The Genesis is now up on the LG Website but it hasn’t yet been announced by the US Cellular officials.  We’re guessing this isn’t the way this phone was meant to be shown to the public for the first time, but everyone is convinced that US Cellular WILL BE the carrier that the phone ends up with.  Here are some pictures of the phone…

We’re guessing the phone will show up on the US Cellular website by the end of the week.  They were probably trying to coincide the actual release of the phone in the stores with the website release and a communication error cause LG’s early release.

The website does boast some pretty solid technical numbers according to LG’s site.  The camera has Wi-fi, 3G coverage, 5 megapixel camera, and two 800×480 resolution screens.  We’re still waiting to hear about the battery life from the 1500 mAH battery.  The phone will run Android 2.2 Froyo, so we’ll be watching for a 2.3 update at some point.

Right now the expected cost is $249.99 with a renewed or new contract.

I’m not hoping for this type of merger, but it’s definitely a possibility. The advantages are better phones, and a new 4G network in some places (which currently wouldn’t be available for most US Cellular users anyways), but you’d lose the great customer service, and cheaper cell plans with US Cellular phones. As the number of companies become fewer and fewer, so does the competition which raises prices. There’s no doubt AT&T and Verizon would still be competing with each other, but it wouldn’t take much work for the companies to work together on pricing to fleece customers.

With cell phone plan pricing already skyrocketing, the talk about raising prices again is already on the table. Verizon has recently stated that they would soon lose their $30 unlimited plan, and move towards a tiered data plan which is really just “company-speak” for wanting to charge customers more. It won’t be long until many people are paying $200 a month for their phone plan which just seems crazy to me.

There’s nothing official out there about this possible merger, but I wanted to bring it to your attention just in case it does pop up. I can almost guarantee within the next year US Cellular will become a target by one of the two big companies, but whether they want to sell is another issue. US Cellular may decide that this is their opportunity to be the third option for people wanting to get out of the big-box stores and lower pricing. If you’re reading any of the other mobile blogs and forums out there, you can already see customer satisfaction is dropping, and if people get pushed much further you may see a migration away from the big duopoly.

If we hear anything new, we’ll update this post.

With the new Froyo update, this phone boasts the newest Android OS on the market which should keep it relevant for quite a while. If you need a phone right now, I really wouldn’t stress much about picking this one up even thought it’s been out for a while. The updates will keep coming, and this Samsung Galaxy series has been well received by most consumers.

That’s it for now, but check back soon as we’re checking for daily news updates on what’s next for US Cellular Phones.

The chart shows the Samsung Mesmerize and HTC Desire getting updated in the first week of February. The LG Apex phone will come after those later in February or March. The LG Optimus already has 2.2 so there are no updates on the horizon for that phone.

The bigger question now is for users of the Samsung Galaxy phones which have been left in the dark for their updates.  The updates are available outside the U.S. but it hasn’t been announced when it will make it to the states.  This update is actually good news though for those users since it adds more fuel to the fire that Android updates will be coming soon for all phones.

Here is a video walk through of the new Android OS:

If you’d like to read a review for the new OS, check out this Gizmodo article HERE.

Optimus U is actually just like the LG Optimus S. The letter at the end signifies the carriers where the “S” means Sprint and “U” mean US Cellular. There is also an Optimus T which is being carried by T-Mobile.

The phone has a 3.2 inch display, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 2 GB pre-installed Micro SD card which can be expanded to 32 GB, Wifi and a Swype onscreen keyboard. It also has a 600 MHz CPU which is not really the fastest one out there, but its speed is certainly enough to get you to different sites or wherever you want rather fast. Running the phone on Android 2.2 is an advantage since you can enjoy using it more with a little help from the JIT compiler.

You may find mail-rebates irritating, but $80 that you will get back certainly isn’t a bad offer. This Android handset can be best described as a smartphone. It is LG’s entry level product for this type of phones. It has high-end specs for 2009, but just around the mid-range for the present time. However, the phone does performs well and possess satisfying features. US Cellular must be pleased for having this phone as one of their products.

This new LG Optimus U is perfect for anyone who’s looking for their first smartphone and for those who may have limited budget. Loyal US Cellular customers must be excited for this since they may get the phone for free! It’s the best deal there is. But if a QWERTY keyboard-sliding type phone is what you’re looking for, you may want to try the LG Apex Ally for only $5. And for a better phone with more features, you may want to see The Samsung Mesmerize, or HTC Desire.

A new tablet will be released this November, and no it’s not from Apple. It is the Samsung Galaxy Tab and I want to compare these two tablets that will be available for sale at the same time in the market. In the succeeding minutes, we will see how Samsung Galaxy Tab and Apple iPad is different or same with each other.

When you compare the specs of these two devices, you will see that a Samsung Galaxy possesses a 7 inch multi-touch capacity screen with the resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels. iPad on the other hand, has a 9.7 inch identical screen with an IPS panel. With these information, it is clear that the iPad has a better screen. But when it comes to portability, Samsung Galaxy Tab has the upper hand. It is not such a satisfying experience to watch movies on iPad because of the 4:3 ratio, and its glossy exterior affects the screen visibility when exposed to sunlight. So I guess, this point goes to the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Now let’s compare the weight and size of the two tablets. Obviously, the Samsung Galaxy tab, having the weight of 0.84 LBS, weighs lesser than iPAd which has 1.6 LBS. This is a total knockout for iPad because it is heavier than the Samsung Galaxy and it is lesser convenient to bring it when travelling compared to its counterpart. Another point goes to Samsung Galaxy Tab.
When it comes to connectivity, Samsung Galaxy Tab possesses everything. It has A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth V.3.0 and 3G. Whilst iPad offers Wi-Fi connection and a Bluetooth V.2.1 features. Samsung Galaxy may have more connectivity options here, but an upgraded iPad is already available in the market. This would give the same connectivity features as the Samsung Galaxy has. So the points for this category go to both tablets.

Moving on to applications and other features, the Samsung Galaxy Tab has many custom made applications that is available in the Android store, while the iPad applications can be acquired from the well known Apple store.

The best tablet actually depends on your own preference. Samsung Galaxy Tabs offer a lot of fun and useful applications. So if you’re fond of applications, Samsung Galaxy is a better choice. But if you believe that the iTunes library and the Apple Books store could better supply your needs, then go for Apple iPad instead.

This is a device aimed towards people just delving into the smartphone or Android market, but any phone with the Android app is no slouch. It still has a full QWERTY keyboard, GPS, bluetooth, Google apps, camera with a flash, and a camcorder. The phone came out on Nov. 19th in the US Cellular stores.

It looks as though this will be the lowest priced Android phone for the holiday season, and should make for a great gift. Bundling this with the new enhancements to the US Cellular Belief Program makes it one of the best deals on the market.

With the slide out keyboard, it almost seems like a light version of the droid and that’s probably a pretty good comparison. It won’t be quite as fast, but for the most part, all of the other features are there. Reviews so far have been promising but we’ll have to follow-up in a month or two to get a good feel for the customers overall satisfaction.

The new tablet is bigger than a phone, but small enough to fit in a purse or easily carry. It’s only 12mm thick and weighs just 13 ounces which means you can easily take your entertainment with you wherever you go. Here are some stats:

7 Inch screen with 1024 x 600 resolution
2 camera/camcorders – one on the front (1.3 MP) for use with videoconferencing, and one on the back (3 MP) to take higher resolution pictures or video with autofocus.
Wi-Fi built in
2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of flash drive space expandable to 32 GB with a Micro SD card

Since the tablet uses the Google Android framework, you can access Google Maps, Google Goggles, and many of the other applications you’ve come to love if you already own an Android device.

Here is the official demo video from Samsung:

Price and release date haven’t been mentioned yet, but we’re guessing it will be soon with the Christmas shopping season only a few weeks away.

This new phone is similar to the other Galaxy S phones, with very similar internal features and only slight cosmetic differences, but this will also be loaded with proprietary US Cellular programs like the Navigator Deluxe and City ID. US Cellular has been left out of the big time competition with the Droid and iPhone, but they are on the right track by building relationships with these secondary companies. Samsung, HTC, and LG who plans to release 2 Smartphones through US Cellular later this year are all innovating as quickly as any company and should have a real competitor to the Big 2 sooner rather than later.

The current release date is set for October 27th and prices are claimed to be $199 after an $80 mail in rebate. It will run with Android 2.1 out of the box, but US Cellular has claimed that it will be upgraded to 2.2 by the end of the year.

Reviews aren’t currently available, but the Galaxy S phones have a strong track record among users and we expect this phone to be no different. We will update this post or write a full review once customers get a chance to get their hands on the new phone.

The initiative called the “Belief Project” is designed to entice current customers to stay aboard and bring on potential new users that may be on the fence. The program will offer points for their rewards program, easier to understand calling plans, forgiveness for overages, and “one and done” contracts.  Also included will be a 5% discount when using an auto-pay feature.

This development came after the company did a study aiming to find out the most common complaints among cell phone users.   By the looks of it, the new program will become very popular almost immediately and should help the company retain most of their loyal customers.

We are very happy to hear about these new goals, and plan to report more about the details in upcoming articles.