Items tagged with Sprint
We've said before that introducing the Palm Pre after WWDC would be bad for Palm, as by then the hype over the new iPhone and iPhone OS 3.0 will make excitement over the Pre announcement, ahem, rather subdued. It now appears that rumors of a mid-May launch of the Palm Pre may be false, but there is now another date given, leaked at SprintGuys, of June 7th. Before you say, "but that's a Sunday," yeah, it is, but Sprint has never been shy about using Sunday for launch dates. Here's what was said in the post: For those asking about the Pre, there are 2 release windows, one is around 6/7/09 - the other I cannot say much on.June 7th is one day before WWDC. The question is, would a 24 hour window give...
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WiMAX has definitely had a difficult time taking off here in the US, but with Sprint hoping to expand the service to around a dozen major metropolitan areas before the dawn of 2011, there's still hope for a late surge in adoption. And honestly, it's devices like this that'll make it happen. Clearwire has just announced an interesting new product that could eventually make you think twice about ditching your current ISP and going strictly WiMAX: the CLEAR Spot. Put simply, this is a portable WiMAX modem with built-in Wi-Fi capability, meaning that it can deliver WiMAX signals to multiple Wi-Fi-enabled products.Think of it this way -- you fire up the CLEAR Spot and secure a blazing fast...
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Sprint could definitely use a boost these days, and it's apparently hoping to get that from upcoming expansion of its Sprint 4G services. For those who haven't followed this epic sequence of events, Sprint 4G is the new tagline for its WiMAX services, which went by "XOHM" for, oh, a day or two. After linking up with Clearwire, however, it ditched the inexplicable moniker and went with something entirely more digestible -- and now, the circle of explanation is complete.At any rate, Sprint 4G is currently only available in around Baltimore, Maryland, which obviously won't put a huge increase in the revenue line. By the time 2009 draws to a close, however, that situation will be drastically different....
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On Thursday, Palm and Sprint had a webcast to go over --- what else? --- the Palm Pre. Unfortunately, the information we all wanted to hear, meaning pricing and availability, was not revealed. What they did dish on were the service plans. Individuals can choose from 450 minutes ($69.99), 900 minutes ($89.99) or unlimited plans ($99.99). Families can choose from 1500 minutes ($129.99), 3000 minutes ($169.99) or unlimited plans ($189.99). Business customers can pool their minutes together using an unlimited plan.Oh, and why the name Pre? "Because it’s anticipatory," and indicates looking forward to the future, "ahead of time." Well, at the rate things are going we could be anticipating the Pre...
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Sprint has been facing hard times of late, and is looking for the Palm Pre to boost their sales. What to do until then, hmmm? Well, they've initiated a referral program, whereby you can try to sucker, er, get your friends to sign up for Sprint before the Palm Pre launches. The program only lasts until 3/31. Strangely, the fine print says: "Accounts are limited to 12 referrals per year." You mean in the rest of the month? Perhaps they are looking to continue the program after this month if things go well. Referrers will get a $100 Visa debit card. Referrals will get a $25 Visa debit card. To refer someone, go to Sprint's web site and send an email to your friend(s). If your friend buys a new Sprint...
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Sprint released their Q4 2008 results on Thursday. It wasn't pretty. Yet their stock soared nearly 20%. Why? Sprint lost 1.3 million net wireless customers in the quarter. Overall, in 2008, Sprint lost 4 million customers. At the same time, in Q4 2008, Sprint had a net loss of $1.62 billion, or $0.57 a share, on revenue of $8.43 billion. Yet the stock rose $0.54 a share, 19.93%. Once again, why? The Palm Pre, and a rumor, that's why. An anonymous source told CNBC that Sprint has exclusivity on the Palm Pre until the end of 2009. That was enough to send the stock rising. Of course, this morning it's dropped about $0.14, or 4.5%, but who's counting? The Palm Pre was introduced at CES in January....
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According to a report by Korea’s ETNews, Samsung is set to release its first Google Android-enabled phone for North America by the second quarter of 2009. The company is currently in the development process for the phone. To meet its goals, Samsung has added 30 experts in Linux and Java to the task force team of its information and communications division, bringing the team to a total of 80 developers. The article quotes an official from Samsung as saying that the company is accelerating development for the phone in order to meet carriers’ demands. The phone will be available on Sprint Nextel’s and T-Mobile’s networks. If you’ll recall, Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse made a comment back in October and...
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Today, Sprint announced a high-speed modem that will enable subscribers to connect to the Internet over both 3G and 4G WiMAX networks. The new dual-mode modem will operate on both the WiMAX network Clearwire Corp is building and on Sprint's existing mobile broadband network. The U300 USB modem will be available starting Sunday, December 21 for $149.99 after a $50 rebate and with a two-year contract. Data plans will cost $80 per month for the dual-mode card. To compare, Sprint offers a WiMAX-only card and corresponding monthly service plan of $45 for network access. The U300 can reach download speeds of 2 to 4 Mbps within WiMAX range, and downlink speeds of 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps when connected...
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It’s hard to avoid making comparisons to Apple’s iPhone when you mention the HTC Touch Diamond. Although they are very different phones running on different operating systems, the Touch Diamond is arguably one of the closest competitors in the U.S. market today to the popular iPhone in terms of unique touch controls, an attractive looking user interface, power and versatility. Even though the phones compete in some areas, it’s important to understand that there’s a big difference between the Touch Diamond and the iPhone in terms of their intended users. You see, HTC designed the Touch Diamond as a Windows Mobile, business-friendly device. Click the link below and take a look... Sprint HTC Touch...
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It’s hard to avoid making comparisons to Apple’s iPhone when you mention the HTC Touch Diamond. Although they are very different phones running on different operating systems, the Touch Diamond is arguably one of the closest competitors in the U.S. market today to the popular iPhone in terms of unique touch controls, an attractive looking user interface, power and versatility. Even though the phones compete in some areas, it’s important to understand that there’s a big difference between the Touch Diamond and the iPhone in terms of their intended users. You see, HTC designed the Touch Diamond as a Windows Mobile, business-friendly device. Apple designed the iPhone from the ground up as a...
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We’re not so sure what to think of this: According to recent reports, Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse reportedly made a comment to the National Press Club in Washington, saying that Android (in its current form) is not “good enough to put the Sprint brand on it.” Although we can’t weigh in on Android’s usefulness with much personal experience quite yet, this is a very strong comment, especially given the fact that Android is the first truly revolutionary thing to happen to mobile phones in a while. Thankfully, Hesse didn’t completely rule out the possibility of an Android phone in the future. We’ve heard rumors of a delay in a Sprint Android phone before, so maybe, just maybe, the two have something to...
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Everyone's fascinated with the Apple iPhone. Apple's announced their new, third generation (3G) model is coming out on July 11, and all the news outlets have been pawing over the details of the handset and the plan. The iPhone has the potential to be one of those concepts that becomes the name people use to refer to all items of its type, like Kleenex or Frigidaire or Xerox once did. Not many people are that interested in the Samsung/Sprint version of the small slab smartphone with a touchscreen and not a lot of buttons. Maybe they should be. It's better than an iPhone in a lot of ways.• It's smaller, fitting more comfortably in a pocket.• It records video. The iPhone only does stills.•...
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As rumors about the gPhone platform circulate, so do reports of Google negotiations with Sprint and Verizon. Two of the country's largest cell phone carriers are considering offering phones featuring software by Google, according to a news report Tuesday. Both Verizon Wireless, the second largest carrier by number of subscribers, and Sprint Nextel, the third largest, are said to be in "advanced talks" with Google, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site late Tuesday. Google is expected to announce new mobile software, dubbed by some the "gPhone," in mid-November. If Google can strike a deal with a U.S. carrier, phones with its software could reach American consumers by the middle of...
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Wait a second, you Vonage users. Although the legal news of late has not been kind to Vonage, they may be able to avoid financial ruin yet. Today they announced a settlement with Sprint Nextel over their patent lawsuit, though certainly not without cost.Monday's settlement resolves all claims in the dispute, the companies said. Sprint agreed to license Vonage its portfolio of more than 100 patents on connecting calls between a regular telephone network and a packet-switched network such as the Internet. The $80 million Vonage agreed to pay consists of $35 million for past use of the patents, $40 million for a fully paid future license, and $5 million in prepayment for services.Vonage's...
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In what was pretty much a repeat of a March decision in which Vonage was found in violation of Verizon patents, a federal jury today ruled that Vonage is in violation of seven Sprint Nextel patents.Vonage has been ordered to pay Sprint $69.5 million in damages plus 5% royalties on all future revenue, though the defeated company said this afternoon it will file an appeal. Today's decision comes six months after Vonage lost a very similar case to Verizon. There, the VoIP provider was ordered to pay Verizon $58 plus 5.5% in royalties on all future revenue.If you are a Vonage customer, it might not be a bad idea to start shopping around ......
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Fulfilling a promise made when they began their partnership late last year, when Microsoft and Sprint launched Windows Live Search across the Sprint mobile web, Microsoft and Sprint have added GPS-enabled local search functionality to their offering.Sprint's local search as well as full Internet search through the carrier's mobile portal would now be powered by Microsoft. The local search would also be GPS-aware, allowing consumers to search around their location as detected by the Sprint's network. <script language="JavaScript" src="https://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/ttm.betanews/bn/home;tier=1;sz=336x280,300x250;tile=2;ord=1068424074?" type="text/javascript"></script>...
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Representatives of Clearwire and Sprint Nextel, the third largest mobile carrier in the U.S., have announced a cooperative effort to convene a national WiMax wireless broadband network, which is the upcoming 4G technology standard. WiMax mobile technology has been developed to work over 5 times faster than contemporary 3rd generation wireless networks, and at a lower cost. Moreover, Intel and other big-name IT and telecommunications companies seem to see a bright future for WiMax, for they believe that WiMax chips will eventually be incorporated into various devices including laptops. “The partnership will enable the two companies to accelerate their existing WiMax network plans and make more...
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Mobile phone carrier Sprint Nextel has sent out about 1000 "Dear John" letters, terminating service to customers that called Sprint's customer support line between 40 an 50 times a month, often about the same thing over and over. Industry analysts estimate that it costs $10 to $20 per call to handle customer service. So, right, wrong, or indifferent, the former customers were losing propositions for Sprint, and they're taking the PR hit and dumping them. "While we have worked to resolve your issues and questions to the best of our ability," the letter said in part, "the number of inquiries you have made to us during this time had led us to determine that we are unable to meet your...
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Sprint has just announced its WiMAX build-out schedule for 2007, and initial service is set to be provided to Chicago and Washington, DC. These are test markets for Sprint, which hopes to roll out the high-speed technology to 100 million people by the end of 2008. The company will drop more than $800 million on WiMAX upgrades this year, and nearly $2 billion next year, to build what Sprint refers to as its "4G" network. WiMAX promises higher speeds and better coverage than existing wireless data networks based on EV-DO or EDGE technology, and Sprint wants to ensure that it is a leading provider of wireless, high-speed access. Read...
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