If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, Cricket added a compact smartphone to its lineup, new press images landed for Verizon's next QWERTY-enabled handset and Canadian carriers grabbed a rugged smartphone from Samsung. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of October 29th, 2012.
The Desire C has been lurking around parts of Europe and Canada for a while, but Cricket's subscribers can now get in on the action, as the pint-sized smartphone is selling for $180. Budget-minded folks will find the slab combines Android 4.0 with a humble 600MHz CPU and a diminutive 3.5-inch HVGA display. The Desire C also combines a 5-megapixel rear camera that records video at 720p, along with a microSD slot for expansion and support for Cricket's Muve Music service. [Cricket PR]
It's been a while since we've seen any mention of the Samsung Stratosphere II for Verizon Wireless, but the recent leak of its press images suggest that the QWERTY smartphone is still in the carrier's pipeline. We last knew that the Stratosphere II would combine a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, support for the carrier's LTE network and a possibility of global roaming. Unfortunately, that's where the story ends until we learn additional details. [@evleaks (Twitter)]
Canadian carriers Bell and Telus added a new rugged smartphone to their rosters this week in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Rugby LTE. Like the Galaxy Rugby Pro at AT&T, the Android 4.0 handset sports a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, along with a 4-inch WVGA display, a 5-megapixel rear camera that shoots 720p video and a 1.3MP front-facing cam. The phone also features NFC capabilities, and as a slight differentiation, Bell has enabled the push-to-talk capabilities for its handset. Telus customers can expect to pay $49 on a three-year term or $460 outright, whereas Bell subscribers must cough up $80 with a three-year agreement or $450 to snag it without contract. [MobileSyrup 1, 2]
CyanogenMod developers caused a bit of a stir with the announcement that the custom ROM would ship by default with root capabilities disabled, but as the team has proven, it's more than capable of providing a nice blend of security and functionality. In the latest nightly builds of CyanogenMod 10, users will find a new file manager that offers a choice of three access modes: safe, prompt user and root. Those who'd prefer not riding along the bleeding edge should be able to snag the revision as part of the team's latest milestone build, which is currently scheduled for November 11th. [Android Police]
[Mobile Miscellany photo credit: Thristian / Flickr]
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