Device Update: Windows Phone 8, device

sale, Nexus S, and more

Andrew Moore-Crispin • January 28, 2013

After the rampage of consumption restful and familial time that is the holiday season, the blast of new devices leading up to the end of the year slows to a trickle.

With the last quarter of the year accounting for the majority of mobile device sales, it makes sense; device manufacturers try to get their stuff in front of the glut of people buying in the last three months of the year leaving little in the pipe for the months that follow.

Let’s be honest here; even if the absolute latest and greatest was released in January, most potential buyers would still be trying to rebuild the war chest after holiday spending.

So it is that the most exciting new additions to the Ting device lineup are a little way out. Not that you should let that stop you from buying one of our sweet, sweet smartphones.

Samsung Nexus S now supported for BYOD

We’ve added the step-by-step instructions to bring a Sprint Nexus S (not to be confused with the LTE Samsung Galaxy Nexus) to Ting. If you’ve got a Sprint Samsung Nexus S and you’ve been waiting on this announcement, you can now bring it over to Ting.

This news also means that we’re able to offer the Nexus S as a used Ting-ready device thanks to our partnership with the used device marketplace Glyde.

Windows Phone 8 coming to Ting



We mentioned that we hoped to have the latest Windows Phone devices around the same time Sprint begins offering them. Thanks to some hardball negotiation tactics such as asking nicely, we’ll be able to start shipping these devices within four to six weeks of the time Sprint puts them up for sale. Expect to see those in May or June.

At CES 2013, Sprint confirmed a commitment to Windows Phone 8 and announced it would come to market with WP8 devices from Samsung and HTC. There’s plenty of speculation online around which specific WP8 devices those will be. We won’t wade in publicly. However, InformationWeek doesn’t have the same restrictions.

As these are new devices to the Sprint lineup and Sprint will be putting its own marketing might behind these new devices, we expect they will not be on the bring your Sprint device to Ting whitelist for the foreseeable future.

Hotspots are apparently hot

There’s currently a gap in the Ting device lineup that hotspots and other dedicated data devices occupied until recently. We currently have no hotspots or data sticks available. We’re working to fill this gap; the tri-mode hotspot that’s been on again, off again has put a crimp in our hotspot plans.

We’re looking to bring the Huawei Express Mobile Hotspot back as either a new or refurbished device in the interim. We hope to have more news on that front soon.

Devices on sale

The HTC EVO 4G LTE in black is on sale for $20 off. Like the HTC EVO 4G LTE in white which is now out of the Ting lineup never to return again (unless, perhaps, if we’re able to secure a great refurb deal), this sale is while supplies last.

The LG Viper is also on sale at $50 off the original asking price. This sale too is while supplies last.

Are there specific devices you’re hoping to see in the Ting lineup? Let us know in the comments below.