Cricket Wireless announced that it will be significantly expanding its area of data plan operations to include Mexico and Canada. The company also announced a new smartphone to take advantage of its services, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3.
Customers of Cricket Wireless have had unlimited calling and texting while traveling anywhere in North America for some time now, but data usage was limited to the United States. Although this allowed users to stay in contact with each other, the Internet has become a vital technology for communicating with others, checking information, keeping up on work projects, and hundreds of other uses. As we grow ever more dependent on the Internet to help with tasks in our daily lives, access becomes paramount.
With this expansion, Cricket Wireless gives customers using the company's Smart and Pro service plans free data roaming inside of Mexico and Canada. This makes it easier for users traveling internationally to stay in touch and have access to this essential tool anywhere in North America.
Cricket Wireless also announced the addition of the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 to its list of supported devices. Cricket Wireless stated that the phone was highly compatible with services from Cricket's music streaming partner, Deezer. Using Deezer's DJ Mix app, users can listen to music and allow users to mix songs together, add transitions, and other effects.
The smartphone uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC, containing eight Cortex-A53 CPU cores. Half of these cores are locked at 1 GHz, while the others can operate at up to 1.5 GHz. The SoC also contains the Qualcomm Andreno 405 GPU, 2 GB of LP-DDR3, and 16 GB of storage. Storage can be extended with up to a 128 GB MicroSD. The OneTouch Idol 3 uses a 5.5" 1080p display, with support for 5-point multi-touch input. It has a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera.
The free roaming is available now for Cricket Wireless customers. The Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3 is available now from Amazon with a price of $249.99.
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Michael Justin Allen Sexton (or MJ) is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware. As a tech enthusiast, MJ enjoys studying and writing about all areas of tech, but specializes in the study of chipsets and microprocessors. In his personal life, MJ spends most of his time gaming, practicing martial arts, studying history, and tinkering with electronics.
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