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Motivated by the success of their $50 unlimited plan, Boost Mobile is planning a retail expansion by opening 50 more standalone stores across the United States in 2009, the first of which opened in Philadelphia on May 8th.  But their retail venture isn't all about making profits; the company appears to have a genuine interest in boosting (no pun intended) the community around them. 

Jeff Auman, Vice-President of Sales and Distribution, explained the philosophy behind the stores: "They're much more than just retail spots aimed at attracting customers, the stores are centers for community connection.  Becoming an integral part of these neighborhoods is a priority for Boost Mobile, and we are actively engaging local civic officials and giving back to charities in the communities where our stores are located."  As a result, each grand opening will come with a donation to be given to a local charity organization that best represents the community.

In the first half of 2009, stores will be opened in cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Orlando, and Philadelphia; in the second half of 2009, Boost Mobile stores will arrive in Charlotte, Columbus, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and San Francisco.

With Pet Zodiac and One Of America’s Leading Pet Astrologers.

Every Week You’ll Get A New Horoscope For Your Pet!

Oprah will do anything for her pets. President Barack Obama enjoys playing
with his puppy on the White House lawn. People find their perfect mate through
web site dating where they meet other people who love pets. Some people travel with pets. Others even drink beer with their pets. But now, there’s something new you can do with your pet. We know you’re worried about swine flue, terrorist attacks, pirates boarding ships, losing your home to mortgage foreclosure, the recession, no healthcare, losing your job, vampire video, who’s on twitter and why the latest diet pill doesn’t work, so get ready for some good news.

Pet-ertainment LLC and Movaya Wireless, Inc. are pleased to announce the first ever Horoscope app for your pet.

“My Pet’s Weekly Horoscope” isn’t like those that just show you cute pets, funny pets, the world’s smartest dogs, crazy cats or adorable puppies. “My Pet’s Weekly Horoscope” brings you closer to your dog or cat because you will now have insights into your pet’s behavior. If you want to understand your dog or cat better, know what makes your pet tick and be able to change bad pet behavior, you want to get “My Pet’s Weekly Horoscope” every week.

Can’t wait to see your own horoscope? Now you can find out what the stars have in store for your furry best friend. Animalinks’ pet astrologer Carol Jepson helps you and your pet get closer by forecasting how your pet may feel and act every week. Check out your dog’s or cat’s horoscope and your friend’s pet’s horoscope with our Pet Zodiac featuring twelve of the world’s most loveable pets. Don’t know your dog’s or cat’s birth month? Use our Key Word Match-Ups to find your pet’s sign. Buy this app once and My Pet’s Weekly Horoscope delivers a new 7-day fun forecast every Monday for your pet on your iPhone or iPod touch!

Get it now!

According to NokiaMobileBlog, a "well respected retailer" tagged the estimated arrival of the N97 into its catalog as May 31. The last report on the N97's imminent arrival tagged June 2.



Elsewhere, the official Nseries blog swears that pre-order customers will definitely get the phone the same day it gets released — whenever that is and in whatever country the orders originated in.

Man, this is like a crazy race to the finish line, what will all the smartphone announcements and launches all clustered around the same May/June timeframe. When it's over, I'm probably going to need a sedative to relax from all the excitement.


[NokiaMobileBlog via PhoneArena]

So based on a tidbit from an anonymous tipster, Engadget Mobile has stated that the LG enV Touch (VX11000), unofficially known by the unsanctioned nickname "Voyager 2," will be released on June 5th at Verizon Wireless for $219.99 on contract with a $70 rebate.

In addition, a Best Buy Mobile employee leaked that the giant electronics retailer (which has been all over the wire for its promise to sell the Palm Pre at the post-rebate price) is showing LG a little love, too, by putting the enV Touch on a pre-order sale starting today. And, get this: The deposit's just $50. That ought to thrill a lot of touchscreen lovin' cheapskates out there.



Okay, that all sounds pretty good so far. But here's where things get a little strange: Several commenters on Howard Forums have boasted about ordering the phone early from VZW's telesales — and a couple have even gotten the phone already. Huh?

So I guess the choice is: Pre-order from Best Buy or order it now, and possibly receive it immediately, from Verizon.

Well, that's kind of a no-brainer. While you take the .3 milliseconds to ponder that, you can enjoy this: the first known unboxed picture of the enV Touch, courtesy of "HoFo" poster 91ZCpe.




[via Engadget Mobile, and Howard Forums via BoyGenius]

The good folks at TmoNews have a reliable source (and when TmoNews says that, you can pretty much take it to the bank) that has leaked the 3G rollout plans for 2009. There's a photo detailing May, and a list covering the remainder of the year. It's not too specific but I'd rather get a rough idea than set my sights on a particular date only to see it pushed back three times. Wouldn't you? Let the copy/paste begin!


Q2:

    * Mesa, AZ
    * Peoria, AZ
    * Scottsdale, AZ
    * Tucson, AZ
    * Colorado Springs, CO
    * Pueblo, CO
    * Daytona Beach, FL
    * Des Moines, ID
    * Rockford, IL
    * Springfield, IL
    * Shreveport, LA
    * Springfield, MA
    * Portland, ME
    * Manchester, NH
    * Henderson, NV
    * Columbus, OH
    * Eugene, OR
    * Salem, OR
    * Beaumont, TX
    * Brownsville, TX
    * Bryan, TX
    * College Station, TX
    * Corpus Christi, TX
    * Laredo, TX,
    * Lubbock, TX
    * McAllen, TX
    * Wichita Falls, TX

Q3:

    * Montgomery, AL
    * Little Rock, AR
    * Bakersfield, CA
    * Corona, CA
    * Escondido, CA
    * Fairfield, CA
    * Fontana, CA
    * Fresno, CA
    * Oxnard, CA
    * Merced, CA
    * Moreno Valley, CA
    * Oceanside, CA
    * Redding, CA
    * Riverside, CA
    * San Bernardino, CA
    * San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA
    * Salinas, CA
    * Santa Rosa, CA
    * Simi Valley, CA
    * Fort Collins, CO
    * Bridgeport, CT
    * Hartford, CT
    * New Haven, CT
    * Stamford, CT
    * Waterbury, CT
    * Cape Coral, FL
    * Albany, GA
    * Athens-Clarke County, GA
    * Augusta-Richmond County, GA
    * Columbus City, GA
    * Peoria, IL
    * Bloomington, IN
    * Evansville, IN
    * Fort Wayne, IN
    * Lafayette, IN
    * Indianapolis, IN
    * South Bend, IN
    * Topeka, KS
    * Wichita, KS
    * Ann Arbor, MI
    * Lansing, MI
    * St. Louis, MO
    * Rochester, MN
    * St. Cloud, MN
    * Omaha, NE
    * Cary, NC
    * Charlotte, NC
    * Durham, NC
    * Greensboro, NC
    * Raleigh, NC
    * Winston-Salem, NC
    * Albuquerque, NM
    * Buffalo, NY
    * Rochester, NY
    * Syracuse, NY
    * Akron, OH
    * Cincinnati, OH
    * Cleveland, OH
    * Dayton, OH
    * Toledo, OH
    * Medford, OR
    * Allentown, PA
    * Lancaster, PA
    * Charleston, SC
    * Columbia, SC
    * Knoxville, TN
    * Nashville, TN
    * Abilene, TX
    * Amarillo, TX
    * El Paso, TX
    * Lake Charles, TX
    * Longview TX
    * Tyler, TX
    * Provo, UT
    * Salt Lake City, UT
    * West Valley City, UT
    * Chesapeake, VA
    * Hampton, VA
    * Norfolk, VA
    * Portsmouth, VA
    * Richmond, VA
    * Virginia Beach, VA
    * Spokane, WA
    * Tacoma, WA
    * Milwaukee, WI

Q4:

    * Palmdale, CA
    * Lancaster, CA
    * Santa Clarita, CA
    * Thousand Oaks, CA
    * Honolulu, HA
    * Lexington, KY
    * Louisville, KY
    * Grand Rapids, MI
    * Fayetteville, NC
    * Greenville, NC
    * Wilmington, NC
    * Springfield, OH
    * Oklahoma City, OK
    * Erie, PA
    * Reading, PA
    * Pittsburgh, PA
    * Vineland, PA
    * Victoria, TX
    * Waco, TX
    * Clarksville, TN
    * Bellingham, WA

Toshiba recently announced plans to exit the Japan cell phone market.

The company cited declining sales as the reason for their decision. Japan is a highly saturated mobile market and many consumers already own at least one cell phone.

Toshiba plans to outsource the manufacturing of higher end phones as their newest strategy. They’ll stop production of their mobile phones in Japan in October 2009.

Since our article about the BlackBerry Storm 2 a few days ago, new information has been released by reputable tipsters.  According to sources reporting to BGR, the Pearl Flip 8230 will be launching on Big Red soon, and will come in silver and purple colors.  It will offer OS 4.6.1.160 (why it's not running 4.6.1.208 like Alltel's version is beyond us) and has formally entered Verizon's inventory system, meaning that a launch is imminent.  Additionally, the Storm 2 is being fast-tracked for a potential launch in July, though some disagree with that launch date.  The lesson to be learned?  No one really knows when launches are going to happen, except for a few lucky people at Verizon.  Until they show up on retail shelves, they're all rumors.

Source: BGR

Virgin Mobile, one of the top providers of prepaid cell phones, has added the Kyocera X-tc slider handset to their lineup of affordable, reliable cell phones.

This is great news for anyone that wants the convenience of no monthly cell phone bill, but doesn’t want to sacrifice on the usability of their mobile phone, either.

The X-tc comes equipped with a full keyboard, so texting, instant messaging, Emailing and surfing the internet is a breeze. The phone has a full color screen so it can be used as a media player to watch videos or to view your precious photos. The X-tc is Bluetooth compatible, is a 1.3 megapixel camera, and has real music ringtones.

The Kyocera X-tc can download games, graphics and is Facebook friendly, so you can keep up with your friends and family via Facebook mobile.

The X-tc is priced at $99.99. Calling and data plans aren’t included.

For more information on Virgin Mobile’s Kyocera X-tc model, please visit Virgin Mobile.

Love her or hate her, Catherine Zeta-Jones helped shape the image of T-Mobile during her first run with the company, and to celebrate the launch of their Mobile Makeover advertising campaign, she's back again.  Realizing the competitive advantage that they have over most carriers in terms of monthly pricing, T-Mobile has partnered with BillShrink.com and will direct potential and existing customers to the website, where they can analyze their plan (hence the "Mobile Makeover" moniker) and determine which carrier offers the cheapest solution for them.  In true Zeta-Jones form, she spoke candidly about the new campaign:

"As an avid T-Mobile customer, I'm delighted once again to help T-Mobile carry its message to millions of Americans about the great value they deliver.  The Mobile Makeover campaign is a smart way to show consumers that they could save some serious money."

What a smart move on T-Mobile's part; bringing back national advertising icons such as this is what will allow customers to connect with the product.  Big hint to Sprint: bring back the "Trenchcoat Guy!"

Source: T-Mobile and TmoNews