Today Cricket's smartphone lineup got itself a new high-end handset in the form of the Huawei Mercury, a device that we first heard about back in June when it was known as the Glory. Available today from Cricket's retail stores and its website, the Android-powered Mercury is priced at $249.99 and is compatible with Cricket's $55 per month smartphone plan. On the spec side of things, you can expect to find a 4-inch 854x480 touchscreen, 1.4GHz single-core processor, 8-megapixel shooter, VGA front-facing camera, 2GB built-in storage, and mobile hotspot support for up to 5 devices.

Sounds like a pretty nice addition, no? Cricket's already got a handful of Android phones on its roster, but the Mercury comes in as the carrier's most powerful handset yet, giving something for all the spec hounds on Cricket to lust after. As usual, we've got the full press release waiting for you down below. And now for the $250 question: Are any of you Cricket customers out there planning on picking up a Mercury?

Cricket First in U.S. to Unleash the Power, Speed and Elegance of the Huawei Mercury

~ Long Anticipated Android™ Smartphone Features 4-inch Screen and 1.4GHz Processor

~~ Feature Packed Huawei Mercury Comes with Cricket Value Price of $249.99 Just in Time for the Holidays

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cricket Communications, Inc., a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP) today announced the exclusive United States availability of the Huawei Mercury, Cricket's fastest and most powerful smartphone, yet.  This highly anticipated device is available now for $249.99 (MSRP) at Cricket branded retail stores, dealers and at www.mycricket.com.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111103/LA98784LOGO-c)

"We are extremely pleased to be the first carrier in the United States to bring this high quality smartphone to customers and we're excited that we are able to offer this compelling device at a very affordable price," said Matt Stoiber, senior vice president, devices for Cricket.  "In addition to its big screen and powerful processor, the Huawei Mercury is packed with many great features including a VGA front facing camera and 8MP rear camera and camcorder with LED flash.  Users can also enrich their wireless experience by tethering the powerful Mercury to their tablet and other devices through Cricket's new tethering service plan over Cricket's high-speed 3G network."

"Huawei's device strategy has always been to ensure that carriers can continue to grow the population of smartphone connected consumers. We've been able to establish ourselves as a player in this market by providing affordable smartphones, and we're building on that foundation with devices for the high-tier market now," said Jiangao Cui, President of Huawei Device USA. "This particular device, the Huawei Mercury, is an opportunity for us to offer a quality high-end device to the U.S. market that can deliver rich multi-media content including music, video and gaming applications seamlessly."

Huawei Mercury Features

1.4Ghz Processor

4" FWVGA Touchscreen

Email application for both consumer and business email

8.0 MP AF HD rear camera/camcorder

VGA Front Camera

2GB Internal Memory

Real Web Browsing at 3G speeds

Wi-Fi Capable

Stereo Bluetooth

Mobile Hotspot (i.e. Tethering); supports up to 5 devices

Support for Google Mobile™ Services – Gmail™, Google Maps™ with 3D maps and free turn-by-turn navigation, Google Earth™, Movie Studio, YouTube, access to more than 300,000 apps, millions of eBooks, thousands of movies to rent from Android Market

The Huawei Mercury joins Cricket's growing smartphone lineup and is available on Cricket's $55 per month smartphone service plan that includes unlimited talk and long distance, caller ID, voicemail, call waiting, 3-way calling, call forwarding, unlimited text, picture and video messaging, 3G mobile data and email.

Additional Cricket Services Supported

Cricket Storefront Client -- The Cricket Storefront is Cricket's own application storefront which is preloaded from which users can purchase ringtones, graphics, ringback tones, games and applications. A user must have Flex Bucket funds available in order to make purchases from Cricket's Storefront.

Cricket Mobile Web -- Access the Internet from the phone, anywhere Cricket data coverage is available.

My Account -- My Account provides Cricket customers with online access to billing and account information. Once customers are registered and logged into My Account they have the ability to add a line of service, upgrade their phone, change their plan, add new plan features, change billing and communication preferences, view text message purchases and check the status of an online order.

My Backup -- The My Backup application will back up the users contact list, perform regular updates and download contacts.

For more information about Cricket's dynamic device lineup, please visit www.mycricket.com.  To follow Cricket's latest news and updates online, go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/cricketwireless and Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cricketnation. 

About Cricket

Cricket is the pioneer of simple and affordable unlimited wireless services with no long-term commitments or credit checks required serving approximately 5.8 million customers. Cricket products are available nationwide. Cricket offers wireless voice and broadband Internet services over the latest technology, high-quality, all-digital 3G CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO wireless network. Cricket's nationwide wireless voice service plans include unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. long distance, unlimited text and picture messaging, unlimited text to Mexico, unlimited Mobile Web, unlimited directory assistance, as well as a variety of calling features and feature-rich mobile applications such as popular games, ringtones and wallpapers. For more information on Cricket, visit www.mycricket.com. Cricket is offered by Leap Wireless International, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, Calif. For more information on Leap, visit www.leapwireless.com.

Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. 

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SOURCE Cricket Communications, Inc.