Archive for: Sprint
The time we’ve been waiting for, the death of Nextel/iDen, is getting closer. A new announcement on nextelnetwork.sprint.com foretells of changes being made to Nextel’s network infrastructure in 2012. Most importantly, Sprint is beginning the process of evaluating the number of and dismantling iDen-specific towers across the country. The reason given by Sprint is simple “cost savings”, though we’d certainly think the late-2013 EOL time frame given by CEO Dan Hesse himself might have something to do with it too.
According to the chart on Sprint’s website, iDen towers that aren’t being removed (yet) will be “optimized” as to keep coverage in affected areas as close to normal as possible. Though, Sprint does lament that indoor network quality may drop.
What was once a decent and useful network is now nothing more than an aging, spectrum hogging dinosaur that Sprint desperately needs to repurpose for newer cellular tech/service. As the year progresses, we’ll keep you informed on any and all big changes happening with Nextel as we’re sure quite a few of you out there are still forced to use it by some corporate entity day in and day out.
Head over to the link above and put in your city/zip code to see how much your area will be affected (if at all).
We love it when big tech companies screw up and release software/hardware early. Today’s tech gaff leaving many Android users very happy is brought to us compliments of Sprint. It seems someone had a small case of itchy clicky fingers and posted the Nexus S 4G’s upcoming Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM online. Sadly, it was quickly removed, though not before an eagle-eyed XDA member snagged it and subsequently re-shared it with the rest of the internet.
While we’re not yet certain if this Android 4.0.4 (yes, 0.4) build #IMM26 is the actual final to be released copy or not, it’s a lot better than the 2.x crap many Nexus S 4G users are currently making due with.
If you happen to venture over to XDA and download the ROM in question, be sure to let us know how it goes. We love that kind of stuff.
In the land of mobile phones, nothing is sacred for too long. Even the fastest, most advanced phones become old news in as little as 2-3 months. That said, seeing updated EOL lists is always bittersweet for we get to see aging tech purged from relevancy and also get a foot in the door to begin speculation of what’s coming next.
This morning Sprint’s latest EOL was leaked. On it are a couple noteworthy mentions including the EVO 4G View, EVO 4G, and…RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook (WiFi only).
As far as upcoming phones go, we know that quad-core models are this close. The power potential is immense for something that fits in your pocket. We’re excited. As for tablets, ASUS already has the new Transformer Prime. CES was also awash in new quad-core tablets, though nothing too incredible caught our eye. But rest assured, we’re certain that as we drift further into 2012 the high-end gear will begin assaulting our bank accounts in no time flat.
As the saying goes: “Out with the old and in with the new.”
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve talked about Carrier IQ, the invasive logging software installed by a whole suite of carriers and manufacturers. But today, it’s actually good news.
Sprint has begun telling smartphone manufacturers that they must remove all traces of Carrier IQ in upcoming ROM updates. According to The Verge, Sprint is currently in talks with HTC to remove Carrier IQ from the EVO 3D.
Success.
Sprint doesn’t have any time to lick their wounds on WiMAX’s loss to LTE. They’re already dangerously close to being brushed under the rug of irrelevance. But they aren’t giving up. Today during Press Day just before the official start of CES 2012, Sprint unveiled three new LTE products that will (hopefully) help the nation’s third largest carrier once again climb into the main mobile arena.
The Viper 4G is an Android 2.3 Gingerbread device that features respectable 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 4″ WVGA (480 x 800) display, and 5/VGA (rear/front) facing cameras. Where the initial specs may leave a bit to be desired, The Viper 4G does have one new addition that should appeal to feature hounds — NFC w/ Google Wallet support.
Moving onward, if the Viper 4G is a bit too plain for your tastes, we’re almost certain that Sprint’s own Galaxy Nexus variant will more than satisfy your palate. In the first time in many months — since the Nexus S at least — Sprint has a pure Android experience that rivals most other Android competitors. True to form, the Galaxy Nexus on Sprint will ship in a “pure” form meaning no skins, no fluff. Android and nothing else.
The third and final LTE Sprint news for today revolves around not a phone, but a wireless hotspot. The Sierra Wireless tri-network hotspot will reportedly be the first tri-network (3G/4G WiMAX/4G LTE) hotspot available on the market, and support up to 8 connected devices. Hand-offs between networks should be as smooth as butter once the device launches later this year.
Sprint’s 4G plans looked great initially. At the time of its launch a few short years ago, WiMAX was what everyone talked about when speaking of speedy cellular networks. And then things got stagnat. Fast forward a couple years and Sprint’s WiMAX isn’t looking so hot. Sprint finally acknowledged that WiMAX wasn’t the future either when they announced they were moving to LTE late last year.
All that aside, how do Sprint’s initial LTE performance numbers look?
According to SprintFeed and an allegedly legit screenshot of a laptop running over Sprint LTE by way of a Huawei hotspot, things will be fast.
Of course, such things are easily faked. It’s also worth noting Sprints LTE network, however large it may be, is completely empty at the moment. Once data hungry users jump on board we fully expect that number to shrink in size, and fast.
- November 22, 2011 11:17 pm
Looks like Sprint has something fancy to show us on January 10th, as is evident by these nifty, “exclusive” press invites heading out to select members of the press. With one of the more popular Sprint rumors of 2011 now (iPhone) now fulfilled, what possibly could it be? We’re going to go ahead and agree with TFTS on this one and hypothesize that Sprint will be showing off their own version of the Galaxy Nexus/Nexus Prime. Remember, Verizon’s wording in marketing material has always been set up in such a way paints a picture with them being a “launch partner” enjoying a short exclusive rather than full-on permanent exclusive.
Of course that little gem would bring about another big question concerning 4G — would a sprint Galaxy Nexus/Nexus Prime be WiMAX or LTE? Sprint’s already said their focus moving forward is on LTE, but it’ll still be a good 6 months before there is any measurable LTE-ified Sprint service.
Speculate away. January 10th isn’t too far away after all…
- November 11, 2011 7:40 am
Sprint’s decline over the last couple of years could be just as they claim — related to a lack of iPhone hardware to suck people in. Or…it could be because of backwards politics and policies within the company. We don’t know how else you would classify (or rationalize) taking an unlocked phone such as the iPhone 4S, lock it, and then re-unlock at a later point while also tossing in vague terms such as offering said unlock to “members in good standing”. But that’s what Sprint is doing.
According to SprintFeed Sprint will begin selling locked iPhone 4S hardware today (11/11/11) meaning globe trotters are SOL if they were hoping to hop on a cheap, local plan when traveling abroad. And then it gets weird. Sprint will reportedly offer “members in good standing” an option to (re)-unlock their iPhone 4S via software update at an undisclosed future date.
If there’s anything good to take away from this it’s simply that the locking process will be completely unseen by either the consumer or Sprint, happening in the background. On top of that, Sprint users who purchased and activated an iPhone 4S prior to today won’t see the lockdown hit their hardware.
Looks like a lot of unnecessary work to us.
- October 25, 2011 12:40 pm
VZW what? Verizon may be killing it in the next-gen cellular market right now with their damn near complete LTE rollout, but Sprint has a few weapons in their arsenal. First and foremost the company made the smart decision to get away from the dead end that is WiMAX and embrace a more widely supported spec such as LTE. But more importantly the company is already looking to leapfrog to the next latest and greatest technology — LTE Advanced…
