Engadget

FCC clears Sprint to run CDMA, 4G LTE on 800MHz iDEN airwaves

Jon Fingas — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:36:00 EST

Sprint might not have its 4G LTE network up and running to power your EVO 4G LTE, but it's already getting more headroom. The FCC has just tweaked the rules around the ESMR (Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio) spectrum to let Sprint, and the considerably more regional SouthernLINC Wireless, run their CDMA voice calls and LTE data on the 800MHz band they're currently using for their soon-to-end iDEN networks. In practice, the extra frequency access should be a tremendous help to at least Sprint, which hasn't had the low-level, indoors-friendly airspace that AT&T and Verizon enjoy with their 700MHz networks. Just don't expect your EVO or the rest of the initial Sprint LTE devices to take advantage any time soon, as you'll need to both get an 800MHz-ready phone as well as endure the long, long wait until Sprint switches on the extra LTE band in 2014.

FCC clears Sprint to run CDMA, 4G LTE on 800MHz iDEN airwaves originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint reports Q1 2012 results: 1.5 million iPhone sales but a $255 million operating loss

Tim Stevens — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:25:00 EST

Sprint Nextel has just deployed its Q1 2012 financials and it's a bit of a mixed bag, with a five percent net revenue growth over this time last year and a whopping 1.5 million sales of that iPhone it paid so dearly for -- twice as many as it sold last quarter and, of those, 44 percent were new subscribers. That helped to drive an overall postpaid subscriber growth of 263,000 but, despite some good news, the company is still suffering a $255 million operating loss and a $863 million net loss. Sprint reaffirmed its LTE plans, a pilot launch of six cities sometime in the middle of this year, with 12,000 sites going online before 2012 turns a year older. Will it be enough? Tune in next quarter to find out.

Sprint reports Q1 2012 results: 1.5 million iPhone sales but a $255 million operating loss originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint kicks LightSquared to the curb as it contests FCC ruling

Sean Buckley — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:02:00 EST

Sometimes when you start heading downhill, it can be hard to stop. Take LightSquared for instance -- not only were its LTE plans repeatedly contested and eventually shot down, but now Sprint, its long time partner, will indeed be cutting ties with the wireless start-up. According to the Wall Street Journal, the move will officially be announced on Friday, leaving LightSquared alone with its dreams. A representative from the start-up says its filing a 150-page defense of its network on the same day, hoping to refute the Feds' claims that its network interferes with GPS signals. The outfit made no comment on Sprint's plans, but mentioned that it has enough funds to operate on its own for several quarters. We'll let you know when Sprint officially drops the ball.

Sprint kicks LightSquared to the curb as it contests FCC ruling originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Telecoms win immunity in wiretapping case, US court approves separate suit against the government

Dana Wollman — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:44:00 EST

Looks like a case of good news-bad news for the Electronic Frontier Foundation in its fight against warrantless wiretapping. A US appeals court upheld a 2008 ruling, granting telecoms such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint immunity for cooperating with the government in its surveillance activities. Still, Judge Margaret McKeown of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals insists that immunity only applies to telecoms, not the government, and that "the federal courts remain a forum to consider the constitutionality of the wiretapping scheme and other claims." Indeed, while the 9th Circuit upheld immunity for telecoms, it also gave the go-ahead for a separate suit against the NSA, former president George W. Bush, senior members of the Bush administration and President Obama for using AT&T's network to conduct "an unprecedented suspicionless general search," according to the filing. The court's decision to allow this suit to proceed marks a reversal of an earlier ruling, in which a lower court said the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to pursue the case.

[Image courtesy PBS]

Telecoms win immunity in wiretapping case, US court approves separate suit against the government originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet gets probed by the FCC, will play nicely with all the networks

Daniel Cooper — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:05:00 EST

Mr. & Mrs. Lenovo packed young ThinkPad Tablet on its big trip to Washington, smiling all the while. When it arrived, it was dragged into the FCC's underground bunker and subjected to horrifying experiments by our boys in blue lab coats. Turns out they were looking to see what kind of gear it was packing. They stumbled upon a Qualcomm Gobi 3000, which will happily connect to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile's 3G internet (nothing faster, though). To show there were no hard feelings, the FCC approved the Tablet and handed it a carton of juice before sending it on its way.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet gets probed by the FCC, will play nicely with all the networks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint posts Q2 2011 earnings: net subs up, contract subs down, net loss of $847 million

Darren Murph — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:34:00 EST

It's another mixed bag worth of earnings for the folks in Overland Park. Sprint just announced its Q2 2011 earnings prior to the market's open today, and while it's obviously doing its darnedest to paint a rosy picture, the raw numbers show a somewhat different backdrop. Despite having its third consecutive quarter of adding more than one million total net new wireless subscribers, the vast majority of those are coming from the (admittedly less lucrative) prepaid side. In fact, the company lost 101,000 postpaid subscribers in the period, and we're guessing that the one-two punch of WiMAX hitting the expansion skids while VZW built out LTE at a breakneck pace didn't help matters. 674,000 prepaid subs were added to the mix (through Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, etc. arms), and despite seeing quarterly sequential and year-over-year growth in wireless service revenue, the carrier still reported a net loss of $847 million. In a way, it's the same story on a different day for The Now Network, and while the just-announced LightSquared partnership may end up bolstering things in time, it'll take something a bit more jarring to turn things around by Q3. Or Q4... right, Dan?

Sprint posts Q2 2011 earnings: net subs up, contract subs down, net loss of $847 million originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint details Q4 CDMA Direct Connect launch plans and handsets, quietly waves goodbye to iDEN

Darren Murph — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:51:00 EST

We're guessing that this isn't the riveting Q4 announcement that Dan Hesse promised us last week at Sprint's Kansas headquarters, but it's a shock to the system nonetheless. The outfit's legacy iDEN network is still kicking around (and in turn, eating up valuable resources to run it), and while we're told that those push-to-talk users are some of the most loyal, it looks as if 2012 will be the year they're forced to try something new. The company's CDMA-based Direct Connect alternative is officially slated to launch this winter, with those who buy in treated to triple the square miles of the company's current push-to-talk coverage area, broadband capabilities and a smattering of new devices.

The Kyocera DuraMax and DuraCore will be joined by an unannounced Motorola smartphone, all of which should be rugged enough to handle the expected field work. Furthermore, Sprint will be adding international push-to-talk (alongside "additional capabilities") in early 2012, and users should see a marked improvement in in-building coverage. Finally, we're told that voice and data capacity is expected to increase significantly as Sprint leverages its spectrum holdings in 800MHz, 1.9GHz, and -- through its relationship with Clearwire -- 2.5GHz. And with that, we'd say your iDEN handset stash just became quite the collector's item. Full details are tucked away in the PR just past the break.

Continue reading Sprint details Q4 CDMA Direct Connect launch plans and handsets, quietly waves goodbye to iDEN

Sprint details Q4 CDMA Direct Connect launch plans and handsets, quietly waves goodbye to iDEN originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Virgin Mobile shuffles Beyond Talk pricing, saves BlackBerry owners duckets

Terrence O'Brien — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 07:43:00 EST

Virgin Mobile, the contract-free subsidiary of Sprint, is giving its Beyond Talk plans a pricing overhaul -- with its cheaper choices getting a bit of a bump in the wrong direction. Sprint spokesperson Jayne Wallace confirmed to FierceWireless that this week its $25 unlimited text and data plan that comes packaged with 300 minutes will move to $35, while its 1,200 minute $40 option will become a $45 one. It's not all bad news though -- the unlimited everything $60 service tier is being cut to just $55 and the company is doing away with the $10 add-on fee for BlackBerries. So, try not think about it as a price hike, think about it as saving you $15 a month when the blessedly Blur-free Triumph hits.

Update: And now it's doubly official!

Virgin Mobile shuffles Beyond Talk pricing, saves BlackBerry owners duckets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 07:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Google and Sprint team up to take your digital dollars with new NFC payment system? (updated)

Michael Gorman — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:06:00 EST

There's been rumors of a Google-fied mobile payment system for some time, and now it looks like the Mountain View crew is teaming up with Sprint to finally make it happen. Last month, we heard that the Now Network would bring NFC payments to its customers this year, and Bloomberg reports that the partnership and payment system will make its debut on May 26th. Apparently, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C. are the first cities getting the service, which is a much broader initial footprint than its Isis mobile payment competition. The anonymous sources also say that Verifone and Vivotech are providing the hardware and software that will let you replace your credit card with a Nexus S -- because you always wanted to replace your credit card with your Nexus S.

Update: According to All things D, the payment system will be put through its paces by none other than El Goog's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt at the D9: All Things Digital conference next week -- where we'll be on hand to peep the contactless payment presentation in person.

Google and Sprint team up to take your digital dollars with new NFC payment system? (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint announces Overdrive Pro 3G / 4G mobile hotspot router, available on March 20th

Richard Lai — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:03:00 EST

Road warriors riding the Sprint WiMAX truck will be pleased to know that there's a new mobile hotspot device in the house. Dubbed the Overdrive Pro 3G / 4G, users can now simultaneously connect up to eight devices -- as opposed to just five previously -- to the mobile web via this little 802.11n router from Sierra Wireless. Better yet, Sprint has halved the price for this new model to $49.99 after a $50 rebate with a two year $50 service agreement, yet you still get the usual goodies like microSD expansion and built-in GPS support to boot. You can pick one up at Sprint stores starting on March 20th, but of course, the previous Overdrive is probably sufficient for most humble uses, anyway.

[Thanks, r0fl]

Continue reading Sprint announces Overdrive Pro 3G / 4G mobile hotspot router, available on March 20th

Sprint announces Overdrive Pro 3G / 4G mobile hotspot router, available on March 20th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Motorola's i886 for iDEN is running one of the strangest Android builds you've seen

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:02:00 EST

Motorola's i886 for Sprint's IDEN network featuring both landscape QWERTY and standard numeric keypads bowed during CES a few days back for $79.99 after $50 rebate on a two-year contract -- and as we'd observed a while back when we first saw the user's manual, it runs a pretty convincing Android clone UI. Turns out, though, it's less of a clone than you might think: Phone Scoop has discovered that the i886 -- which doesn't have a touchscreen -- is actually running real Android (albeit without the Android Market) accompanied by generic J2ME like you'd find on your average dumbphone. If we had to guess, Motorola took advantage of Android's status as a free, open-source platform here, tailoring it for the i886's needs without worrying about the normal Google certification process that would've earned them Market access -- and given the lack of a touchscreen, we're sure they wouldn't have been able to earn it anyway. From Moto's perspective, it seems like a good way to get a proven, familiar platform without a lot of engineering effort -- they can toss their proprietary platforms and save a little bit of cash in the process. Follow the break for Phone Scoop's video of the i886 in action.

Continue reading Motorola's i886 for iDEN is running one of the strangest Android builds you've seen

Motorola's i886 for iDEN is running one of the strangest Android builds you've seen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Net neutrality: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile react

Nilay Patel — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:43:00 EST

Amazingly, the FCC still hasn't released the full text of the net neutrality rules it passed by a contentious 3-2 vote yesterday, so we can't really say much about what's in them -- and while this sort of delay is typical of the Genachowski FCC, it hasn't stopped the carriers from issuing statements on the new rules. We've got to say, responses to the new rules range all over the map: Sprint commended the FCC, T-Mobile needs some time to look things over, AT&T called it a "fair middle ground" but railed about "radical voices" and "heavy-handed government regulation" (seriously) and Verizon -- well, Verizon issued what appears to be a veiled threat to sue everyone. That's pretty interesting, since it sure looks to us like the FCC all but rubber-stamped last summer's Google / Verizon neutrality proposal, but you never know what's happening behind closed doors -- and remember, Verizon's last major policy statement was a call to revamp the entire Telecommunications Act, so Big Red might have bigger plans in store. We've rounded up all the reactions below -- check 'em out.

Continue reading Net neutrality: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile react

Net neutrality: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile react originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint phasing out Nextel's iDEN network, selects vendors for $5b network upgrade project

Nilay Patel — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:22:00 EST

Looks like the Motorola i1 Android set (not pictured above) will stand as the highest-end Nextel phone ever -- Sprint just announced that it's phasing out the iDEN network sometime in 2013 as it begins a new four to five billion dollar network enhancement project called "Network Vision." We've expected this for a while -- the Sprint / Nextel merger has been beset by subscriber losses and rumors of a breakup for years now -- but this is the first time we've gotten a date. Sprint's rolling out push-to-talk on its own network to support its 10.6 million Nextel customers, but we don't have a schedule for that yet. Sprint's also announcing vendors for Network Vision: Alcatel-Lucent, Samsung, and Ericsson will each handle a region and be tasked with expanding and fortifying Sprint's existing 1900MHz 3G network while buying 800MHz, 1900MHz, and 2.5GHz spectrum for future use. Interestingly, Sprint's definitely hedging its WiMAX bets a little -- it can upgrade its new gear to LTE with swapping in a baseband card and issuing a software patch, which certainly gives the company some 4G flexibility should Clearwire not pull things together. We'll see what happens -- the underdog's making some moves.

Sprint phasing out Nextel's iDEN network, selects vendors for $5b network upgrade project originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint axes Huawei, ZTE telecom bids due to security fears in Washington?

Sean Hollister — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:33:00 EST

Huawei might be making inroads into the US consumer smartphone market, but the Chinese telecom supplier's attempts to break into big business have been stonewalled. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that Sprint is excluding both Huawei and competitor ZTE from a multi-billion dollar contract -- where they would have been the lowest bidders -- primarily because of national security concerns. The US Secretary of Commerce reportedly called Sprint CEO Dan Hesse to voice concerns about letting firms with possible ties to the Chinese government supply local communications infrastructure, a perspective also penned by eight US senators back in August. "DoD is very concerned about China's emerging cyber capabilities and any potential vulnerability within or threat to DoD networks," the Department of Defense told the publication, without naming Huawei or ZTE directly. We're not doctors, but it sounds like someone's got a serious case of supercomputer envy.

Sprint axes Huawei, ZTE telecom bids due to security fears in Washington? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint fails to impress Wall Street with Q3 2010 earnings, still notches 644k net adds

Darren Murph — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:43:00 EST

Sprint certainly isn't out of the woods yet, but at least it's picking up customers from somewhere. The company's Q3 2010 earnings were ushered out today, and while its stock fell around ten percent on the news, a few silver linings were present. The carrier saw postpaid subscriber losses of 107,000, but that's an 87 percent improvement compared to Q3 2009. The CDMA network added approximately 276,000 postpaid customers during the quarter, 471,000 (net) prepaid subscribers and 644,000 total wireless subscribers from a net perspective. It also landed its second best postpaid churn result ever, but the bottom line still looks battered -- the operator announced a net loss of nearly a billion dollars ($911 million, if you're scouting specifics). Of course, phasing out iDEN should probably help things in the long run, but even its 4G advantage could quickly fade if (or more likely, when) Verizon gets its LTE act together next year.

Sprint fails to impress Wall Street with Q3 2010 earnings, still notches 644k net adds originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint promises WiMAX in NYC on November 1, LA on December 1, and San Francisco a few weeks later

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 02:08:00 EST

The fact that Sprint and Clearwire have teamed up to deliver WiMAX to New York, LA, and San Francisco isn't news. In fact, we've already seen the networks light up in operational readiness modes on the way to full consumer availability. But now we've got dates, the first specifics that we can recall for these cities. Now, according to both Clearwire and Sprint, New York's WiMAX service will go live on November 1st, LA's on December 1st, and San Francisco sometime around the end of December. We'll see if those early 5Mbps to 7Mbps download / 1.2Mbps upload speeds we've experienced can be maintained once the service meets the crush of the big city horde. Of course, this is nothing but good news for wireless consumers who'll also see Verizon light up its competing LTE network in these cities (38 in total) at about the same time.

Sprint promises WiMAX in NYC on November 1, LA on December 1, and San Francisco a few weeks later originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 02:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint clears 35MHz of spectrum for future use, wonders if it's alone in the world

Darren Murph — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:51:00 EST

You know that "National Broadband Plan" that the world keeps yapping about? Sprint's down with it, and has been since before it ever existed, apparently. Based on a glowing press release outed this week by the carrier, it has just wrapped up a five year initiative to free 35MHz of highly valuable spectrum needed for future broadband expansion. After spending a cool $750 million from 2005 to 2010, the company has now cleared 35MHz of broadcast auxiliary service (BAS) spectrum across the country, though there's obviously some ways to go before Obama has 500MHz of cleared spectrum at his disposal. As it stands, Sprint has transitioned the broadcast auxiliary services to a new, more efficient spectrum plan in the 2GHz frequency band, and while the exact hows and whens have yet to be laid out, we're hearing that this could provide access to "faster, cheaper broadband services" in the future. Huzzah?

Continue reading Sprint clears 35MHz of spectrum for future use, wonders if it's alone in the world

Sprint clears 35MHz of spectrum for future use, wonders if it's alone in the world originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Virgin Mobile's pre-paid MIFI spotted, purchased, unboxed, and photographed

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:35:00 EST

Sure, Virgin Mobile's MIFI isn't due out until Monday -- but that hasn't stopped one lucky shopper from finding one on the shelves of his local Best Buy yesterday. The enigmatic reader (only identified by the initials "NS") even went so far as to include some unboxing pictures for our (and your) pleasure. Between this, and Sprint's recent Beyond Talk announcement, it looks like 2010 is shaping up to be a good year for pre-paid wireless.

[Thanks, NS]

Virgin Mobile's pre-paid MIFI spotted, purchased, unboxed, and photographed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint and Virgin Mobile announces Beyond Talk $25 prepaid plan, new prepaid brand

Joseph L. Flatley — Thu, 06 May 2010 10:23:00 EST

Sprint Nextel, through its Virgin Mobile brand, has announced a pretty big shift in its business model by offering new prepaid plans that begin at a mind-blowing $25 a month. Starting on May 12, three new Beyond Talk plans will include unlimited messaging, email, data, and web, as well as 300 minutes ($25), 1,200 minutes ($40), or unlimited minutes ($60) of talk time. And that ain't all -- BlackBerry data service can be added for an additional $10. Of course, you'll be paying full price for your phone, but at least the selection is indeed better than the usual pre-paid fare, including the Blackberry Curve 8530 ($300) and LG Rumor Touch ($150). We don't know how the other carriers are going to respond, but this does prompt the question: would you put up with Sprint's handset selection for a plan this cheap? PR after the break.

Update: The Wall Street Journal has it that Sprint is also fixing to launch an entirely new prepaid brand, and while it declined to share a name for the new branch, it did confess that it "will let customers pay upfront for cell service by the minute rather than signing up for a month at a time." As you may expect, it'll be aimed at "middle-aged Americans who only use cellphones occasionally to make calls," and it'll join Boost Mobile, Assurance Wireless and Virgin Mobile in Sprint's rapidly expanding stable of prepaid sub-brands. Is it difficult to tell these guys love the prepaid and can't quite figure out how to make ends meet on the postpaid side? Nah...

Continue reading Sprint and Virgin Mobile announces Beyond Talk $25 prepaid plan, new prepaid brand

Sprint and Virgin Mobile announces Beyond Talk $25 prepaid plan, new prepaid brand originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Clearwire WiMAX to cover 120 million prospective HTC EVO 4G owners by end of year

Thomas Ricker — Thu, 06 May 2010 08:13:00 EST

With the HTC EVO dual-mode 3G/4G handset launching this summer (and nearly ready for pre-order) with built-in hotspot capability, we've got a pretty good idea what all you US Americans are wondering: is WiMAX available in my city? Well, buried inside the Clearwire financials is mention of the 19 additional cities scheduled for WiMAXing this summer, joining the 32 markets (pictured above) and 41 million people already served by its 4G network offering 3Mbps to 6Mbps average downloads with an occasional 10Mbps peak:

Clearwire also today announced plans to launch 4G mobile broadband service in 19 additional cities this summer, including previously announced markets Kansas City, KS; St. Louis, MO; Salt Lake City, UT, and the core area of Washington, D.C. and newly announced markets Nashville, TN; Daytona, Orlando and Tampa, FL; Rochester and Syracuse, NY; Merced, Modesto, Stockton, and Visalia, CA; Wilmington, DE; Grand Rapids, MI; Eugene, OR; and Yakima and Tri-Cities, WA.

Things will get really interesting later in 2010 when Clearwire and Sprint take their 4G mobile broadband network to New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, the San Francisco Bay Area, Miami, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh for a 120 million person strong data footprint. LTE who?

Clearwire WiMAX to cover 120 million prospective HTC EVO 4G owners by end of year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 08:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint to announce 'groundbreaking new device' (HTC Supersonic?) tomorrow

Ross Miller — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:09:00 EST

Sprint Premier customers are being treated to a rather tantalizing account alert tonight: "Visit us tomorrow for an exciting announcement about a groundbreaking new device." No other details provided, but if we had to make an educated guess, we'd say all signs are pointing towards HTC's Supersonic, the long-rumored WiMAX smartphone with a 4.3-inch screen and Android 2.1 with Sense UI. A 4G device would certainly fit the billing as "groundbreaking," and we've already heard of plans to unveil the phone at CTIA, which officially kicks off tomorrow. A web chat transcript found on the Sprint Community seems to corroborate, but we can't at this point verify the validity of the screen capture. You can view the entirety of the purported web chat after the break. If we do wake up tomorrow to a shiny, large-screened WiMAX phone, care to take bets on what Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is gonna talk up in his Wednesday keynote?

[Thanks, Jackson R and Aggrey J]

Continue reading Sprint to announce 'groundbreaking new device' (HTC Supersonic?) tomorrow

Sprint to announce 'groundbreaking new device' (HTC Supersonic?) tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Motorola makes i1 official, melds Android and push-to-talk this summer on Sprint

Ross Miller — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:37:00 EST

Right on cue, just after the aptly-timed teaser poster, Motorola signs on just the right dotted lines to make its i1 push-to-talk Android handset official. Let's run through the specs quickly, shall we? A 3.1-inch HVGA (320 x 480) touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 4x zoom, WiFi, and microSD expansion -- no mention of the processor, so we'll have to find out on our own later. The OS version is 1.5 and, ~~while there's oddly not a single mention in either the press release of fact sheet, given the official images and~~ ~~unofficial leaks, it's definitely got~~ ~~Motoblur~~. The browser of choice is Opera Mini 5 with support for Flash 8, and if you're worried about Mother Nature's wrath, the i1 meets Military 810F standards for handling averse weather conditions. iDEN lovers can pick up the call sometime this summer on Sprint, with price yet to be named.

Update: Motorola's just sent word that the i1 does not have Motoblur, despite the presence of the traditional green call / blue contacts buttons. That begs the question, then, of what exactly defines Motoblur here (is just the Happenings widget missing?), and what Android skin is on the i1 -- the press images here are definitely not showing vanilla 1.5. We're still awaiting a response to that, stay tuned.

Gallery: Motorola i1 melds Android and push-to-talk

Motorola makes i1 official, melds Android and push-to-talk this summer on Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Motorola Opus One caught on video, dawg

Tim Stevens — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:18:00 EST

It's pretty rare that a tech demo starts with the phrase "you know what I'm gonna do?" But, this one certainly does, a dark, shaky, but thoroughly comprehensive exploration of the recently rumored Motorola Opus One smartphone. Jive- or profanity-averse readers (or anyone who hates zebra cake) will probably want to skip the four videos embedded below, but we'll give you the highlights: iDen is confirmed, Android 1.5 Cupcake is currently installed with Motoblur frosting, there's a five megapixel camera on the back, and with its push-to-talk this one looks to be going to Nextel or Boost Mobile. Those are the deets, but click on through if you want to do that video, dawg.

[Via iNicc0lo]

Continue reading Motorola Opus One caught on video, dawg

Motorola Opus One caught on video, dawg originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint wraps up iPCS acquisition, Nextel merger drama may finally be over

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:32:00 EST

It's been eons since Sprint bought Nextel, but regional affiliate iPCS had managed to keep the fallout from the deal tied up in courts for years -- a side-effect of its claim that the merger violated Sprint's agreement to stay off iPCS' turf. After a few court losses, Sprint ultimately decided to bite the bullet and buy iPCS outright, and now, that deal's finalized to the tune of $831 million including Sprint's assumption of $405 million in debt. Though iPCS customers now become Sprint customers as a result of the acquisition, they'll effectively notice no difference -- the regional was already offering Sprint service exclusively under the Sprint brand, so this whole deal is little more than an escape hatch for the head office to tie off these legal wranglings once and for all.

Sprint wraps up iPCS acquisition, Nextel merger drama may finally be over originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint bails on QChat, goes back to iDEN for all its PTT needs

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:02:00 EST

We saw the writing on the wall here for a while, but Sprint's now gone ahead and made it official that it'll be phasing out its push-to-talk offerings based on Qualcomm's QChat technology in favor of -- what else? -- good ol' iDEN. For Sprint, the move makes sense; when the EV-DO Rev. A-powered QChat system was introduced last year, a Sprint / Nextel schism was a very real possibility -- but since, the company has ended up pouring money into its Direct Connect network, sprucing it up, and placing a renewed emphasis on its prepaid Boost Mobile brand which shares Nextel's airwaves. There really isn't much use for two incompatible PTT systems on any network, so one had to go -- and yes, QChat is getting the boot. Existing customers will continue to be supported, but Sprint says that it won't be offering new models; good thing iDEN phones just got pretty for the first time.

Sprint bails on QChat, goes back to iDEN for all its PTT needs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:51:00 EST

Privacy advocates and career criminals alike are in a lather over reports that between September 2008 and October 2009, Sprint Nextel ponied up customer location data to various law enforcement agencies more than 8 million times. Speaking at ISS World 2009 (a conference for law enforcement and telecom industry-types responsible for "lawful interception, electronic investigations and network Intelligence gathering"), Sprint Nextel's very own Paul Taylor, Manager of Electronic Surveillance, lamented on the sheer volume of requests the company's received in the past year for precise GPS data for Sprint customers. How did the company meet such high demand? Apparently, his team built a special "web interface" which "has just really caught on fire with law enforcement." We're glad that Sprint's plans to streamline the customer service experience don't stop short of those who serve and protect, but as the EFF points out, plenty of nagging questions remain, including: How many individual customers have been affected? Is Sprint demanding search warrants? How secure is this web interface? Check out an excerpt from Taylor's speech after the break.

Continue reading Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year

Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint finalizes Virgin Mobile USA acquisition, rushes out to snag some cranberry sauce

Darren Murph — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:43:00 EST

It's hard to say if these guys were just looking to get this whole thing finalized before the holiday break, but either way, all the requisite i's have been dotted and t's crossed. As of today, Sprint Nextel has acquired Virgin Mobile USA -- a process that began back in late July -- and frankly, there's nothing you can do about it. The move will obviously position Sprint as a bigger player in the prepaid space, but outside of that presumably true assumption, it's tough to say what else the newfound lovers will do together. So, will the Facebook statuses be updated soon as well? Hello?

Sprint finalizes Virgin Mobile USA acquisition, rushes out to snag some cranberry sauce originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint proves money can solve problems, buys iPCS to settle litigation

Darren Murph — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:48:00 EST

Considering Sprint's financial position and the overall credit market, we're not exactly sure where the carrier managed to pick up $831 million, which it promptly used to acquire affiliate iPCS and take on $405 million of net debt. If you'll recall, the aforesaid youngin' was worrying papa way back in May of 2008, and it seems that Sprint has finally had enough of this whole "litigation" thing. The acquisition puts all of the court battling to rest (or at least it's expected to), enabling the operator to stop divesting its iDEN network in select iPCS markets. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure buys a good muzzle.

[Via Reuters]

Filed under: Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA, Misc, iDEN

Sprint proves money can solve problems, buys iPCS to settle litigation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint proves money can solve problems, buys iPCS to settle litigation

Darren Murph — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:48:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint proves money can solve problems, buys iPCS to settle litigation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Deutsche Telekom eyeing Sprint Nextel for acquisition?

Ross Miller — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:19:00 EST

With T-Mobile UK and Orange now having to (potentially) learn to play nice, Deutsche Telekom is already looking ahead to its next big target: Sprint Nextel. According to a Telegraph report, the telecom giant, with an estimated value of $60.45 billion, has called in advisers from Deutsche Bank as it reportedly prepares to submit an offer to the $10.6 billion-valued Now Network within the next three weeks. The assimilation of Sprint and Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Mobile US under the same umbrella could give second-place AT&T a fight with a 78.2 million-strong customer base... but that said, we wouldn't anticipate any quick or smooth merger given the US carriers rely on substantially different bands (CDMA vs. GSM) for service. Hey, there's always WiMAX might come into play. Obviously there's a lot of unanswered questions here, but at this point it's all speculation given no actual offer has been thrown on the table -- and we bet Hesse will have some choice words on the matter. Keep an eye out on this one, things could very quickly get very, very interesting here.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Filed under: Handsets, Sprint, T-Mobile, GSM, EV-DO, CDMA, WiMAX

Deutsche Telekom eyeing Sprint Nextel for acquisition? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Deutsche Telekom eyeing Sprint Nextel for acquisition?

Ross Miller — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:19:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

Deutsche Telekom eyeing Sprint Nextel for acquisition? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint details proposed $14 million ETF class action settlement

Donald Melanson — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:04:00 EST

It's a far cry from the $1.2 billion number that was bandied about at one point, but it looks like Sprint could still be taking a fairly sizable hit over those pesky early termination fees, at least if a proposed class action settlement plays out as it seems likely too. As Sprint itself announced today, the company's reached a $14 million settlement in the case, which will be placed in a common fund to be distributed accordingly to all the parties involved, which is where you come in (assuming you're a current of former Sprint, Nextel, or Sprint Nextel customer, that is). The short of it is that you can either sign on to the class action suit or opt out of it by hitting up the site linked below, and then you'll have to wait for the final approval hearing now scheduled for October 21st, which should actually settle the settlement once and for all. Details on the exact payout amounts to customers are buried in the documents on the settlement website, but it looks like the majority of customers will be receiving between $25 and $90 depending on their contract, plus some free bonus minutes.

Read - Sprint ETF Settlement website
Read - Sprint statement

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Sprint, Misc

Sprint details proposed $14 million ETF class action settlement originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint details proposed $14 million ETF class action settlement

Donald Melanson — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:04:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint details proposed $14 million ETF class action settlement originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Motorola's r765IS now available at Sprint, perfect for making Navy SEALs swoon with envy

Tim Stevens — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:28:00 EST

You can take your frilly iPhones and pretty Pres and shove 'em, because Motorola's latest and, perhaps, beefiest handset is finally available at Sprint stores. The r765IS, announced back in April, is Mil Spec 810F rated, so no worries about dropping it -- even into a bucket of salt water -- and that IS on the end means "intrinsically safe," so dial away even if you should happen to be standing in a room full of explosive gas, as we've been known to do from time to time. It also supports rather less exciting Nextel Direct Connect, NextMail to send voicemail as e-mail attachments, GPS navigation, and a variety of emergency calling modes for cutting through the bla bla bla. It's a little less slinky looking than some other Motorola handsets we've seen lately, but we'd clip one to our belts before heading to our next waypoint/coffee shop -- if only we had the requisite funding. A price of just under $2,000 ensures this will only be found in the mitts of the most well equipped mercenaries.

[Thanks, Brian]

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Sprint

Motorola's r765IS now available at Sprint, perfect for making Navy SEALs swoon with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Motorola's r765IS now available at Sprint, perfect for making Navy SEALs swoon with envy

Tim Stevens — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:28:00 EST

[Thanks, Brian]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola's r765IS now available at Sprint, perfect for making Navy SEALs swoon with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint loses $384m, 257k subscribers in first quarter of Pre availability

Nilay Patel — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:44:00 EST

The Pre might have slowed the drain at Sprint but it hasn't managed to turn things around completely -- America's number three carrier posted a second-quarter loss of $384m as it lost another 257,000 subscribers. That just continues Sprint's trend of bleeding customers to the competition, and we doubt this balance sheet will turn around anytime soon -- not only will next quarter reflect the $483m purchase of Virgin Mobile USA, it's pretty clear that Verizon will get the Pre and AT&T will carry another webOS handset, leaving Mr. Hesse and crew without their shiny halo device to lure new subs to the fold. We'll see what Sprint does to turn this all around -- did someone say they need a Hero?

Filed under: Sprint

Sprint loses $384m, 257k subscribers in first quarter of Pre availability originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint loses $384m, 257k subscribers in first quarter of Pre availability

Nilay Patel — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:44:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Sprint loses $384m, 257k subscribers in first quarter of Pre availability originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sprint lays out process for selling some iDEN assets, making iPCS happy

Chris Ziegler — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:19:00 EST

Sprint's fight with iPCS continues to wage on multiple fronts, all of which have been ongoing for eons -- especially the whole iDEN tussle in the wake of Sprint's merger with Nextel. Most recently, that little soap opera had seen an Illinois court rule that Sprint's got to divest some iPCS-controlled iDEN markets to bring it back into contractual compliance and restore Mother Nature's balance, and now Sprint's gotten around to announcing how that process is going to work. In short, it seems like a free-for-all -- the company has apparently put out a few feelers for buyers, but anyone it hasn't contacted is invited to hook up with Citi, who's managing the ordeal on Sprint's behalf. The carrier says that it expects everything to be squared away by January 25 of next year, which is when the court-imposed deadline falls; in the meantime, subscribers, stay cool, because Sprint says that service will continue uninterrupted and expects any transition to be seamless.

Filed under: Sprint, iDEN

Sprint lays out process for selling some iDEN assets, making iPCS happy originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Samsung Instinct S30 now on sale at Sprint: $129.99 on contract

Darren Murph — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:42:00 EST

Right on cue, Samsung's retooled Instinct (that'd be the Instinct S30, if you had any doubts) has gone on sale at Sprint. You'll also notice that the $129.99 on-contract price we heard about is completely in tact, despite the fact that Best Buy Mobile could be selling this same handset in stores later this week for $80 less. At any rate, those champing at the bit to get one headed their way can now do so after choosing between Cobalt Metal and Touch of Copper hues, and if you're looking to snag one with no strings attached, you'll be paying $449.99 in order to do so.

[Thanks, Mike]

Gallery: Samsung Instinct S30 now at sale at Sprint: $129.99 on contract

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA

Samsung Instinct S30 now on sale at Sprint: $129.99 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments