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Sprint lambasted for disconnecting whiners, notorious roamers
Recently, Sprint decided to cut its losses and give a number of CSRs a break from the nagging when it pulled the plug on nearly 1,200 of its mobile customers. Apparently, these whiners were dialing in "40 to 50 times as often" as the "average customer," and after failing to appease them, the firm chose to "terminate the relationship with those customers to allow them to pursue other options." As you'd imagine, some of these bicker-prone individuals are less than pleased with the outcome, and to make matters worse, the firm has also cut the cord with habitual roamers -- including some that are actually enlisted in our military. Can't a soldier (or sniveller) catch a break?[Thanks, John F.]Read - Sprint cancels 1,200 contracts over excessive complainingRead - Sprint cancels traveling soldiers' cellphone
NASCAR countersues AT&T for $100 million, moves to ban future telecom sponsorships
We really couldn't care less about who wins this race or that race on the NASCAR circuit, and yet we've been unable to take our eyes off of the stock car giant's ongoing legal battle with AT&T, which has just entered a new and more contentious phase this week. You'll recall that in an effort to protect Nextel's exclusive 10-year sponsorship, NASCAR officials attempted to prohibit the "new" AT&T from rebranding Jeff Burton's Cingular car -- an attempt that was thwarted in a US District Court last month. Well apparently Brian France and friends aren't too fond of watching Burton race around the track with his shiny new paint job, and have just filed a $100 million countersuit in Atlanta, citing "breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation, and conspiracy to aid and abet wrongful interference with Nextel." What's more, NASCAR is seeking the right to completely ban any non-Nextel telecommunications sponsors from the sport starting in 2008, which would allow it to give both AT&T and Alltel the boot. Ah, courtroom drama: the true sport of kings.
Motorola ic902 gets official for Sprint Nextel
Motorola's iDEN / CDMA hybrid handsets are starting to get a little fancy, it seems. The new ic902 seems to offer up the best of both worlds for the uncompromising push-to-talk junkie, combining features like Power Vision (read: EV-DO rev. 0), healthy QVGA primary and 160 x 120 external color displays, integrated GPS, microSD memory expansion, Bluetooth, music player (sans external controls, it seems), and a 2 megapixel camera into a 0.87 inch, 4.8 ounce form. Grab it starting today online and starting next month in retail locations for $300 on a two-year agreement or $490 contract-free.[Via Phone Scoop]Update: Seems the media controls are on the phone's side. Silly iDEN, always doing things just a little differently! [Thanks, Dan]
Sprint Nextel still cleaning up merger mess, buys another affiliate
Amazingly, Sprint's still trying to keep pace with scrappy regional affiliates miffed in the aftermath of its merger with Nextel; in many cases, the clear-cut violations of the non-compete clauses in place with the regionals have left the company with no option but to buy them. Latest in the affiliate roundup is Northern PCS Services in a deal valued at $312.5 million, ending the war of words (and lawyers) that presumably would've ended with an even larger payout for the affiliate after years of drawn-out courtroom proceedings. Though Sprint's gotta feel good about putting another looming drama behind them, iPCS is still out there lying in wait; no indication yet on whether Sprint's feeling a buyout there, too. Look for the Northern deal to close in Q3.
The Boy Genius Report: Sprint's May "Playbook"
Field tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.We've seen a copy of Sprint Nextel's "Playbook" dealer mag for the month of May -- a real page-turner, might we add -- and it's given us some detailed insight into the carrier's plans for the next few weeks. Look for prices to take a nosedive on four models: the grey RAZR falls to $24.99 while its red counterpart and the LG Fusic both go for $29.99 (all after rebates and contract, of course) starting this week, followed up by the Sanyo 3100 dropping to $19.99 starting this coming Friday. Making debuts this month are the Samsung m300 and m510; the first of the two will go out the door for a song (free, to be exact) when it launches this week, featuring Bluetooth and a VGA cam in an unusually attractive shell. The m510 meanwhile ups the ante with A2DP, microSD expansion, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and EV-DO data for $129.99 -- and yeah, we can expect that this week, too. Between those suckers and the Treo 755p, this month isn't turning out half bad for Sprint customers, now is it?
Samsung M300 flip coming to Sprint
Astute observers of the goings-on in American CDMA know that a Samsung model prefixed with "SPH" often means that the destination is Sprint; sure enough, the SPH-M300 that rocked the FCC a few weeks ago will hit up "the most powerful network" (their words, not ours) next month according to phoneArena. As midrange flips go, the M300 looks to be a fairly attractive unit with a large external color OLED gracing a glossy dark gray shell, and as the SGH-E790's CDMA doppelganger, it'll likely hit with a 2 megapixel cam and microSD expansion. Rumor has it we'll be able to find it in stores on May 14 (replacing the A640) with a red variant following later in the year.
Hands-on with the Samsung Ubicell
While we're all patiently waiting for UMA to go national (any carrier want to step up to the plate here?), Samsung's taking a decidedly different approach to mobile VoIP with its Ubicell product unveiled this week. Carriers are apparently keen on embracing it, too, with Sprint planning on offering it later this year at a to-be-determined price. We had a chance to check it out this morning, and it looks decent enough; it's reasonably small and it won't stand out in most decor (especially if you can just set it next to your wireless router). The craziest feature might be the integrated GPS that -- get this -- locks you out if you try to get all clever and take the Ubicell outside of US territory. In other words, Sprint has no interest running a femtocell in, say, Madagascar.%Gallery-2339%
Sprint shows off Cisco ENZO EV-DO router at CTIA
While it's certainly not the first of kind, Sprint is busting out a rare American solution to the 3G router thirst as it showcases the Cisco ENZO at this year's CTIA. The EV-DO router is based around a Cisco 3G WWAN interface card and an "integrated service router (ISR)," and unfortunately, that's about all the details that are currently available. Apparently, Sprint will be aiming this at companies who could use "primary or backup access for business-critical applications," and while we can't give you any concrete dates to mark on your calender just yet, the router is currently in the testing stage and should be ready for commercialization "sometime this summer."
Motorola ic902 iDEN / CDMA hybrid approved by the FCC
Our revealing pals over at the FCC have just approved the Motorola ic902 iDEN / CDMA hybrid handset, which will be the flagship hybrid sold by Sprint Nextel sometime very soon -- we hope. Specs so far include dual color displays with a nice 2.2 inch QVGA main diplay and stereo speakers for that onboard music player. Of course, no iDEN / CDMA handset would be complete without one of those 2 megapixel shooters and a microSD card slot. If you're into the EV-DO world of Sprint but like Nextel's Walkie-Talkie feature (formerly Direct Connect), this may be your new love. Now that it has been approved by the FCC, we expect an announcement from Sprint Nextel -- the question, though, is when?[via phoneArena]
Sprint bailing on VUE, MediaFLO?
Just days after AT&T announced it had selected Qualcomm's MediaFLO to power its upcoming mobile TV network, it sounds like Sprint's moving in quite the opposite direction. Despite a promising (or promising sounding, anyway) trial last fall -- heck, they even had the "VUE" name picked out -- the company is shelving any immediate plans to move forward with a MediaFLO-based service of its own. Though we're always sad to see a promising new tech get pushed back, a part of us is reveling in the fact that Qualcomm might yet fail to secure a lock on the American mobile TV market in the face of its biggest competitor -- DVB-H -- and its stateside backers, Modeo and Hiwire. So for the meanwhile, it sounds like Sprint joins the ranks of T-Mobile in the "watch Lost while you're driving" department: all trial, no action. Does Verizon stand to gain from the chaos?[Via MocoNews]
Call a Nascar Nextel FanView your very own
Oh, you know you want one. That slab of rugged yellow and blackness, complete with chunky antenna and oversized keys has been calling your name ever since you spotted it for rent last year. Well, after last season's successful run of FanView rentals, Nascar and Nextel are selling the handheld race-day scanner outright for $370 online or $415 trackside, though you'll still need to fork over $10 for a race-weekend activation whenever you want to actually use it to keep track of those big, hairy, American winning machines. Features still include live video and audio from the race, along with real-time data and stats, and audio replay for catching those little "that just happened" moments. You also can peep in-car cameras from up to seven drivers, or just stick it in the bed of your truck to improve traction. Rentals are still available for $50 a day and $70 per weekend.
ESPN plans "most advanced" HD coverage for NASCAR in 2007
ESPN recently revealed its plans for broadcasting NASCAR races during the upcoming season, in what the network is calling "most technologically advanced in motorsports history". Every race will be done completely in HD, including in car cameras, pit crew, blimp and other angles. All of this goes along with the mobile studio ESPN will use to broadcast NASCAR Countdown shows from each race, and a radio room that allows ESPN to record and replay clips from any driver-pit crew transmissions. You can expect the full HD treatment on every Busch Series race this year (aired on ESPN2-HD) and the final 17 Nextel Cup races on ESPN and ABC. We've already come to expect top notch HD broadcasts from TNT, Fox and HDNet's coverage of the sport and it appears ESPN is ready to raise the bar yet again.
Nextel launches ic402, second iDEN / CDMA hybrid
If you're in the market for a iDEM / CDMA hybrid but the fancy ic502 (with its newfangled external display and military-grade toughness) is too rich for your blood, the freshly-released ic402 shaves a full $20 off the on-contract price. Of course, in saving yourself those $20, you'll lose the aforementioned display and 810F spec adherance -- though the silver shell is arguably a tad fancier looking than the ic502's basic black. Customers can get their CDMA on now from Nextel's website for a reasonable $40 after rebates and instant savings.[Via phoneArena]
Sanyo's M1 and SPC-7000 now live on Sprint-Nextel
Well, you can't say we didn't warn you. The well-spec'd Sanyo M1 (and the SPC-7000, too) are officially ready for release on Sprint-Nextel's network. Both phones now appear on Sprint's website, accompanied by a smattering of pics and long list of tasty features for you to ponder over. The M1 music phone sports a two-megapixel camera (with auto-focus and flash), Bluetooth, 1GB of memory, and all the other musical niceties we suspected would grace this slim-ish device. The SPC-7000 hits with a 1.8-inch LCD, "durable, rugged design," swapable faceplates, T9 text input, and a rubber "Dura-Grip" in case you get a struck by the butterfingers. The M1 will run you $349.99 sans a contractual agreement, or $199.99 with, while the SPC-7000 only requires $179.99 without a contract, or a lowly $29.99 after inking in for two years.Read - Sanyo M1 on Sprint-Nextel; [Via SlashGear]Read - Sanyo SPC-7000 on Sprint-Nextel
FBI taps cellphone mics to eavesdrop on criminals
While we figured the NYPD could just install Magic Message Mirrors in every mafia hotspot in the Manhattan area, the Genovese family has proven quite the eagle-eyed bunch when it comes to spotting wiretaps, tailing, and other (failed) attempts of bugging their conversations. In order to tap into critical conversations by known mafioso and other, less glamorous criminals, police are utilizing a "roving bug" technique which remotely activates the microphone of a crime lord's cellie, giving the boys in blue convenient access to their secret agenda(s). The presumably controversial tapping was recently approved by top US DoJ officials "for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques." Software hacks (and actual phones, too) have previously allowed such dodgy eavesdropping to occur, with "Nextel, Samsung, and Motorola" handsets proving particularly vulnerable, but this widespread approach in tracking down criminal conversations could hopefully pinpoint future targets where prior attempts failed. Of course, if mafia members hit the internet every now and then, they're probably removing those batteries right about now anyway.
Best Buy Mobile opens up shop in New York
While Best Buy's been selling mobiles (and holding out on Wii hopefuls) for some time now, the big blue retailer is diverting a bit more fundage towards the cause. Aside from continuing to offer phones and plans in typical stores, Best Buy is opening up a smattering of New York-based Mobile stores to handle your cellular needs (and probably hassle you for an extended warranty as well). While details about the store layout and initial offerings are a bit scant at this point, we do know that nine locales will be opening up in the Big Apple alone, with a red (as in, not black) PRODUCT (RED) RAZR being their "exclusive" offering. The stores will partner with Verizon Wireless, Amp'd Mobile, Sprint-Nextel, and Cingular, and should have a plethora of promotional goodies surrounding each and every door to snag your attention.
Nextel launches i880 on the high end
Nextel users looking for just a little more luxury then your average... say, i615 provides, your phone has arrived. The long-foretold i880 has finally graced Sprint-Nextel's pages, looking every bit as nifty as the blurry, covert spy shots that preceded its official introduction had us believing. Notable features include a 2 megapixel camera (particularly notable for Nextel, of all carriers), an MP3 player with stereo speakers, dual color displays, and external music controls. Sadly though, the i880 doesn't adhere to military specifications, so don't even think about taking this burgundy-colored beauty into a war zone.[Thanks, Nino]
Sprint launches first EV-DO Rev. A network
Sticking to its word, Sprint has lit up its first EV-DO Revision A mobile broadband network today, covering San Diego to start with 20 additional markets set to launch before year's end. The upgraded Sprint Power Vision network boosts real-life upload speeds to the 300-400 kbps level, kicking the current 50-70 kbps transfer rates back to 1995 where they belong. Observed download speeds also get a shot in the arm, albeit a more modest jump to 450–800 kbps, up from 400-700 kbps. While San Diegans get all the bragging rights for the time being, folks in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and seventeen other markets can rest easy knowing that they'll be able to bask in some Rev. A goodness by the end of the year -- check the link below for the complete list. And if you're not on that list, Sprint says it should have its network completely upgraded by the third quarter of 2007.
Sprint-Nextel to launch first hybrid on November 5?
The concept of CDMA / iDEN hybrid phones has been kicking around pretty much since day one of the Sprint-Nextel merger, and we caught wind of a hybrid handset, the ic502, months ago; the only thing left to do, it seems, is actually launch the darned thing. The wait might be nearly over: a web page over yonder at sprintpcs.com makes mention of a November 5 hybrid launch in "select markets," though said page does not make mention of what those markets are or what phone(s) will be launched. As a refresher, the CDMA / iDEN dual-mode setup will make use of iDEN for PTT and CDMA for traditional calling (though we suspect there will be allowances for falling back from one to the other should only one service be available), taking some of the pressure off the overstressed iDEN network.[Thanks, Seth Z.]
Unreleased Motorola ic502 iDEN / CDMA hybrid hits eBay
It may have just breezed through the FCC a few short months ago, but Motorola's yet-to-be-released ic502 iDEN / CDMA hybrid phone has already found its way to eBay -- although if the bidding activity is any indication, it doesn't look like Motorola will have much trouble meeting the demand for it. One bid was all it took to snag the hybrid handset, with the winning bidder throwing down an even $300 for the bragging rights. The lack of EVDO, not to mention Bluetooth or a camera, no doubt helped to dampen the anticipation among early adopters a bit, but if you're in desperate need of some hybrid action, the ic502's the only game in town.[Thanks, Sloop John B]
