Ina Fried

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Merger, Schmerger; T-Mobile Introduces New Devices at CTIA

While all the talk in Orlando is about its deal to be bought by AT&T, T-Mobile is hoping at least a few people will pay attention to some of its newest products.

In a series of product introductions that were planned ahead of the bombshell announcement, the No. 4 U.S. carrier introduced the G2x, an Android-based smartphone from LG that features a dual-core Nvidia Tegra chip along with a 4-inch screen. That device, as well as the previously announced G-Slate tablet and Sidekick 4G phone are still due this spring, the carrier said, without being more specific.

T-Mobile also announced plans for a new mobile broadband hotspot coming this spring as well as a USB stick modem that will ship this week.

The carrier also announced the first three areas where it will introduce its fastest network technology–a so-called HSPA+42 network. The network is an incremental improvement on the network that T-Mobile already sells as 4G (although from a technology perspective both the current and faster flavors are based on T-Mobile’s existing 3G network).

Las Vegas, New York and Orlando will be the first to get the HSPA+42 network, which offers peak theoretical speeds double the fastest speeds available on its current “4G” network. Chicago will follow suit, with 25 markets due to get the speed bump by mid-year.

T-Mobile’s announcements follow those from rival Sprint, which earlier on Monday announced plans to offer a version of the Nexus S that runs on its Wi-Max-based 4G network. In a further tie-up with the search giant, Sprint also said that it will enable Google Voice to run on its complete lineup of CDMA-based smartphones.

There was also device news from T-Mobile’s would-be merger partner, AT&T, which announced plans for its first 3-D smartphone, the LG Thrill 4G. It will also carry an additional Windows Phone–HTC’s HD7S, notable for being the largest-screen device in AT&T’s lineup of Windows phones. The move comes as Sprint is due to begin selling the Arrive, its first Windows Phone. Both the Arrive and HD7S will come pre-loaded with Microsoft’s NoDo software update that adds copy and paste abilities.

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Nobody was excited about paying top dollar for a movie about WikiLeaks. A film about the origins of Pets.com would have done better.

— Gitesh Pandya of BoxOfficeGuru.com comments on the dreadful opening weekend box office numbers for “The Fifth Estate.”