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Mobile Miscellany: week of April 23rd, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we learned that ZTE intends to release a phablet of its own, and Samsung unseated Nokia as the world's largest supplier of mobile phones. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of April 23rd, 2012.
Virgin and Boost to go 4G, makes Sprint's WiMAX feel wanted
If you were thinking "how wonderful, but..." when you learned that Boost was getting a new 4G handset, hold that thought. If reports from Technobuffalo are to be believed, both Boost and Virgin Mobile will be renewing their vows with host provider Sprint and getting access to its 4G spread. Surprisingly, this apparently only extends to the existing WiMAX, not LTE infrastructure. While WiMAX isn't Sprint's favorite 4G flavor, it has at least committed to keeping it going for a while yet, enough time for you to upgrade once more at least.
HTC EVO Design 4G coming to Boost Mobile 'end of this quarter'
Boost customers might soon be able to bite off another bit of Android, according to Pocket Now. It's reporting that the HTC Evo Design 4G will be landing on the prepay network before the end of this quarter. It was running Gingerbread when we first got our hands on it, but will apparently be landing with Ice Cream Sandwich squeezed into its 1.2GHz single-core configuration. It's been a while since a new smartphone was offered up to the Boost faithful, so when the EVO 4G turns up it should be king of the pile, though we're not sure if it'll be asking an equally regal ransom when it does so.
HTC's J ISW13HT WiMAX smartphone slips out for KDDI, quickly takes cover
Ooh, what do we have here? Japanese site Sumahon!! (a play on the word for "smartphone" in good, old Nihon) reports that HTC posted details about a new WiMAX-capable phone for KDDI to join the carrier's WiMAX Samsung Galaxy S II -- the HTC J ISW13HT. The company apparently jumped the gun, though, as the page has since been unceremoniously pulled -- but not before the aforementioned site grabbed some screenshots. According to the tale of the tape, er, phone, from the site, the ISW13HT rocks Android 4.0 with a coating of Sense 4.0, a Snapdragon S4 chip, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage plus a microSD slot. One screen grab also states that the phone has a 4.3-inch qHD display. Sizewise, the handset is 66mm wide, 132mm tall and 10mm thick. Weight is listed at about 142 grams. A visit to the official ISW13HT page reveals a "page not found error" but that likely won't be the case for long -- that "Spring 2012" grab probably wasn't created for kicks. UPDATE: The site for the ISW13HT is active again so hit the source link for more details -- in Japanese, of course.
Sprint tries the subsidized netbook thing again with WiMAX-infused IdeaPad S205s
Note to everyone: subsidized netbooks aren't a relic. Not quite yet, anyway. In what has to be one of the more bizarre launches of the year, Sprint has seemingly decided it wise to launch a $199.99 netbook with a mandatory two-year data contract, and better still, the 4G module within favors WiMAX. Just weeks after Sprint affirmed that it was over WiMAX phones, in flies a WiMAX netbook. Brilliant. For those unfazed, the IdeaPad S205s offers up an 11.6-inch panel (1366 x 768), a 1.33GHz dual-core Intel U5600 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB hard drive, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi module and a six-cell (4400mAh) battery good for around five hours of life. And just so we're clear: it's a netbook, supporting WiMAX (read: not LTE), and it costs $200 with a two-year data contract. And now, you know.
Sprint announces ICS for the Nexus S 4G, official download now available
To all the broken-hearted owners of the Nexus S 4G waiting for their chance to play with an official build of Ice Cream Sandwich: wait no longer. Sprint announced in a forum post (and subsequently on Twitter) that it's finally ready to unleash Android 4.0.4 to the anxious masses -- not just the adventurous souls willing to try out the leaked version last weekend. If you own this phone, we're guessing you're no longer reading this post. But, if you are, go check to see if your update is available. Do it. [Thanks, Brent]
FreedomPop plans to give away mobile internet, still make money somehow
"Freemium" mobile broadband outfit FreedomPop has pulled back the curtain on how it plans to make money while giving away 4G internet. In an interview with GigaOm, Marketing VP Tony Miller revealed that once it has got enough consumers hooked on the gratis data, his company will start selling premium features, potentially including a VoIP solution for the network, now supplied by Clearwire after the collapse of LightSquared. The company will also charge a penny for every megabyte used over the free monthly allowance (currently pegged at 1GB) and build a social network where more data can be earned and traded between friends. Alongside the WiMAX shell for the iPhone, we can also expect to see an iPod Touch edition, USB dongle and mobile hotspot arrive before the network's launch. The company doesn't have too long to iron out the kinks in the business plan however, as it'll go live in the third quarter of 2012.
FreedomPop rumored to introduce iPhone case with free WiMAX service
Lending a bit of credence to the notion that it'll have life beyond LightSquared, an insider at FreedomPop is now suggesting that it'll debut a case for the iPhone 4 / 4S that features a WiMAX radio, hotspot capabilities and delivers a free (albeit, limited) data service. This rumored accessory would complement the company's two previously known devices, which include a USB dongle and a dedicated hotspot. For those unfamiliar, FreedomPop aims to take on a role similar to NetZero -- it's said the company will offer each customer 1GB of free data per month, where each megabyte consumed beyond that limit will cost one penny. That's not to suggest that everything is free, however: the insider also states that customers will need to front a $100 deposit for this alleged case, although that money can be retrieved at any point, so long as the product is returned in good condition. Naturally, the utility of FreedomPop's service will be sorely limited if it's only available via WiMAX networks, but we've got a hunch that a few iPod Touch owners might find it quite useful in their attempt to skirt the carriers.
NetZero launches '4G' wireless service, we go hands-on
Remember NetZero? Today the company announced that it's launching NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband, a wireless service rolling out in 80 US cities and offering value-priced monthly data plans without activation fees, contracts, commitments or overage charges. Customers can chose between two levels of service -- Lightspeed (up to 1Mbps down / 384Kbps up) to conserve data and Warpspeed (up to 10Mbps down / 1.5Mbps up) for maximum performance -- and can switch back and forth by simply logging into NetZero's website (this can take up to 15 minutes). Five monthly data plans are available: Free, $0, 200MB (limited to Lightspeed and limited to one year) Basic, $9.95, 500MB (limited to Lightspeed) Plus, $19.95, 1GB Pro, $34.95, 2GB Platinum, $49.95, 4GBTwo devices are offered -- the NetZero 4G Stick ($49.95 + shipping) is a Windows and OS X-compatible USB modem and the NetZero 4G Hotspot ($99.95 + shipping) is an eight device-capable WiFi hotspot with an LCD and a 2,200mAh battery.So far, so good -- NetZero is becoming an MVNO. Yet strangely, there's no mention in any of the PR as to which network the company is using. We test drove NetZero's new wireless service over the weekend using the WiFi hotspot and figured out that it's using Clearwire's WiMAX network. In fact NetZero's 4G Stick is identical to the Clear 4G Mobile USB modem (manufactured by Ubee), and its 4G Hotspot is the same as the Clear Spot Apollo (a rather bulky unit made by Gemtek)-- see the FCC links below and read on for our impressions after the break.
Google plans to sell off stake in Clearwire at a steep loss
It was just under four years ago that Sprint and Clearwire brought together an impressive group of companies as part of a multi-billion dollar partnership to back the WiMAX service provider, but it's safe to say that things haven't quite worked out as planned in the years since. While Clearwire is of course still up and running, its WiMAX-based network has faced an uphill battle against other carriers' LTE-based networks, which even Sprint and Clearwire itself have been switching to. Now one of those partners, Google, has decided to offload its stake in Clearwire at a steep loss. According to an SEC filing, Google will be selling off its shares at a price of $1.60 each, or just over $47 million in all -- that's compared to the $500 million it spent to invest in the company. Not surprisingly, that has caused Clearwire's stock to take a bit of a tumble. As of this writing, shares in the Washington-based company were down almost six percent.
Clearwire says it plans on launching TD-LTE network by June 2013
Clearwire's been promising us that speedy LTE network for quite some time now. The good news is, we may have a clearer view of when to expect the waves to start flowing. During yesterday's Q4 earnings call, CEO Erik Prusch said his company plans on rolling out its LTE tides by June of next year, with the help of 5,000 wave sites around the US and a "longer-term" plan of adding about 3,000 more. The 2.5GHz spectrum will take over the WiMAX regime you've grown to love, and while we're still many handsets and slates away from testing it out, it's something all you Now Network users can happily look forward to.
H2O Bolt promises unlimited 4G internet for $50, pretends it's never heard of Clear
It's not everyday that an MVNO decides to offer up unlimited data courtesy of Clearwire's WiMAX network, but H2O's latest entrant known as Bolt makes us wish the practice were far less frequent. The $50 no-contract service essentially replicates Clear's own offering at the very same price point that's been available to customers for years. Furthermore, both companies share Best Buy as their most significant retail channel. Now, for whatever reason, H2O's Bolt Flash (the $100 USB modem) and Bolt Spider (the $150 mobile hotspot) will sit side-by-side Clear's own offerings at the big box retailer, where it'll be up to those in Smurf shirts to explain the difference -- there's none. You'll find the PR after the break, but if you're living in Detroit, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Louisville, New Orleans, Memphis or Albuquerque, none of this even remotely matters. Frustrating, isn't it?
Sprint shows you where and when it's disabling Nextel's iDEN legacy network
Clue's in the title, really. If you head on over to Sprint's website, you'll find a page explaining the forthcoming changes to the service for legacy iDEN customers. Nextel users can enter in their zip code to find out which cellphone towers will be decommissioned and the due dates for each one. The program's beginning in New Orleans this month as the towers are thinned out to a reasonable number. Whilst it isn't (yet) the death-knell for the standard, given the network's push-to-talk service now works over CDMA and, you know, LTE, we'd start looking at replacement phones pretty soon.
Tucows launches Ting, a contract-free mobile service on Sprint's network
Harken back to the days of Windows 95, and you may remember downloading a few shareware titles to your Compaq or Packard Bell courtesy of Tucows and its network of mirror sites. While the company is no longer of much relevance in the software arena, it's recently launched a mobile service called Ting that operates on Sprint's network, and like many of its competitors (think Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile), no contract is needed. That's not to suggest everything is the same, however, as unlike other carriers, Ting offers to reimburse you for your unused voice, text and data allotments -- think of it as rollover to your wallet. Curious to know more? We've laid out and explained the full spread of Ting's phones and plans after the break.
Clearwire unveils $99 Clear Hub Express and $129 Clear Spot Voyager hotspots
Clearwire's impending LTE rollout isn't going to happen overnight, so why not continue to milk the proverbial cow that is their existing WiMax network? That's exactly what the wireless provider is doing today, with a fresh duo of hotspots. The first, the Clear Hub Express, is a $99 WiFi router-mobile hotspot combo which is destined for home or office duty. The second is the Clear Spot Voyager, which for $124 will hawk WiMax to eight devices for up to six hours of continuous use off its internal rechargeable battery. Those are identical specs to last year's model, the Clear Spot 4G Apollo, albeit sans-screen and in a thinner package. They're available today from Clearwire, and either can be kitted with "unlimited 4G" plans that start at $35 a month. Get acquainted with them in the PR after the break.
Panasonic intros a pair of 12.1-inch Let's Note Laptops
Panasonic Japan's quirky range of chunky Let's Note laptops has swelled by a factor of two, thanks to a pair of 12.1-inch units ousted today. The stock models come with a 1280 x 800 display (extra cash will get you a 16:9 1600 x 900 screen with a built-in 720p webcam). By default, you'll get an Intel Core i5 2450M chip, USB 3.0, WiFi (and WiMax!), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, HDMI-out and on the SX edition, an optical drive. Build-to-order options include swapping in an SSD and a battery pack that promises an unbelievable (i.e. we don't) twelve seventeen hours of life on the road. There's no mention of when they'll be available beyond "Spring," nor any indication of the cost, so instead let's think about that crazy circular track-pad, eh?
Clearwire Q4: revenues up, costs down, LTE expensive
Things are looking up at Clearwire, its Q4 revenue came in just over Wall Street's estimates at $362 million, split between $198 million retail and $164 million wholesale -- with the latter figure up 20 percent over the last quarter. It pointed a finger at increased smartphone usage and slashed operating costs (spending only $82 million) as the reason for the bump. With this being Clearwire, it's still in the business doldrums, relying on handouts from Sprint to keep it going. It's planning to flog off around $300 million of debt to "qualified investors" as a way to ensure sufficient funding for the forthcoming LTE rollout. If you're interested in this sort of thing, you can read the full breakdown after the interval, presumably storming around pretending that you're Gordon Gekko.
KDDI gets WiMax Galaxy S II, isn't your grandfather's Epic 4G Touch
Can't keep track of all the different variants of Samsung's Galaxy S II? Tough, because here comes Sammy with another one. Japan's KDDI will soon have a GSII to call its own, boasting the all too memorable model number of ISW11SC -- or rather a Galaxy S II rocking WiMax. That's different than Sprint's Epic 4G Touch, the SPH-D710, which also sports that radio, but not its higher resolution 1280 x 720 4.7-inch display. Rounding out the package are an unspecified 1.4GHz dual core processor, an 8 megapixel rear shooter capable of 1080p video recording, a 2 megapixel front facing cam, microSD and support for NFC -- making it pretty darn close to its Korean and AT&T permutations. You'll find a video demo of it in all its glory at the source below.
Sprint remains tepid on Windows Phone at CES, confirms no new WiMAX phones are planned
This may have been a fairly big CES for Windows Phone, but it looks like Microsoft still has a fair bit of convincing to do in order to bring all the carriers fully on board. That includes Sprint, which does currently have a Windows Phone in its lineup (and is apparently considering more in the "August-September time period"), but remains decidedly unenthusiastic about the platform as a whole. As PCMag reports, Sprint's David Owens said that the carrier is willing to train its reps on Windows Phone, but that Microsoft has to "build the enthusiasm for the product," adding that the "number-one reason the product was returned was the user experience." Sprint's director of product development, Lois Fagan, further added that the carrier remains "cautiously optimistic," but that Windows Phone "just hasn't taken off." In other news, Owens also confirmed that Sprint would expectedly now be focusing all of its intention on its new LTE network, and not produce any more WiMAX-based phones -- although, as it's noted previously Sprint will continue to support the network itself through 2015.
Sprint merging consumer and business sales / marketing units, giving four execs the boot
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.
