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Ting adding support for unlocked GSM handsets in 2015.
Screen shot by Scott Webster/CNET

Ting, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that currently resells wireless service from Sprint, is adding a partner whose phones use the GSM technology, starting in February 2015.

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Although the Ting is reluctant to name the GSM provider, one look at the URL in this coverage map confirms that T-Mobile is behind the scenes.

Once the switch is flipped, Ting will support more than 80 percent of the smartphones released over the last few years. What’s more, customers will be able to have GSM and CDMA handsets on the same account — in other words, both T-Mobile and Sprint phones — a first for the mobile industry.

There are more details in Ting’s blog post. If you want to check whether Ting will support your current smartphone come February, head to the compatibility checker.

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Already available for sale in Asia, the lowest-cost Lumia yet heads to the U.S.
Nokia

Microsoft’s lowest-cost Lumia phone, the Nokia Lumia 530 , brings its colorful polycarbonate style and money-saving mobile computing to the US this month.

Cricket Wireless will be the first to sell it, in cyan, for $50. That begins tomorrow. T-Mobile follows suit with the white shade on October 15, but for a heftier sum of $80 all in. On October 15, Best Buy and the Microsoft will each peddle the 530 for $70.

As a refresh, the Lumia 530 runs Windows Phone 8.1 with the Cortana voice assistant and a 4-inch screen with 854×480-pixel resolution. A quad-core 1.2GHz processor from Qualcomm promises stable performance, and a 5-megapixel camera should take basic shots. There’s also a microSD card slot onboard to expand the phone’s storage capacity by 128GB for your multimedia needs.

Read even more about the Lumia 530 in our preview , and stay tuned for a full review when our review unit arrives.

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Huawei Ascend Y: Uber-budget Android

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Today, Huawei and U.S. Cellular announced the Huawei Ascend Y, a budget Android smartphone for first-timers. A few weeks ago, I got to briefly handle the Muve Music device.

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With its Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, the Ascend Y certainly isn’t angling for tech-savvy users, or those ready to invest in a higher-cost handset. Its 3.5-inch touch screen definitely felt small compared with today’s larger-screen phones, but its HVGA (480×320-pixel) resolution is appropriate for the display and looked fine. The Swype virtual keyboard will help compose text in tight spaces.

Huawei Ascend Y for U.S. Cellular
I got a first look at Huawei’s Ascend Y a few weeks back.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

I didn’t get an opportunity to test the 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder, which will be best suited for casual use. An 800Mhz processor runs the show, but the battery life won’t astound at just 4.8 hours of active talk time. Its one nod toward fancier features is the DTS Envelo audio technology for surround sound.

If there’s one thing Huawei does well, it’s offering a nice, stylish look and feel to its budget phones. The Ascend Y may not astound, but a soft-touch coating on the back makes it comfortable to hold, and silver accents on the back nicely catch the light.

The Ascend Y goes on sale for $29.99 with a two-year agreement.

Huawei Ascend Y for U.S. CellularHuawei Ascend Y for U.S. Cellular
A silver “bridge” accents the Ascend Y’s backside.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

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Forget spending countless hours and dollars on a viral video–hello OK Go!–one band is doing viral the old fashioned way.

You probably haven’t heard of Dry The River, but come this March you will, and if you’re in London it will be via the old fashioned “lover’s phone”: a tin can on a string.

Twelve posters are scattered around London which, if you hold the can up to your ear, will play a track from Dry The River’s new album “Shallow Bed.”

The posters feature animals constructed from wires pulled from a battery-powered music player, and each of the posters features a different song.

Unfortunately, the closest those outside the U.K. will get to listening to these tin cans will be visiting the Dry The River Web site, watching the video below, or checking out a live show during the bend’s forthcoming U.S. tour. Rumors that Verizon and U.K.-based BT are working together on a “trans-Atlantic string tunnel” have yet to be confirmed.

(Via Creative Review)

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