As smartphones continue to gain traction, it's essential that regional carriers maintain a device portfolio that includes high-end devices, which is exactly what U.S. Cellular is hoping to do with the Motorola Electrify, a new Android smartphone.
The Electrify is basically a rebranded Photon 4G (Sprint). The Electrify will sell for $199.99 with $100 rebate and a two-year data plan from U.S. Cellular.
The Electrify, which comes running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and features a 4.3-inch qHD touchscreen, 1 GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and loads of accessories, is by far the standout in U.S. Cellular's Android device portfolio.
U.S. Cellular customers can also take advantage of Motorola's webtop application, which can expand the Electrify to include a larger screen and full keyboard. The Electrify can be plugged into the Motorola HD Station to connect to an HD monitor to launch a full Firefox 4.0 browser.
U.S. Cellular has said it's working on rolling out an LTE network and currently offers pretty competitive 3G plans. The $79.99 Primary Plus Plan offers customers 5GB of data with unlimited text, picture and video messaging and comes with 450 voice minutes, free incoming calls, free nights and weekends and free mobile-to-mobile calls.