By: Chico October 26th, 2010
Sprint is releasing an iPod Touch case sometime before the end of the year. The case is made by ZTE and is called the ZTE Peel. The case will give your iPod access to Sprints 3G network and also make the device a WiFi hotspot. No details as of yet as far as pricing goes, or whether or not a contract will be necassary. Most likely it will require a two year agreement, seems they are allowing access to their network. Stay tuned for more details.
By: Kris Hill October 18th, 2010
Months ago images of this new form factor, a flip BlackBerry with a full QWERTY keyboard, leaked onto the Internet. I was kind of stoked. It really looked attractive to me. Then the Torch came out and I forgot all about it.
Today, Sprint officially unveiled its newest BlackBerry, the Style. It’s a flip BlackBerry, but unlike the Pearl Flip released on T-Mobile, it’s got a full QWERTY keyboard. Oh, and it’s rocking OS 6.
According to Sprint’s press release, there are more than 100 million cell phone users in the U.S. carrying around flip phones, so this is obviously the perfect device for those folks to upgrade to because it’s a great smartphone platform (right?) and yet still a familiar form factor.
Admittedly, that is one of the things that appealed to me about it before I found out it was going to Sprint. So, it will be interesting to see what Sprint BlackBerry users think of it.
“The beautiful and compact flip form factor on the BlackBerry Style smartphone makes it quite unique within the BlackBerry lineup,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development, Sprint, in the press release. “Customers will appreciate that the flip form factor is extremely easy to use for calls, and with a full QWERTY keyboard, it provides the same attractive features enthusiasts have come to expect from their smartphone. Also, with the enhancements available through BlackBerry 6, Sprint customers will love the new user interface and the enhanced Web browsing experience.”
So, you have two displays, internal and external, that RIM and Sprint are describing as high resolution. In addition you’ve got a 5 MP camera — which if it’s anything like the Torch, will be a significant improvement over the 3.2 MP cams in the previous generation of BBs —with flash that can take stills and shoot video, GPS, WiFi, and it will take up to a 32GB microSD card. It will come in Steel Gray or Royal Purple and will be $99.99 after rebate with a two-year contract.
And, don’t forget, it’s the first Sprint BB (and second officially released BB in the states) with OS 6. All hail a new BlackBerry browser that is webkit based! I can tell you the browser is a nice change of pace having used BBs for four and half years. My data usage has actually gone up since I got the Torch. There is going to be a bit of a learning curve for BlackBerry users making the upgrade to the Style from any previous BB. It took me three or four days to adjust but I know I like OS 6 a lot.
So, my questions to the BlackBerry users on Sprint: anyone planning to get this when it drops? Is it enough for some of you considering switching to another platform, say Android (hey, the EVO and the Epic sure seem hard to resist!), to stick with BB? Or will you stick with your current BB hoping to get some version of the Torch?
The full press release can be found here or you can go to Sprint’s dedicated BlackBerry Style site and see more info there.
By: Matthew Pankey October 18th, 2010
Sprint is staying one step ahead in the 4G cellular race by turning on next-generation networks in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco starting next month.
The New York-area network is set to go live Nov. 1, followed by L.A. on Dec. 1, then San Francisco in late December.
Sprint officials have said that even in high-profile markets like Los Angeles, 4G coverage will initially be limited to the most concentrated areas, and buyers should consult coverage maps which are available when the network launches before they purchase a new handset.
In Los Angeles, 4G coverage will be available (to different extents) in the downtown area, Glendale, Pasadena, the Westside, the South Bay, “most” of San Fernando Valley, northern Orange County, and Long Beach, Sprint says.
In New York, the networks will cover all five boroughs, as well as parts of Long Island and Westchester County.
The company gave fewer details about coverage in San Fran, but said the networks would reach “from San Francisco to San Jose.”
By: Kris Hill October 12th, 2010
Phone geeks everywhere have been waiting months for Microsoft to unveil its launch devices for its new OS, Windows Phone 7, which it announced in February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Monday was the day. There were rumors, leaks, speculation, hopes, dreams, and high expectations — especially if you were a subscriber to a GSM carrier.
Those of you with Sprint, however, were probably feeling left out in the cold. Especially when news came out that at&t would be a major launch partner.
OK, so, I’m with at&t these days. But, I’m a die hard BlackBerry user, have been for four and a half years. That being said I’ve tried Windows Mobile, I’ve used Symbian, iOS, Palm and webOS, as well as Android over that same time period. For me, WM has always been the clunkiest, most difficult and least intuitive to use, not to mention the most likely to crash.
We saw in February when Microsoft employees were offering up demos to anyone who was interested that WM was no more as the approach was to start from scratch and build a new OS from the ground up.
At the time, I was cautiously optimistic about the new OS, deciding to wait until the hardware was unveiled.
Man, did they take their sweet time. Wireless innovation moves at breakneck speed. In that time Android has gotten significant updates, seriously improved hardware and has been winning the hearts and minds of marginalized smartphone users the world over. Oh, and there was that new iPhone, the one with the little antenna attenuation issue. But, people are still buying it in droves. Even me. Six weeks after it was released I stood in line for an hour to buy one for my husband. That’s love.
But, I digress.
So, here we are on Tuesday, we’ve read the coverage and pored over all the details we could get our geeky paws on.
We see that T-Mobile is getting the HD7 by HTC. At first blush, it looks like an EVO minus the 4G, complete with kickstand on the back.
There’s the Samsung Focus, the LG Quantum and the HTC Surround for at&t. I am fairly interested in the Focus and Quantum. I also am due for an upgrade in mid-November. Hmm.
Yes, I am skipping over Verizon. Sorry.
I actually like how the press release describes the HTC 7 Pro that Sprint is getting:
HTC 7 Pro
The development of the HTC 7 Pro was inspired by power users who want to combine the ultimate in business efficiency with the ability to take full advantage of their leisure time. The sleek handset slides opens and tilts to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard for fast, comfortable typing, while productivity features such as the ability to sort, scan and manage Outlook email, open and edit the latest Office documents on the phone and keep track of the markets with HTC’s stocks application, offer new ways to maximize the business day.
And, honestly, I’m a little bit jealous that Sprint is getting the HTC 7 Pro (Have you guys come up with nick name for this thing? That’s a lot to type and surely it’s a mouthful, too) because it’s got a big screen, a sick tilt function and some possibly decent specs. The bad news? You have to wait and it may be a while given the ambiguous “first half of 2011″ launch time frame.
Then there are the questions about what, if any, plan requirements WP7 devices may have on Sprint. Will they be 4G capable? Will anyone be interested by the time the HTC 7 Pro is released? Can we have one now, please?
There are a couple of threads going in the forums, one that wonders aloud why anyone would be interested in a WP7 device (I posted a response with my thoughts there) and another discussing the HTC 7 Pro specifically.
Check out the first thread here:
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=213443
And the other one here:
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=213371
There’s also a thread discussing the merit of the tiles versus icons in the WP7 OS:
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=213444
And finally, if you want to check out the HTC press release, you can find that here:
http://www.htc.com/us/press/htc-goes-big-with-microsoft-launching-five-new-windows-phone-7-smartphones/20
So, what do YOU think about WP7? How do you feel about waiting possibly eight or nine months to see a device on Sprint? What’s your dream WP7 phone? And does anyone really want to buy a WinPho7 (testing that nickname out, you like?) device now that you can have your pick of Android phones?
Thoughts to ponder.
By: Kris Hill October 12th, 2010
You may know me around the forums as Quill, but, my friends call me Kris. Hello, there. Nice to meet you!
I’ve been meaning to contribute to the blogs for a while now, but, life has been crazy lately. I work full time, I’m married and I have a baby girl named Lyla, who is approaching her first birthday. So, all that keeps me on my toes.
I’ve been a member of SprintUsers for nearly seven years, which is insane! I first came to SU in search of information about the phone I was using at the time, a Sanyo 4900, or what I lovingly called ‘my brick.’ Thing was so huge I was also thinking about getting a new phone. I had Sprint for about 3 1/2 years but switched to Cingular, as it was known at the time, back in December 2005.
But, I still loved visiting SU, and have visited daily even though I no longer have Sprint. See, I’m a phone geek. I like using lots of different kinds of phones and I have used all the major carriers and even a couple of regional and pre-paid carriers over the past nine years. As a result, I like to keep up with Sprint is doing, especially since when I left I figured I’d come back. It hasn’t happened, but, the community at SU keeps me coming back to the site.
Oh, and this whole being a moderator thing. 
I’ve been a mod here for more than three years, now, and it is truly one of the most rewarding as well as challenging things I do with my free time.
So, I hope that I contribute to the blog in a way that brings a fresh perspective on Sprint, its devices and services, because I am kind of the outsider looking in now.
Feel free to shoot my ideas for posts at cellpunk@gmail.com or questions you may have about SU, at&t, me, the life, the universe and everything, and I’ll try to answer you as quickly as possible.
By: Chico October 11th, 2010
For all of you out there wanting to get an iPad, but who don’t want to drop the $600-$800 on one, your wait is almost over! Samsung has made a tablet that is going to blow your mind.
The Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch screen, half the size of the iPad. It runs Google Android 2.2 smart phone software and can play Flash video from the web, which the iPad cannot. It also has two cameras for videoconferencing, which the iPad lacks. The Galaxy Tab will have the ability to run on cellular broadband networks, just like some versions of the iPad. It won’t have a dialpad or the ability to make traditional cell phone calls but it could be used for phone calls over the data connection with third-party software.
I personally held the device earlier today and was able to use it for a short time. It really was a great device and I think it will do very well. The LG rep said he believes that it will release in November, but I do not have a definite date of release yet. LG is also creating a version of this with a 10 inch that will be released at a later date.
