible for government- assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) – receive a free cell phone and 200 free minutes of airtime for local and long-distance calling every month.

Sprint is “proud to offer this valuable program,” according to Schulman, which is currently available in Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia and will continue to expand as individual states approve the program. To date, hundreds of thousands have signed up for this uniquely tailored offer.  Sprint anticipates that Assurance Wireless will be available in approximately 25 states by the end of 2010.

A New Pay By the Minute Brand

During Sprint’s first quarter earnings call, reference was made to another new brand to launch this month targeting budget-conscious customers who spend less than $30 per month and are focused on the value they pay per minute.  Roughly 63% of the no-contract market chooses to pay by the minute or by the day.

“There are millions of people who don’t want or can’t afford smartphones and expensive data plans,” said Schulman.  “This is the traditional no-frills prepaid customer base.  For these ‘basic communicators,’ we are creating a fresh brand with industry-leading value and consumer-friendly offers.”  Designed to resonate directly with cost-conscious consumers, this new brand is expected to initially debut at retail in approximately 16 markets.

Remember the Opus One, the Android-powered iDEN handset from Motorola we scooped and then spec’d just before Christmas? Well apparently it’s going to be made official sometime in the next few weeks (hello, CTIA!) and will feature one added but obvious goodie: MOTOBLUR. Since we know most of you don’t have encyclopedic memories, here’s a bit of a refresher on what we’ve been told this phone is all about:

• 3.1″ hVGA 320×480 capacitive touchscreen display
• 3 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth
• microSD card slot
• 2.5mm headset jack
• Home, Menu, Back, Speaker buttons are capacitive buttons with haptic feedback
• iDEN PTT & PTX
• Android LBS which is integrated into the iDEN GPS engine
• “Enterprise email”
• Plastic-molded housing with some rubberized texture finishes
• 58mm in width, 118mm in length
• 100g weight
• 512MB Flash / 256MB of RAM
• 64k and 128k iDEN SIM card support
• A-GPS
• Motorola dual-mic technology noise-canceling for noisy environments
• Flash Lite v3.1.x
• Some of the preloaded apps include: corporate email client with ActiveSync support, MOTONAV navigation app, barcode scanner, and document viewer.

Obviously without being official it’s not possible to confirm carriers, but naturally Sprint’s Nextel and Boost are going to get on board while TELUS’s Mike is said to be getting it in Q3.

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When we say we have specifications, boy, do we mean it. One of our connects has sent us the full rundown on Motorla’s Opus One (their first iDEN Android handset) that we revealed a little while back. The features on the device are actually pretty reasonable, and we’d imagine it to sell for a reasonable attractive price-point at release. The Motorola Opus One will run Android 1.5 with iDEN service enhancements, make use of a “Zeus” CPU, and will feature a 3 megapixel autofocus camera.

Detailed list of full specs after the breakage!

• 3.1″ hVGA 320×480 capacitative touchscreen display
• 3 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth
• microSD card slot
• 2.5mm headset jack
• Home, Menu, Back, Speaker buttons are capacitive buttons with haptic feedback
• iDEN PTT & PTX
• Android LBS which is integrated into the iDEN GPS engine
• “Enterprise email”
• Plastic-molded housing with some rubberized texture finishes
• 58mm in width, 118mm in length
• 100g weight
• 512MB Flash / 256MB of RAM
• 64k and 128k iDEN SIM card support
• A-GPS
• Motorola dual-mic technology noise-canceling for noisy enviroments
• Flash Lite v3.1.x
• Some of the preloaded apps include: corporate email client with ActiveSync support, MOTONAV navigation app, barcode scanner, and document viewer.

That’s what we have for you on the Motorola Opus One at this time. Not the most mind-blowing Android device, but with it being an iDEN device and all, we’ll cut it some slack and even say that it could do reasonably well at launch.

We’re a little light on details at the moment, but we’ve just received a couple photographs of what we’re told is Motorola’s first Android iDEN handset, codenamed the Opus One. Original, huh? While these images come from a new connect, we’ve heard mumblings about this sort of thing for a little bit and the phone in the pictures mostly fits the description. We’re waiting for confirmed specifications, but in the meantime, enjoy the rest of the photos after the break!

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Good news for Boost Mobile customers as the carrier has just matched its $50 unlimited iDEN plan pricing for CDMA customers. Starting today, customers on an UNLTD $50 Unlimited Talk, $60 Unlimited Talk & Text or $70 Unlimited Talk, Text & Web plans will automatically be switched to the new $50 per month plan which offers unlimited nationwide talk, text and web in the 13 states where Boost’s CDMA service is available (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas). Customers on any lower-priced Boost Mobile plan can stay at their current price point. Boost has also removed the home calling areas, allowing subscribers to make calls anywhere on Sprint’s CDMA network without incurring a roaming fee. No roaming fees and $50 for all-you-can-eat minutes, text messages and web — what more could you ask for?

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It won’t be winning any beauty pageants any time soon but Boost Mobile users waiting for a relatively rugged QWERTY handset will soon have a new option in the Motorola Clutch i465. Sprint and Boost obviously recognize that messaging is a bit of a hot topic these days and as such, we can expect the carrier to start rolling out a few QWERTY handsets to ensure its text-hungry customers are covered. First up, for better or worse, is the Clutch. It’s styling is certainly polarizing but love it or hate it, Moto managed to pack in a fairly decent feature set (relatively speaking). Highlights include Push to Talk of course, threaded SMS and MMS, POP3 email support, Bluetooth and a VGA camera. No, it’s not going to knock your socks off but relative to the rest of Boost’s lineup, this new Moto is an ok option if it’s released at a decent price point. The Clutch i465 will be available in Q2 of this year.

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If you’re a Cablevision subscriber with a need for more bandwidth, you’re in for a real treat. Like, you might need to change your pants. Just announced a few seconds ago is Optimum Online’s new Ultra service. This takes their existing Boost service to a whole new level. Want to know how fast? How about 101Mbps downstream and 15Mbps upstream. Fast enough? Well, it’s now the fastest residential internet service in the entire country. Even better is the fact that come May 11th, the Ultra service will be available to every single Cablevision subscriber across their entire service area. You might be wondering what the pricing will be on this… it’s going to be available for $99 a month. Existing subs are paying around $60/month for Boost at 30Mbps/5Mbps and Verizon’s FIOS service is around $150/mo for 50Mbps/20Mbps — seems incredibly fair right? Think of all the DiVx movies, applications, games you could...

Hey Verizon, you just got pooped on.