Kajeet might be an unfamiliar name to most, but the company has been around for the past five years, providing wireless service as a virtual operator in its own niche as a child-friendly alternative to  other, more expensive services.

The provider has recently rearranged its lineup to include smartphones, but with the new additions comes added features to protect kids and teenagers from unsavory and potentially unsafe content as well as new features for child tracking and safety. Read more for the complete review.

I was sent a standard LG Optimus S as an example of the smartphones Kajeet is now carrying earlier this month, which include the HTC Shift, Samsung Conquer and Replenish. The smartphones themselves are typical of Sprint’s current lineup and are identical in terms of hardware. Where the phones differ is in the services supported, as Kajeet has taken extra steps to make the phones safe for children and teenagers.

Starting with its most recent feature addition, the provider offers a free content filtering service included in the monthly rate which lets parents control what children can browse and do on the phones and gradually decrease filtering until deemed unnecessary. Not only does Kajeet allow content filtering, but it also allows near complete usage control for voice and messaging by scheduling appropriate time blocks to deter phone use at inappropriate times, such as at night and during school hours.

Another feature which Kajeet is heavily promoting for all of its lineup is its GPS Phone Locator service which can be used on a pay per use basis at 0.99/per use or as part of a monthly add-on for $7.99 that includes access to a web portal that tracks a child’s phone in real-time as well as allowing the addition of landmarks, a monthly overview of a child’s activity and automatic triggering of emails to track a phone if its either lost or if the child is lost.

Having used the LG Optimus for two weeks, the hardware itself is solid and testing the content filter worked as advertised along with the usage control features. Battery life was surprisingly solid despite the phone only running Froyo and not having an update to Gingerbread available.

As far as monthly plans are concerned, all Kajeet plans are monthly plans with no agreement and start at $4.99 a month going all the way up to $50 a month for unlimited voice/text/GPS Locator access, though smartphones are excluded from unlimited picture multimedia messages and rely on an additional monthly data plan for use, while featurephones are allowed to send unlimited picture messages. Data plans start at $4.99 for 50MB of access and go all the way up to $24.99 for 1GB of access which can be combined with the feature manager to block or enable select sites and services.

Using the phone for two weeks and testing out all of the features, I was pleasantly surprised to see that none of the features got in the way of normal phone usage. I did like being able to track the phone and looking back at the history of where the phone went while I did my usual errands as the location service was accurate to within ~20 feet. The content filter did its job, blocking out access to sites depending on filtering level and worked well enough for the purposes of this review.

After all is said and done, Kajeet is a viable alternative for parents looking to get their kids a smartphone without having to worry about what they can do with them that could potentially lead to inappropriate activity or content, with the bonus of being cost-effective and a good way to keep watch over them with the inclusion of pay-per-use GPS location service. Even though I personally don’t have kids, I would highly recommend Kajeet over taking out another line on a postpaid plan or another prepaid service for any parent that does.

Kajeet – Official Site

Prepaid virtual operator Straight Talk has announced its first high-end Android smartphone in the LG Optimus 2X. The key differentiator between this version of the phone and the T-Mobile version in the G2X will be the inclusion of an LTE radio, which will make this the first high-end prepaid Android smartphone on Straight Talk and the first to function on AT&T’s nascent LTE network.

It also marks the first time that AT&T will allow prepaid access to its LTE network, as its own GoPhone lineup is limited to 3G devices and its smartphone lineup on GoPhone does not feature access to either unlimited 3G data or LTE access.

The LG Optimus 2X is underpinned by a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 at 1GHz, an 800×480 resolution touch display, front-facing 1.3 megapixel VGA camera and 8.0 megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture along with a Wi-Fi N radio, Bluetooth, microSDHC slot with pre-installed 4GB card, 3.5mm jack and mini HDMI out.

This marks a potentially disruptive development for the prepaid brand, as it simultaneously competes against its Master Service Provider in AT&T in terms of services offered for the monthly rate, since the $45 monthly rate for service includes unlimited access to voice, data and messaging while the service also undercuts its competitors in Boost Mobile, Cricket and MetroPCS in terms of value for money.

The lowest priced service plans for Android on MetroPCS with LTE access start at $50 per month and do not include unlimited data access, while Boost Mobile’s Android data plan is $5 higher per month for the first six months and is unlimited in terms of data access, but is limited to much slower EV-DO Rev. A access. For Straight Talk to offer 4G LTE data access as a part of its current $45 monthly rate is not only potentially game changing, but it opens access to even more people that normally wouldn’t be able to take advantage of such service, as LTE access is currently being limited by carriers to capped postpaid and prepaid tablet access to generate the revenue necessary to cover costs associated to network buildouts.

It’s also important to note that such service additions and newly included support for faster data access on prepaid providers are usually followed by significant increases to the monthly rate to cover the additional costs incurred by the provider.  For Straight Talk to maintain the $45 smartphone rate while offering its first high-end smartphone with LTE is a sure way to drive not only frugal customers looking to jump into its low cost and inclusive flat-rate service as well as those that will undoubtedly upgrade from older smartphones, but the hardcore Android enthusiasts will no doubt take a second look at the service as it now supports LTE, which will doubtlessly drive even more activations on the service.

However, as Straight Talk is notoriously tight-lipped about its limits on data access per month dating back to the release of the E71, what is currently not known is how LTE access will be treated in terms of any monthly caps or throttling. AT&T is especially notorious for its current monthly data caps, but at least those are clearly defined.

With Straight Talk, reports vary on exactly how much is “too much” data use for a given user, as experiences range from ~6GB of data use a month with no issues or warnings, to situations where using more than 200MB in one day has led some customers to have their service suspended until the next renewal period without being able to restore it, or worse, having service completely terminated and having to reactivate completely.

With this latest development, Straight Talk is well on its way to being the disruptive provider that so many have tried and failed to be. The phone will be launched by the end of the month as an online exclusive with pricing to match, as the phone will be priced between $249-299.99 and slot at the top of the current Android lineup, which currently features the Sprint-powered and sourced Samsung Precedent and LG Optimus Q.

What remains to be seen is just how many people will be led to the service of flat-rate service with LTE access for half of the cost of the typical postpaid monthly rate on AT&T. Will it drive new customers that normally wouldn’t have considered prepaid service, or does the allure of the $45 rate leave it open for abuse by the same people that would take full advantage of such service if given the opportunity to pay such a low rate for it?

Update: After extensive research, it has been confirmed that the model offered is not an LTE enabled version of the Optimus 2X as is being advertised by Straight Talk, rather it is in fact an unbranded version of the US G2X that will be sold by the provider with Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 pre-loaded along with a new series of T-Mobile SIM card that will allow access to the carrier’s HSPA+ network for the phone, with no possibility of swapping current SIMs used on other GSM smartphones such as the E71 and E5 since they only work with AT&T.

Update 2: Straight Talk has pulled its reservation page for the Optimus 2X and replaced it with the page for the Optimus Q. The service provider has also pulled its Google Doubleclick ad campaign for the phone and replaced it with the previous campaign for the Optimus Q. Below, a screen cap of the Optimus 2X ad.

Update 3: Straight Talk has re-opened the reservation page for the LG Optimus 2X and has removed all references to 4G LTE support and is instead referring to T-Mobile’s HSPA+ data network as “4G”.

Update 4: Sibling provider Net10 has opened its own page for the phone, with a screencap of its Google DoubleClick ad below detailing the removal of 4G LTE references:

Boost Mobile is steadily shoring up its Android smartphone lineup as it has added the LG Marquee to its lineup with the launch set for January 23rd via Boost Mobile’s online portal and retail stores with a wider launch in February. The Marquee is identical to the version released on Sprint with a 4 inch NOVA display, Android Gingerbread, front facing camera for video calling, Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth and a 5.0 megapixel camera with 720p video capture. Pricing for the phone is set at $279.99 with either the monthly Android service plan or daily unlimited plans for activation.

As Boost Mobile transitions from the push to talk service that made it a pop culture icon, the move to smartphones does improve its prospects for longevity, but with Virgin Mobile following a near identical path with its own cheaper plans and smart phone selection, it will need to differentiate itself even further besides the Shrinkage program that rewards long-term customers for staying with the virtual operator and adding to Sprint’s overall subscriber numbers.

With the arrival of the Network Vision realignment and the focus moving quickly to LTE, it also remains to be seen how much attention will be paid to Boost Mobile and Virgin in terms of network access priority, as the popularity of the service has led to longstanding complaints of poor service for both services in terms of quality and data speeds. The next few months ahead of the expected launch of LTE on Sprint will prove crucial for both Boost and Virgin Mobile as they follow behind Sprint’s lead in terms of direction.

The first live shots of the LG Viper LTE, Sprint’s second LTE smartphone announced at CES. Sprint was up-front in saying that the Viper was not as far along in development as the Galaxy Nexus LTE that they also had on show.

But, they did show us the phone for the first time. With a four-inch display, and Android 2.3.x installed, the Viper is shaping up to be one of Sprint’s entry-level LTE smartphone.

Read more to see the hands-on.

Note: While this phone has Gingerbread installed, we could not confirm or not if it will launch with Gingerbread or Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Unfortunately, due to lighting, and LG’s guarded nature, this was about all we could grab of the phone. Unlike Galaxy Nexus, it was a very locked-down demonstration of the phone. Little more than the device’s home screen was viewable, and Sprint was not making devices available for private shots of the device.

We also could not confirm if NFC and Google Wallet would be included, but could find no evidence of it on the device.

Following up on this morning’s announcement during the LG keynote, Verizon Wireless has officially announced the LG Spectrum while confirming pricing and launch details.

As expected the phone will launch on January 19th for $199.99 after a new 2 year agreement and data plan. In a major change from the first generation of devices, the LG Spectrum heralds the next generation of LTE smartphones that are less expensive than the first generation of phones that were ~$100 more expensive than 3G only Android smartphones and the iPhone 4 after agreement, greatly increasing the appeal of LTE smartphones.

Specifications for the phones consist of the previously confirmed 4.5-inch True HD IPS display with a 329 pixels per inch density, Corning Gorilla Glass, Android 2.3 Gingerbread  with a future update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich during the first half of 2012, Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, ESPN’s ScoreCenter app, Dolby Digital Plus audio processing and output, 8.0 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and 1080p video capture, front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat, HD video editing on the device, Mobile Hotspot capability for up to 10 Wi-Fi devices, Bluetooth 3.0, 16 GB microSD card pre-installed with support for 32 GB microSD cards, SmartShare support and HDMI mirroring of phone content capable via MHL.

With the phone featuring a 720p display, many of the biggest changes will be in web browsing and multimedia, as the density of the display will make streaming content to and from the phone easier while making web browsing much easier with more desktop alike page rendering. Let’s hope this new generation of LTE smartphone also fixes the issues with Verizon’s mobile hotspot.

MetroPCS has announced two new Android smartphones in the LG Connect and Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G with LTE support that will be launching within the next few weeks. Starting with the LG Connect, the phone features a 4-inch Nova display with Gorilla Glass and a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 5.0 megapixel main camera with flash and 720p HD video capture, as well as a front-facing camera for video chats and also includes Dolby Mobile sound processing for enhanced audio.

The Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G features Android 2.3 Gingerbread,  3.5-inch display, and is powered by a 1GHz processor. with a 3.2-megapixel main camera, LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera with Google Talk support. Pricing for the Galaxy Attain 4G is set at $249.99 before an additional $50 mail-in rebate bringing the total to $199.99.

The new LTE smartphones reflect the new emphasis on LTE for the carrier after months of stagnating growth as a result of the spectrum crunch it faces due to not having enough available to launch LTE in current markets while making the transition from CDMA in order to make better use of the AWS spectrum it does have in order to focus on LTE.

The new lower pricing for both phones also reflects the continual decrease in prices for phones with built-in LTE radios following statements from MetroPCS last year regarding the lack of cheap LTE phones, with the next major reduction in costs for LTE enabled phones not expected until the second half of the year.

Over the past month, Verizon has been discounting LTE batteries. However, it was at times hard, and impossible to lock in the deal.

We initially reported the half-off battery pricing with the HTC Rezound in a previous article, but the discounts were giving users errors. Namely, if a user was logged into VerizonWireless.com, they often were charged the full price for the battery at checkout. Now, it appears all issues are fixed, and the discounts are showing up for all users.

It appears Verizon is discounting the cost of batteries on LTE smartphones as a tactic acknowledgement of the significant battery drain users are encountering. The discount also applies to extended batteries on phones that support them, such as the LG Revolution, Droid Bionic, and HTC Thunderbolt.

Customers have complained about the power drain from Verizon’s LTE network. The error is not on the part of Verizon, who was pressured by partner Vodafone to embrace LTE over rival standards. LTE is inherently going to drain more power as all other 4G standards do. Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA, or OFDM), the technology and practices that are shared nearly by all 4G standards in some form, demand high power consumption currently. Older standards such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) are able to achieve high speeds with higher latency, and slower real-world bandwidth rates.

At around $20 for an extended battery, the offer is something we have taken advantage of already in the office. LTE power consumption is a major issue, especially with features like Mobile Hotspot. I personally use a Droid Bionic and now have three batteries; two standard and one extended, with a desktop Motorola battery charger. The $45 cost for two additional batteries costs almost as much as the $39 battery charger (which oddly, Verizon does not sell on their online store).

Batteries alone however cannot help one phone; the Droid RAZR, which lacks a removable battery. Motorola is reportedly preparing an alternative Droid RAZR maxx model, continuing the RAZR maxx nameplate with a faster processor (matching Droid Bionic) and extended battery, with possibly an improved camera.

A post on LG’s Facebook page today disclosed plans for upgrading their devices to Android 4, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).

However, the post requires translation to make sense for their devices in the United States. Not because the post wasn’t in English, but because LG devices in the United States have different names than LG’s “rest of world” global naming schema.

Only the T-Mobile G2x in recent days has been brought over with the LG naming schema. The G2x held the most vocal audience, and longest outcry from owners who first had to fight for Android 2.3, Gingerbread, which the Optimus 2X received, but not the G2x. It was subsequently updated to Android 2.3. The G2x met lackluster sales on T-Mobile, hence it was treated with a lagging regard compared to the more popular Optimus 2X abroad.

The good news is that the LG Nitro on AT&T and Sprint Marquee both appear to be getting Android 4 upgrades, as they are direct descendants of the Optimus and Optimus Black families. However, the LG Revolution still remains in doubt as to if it will be upgraded. The Revolution on Verizon Wireless is the most-modified variant of the Optimus line to-date. While it is intended to be sold alongside the Optimus 2X and T-Mobile G2x in LG’s competitive landscape, LG had to make sacrifices to accommodate the early arrival of LTE on Verizon.

To make the device cost affordable, LG scaled the CPU back from a dual-core to a single-core processor. As such, LG may be able to effectively argue that the Revolution cannot handle Android 4. The LG Revolution is the slowest of Verizon’s first-generation LTE devices, though newer phones like the Pantech Breakout have similar performance deltas.

Read on for LG’s full Facebook posting.

LG will be offering the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS upgrade for a range of LG smart-phones which were introduced this year. The global upgrade schedule will begin in the second and third quarters of 2012, which will be followed by a global roll out.

During the second quarter of 2012 upgrades will begin for the following smartphone models: the LG Optimus LTE, Prada phone by LG 3.0, the LG Optimus 2X, the LG Optimus Sol, the LG my Touch Q and the LG Eclipse. These upgrades will be followed by upgrades for the following smartphone models during the third quarter of 2012: the LG Optimus 3D, the LG Optimus Black, the LG Optimus Big, the LG Optimus Q2 and the LG Optimus EX.

LG will be taking all possible measure to offer a smooth OS upgrade in a timely manner. The exact start dates can vary by market, as each country can have different requirements, depending on the carrier and the smartphone model.

LG would like to thank its customers for their most valued loyalty and support. Further details on the ICS OS upgrade, including their exact start dates, will be released prior to their commencement. Please stay tuned for more updates from LG.
Thank you.

Cloud storage provider Box.net, whose claim to fame was offering 50GB of lifetime storage to owners of HP’s failed TouchPad even after the fire sale has expanded its offering to include Sony Ericsson’s Xperia line and LG Android models.

All the offer requires is that owners of  LG Android devices sign up directly from the smartphone from today until March 31st 2012 through the new Android app in order to take advantage of the free 50GB lifetime storage offer. Sony Ericsson Xperia owners will receive the same promotion in the future, with both companies still working out the details of their own lifetime storage promotion.

The cloud storage provider has garnered the most attention for offering a similar promotion on Apple’s iOS family of devices, coinciding with the launch of Apple’s rival iCloud service.

Box.net not only offers cloud storage, but the service also offers real-time collaborative editing through the service with version control and other enterprise features such as offline access, remote access/download and bulk upload support.

Today only, Virgin Mobile is offering half off the Motorola Triumph and LG Optimus Slider. These two devices are currently Virgin Mobile’s flagship Android smartphones.

In addition, Virgin Mobile left the coupon code SAVE20 active, for an additional 20% off the sale price. When combined, you get 60% off the suggested retail price for the devices.

When combined, you can purchase a Motorola Triumph and LG Optimus Slider for $219, which is around the same price as the Optimus Slider alone at retail.

Currently the LG Optimus Slider is running Android 2.3, Gingerbread, while the Motorola Triumph is running Android 2.2. However, the Triumph features a larger screen, faster performance, and HDMI output.

Virgin Mobile