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Cellular South competes with smart phone
Nov 06, 2009 (The Commercial Appeal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Citing strong preorders as a sure sign of success for its entry into the smart-phone market, officials at Mississippi-based Cellular South predicted that the HTC Hero will fly off the shelves when the device is available Monday.
Customers who previously ordered the Hero in stores or online were able to pick up their purchases beginning Thursday, and that meant a busy day for Cellular South stores in the Memphis area.
"Traffic has been up in all our stores, both with customers picking up their phones and also with those wanting to learn about them from our Discover Center specialists," said Richard Reynolds, director of retail support for Cellular South. "We're anticipating even larger crowds on Monday."
Available for $99 after mail-in rebate, the Hero -- which is powered by the Android open-source platform -- offers monthly plans beginning at just under $80. That's important to customers like Scott Davidson of Millington, who plans to drop his current mobile phone company and switch to Cellular South.
"It's more affordable, and all my friends who have Cellular South say it has great coverage," Davidson said during a visit to the company's store at 1680 Union on Thursday. "When you look at it that way, I don't think there's any comparison to an iPhone. I'll be back here next week to get one."
That's good news for Cellular South officials, who expect to offer stiff competition to Apple's iPhone in the growing smart-phone industry.
That includes Verizon's Droid, an Android-powered smart phone that goes on sale today.
"With Android's high level of customization and features that can't be found on other devices, we're seeing a record number of consumers purchase this advanced smart phone," said Kevin Hankins, chief operating officer for Cellular South. "We have broken down the barriers to having full access to the richest and simplest wireless experience."
For more information, visit cellularsouth.com.
-- James Dowd: 529-2737
Verizon's Version
What: Droid by Motorola, a touchscreen smart phone powered by the Android open-source platform
When: Beginning at 7 a.m. today
Where: Available at all Verizon stores and online
Details: verizon.com
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