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Live from CTIA with Jim Cramer and the CEOs of the four largest US carriers!

Brad Molen — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:25:00 EST

In one corner, we have CNBC's Jim Cramer. And in the other corner stands the heads of the four largest mobile operators in the United States: Ralph de la Vega (AT&T Mobility), Dan Mead (Verizon Wireless), Dan Hesse (Sprint) and Philipp Humm (T-Mobile). We fully expect Jim to lob a few hardball questions at these gentlemen, and there's no doubt zingers will be flung around. Who knows -- maybe we'll even get some news out of this keynote, so join us as we liveblog the Tuesday afternoon CTIA keynote, won't you?

May 8, 2012 5:30 PM EDT

Live from CTIA with Jim Cramer and the CEOs of the four largest US carriers! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Join us for the CTIA keynote with the CEOs of the big four US carriers, tomorrow at 5:30PM ET!

Brad Molen — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:24:00 EST

In what seems to be turning into an annual tradition, the CEOs of the largest mobile operators in the US will be matching wits with Jim Cramer -- and each other -- in tomorrow afternoon's CTIA keynote. This year, however, we'll get to hear from T-Mobile chief Phillip Humm in addition to the usual trifecta of Dan Mead, Dan Hesse and Ralph de la Vega. We'll be liveblogging the show to soak in all of the latest news, quotes and groaners that may come out as a result. Join us! And while you wait, stay caught up on the happenings in New Orleans by checking out our event hub.

May 8, 2012 5:30 PM EDT

Join us for the CTIA keynote with the CEOs of the big four US carriers, tomorrow at 5:30PM ET! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint CEO takes pay cut as investors voice concern about cost of iPhone deal

Jason Hidalgo — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:51:00 EST

Sprint Nextel's $15.5 billion gamble on Apple's iPhone will apparently lighten CEO Dan Hesse's proverbial wallet by $3.25 million this year. That's how much compensation Hesse agreed to give back to help placate investors unhappy about the high cost of the company's iPhone deal. Securing the iPhone has already paid dividends for Sprint in terms of sales. The company sold 1.5 million iPhones in the first quarter while posting a net subscriber growth of 263,000. That didn't stop Sprint from posting an $863 million net loss during the same period, however, causing some investors to grumble about the cost of subsidizing Apple's phone. The subsidy Sprint pays for each iPhone is 40 percent higher -- about $200 -- than what the company pays for other competing devices. Don't feel too bad for Hesse, though. Apparently, the financial gesture basically brings back his "compensation target opportunities" to 2010 levels.

Sprint CEO takes pay cut as investors voice concern about cost of iPhone deal originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 May 2012 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC and Sprint ready to show off a new 'collaboration' April 4th, might be the One X

Brad Molen — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:08:00 EST

We just got invited to a special party put on by Sprint and HTC on April 4th to witness the latest collaboration between the two companies. Could this be the LTE-capable One X we heard about yesterday? No matter what it is, Dan Hesse and Jason Mackenzie will be there, so you know it's going to be kind of a big deal. We'll join the two head honchos there as well -- and we're definitely looking forward to it.

Update: TechoBuffalo has it on good authority that it'll be the One X (dubbed "Jet") unveiled in New York City, and will almost certainly boast LTE. Then again, so will Sprint's eventual edition of the Galaxy Nexus, which is growing more and more dated with each passing hour.

HTC and Sprint ready to show off a new 'collaboration' April 4th, might be the One X originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Sprint planning to dump Lightsquared as early as next week

Daniel Cooper — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:31:00 EST

According to Bloomberg, Sprint is considering pulling the plug on its partnership with Lightsquared as early as next week. Philip Falcone's burgeoning enterprise was subject to a March 15th deadline to gain approval for a nationwide LTE network, but that was shot down by the FCC last month. The company's been treading water ever since and whilst it remains optimistic that a workaround can be found, it's already ousted former CEO Sanjiv Ahuja, fired 45 percent of its staff and defaulted on a $56 million payment to Inmarsat. The same report claims that Nokia Siemens Networks, the infrastructure arm of the handset maker has suspended network building projects until further notice. The split would cost Sprint around $74 million, but given the current state of affairs, that may look like a bargain.

Report: Sprint planning to dump Lightsquared as early as next week originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint announces Q4 2011 results: the iPhone brings in 720,000 new customers

Mat Smith — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:15:00 EST

Following its bittersweet Q3, the latest financial report from Sprint this quarter offers up another mixed bag of news. Net operating losses totalled $438 million, more than the $139 million posted in the same quarter last year. It suffered a staggering $1.3 billion net loss (much of that due to upfront costs associated with launching the iPhone), dwarfing the Q3's $301 million losses. Operating revenue increases were, however, the largest in the last five years, up to $8.72 billion from $8.3 billion. Net subscribers now total 55 million, with 33 million postpaid, 14.8 million prepaid and around 7.2 million arriving from wholesale, adding an extra 1.6 million Sprint customers in the last quarter. This was also the first time in a long while that new subscribers on the Sprint platform outpaced losses at the Nextel and wireline businesses. Sprint hoped to see its iPhone draw customers into its network, putting it toe-to-toe with the bigger carriers, and it largely did, with 40 percent of the 1.8 million iPhones sold landing directly in the hands of new customers. However, the higher subsidy costs of the iPhone was also responsible for these tougher financial results. Last year also saw the tentative launch of Sprint's LTE network, and that's where the future appears to be for the carrier, with its forward-looking statement hinging on exactly how fast they're able to grab the 4G bull by the horns and get it into their customers' hands. Compatibility with Clearwire's next generation network is mentioned here, as is the "financial performance of Clearwire and its ability to build, operate, and maintain its 4G network." Lightsquared, however, was conspicuously absent from Sprint's future machinations.

Continue reading Sprint announces Q4 2011 results: the iPhone brings in 720,000 new customers

Sprint announces Q4 2011 results: the iPhone brings in 720,000 new customers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint merging consumer and business sales / marketing units, giving four execs the boot

Darren Murph — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:56:00 EST

According to a brief report that just went live at Reuters, Sprint is "merging its sales and marketing operations for its business and consumer operations in a streamlining that includes the departure of four top executives." Reportedly, that news was delivered by none other than CEO Dan Hesse himself, who has been in the news a fair amount since 2012 began. Reportedly, the carrier is aiming to "gain efficiencies" in a market where hordes of customers snap up services as individuals, but actually use services tied to "employer-related contractual discounts." Hesse's exact words? "As the wireless market has evolved, the lines between consumers and businesses have blurred." Evidently, they've blurred enough to oust four unnamed bigwigs, too.

Sprint merging consumer and business sales / marketing units, giving four execs the boot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint reportedly confirms data throttling for 'top one percent' of abusers (update: Sprint confirms no throttling)

Darren Murph — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:15:00 EST

So, wait -- is unlimited just unlimited, or is it "unlimited?" Let's ask the man who spent a solid 30 seconds (and countless millions) explaining precisely that back in March of last year... oh, wait. Despite Sprint's claims of keeping its "unlimited" plans "truly unlimited," it seems that there is a special asterisk reserved for those who really attempt to push the boundaries. No real surprise, honestly, but CEO Dan Hesse was quoted earlier today as saying the following in regard to heavy data users: "For those that want to abuse it, we can knock them off." Moreover, he affirmed that throttling can be implemented for "about one percent of users," but did continue to say that there were no immediate plans for The Now Network to follow its contemporaries into the deep, dark world of tiered data. Of course, this is also the man who told us that "nothing is guaranteed forever," so make of it what you will -- particularly with an LTE network going live in around six months.

Update: TechCrunch says that Hesse was misquoted, and that the quips only apply to people "while roaming." That'd sure make a lot more sense, but don't go overboard just to find out, okay?

Update 2: Sure enough, Sprint has confirmed there is no throttling going on.

Sprint reportedly confirms data throttling for 'top one percent' of abusers (update: Sprint confirms no throttling) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint announces Q3 earnings: net subs reach five year high, net losses at $300 million

Amar Toor — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:44:00 EST

Sprint has just unveiled its Q3 earnings report, and it's looking pretty bittersweet. According to the company, net operating revenues reached $8.3 billion during the quarter (about two percent higher than Q3 2010), while additions of new wireless net subscribers reached a five year high, with 1.3 million customers hopping onboard. Of those 1.3 million, 304,000 were of the postpaid variety, 485,000 were prepaid and about 835,000 were wholesale. Sprint lost about 44,000 net postpaid customers this quarter, but that's a major improvement over last quarter, when a little over 100,000 jumped ship, and marks a 59 percent improvement over last year's report. At the same time, however, the carrier reported net losses of $301 million -- lower than Q2's figures, but not exactly encouraging, either. As far as the future goes, the folks at Overland Park expect to end the year with even more new subscribers, though it remains to be seen whether that long-awaited LTE rollout can make much of a dent in its bottom line. Check out the press release in full, after the break.

Update: Listening in on the earnings call it's clear Sprint is really counting on the iPhone to help it run with the big dogs. According to some convoluted metaphor, the carrier is the Oakland A's in Moneyball and Apple's handset is A-Rod (who never spent a day with the Athletics... but we digress). Still, Sprint expects more loyalty and bigger profits from customers who choose the iPhone -- at least for the next four years, after which it'll have to negotiate a new deal with the Cupertino crew.

Update 2: Sprint also clarified that, in addition to its deal with LightSquared, it will be working with Clearwire to deliver LTE network coverage. The carrier has reached a preliminary agreement with its WiMAX partner, but expects to announce a wholesale deal soon.

Update 3: We already knew that the iPhone 4S launch was the company's best launch ever for a family, but now the company's confirming that it was its best launch ever for any device.

Continue reading Sprint announces Q3 earnings: net subs reach five year high, net losses at $300 million

Sprint announces Q3 earnings: net subs reach five year high, net losses at $300 million originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's LTE getting Advanced in 2013, WiMAX's inferiority complex intensifies

Michael Gorman — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:09:00 EST

Sprint just started building out its LTE network, but being the eager beavers that they are, the folks in Overland Park are already talking about taking the Now Network to the next level. Iyad Tarazi, Sprint's VP of network development and engineering, said that Sprint will be rolling out an LTE-Advanced network in the first half of 2013. (As a brief refresher, LTE-Advanced is a true 4G technology that can make regular LTE speeds look positively pedestrian in comparison.) Tarazi added that we would see 12 LTE devices in 2012 and that over 250 million people will have access to Sprint-flavored LTE by the end of 2013 -- with voice over LTE service coming in the first quarter of that year. For those (hundreds?) of you worried about the fate of of WiMAX, well, don't. Apparently, the out-of-favor 4G network will continue to be supported for several more years due to Sprint's agreement with Clearwire. So, it appears Sprint's really making a run at Verizon's LTE hegemony. Good luck Mr. Hesse, you're probably going to need it.

Sprint's LTE getting Advanced in 2013, WiMAX's inferiority complex intensifies originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live from CTIA's day one keynote with Dan Hesse, Dan Mead and Ralph de la Vega

Brad Molen — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:20:00 EST

We're seated for the official kickoff of this week's CTIA Enterprise & Applications show, the opening keynote address. Today we'll have the pleasure to hear from the Dan Hesse, Dan Mead and Ralph de la Vega, the CEOs of Sprint, Verizon Wireless and AT&T (respectively). The topic: "Return of the Titans -- carrier insights." We can't be quite certain yet as to what this entails, but we expect many of these "insights" will actually be a plethora of witty jabs flying back and forth at each other. Regardless, we're rather stoked to hear what these gentlemen have to say. Tune in after the break!

Continue reading Live from CTIA's day one keynote with Dan Hesse, Dan Mead and Ralph de la Vega

Live from CTIA's day one keynote with Dan Hesse, Dan Mead and Ralph de la Vega originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The cost of switching to LTE: Sprint to spend $10 billion over the next two years

Dana Wollman — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:17:00 EST

Wonder just how much it costs to phase out iDEN and WiMAX networks and put all your eggs in one, CDMA / LTE-flavored basket? Well, Joe Euteneuer, Sprint's CFO, just offered up a frank answer here at its "Strategy Update" event: $10 billion over the next two years. That's a heckuva lot more than the $4 billion to $5 billion Wall Street was expecting, but Euteneuer assured all the suited-up financial analysts in the room that the company should save $10 billion to $11 billion through 2017 (a figure widely reported before today), with $4 billion of that resulting from not having to maintain the ~~'ol ball and chain~~ iDEN network anymore. Now it's true, we're a minority in this meeting of industry analysts, but you don't need to be a banker to understand that's one telling figure: clearly, the company's betting its future not just on the (CDMA!) iPhone, but LTE's brand of 4G.

The cost of switching to LTE: Sprint to spend $10 billion over the next two years originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's LTE plans detailed: phones, tablets and modems coming by 2012

Joseph Volpe — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:22:00 EST

If you were holding out hope that Tuesday's Apple announcement would be trumped by an exclusive iPhone 5 on Sprint, prepare to be disappointed. The company's confirmed that no new handsets would be shown off at its Strategy Event today. Instead, the carrier is focusing on how it intends to bundle all of those separate radios -- CDMA, LTE, WiMAX -- into a future device line up. Emphasizing the need for an enhanced user experience over 4G technology marketing, the operator stressed a commitment to supporting existing WiMAX subs. Dual-mode CDMA / LTE products are set to launch in the middle of next year, with tablets, smartphones and modems across both the high-end and mid-range to be on offer. Motorola's Sanjay Jha appeared in a taped segment to confirm his company's involvement in the production of these 3G/4G products. Of course, Sprint plans to support current CDMA and WiMAX products, offering them for sale throughout 2012. As for Direct Connect, three of those Push-to-Talk handsets will hit the carrier in the last quarter of 2011, with additional devices planned for 2012.

Sprint's LTE plans detailed: phones, tablets and modems coming by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint converts its network to LTE, plans 'aggressive rollout' to be completed by 2013

Joseph Volpe — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:58:00 EST

We knew more or less that an announcement of this sort was coming. Back in July, Dan Hesse had teased us face-to-face with the promise of a "great story this fall around 4G," and now the time to tell that tale has arrived. At its strategy event today, Sprint finally went public with plans to "simplify its network" by converting its 1900MHz holdings and LightSquared's 1600MHz spectrum ("pending FCC approval") to LTE, an industry favorite. Helping the operator make that transition is the swath of 800MHz spectrum it reclaimed from the, now defunct, iDEN push-to-talk network -- which had been a drain on the company's resources. This spectrum, acquired from Nextel, will be phased out by mid-2013 and rolled into LTE. The company plans for a rapid deployment of this new 4G network, with the first LTE markets and handsets to hit in mid-2012, and the full rollout mostly completed by 2013. Current subscribers signed up for WiMAX plans won't have to worry as their devices will continue to be supported throughout 2012.

Beginning tomorrow, Sprint's consolidating its 4G LTE (including LightSquared), 3G and Direct Connect networks into one single architecture. All the major technical milestones, such as test calls and field integration, have cleared their hurdles and work on over 22,000 cell sites are currently in process. Samsung, Alcatel Lucent and Ericsson have partnered with Sprint to install multimode 3G and 4G base stations to handle the network's future traffic, essential for deploying the multitude of frequencies required by hosted devices. Prospective iPhone 4S users on the network will be able to take advantage of better signal strength and improved voice service as Sprint intends to also offload the latter onto 800MHz.

Expect a steep "reduction in roaming costs" and deeper signal penetration throughout the operator's expanding national footprint over the course of the next two years. Naturally, LTE speeds on this new network will be significantly improved over the currently in-use WiMAX, and a planned implementation of WiFi offloading should help to cut congestion by 20 percent. By the end of next year, Sprint aims to have a combined WiMAX/LTE population coverage of 176 million -- with 123 million covered by LTE and 76 million overlapping both. When the network build-out is nearly complete in 2013, the company should have over 250 million blanketed in LTE, far outstripping the stagnant 120 million served by WiMAX.

Sprint converts its network to LTE, plans 'aggressive rollout' to be completed by 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WSJ: Sprint places $20 billion order for next iPhone, hinges company future on Apple's handset?

Joseph Volpe — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:01:00 EST

Oh, iFaithful, your newest Apple phone(s) are only a day away. Which is even more reason to hunker down into this latest chunk of pre-announcement gossip. According to information obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Sprint's betting the farm on a 30 million-plus order of next-generation iPhones to put it on an even battle ground with heavyweight rivals AT&T and Verizon. The cost of this loss-absorbing gamble? That would be about $20 billion, with the Hesse-led co. subsidizing the $500 cost of each handset. For the third place operator it's matter of do-or-die, as there really isn't an alternative to the critically-praised, Jony Ive-designed handset that set off this smartphone race. Further underscoring the company's current plight are comments Hesse's purportedly made to the company board, linking customer churn to its iPhone omission. It remains to be seen if Sprint pull off this feat, and convert its base of 52 million subscribers (mostly pre-paid) into the contracted customers it needs to stay financially afloat. While an iPhone on Sprint certainly seems a given, it's unclear whether this next device will opt for a WiMAX or LTE radio.

WSJ: Sprint places $20 billion order for next iPhone, hinges company future on Apple's handset? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Hesse: Sprint's not following Virgin's tiered data movement, but 'nothing is guaranteed forever'

Darren Murph — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:59:00 EST

Without a doubt, it's the 800 pound gorilla in the carrier realm: will Sprint follow AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless down the woeful tiered data route, laced with pain, confusion and general awfulness? We asked Sprint CEO Dan Hesse that very question today at Sprint's campus, and the answer wasn't exactly heartening. He stated that people are simply willing to pay a price premium (when it comes to rate plans) for something that's just dead simple -- something that they don't have to think about when they use. He (rightly) admitted that most average consumers have no concept of what a gigabyte is, or how long it takes to use one up, and that's why the outfit's unlimited plans are still striking a chord -- and in fact, more so now than ever with its three main rivals giving it an even stronger differentiator.

When asked whether Sprint would eventually have no other option but to switch to tiered data plans if heavy users begin to come over in droves, Hesse replied that having enough bandwidth to efficiently go around "could be an issue," and while it's working diligently with OEMs and app developers in order to implement things like WiFi offload, we were told that "nothing is guaranteed forever." We specifically asked if the recent tiered testing implemented at Virgin Mobile (which runs on Sprint's network) was an early indication that Sprint was also leaning this way, and Dan was steadfast in his denial. According to him, the postpaid and prepaid sectors are markedly different beasts, and it's not reasonable to consider that Sprint will follow Virgin's footsteps. Moral of the story? Sprint's clinging to unlimited for as long as it can, but we get the impression that a transition is imminent -- even if it's still a few years out.

Dan Hesse: Sprint's not following Virgin's tiered data movement, but 'nothing is guaranteed forever' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Dan Hesse: significant 4G plans to be announced this fall

Darren Murph — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:52:00 EST

We're here at Sprint's monolithic campus in Overland Park, and part of our day was spent speaking directly with CEO Dan Hesse. Amongst other things, the bigwig confessed that it had been awhile since his company (or Clearwire) had launched a 4G market. While Verizon Wireless has been pushing out LTE to new cities on what feels like a fortnightly basis, there's been nary a WiMAX deployment in the US during 2011. But that, friends, is gearing up to change. According to Hesse: "We're going to come out with a great story this fall around 4G, and it'll all become clear." He seemed curiously excited about whatever's around the bend, and Sprint's VP of Product Development, Fared Adib, seemed similarly giddy about the impending unveiling. Neither of 'em would crack on what markets would be addressed or what tactics would be used to match rivals in terms of 4G reach, but whatever the case, we're guessing Sprint users will be a lot happier with their service once they get through the summertime blues.

Oh, and it's worth mentioning that Sprint's "not exclusive to WiMAX, nor the Clearwire relationship." Not a soul on the campus would talk details surrounding that rumored LightSquared investment, but judging by the smiles, it's at least on the table.

Sprint's Dan Hesse: significant 4G plans to be announced this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Virgin Mobile brand to test throttling while Sprint pokes fun at throttlers (video)

Brad Molen — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:42:00 EST

Alanis Morrisette couldn't have possibly thought up something this ironic to put in her hit song. On the same day Sprint launches an ad campaign trashing T-Mobile's "unlimited" plan for throttling its data speeds, the Now Network announced that it intends to begin throttling Virgin Mobile's broadband sometime in October. Those who use larger amounts of data on the prepaid brand will experience the briskness of 256kbps as soon as they hit a monthly threshold of 2.5GB. This won't affect postpaid customers on Sprint for the time being, but it's hitting a little too close to home. After all, the company -- always playing the role of consumer advocate -- is now at least experimenting with the idea of employing the same practices it's currently trashing its competitors for. Those who're taking full advantage of Dan Hesse's spoils are safe for now, but the question remains: who'll throttle the throttlers? Check out the vid and press release in all their irony-dripping glory after the break.

[Thanks, John]

Continue reading Sprint's Virgin Mobile brand to test throttling while Sprint pokes fun at throttlers (video)

Sprint's Virgin Mobile brand to test throttling while Sprint pokes fun at throttlers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint teams up with Motorola for June 9 event, finally launching a Tegra 2 device?

Brad Molen — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:31:00 EST

Sprint and Motorola have a little special something up their sleeves, and are rolling them up to show off their latest "collaborations" at a press luncheon on June 9th. Since big bosses CEO Dan Hesse and Sanjay Jha will be in attendance, and the event will be held during Apple's WWDC, we have a feeling this is going to be something big. Whatever this project is, it's been kept under the radar very well -- until now. We're hearing buzz about a Tegra 2-powered device planned for a launch next month; different reports have come out over the last few days claiming Sprint will finally take a turn sporting a Tegra 2 Android -- the yin to the EVO 3D's yang, we suppose -- sometime next month.

The device may be called the Motorola Photon 4G, a name that first appeared in a WiFi certification form (seen after the break) a month ago. According to the rumors, Sprint was ready to launch its own version of the Atrix 4G back in March, but stalled the phone's release in order to make a few design changes. Some of these changes supposedly include a 4.3-inch display, Gingerbread pre-installed, and a look that closely resembles the EVO 4G (it would even come with a kickstand). The Photon 4G is a probability for the event, but note that the invite mentions "collaborations," implying there will be more than one product to showcase. This could mean a Xoom with WiMAX is just about ready for primetime -- or perhaps it's something else magical and unexpected. No matter what's hiding in Hesse's pocket on June 9th, we'll be there to tell you all about it.

Continue reading Sprint teams up with Motorola for June 9 event, finally launching a Tegra 2 device?

Sprint teams up with Motorola for June 9 event, finally launching a Tegra 2 device? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The AT&T / T-Mobile senate hearing: deciphering the war of words

Brad Molen — Wed, 18 May 2011 12:00:00 EST

Over the course of the next year, AT&T and its opponents will be in the ring, duking it out in a war of words in attempt to convince the government that a $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile by AT&T should or should not take place. Consumers have the most to win or lose here, yet we are resigned to watching from the sidelines as both sides lob countless facts and stats at each other like volleys in a tennis match.

If you look at the merger process as a stairway to climb up, AT&T is still near the very bottom. Every rung will be full of intense scrutiny as it is: if the two companies are allowed to merge, the national GSM market becomes a monopoly, and the wireless industry as a whole would shift to only three national players plus a handful of less-influential regional carriers. The carrier's going to blow as much as $6 billion if the merger is not approved -- almost enough to buy Skype -- it can't just expect to put up some feel-good facts and stats to win the hearts of the decision-makers.

AT&T has to be absolutely sure it'll come out victorious in the war, else it risks losing the trust (and money) of its shareholders. But to accomplish such a feat, it has to be on top of its game. There was no better time to show off what it's made of than last week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing conducted by the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. When the Committee entitles a hearing "Is Humpty Dumpty Being Put Back Together Again?," it's either exercising a sense of humor or a preconceived notion of the merger due to the implication that Ma Bell is simply reforming. CEO Randall Stephenson appeared as a sacrificial lamb, going before Congress and his opponents to explain his side of the story, answer hardball questions, and endure a hard-hitting round of criticism. Continue reading as we take you topic by topic and examine what he -- and his opponents -- had to say about the merger.

Continue reading The AT&T / T-Mobile senate hearing: deciphering the war of words

The AT&T / T-Mobile senate hearing: deciphering the war of words originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint reports Q1 2011 results, adds 1.1 million subscribers

Tim Stevens — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:33:00 EST

It's financials time and the word hasn't always been rosy for Sprint of late, but this time the company has some good news to share. In this, the first quarter of 2011, Sprint added 1.1 million total subscribers, 846,000 of those were prepaid, the other 310,000 postpaid. Churn was down too, 4.36 for prepaid and 1.81 percent for postpaid, lowest in five years for the former and lowest ever for the latter. Operating income was $259 million on $8.3 billion in revenue, which is up three percent from this time last year, but factor in taxes, lunar landing rights, and all the other fun stuff and the company posted a net loss of $439 million. CEO Dan Hesse called this "slow but steady progress," and the addition of subscribers "a tough streak to keep going as the bar keeps getting higher." A tough streak indeed, but the launch of phones like the Nexus S 4G might just help keep it alive for another quarter.

Sprint reports Q1 2011 results, adds 1.1 million subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live from CTIA's day one keynote with FCC chairman Julius Genachowski

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:54:00 EST

We're seated in the auditorium for CTIA Wireless 2011's first keynote session, featuring FCC chairman Julius Genachowski -- who's frequented CTIAs in years past -- along with the bosses of Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, and Sprint. Needless to say, these are a bunch of heavy hitters about to take the stage... and we're curious whether they'll be saying a peep about AT&T's planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA. Tune in after the break!

Continue reading Live from CTIA's day one keynote with FCC chairman Julius Genachowski

Live from CTIA's day one keynote with FCC chairman Julius Genachowski originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Dan Hesse differentiates between unlimited and 'unlimited' in latest TV spot

Jacob Schulman — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:05:00 EST

We're not the biggest fans of new tiered data plans that are slowly but surely becoming the norm, and if the latest ad from Sprint is any indication -- that particular carrier isn't either. CEO Dan Hesse takes the offensive, reminding viewers that the word 'unlimited' shouldn't include things like metering or throttling, while touting the company's "Simply Everything" plan that actually does include, uh, everything. With customer gains on the upswing, the move is probably a good one -- though that whole 'premium data' thing is a little iffy. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Sprint's Dan Hesse differentiates between unlimited and 'unlimited' in latest TV spot

Sprint's Dan Hesse differentiates between unlimited and 'unlimited' in latest TV spot originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live from Sprint's 'Industry First' event with Dan Hesse and... David Blaine

Nilay Patel — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:45:00 EST

We're not exactly sure what kind of rabbit Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is planning to pull out of his hat here in New York tonight, but Sprint says it'll be an "industry first" and David Blaine is scheduled to appear, so we're definitely curious -- and hey, snacks. So what's it going to be? Unlimited multi-device data plans? That dualscreen Kyocera Echo which leaked a bit last night? David Blaine revealing Dan Hesse is actually a murderous robot from the future? We'll find out when things kick off at 6PM ET.

Live from Sprint's 'Industry First' event with Dan Hesse and... David Blaine originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint CEO claims WiMAX is here to stay, says Clear's LTE trials were for potential multi-mode phones

Sean Hollister — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:21:00 EST

Sprint and Clearwire have characterized LTE as complimentary to WiMAX time and again, but if that doesn't allay your suspicions of turncoat tactics in the wireless data space, take it from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse's lips. "Our 4G strategy is WiMAX, full stop!" he told GigaOM, adding that LTE isn't necessarily on Sprint's roadmap. Quizzed about WiMAX partner Clearwire's LTE trials, however, he dropped a very intriguing hint about the possible shape of phones to come: "We have so much spectrum that we decided to do tests so in case we have multi-modal phones with other air interfaces, we can add LTE on top of WiMAX and run both networks," he told the publication. Dual-mode WiMAX / LTE smartphone, anyone?

Sprint CEO claims WiMAX is here to stay, says Clear's LTE trials were for potential multi-mode phones originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand

Darren Murph — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:21:00 EST

Well, wouldn't you know it? Seems that tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign may actually be working. Way back in April of this year, Sprint decided it would begin offering its own iPad case, despite the fact that even today the iPad isn't sold in Sprint stores. The reason? It's the perfect opportunity to push the Overdrive, a 4G mobile hotspot that's able to take the iPad (and any other WiFi-enabled device) to 4G speeds where available. In a recent interview with GigaOM, the carrier's CEO (Dan Hesse) confirmed that most iPads being sold are of the WiFi variety, and due to that, "the company has seen an uptick in demand for its Overdrive (3G/4G) wireless-hotspot device, as people use it to connect their iPads to the Internet when on the go." He failed to exaggerate on actual numbers, but it's obvious he's in favor of Apple's darling tablet selling like hotcakes -- after all, how else are you going to get an iDevice into 4G territory?

Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Hesse commits to phasing out iDEN

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:49:00 EST

Echoing sentiments of Sprint's senior VP of networks from last month, CEO Dan Hesse has said that the company will be saying goodnight to its aging push-to-talk network -- iDEN -- that it inherited from its Nextel acquisition several years ago, "just like 1G was shut down." Of course, the difference between 1G cellular and iDEN is that iDEN still holds a very unique position in the wireless marketplace: even though it sucks for data, it's really the only popular, successful way to route push-to-talk over a cell network of any kind. To that end, the company is actively soliciting bids to build out CDMA 1X Advanced right now, which may allow the company to have another go at moving its PTT services over to a CDMA-based technology (the first attempt, QChat, already failed). In the meantime, Hesse says that the company is putting most of its marketing efforts into attracting customers to its CDMA airwaves, not its iDEN ones, in the hopes that they'll be able to smooth out the transition and free up iDEN spectrum for other services. It's had a good run, hasn't it?

Sprint's Hesse commits to phasing out iDEN originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint CEO hints unlimited data could end if usage gets crazy

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:45:00 EST

So far, Sprint's been steadfast in its commitment to keeping caps off its data plans -- a big selling point since AT&T's moved to tiered pricing and Verizon has threatened to do the same -- but the laws of supply and demand sadly still exist, and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse knows it. In speaking at the Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT today, Hesse mentioned that his company "can offer unlimited as long as the usage is reasonable," suggesting that a glut of extremely heavy users (you probably know who you are) could ultimately mean he "can't afford to do that anymore." Torrenting off a tethered EVO is fun, yes -- especially when you're on WiMAX -- but just remember: it might ultimately come back to bite you.

Sprint CEO hints unlimited data could end if usage gets crazy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Hesse: there's 'logic' to a T-Mobile merger -- if they both move to LTE

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:46:00 EST

Sprint's riffed about the possibility of migrating to LTE in the past -- as has its 4G partner, Clearwire -- so it's no big surprise to hear CEO Dan Hesse tell the Financial Times today that he's still open to the idea down the road, possibly side-by-side with the company's existing WiMAX deployment thanks to its deep spectrum holdings. What's far more interesting, though, is his concession that there's "logic" to exploring a merger with T-Mobile USA in the event that they both move to LTE for their next-gen networks. For its part, T-Mobile hasn't announced its 4G plans yet, but it's an open secret than Deutsche Telekom has explored the idea of selling off its US outpost in the past. Combined, it seems that Sprint and T-Mobile -- neither of whom have the firepower to compete with giants AT&T or Verizon on every level -- would create a strong third-place carrier capable of nipping at their heels. FT says that the idea of a Sprint deal was rejected back in 2008 on grounds that the two have incompatible networks, so who knows... if that restriction were removed, there might yet be love in the air.

Sprint's Hesse: there's 'logic' to a T-Mobile merger -- if they both move to LTE originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dan Hesse email: 'no current plans' to alter data pricing

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:27:00 EST

Bypassing a company's power structure altogether and contacting the CEO directly is the vogue thing to do right now -- and in light of the AT&T incident this week, it probably behooves said CEOs (and / or their assistants) to earn some PR brownie points by responding with a positive attitude. Take this response from Sprint boss Dan Hesse, for example, in reply to a request that the company "keep [its] great pricing and customer service, and most importantly -- keep unlimited data." In short, Hesse says "one can never say 'never,' but [the company] has no current plans to change our pricing." That's certainly the "correct" thing to say coming off AT&T's big strategy shift toward killing unlimited and hints from Verizon that it'll do the same, but whether Sprint is able to hold the line when the WiMAX airwaves are flooded with EVO 4Gs and EVO 4G-like devices is another matter altogether. We'll see.

[Thanks, Matt P.]

Dan Hesse email: 'no current plans' to alter data pricing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live from CTIA 2010's day two keynote with Dan Hesse

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:59:00 EST

Hot off the killer HTC EVO 4G announcement yesterday, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is helping to lead up CTIA's day two keynote session today alongside Clearwire boss William Morrow, Deutsche Telekom chief René Obermann, and more. So sit down, pour yourself a hot cup of something, and enjoy -- this should be a good one!

Continue reading Live from CTIA 2010's day two keynote with Dan Hesse

Live from CTIA 2010's day two keynote with Dan Hesse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint promises its first WiMAX handset by this summer, could be the Supersonic

Vlad Savov — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:15:00 EST

The life of a gadget lover tends to involve a lot of waiting, so it's always nice to be surprised by a roadmap getting shorter rather than longer. Sprint has told Forbes that its very first WiMAX phone will be arriving in the first half of this year, which will be somewhat earlier than many had expected. We're likely talking about that A9292 "bar handset" from HTC that was spotted in January, as Forbes goes on to note that it's likely to be a HTC-built Android device. The aptly-titled Supersonic seems like the obvious, albeit unconfirmed, prime candidate here. Further word from Paget Alves, Sprint's president of Business Markets, indicates that businesses and government agencies might be the first adopters, which must mean whatever handset's being discussed will be at least somewhat business-friendly. Finally, CEO Dan Hesse himself is cited as saying Sprint will be bringing out "dozens of devices" with embedded WiMAX this year, so even if you don't like the first one, there should be plenty of options come the holidays.

[Thanks, Douglas]

Sprint promises its first WiMAX handset by this summer, could be the Supersonic originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Caption contest: Big Four's CEOs finally united by a very large check

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:29:00 EST

The CEOs of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile -- Lowell McAdam, Ralph de la Vega, Dan Hesse, and Robert Dotson -- came together on stage for a fleeting moment at CTIA today to present a $1 million donation to nonprofit organization One Economy. It was a PR opportunity, yes, but what was really going on in their minds?

Chris: "Dan, seriously, will you come off the stilts for 20 seconds?"
Nilay: "One Economy will of course have to pay a $40,000 activation fee."
Joe: "Not to be outdone, Boost Mobile extends One Economy a gift certificate for one free Kid Cudi ringtone."
Josh T.: "Here, enjoy 0.1 percent of our collective salary."
Richard: "Do you think they're standing in order of who has the most bars?"

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Caption contest: Big Four's CEOs finally united by a very large check originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Dan Hesse talks Android, Pre, iPhone, 4G on Charlie Rose

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:44:00 EST

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse recently sat down for an interview with the master of one-on-ones and black backdrops, Charlie Rose, and while much of the talk was spent traveling down memory lane and revisiting Hesse's two-decade rise through the ranks at AT&T before fleeing in 2000, there were some great quotes that came out of it:

"We're getting ready to launch a couple of new Android devices." We know one's the Hero, and the other -- if we were the betting types -- is the Samsung InstinctQ.
Rose: "The merger with Nextel was a bad idea?" Hesse: "In 20 / 20 hindsight, it was, yes... the premium that Sprint paid for Nextel was too much." Sprint's gone back and forth on the idea of spinning off Nextel over the past couple years, so it's not a surprising thing for him to think -- but to hear Sprint's CEO actually say out loud that he thinks a very active part of its network shouldn't have become part of the company is a little bombastic.
"Our prepaid brand is Boost." Nothing wild and crazy about that statement, though it does reaffirm that Virgin Mobile is destined for assimilation. The whole thing's kinda funny considering that Boost dabbled in CDMA before reversing course, and once again, Sprint will be dealing with large installed bases of both iDEN and CDMA prepaid customers.
On touchscreen smartphones: "Those are the most expensive phones for us to sell, and those are the ones where we need to make sure that the customer stays with us [and] doesn't churn, because we're out a lot of money... those are expensive devices." Theoretically, an aggressively-priced subsidized smartphone could still end up leaving a carrier in the red if you broke your contract early on and paid the ETF, but we doubt that's a huge problem -- especially for a CDMA carrier like Sprint. He goes on to say "I'm already looking at 4G versions of smartphones," so that's really encouraging to hear, particularly if you're into WiMAX.
"Customers will pay premium for simplicity. Simplicity is everything... Digital One Rate which we launched back at AT&T, that was all about simplicity... people paid more. It wasn't a price cut." Translation: "Unlimited makes you feel like you're getting a deal, but rest assured, we're banking."
In response to Rose asking how Sprint uses the Palm Pre to take on Apple and RIM: "It was really kind of Palm's decision to take on Apple. And Palm has had [a] long standing relationship with Sprint." It's interesting to hear Hesse seemingly back away from a fight with Apple and chalk up the situation to happenstance -- RIM not as much, considering that Sprint carries a number of BlackBerrys in its lineup and will certainly continue to do so. Talking more about pitting the Pre against the iPhone, he goes on to say that Palm's handset is "doing well. But you've got to almost put the iPhone, to be fair, in a separate category. The Apple brand and that device has done so well. It's like comparing someone to Michael Jordan." If that's not a tactful acknowledgment that the iPhone is a bona fide wireless superstar, we don't know what is. Hesse's giving the iPhone the respect it's rightfully earned -- as any strategically-minded executive would.
"The biggest impediment to mobile growth is you got processors are getting a lot faster, screens are getting sharper, they use more and more power, and battery technology is not moving very fast... That's the one breakthrough that the industry needs. It needs battery breakthroughs." It's good to hear that Hesse understands as well as everyone else that the wireless industry needs to be focused on making power draw a non-issue, but he sounds less convinced of the solution: "I don't know. Solar we hope, and renewable energy sources." When Sprint gets some cash socked away, it might consider throwing some R&D money at the problem -- it'll be first to market with something resembling a "national" 4G network, after all, and the situation's only going to get worse.

Who knew you'd find out so much about the inner workings of the States' third-largest carrier from watching PBS? [Via Gizmodo]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Sprint's Dan Hesse talks Android, Pre, iPhone, 4G on Charlie Rose originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Dan Hesse talks Android, Pre, iPhone, 4G on Charlie Rose

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:44:00 EST

"We're getting ready to launch a couple of new Android devices." We know one's the Hero, and the other -- if we were the betting types -- is the Samsung InstinctQ.
Rose: "The merger with Nextel was a bad idea?" Hesse: "In 20 / 20 hindsight, it was, yes... the premium that Sprint paid for Nextel was too much." Sprint's gone back and forth on the idea of spinning off Nextel over the past couple years, so it's not a surprising thing for him to think -- but to hear Sprint's CEO actually say out loud that he thinks a very active part of its network shouldn't have become part of the company is a little bombastic.
"Our prepaid brand is Boost." Nothing wild and crazy about that statement, though it does reaffirm that Virgin Mobile is destined for assimilation. The whole thing's kinda funny considering that Boost dabbled in CDMA before reversing course, and once again, Sprint will be dealing with large installed bases of both iDEN and CDMA prepaid customers.
On touchscreen smartphones: "Those are the most expensive phones for us to sell, and those are the ones where we need to make sure that the customer stays with us [and] doesn't churn, because we're out a lot of money... those are expensive devices." Theoretically, an aggressively-priced subsidized smartphone could still end up leaving a carrier in the red if you broke your contract early on and paid the ETF, but we doubt that's a huge problem -- especially for a CDMA carrier like Sprint. He goes on to say "I'm already looking at 4G versions of smartphones," so that's really encouraging to hear, particularly if you're into WiMAX.
"Customer will pay premium for simplicity. Simplicity is everything... Digital One Rate which we launched back at AT&T, that was all about simplicity... people paid more. It wasn't a price cut." Translation: "Unlimited makes you feel like you're getting a deal, but rest assured, we're banking."
In response to Rose asking how Sprint uses the Palm Pre to take on Apple and RIM: "It was really kind of Palm's decision to take on Apple. And Palm has had [a] long standing relationship with Sprint." It's interesting to hear Hesse seemingly back away from a fight with Apple and chalk up the situation to happenstance -- RIM not as much, considering that Sprint carries a number of BlackBerrys in its lineup and will certainly continue to do so. Talking more about pitting the Pre against the iPhone, he goes on to say that Palm's handset is "doing well. But you've got to almost put the iPhone, to be fair, in a separate category. The Apple brand and that device has done so well. It's like comparing someone to Michael Jordan." If that's not a tactful acknowledgment that the iPhone is a bona fide wireless superstar, we don't know what is. Hesse's giving the iPhone the respect it's rightfully earned -- as any strategically-minded executive would.
"The biggest impediment to mobile growth is you got processors are getting a lot faster, screens are getting sharper, they use more and more power, and battery technology is not moving very fast... That's the one breakthrough that the industry needs. It needs battery breakthroughs." It's good to hear that Hesse understands as well as everyone else that the wireless industry needs to be focused on making power draw a non-issue, but he sounds less convinced of the solution: "I don't know. Solar we hope, and renewable energy sources." When Sprint gets some cash socked away, it might consider throwing some R&D money at the problem -- it'll be first to market with something resembling a "national" 4G network, after all, and the situation's only going to get worse.

Who knew you'd find out so much about the inner workings of the States' third-largest carrier from watching PBS?

[Via Gizmodo]

Filed under: Sprint

Sprint's Dan Hesse talks Android, Pre, iPhone, 4G on Charlie Rose originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm Pre drops to $99 at Best Buy (update: "error is being corrected," says Best Buy)

Nilay Patel — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:40:00 EST

Interesting -- just a couple days after Sprint CEO Dan Hesse told a conference that "it's too early to tell" if the Pre's a hit while talking about Android, the latest Best Buy ad shows Palm's baby on sale for just $99 on a two-year contract. That ought to spike some sales, but we'll see if its just a one-week special or a permanent drop before we start trying to read any tea leaves here -- anyone running out to grab one?

Update: Best Buy marketing manager John Bernier has chimed in via his Twitter account to say that the Pre is $199 and that the "error is being corrected." It'll be interesting to see if any lucky customers managed to nab the device for less than a Benjamin.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Hesse's comments
Read - $99 Pre at Best Buy

Filed under: Handsets, Palm, Sprint

Palm Pre drops to $99 at Best Buy (update: "error is being corrected," says Best Buy) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm Pre drops to $99 at Best Buy (update: "error is being corrected," says Best Buy)

Nilay Patel — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:40:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pre drops to $99 at Best Buy (update: "error is being corrected," says Best Buy) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Dan Hesse says Android coming to Sprint this year, is glad to have waited

Joshua Topolsky — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:22:00 EST

While speaking at Fortune's Brainstorm: Tech event in Pasadena on Friday, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse apparently got all kinds of verbal when it came to Android and his carrier. The honcho (and TV commercial star) remarked at the industry conference that he was "Glad we waited on Android," adding "The reviews say now it's ready for prime time. It wasn't when it first came out." While we knew Sprint had interest in Android phones (and potentially some forthcoming models), we hadn't heard a peep about timeframes, and the last thing Dan had to say was that he thought Googlephones weren't quite ready for prime-time. That's all changed now with the appearance of Android 1.5, it seems, as Hesse stated that the carrier will ship at least one model with the OS onboard this year. We don't want to be zany conspiracy theorists, but the timing of this seems to dovetail nicely with the very public launch of HTC's heavily modified Hero and Sense UI... a device which has been rumored to be making its way to Sprint sometime this year. The carrier obviously has a storied history of partnering with HTC on phones, so it wouldn't come as a surprise to see it land on Sprint (we certainly haven't seen any other carriers pipe up). Regardless, it looks like Sprint won't be putting all of its eggs in the Palm basket for long. It's going to be a very interesting holiday season.

Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Sprint, Android

Sprint's Dan Hesse says Android coming to Sprint this year, is glad to have waited originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Dan Hesse says Android coming to Sprint this year, is glad to have waited

Joshua Topolsky — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:22:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint's Dan Hesse says Android coming to Sprint this year, is glad to have waited originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Dan Hesse: Verizon needs to "check its facts" on Pre exclusivity

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:23:00 EST

The exact duration and wording of Sprint's exclusivity agreement with Palm for the Pre has everyone wondering -- perhaps no one more than the carrier's competitors, who are blatantly champing at the bit to steal Sprint's thunder and launch new Palm hardware of their own. Sprint had already officially refuted Verizon's claim that it'd get its own Pre in "about six months" by saying that the deal lasted through 2009, but now, none other than Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is taking a swing at his archrival, saying Verizon needs to "check its facts" over the deal. The dude was clearly choosing his words carefully and refused to comment on exactly how long the company would have a lock on the Pre, but he "can tell [us] it's not six months." That could mean it's three, seven, nine, or 48 -- we really don't know -- but either way, Sprint's real challenge here is that it probably doesn't have webOS exclusivity, which means its competitors should be free to launch other Palm designs whenever they like.

[Image via I Can Has Cheezburger?]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Sprint's Dan Hesse: Verizon needs to "check its facts" on Pre exclusivity originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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