Posts tagged Sprint
BlackBerry 9670 Clamshell Not Exclusive to Verizon, Headed to Sprint Soon?
Aug 17th
Remember the BlackBerry 9670 Clamshell? You know the one that we showed off forever ago and also the one that just had its simulator leaked online. Knowing that, it’s pretty obvious that the device’s launch has to be coming up soon, and until now we thought the destined carrier would be Verizon. BGR just let the word out that the 9670 is actually headed to Sprint and is therefore not going to be available exclusively for Verizon subscribers. They also report that live, Sprint-branded units are already out in the wild for carrier testing. I don’t think most people are crazy about the form factor of the 9670 so this phone will need all the help it can get to sell well, and another carrier to call home is a step in the right direction. Still, I’ve got to wonder who is going to buy this over Sprint’s other offerings such as the HTC EVO 4G and the upcoming Epic 4G.
[Via BGR]
Froyo Hitting More Devices. Onto the next one!
Aug 3rd
Froyo has officially hit the EVO 4G on Sprint (earlier than expected, no less!) and word has just reached us that the original Droid has started receiving the OTA update as well. Now all that’s left is the Droid X and the triumvirate of killer Android smartphones will have the latest and greatest of both hardware and software. It is also expected that when the Droid 2 ships on August 12th, it will come with Android 2.2 pre-loaded onto the device.
The update to Froyo seems less fraught with drama than the Eclair update to the Droid, and proves that when the carriers work with the manufacturer and the provider efficiently, things actually get done. I think the multiple-times delayed rollout of the Android 2.1 update for the Droid taught Motorola and Verizon a big lesson.
According to Android Central, the steps are pretty simple:
- Grab the update file
- Place it on the root of your SD card
- Power down, then restart while holding the X key to get to the bootloader
- When you see the exclamation mark, hold the volume up button and press the camera button
- Choose apply sdcard:update.zip
- Ignore the cache error
- Reboot
Easy peezy.
(via Android Central)
Android is the best. Or, at least, it’s the most popular. Up 886% year over year.
Aug 2nd
Android is a phenomenon. We know this, I’ve talked about it before, but the proof is in the numbers. And Android is up over 886% since last Q2. It now owns 34% of the US smarthphone market, which isn’t a dent, since RIM only has 32%. And Apple at a staggering 21.7%. How terrible!
But seriously, the reason for its explosive growth is likely the November 2009 release of the Motorola Droid on Verizon, followed by several high-profile devices on Verizon and Sprint. On Verizon, the Droid Incredible, Droid X and the Samsung Fascinate, and on Sprint the EVO 4G, the Epic 4G are all top tier phones. Their specs speak for themselves. On T-Mobile, their only major player has been the MyTouch 3G Slide, which has done very well, and they now have their own Galaxy S variant, the Vibrant. AT&T isn’t floundering, either, after launching their somewhat-crippled Galaxy S version, the Captivate, last month.
Each carrier has done well bringing Android to its customers, but none better than Verizon. The Droid 2 will be launching this month as well on Froyo. Android’s growth won’t be slowing down any time soon, but with great power comes great responsibility. Android 2.2 is being pushed to most recently-released devices such as the EVO 4G, Droid X, Droid, Vibrant and more. While it brings the platform closer to competing directly with the iPhone 4, it does not yet have the polish that iOS displays in all facets of the operating system. Apps crash or freeze, the keyboard often doesn’t register input, and it generally fails to perform flawlessly.
iOS4 has not been without its own problems, but since it is built on the solid framework of iOS 3.1.3, it appears more reliable in daily use.
As long as it continues to be AT&T exclusive, however, the iPhone will never reach the incredible sales heights of Android. Bring it to Verizon, however, and we are playing a different ball game.
HTC Evo or Incredible Being Ported To GSM?
Jul 10th
Everyone knows about the Droid Incredible on Verizon and the HTC Evo on Sprint, and how, because they both run on CDMA-spec networks, they are incompatible with any other network. Contrast this to, for example, a Nexus One, which out of the box comes unlocked and compatible with multiple GSM carriers around the world (in two versions, however) as long as the radio bands are compatible. That means that if one should need to travel overseas, his or her Nexus One (or any other GSM-compatible device; I am just using the N1 as an example) should work to make phone calls and send text messages on a local network, as long as one buys a SIM card.
Up in Canada, we have are in an Android drought. Sure, the HTC Desire is coming to Telus shortly and the HTC Legend was just released on Bell, but it is unlikely that any Evo or Incredible-like devices are going to make their way up north any time soon. Canada’s carriers are phasing out their CDMA infrustructure, and it seems that the two aforementioned CDMA devices are US-exclusive.
So what happens when HTC decides to take those designs and port them over to make them GSM compatible? They could potentially go to a lot more places around the world. Sure, the EVO 4G will likely just be an HSPA device, but the world could use more Android handsets, period. According to Pocket-Lint, one of their tipsters mentioned that an HTC device, code named “Ace,” is going to be released later in the year in the UK, and has a striking similarity to the HTC HD2 (a sexy, Sense-covered Windows Mobile 6.5 device). Whether this is going to be a strict port of the Incredible or EVO, or a unique device altogether, we don’t know, but if it’s released in the UK, a Canadian/South American/European release can’t be too far off.
One has to wonder whether, by the time these ports are completed and released, the high-end specs (1GHZ Snapdragon 512MB RAM, etc.) will seem a bit antiquated. Newer dual-core Snapdragon processors are being released later in the year, and HTC surely has them already planned for devices. Personally, I’d like to see the EVO ported to GSM to run on Bell or Telus’ new HSPA+ network. That would be hot.
(Pocket-lint)
Unreleased Samsung Galaxy S Already Has a QWERTY Cousin?
Jun 14th
The picture above may or may not be real, but it goes without saying that a Galaxy S, with its 4″ AMOLED screen, 512MB RAM, blazing 1GHZ processor and custom TouchWIZ 3.0 UI on top of Android 2.1, is going to be a HOT seller when it is released later in the year.
The Galaxy S Pro is apparently the same phone, but with a slide-out hardware keyboard. Though the styling of the phone is strange, and definitely un-Samsung like, it’s fair to say that if this is real, we are going to have a lot of panting Android fanboys lining the streets to get it when it arrives. As you can see, however, this particular model is Sprint-branded, and the leaker claims it to have a front-facing camera and support 4G. So, if and when it does come to Sprint, it will have similar specs to the EVO 4G, but when it released elsewhere, it will be a lot of carriers’ flagship device.
(via Android Community)
We Giveth You EVO 4G Root, and We Taketh Away
Jun 4th
Interesting developments from the EVO 4G launch this morning: Sprint is releasing an OTA update to fix a bug in the reading of SD cards on the device, which would sometimes cause the phone to be unable to read anything put into the MicroSD slot. This small fix, however, has the added bonus of patching the root that was discovered and outed yesterday.
UnrEVOked, a person/site that has emerged to promote the root, is urging people NOT to download the OTA update if they mean to keep their root.
And the phone looks to be doing extremely well, judging from all the lineups around the US.
This Week In BlackBerry 5/23 - 5/28
May 27th
White 9700′s, Pearl 3G’s, Sprint 9650. RIM really hasn’t been playing around lately. They’re truly gearing up for a nice strong summer. It’s nice to see that both GSM and CDMA devices are being favored this time around. As for you Verizon subscribers, our friends at Berry Reporter just confirmed that Verizon will have the 9650 available via their website on June 3 and in store on June 10th! I know it seemed like the wait has been forever, after watching Sprint announce and release the device, but at least you now have an answer. It looks like we will also be seeing a GSM and possibly CDMA 98xx this summer. And don’t forget about BlackBerry 6. Hit the jump for what you may have missed this week in BlackBerry. Everyone be safe and have a nice weekend!
News
Verizon Training Staff On Bold 9650
Blackberry Pearl 9100 Passes Through FCC, This Time Sporting AWS
Blackberry 9800 Slider Heading To AT&T- Further Confirmation *Updated*
BlackBerry Service Banned in Kuwait and Pakistan
Releases
Rogers Pearl 3G Now Available For Upgrade?
Telus Releases The Pearl 3G in Pink at $4.99 On A Contract?
Apps
Bolt 2.1 Released – Now Out Of Beta
This Week In BlackBerry 5/15 - 5/21
May 22nd
This week started off with a nice surprise for Sprint users, when Sprint released the Bold 9650 for online ordering on Sunday! This was a full week ahead of the release date they gave of May 23rd. Sprint is still sticking to the 23rd for in-store release of the 9650. Unfortunately, this was a thorn in the side for many Verizon subscribers, being that Verizon has yet to announce the device. Verizons early upgrade started May 20th and will run until June 30th, so it would be great to see them release the 9650 in that window. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Still on the subject of the 9650, CrackBerry and BlackBerry Cool found out from 2 different sources that the Sprint 9650 comes unlocked right out of the box. This does not mean you can use it on Verizon’s network. CDMA is still Sprint only. However, with the use of a sim card, you can use the Sprint 9650 on any GSM network. You will be able to get EDGE only in the US, with the additional possibility of 3G overseas, depending on the network.
We also posted some exclusive pics of the 9800 slider showing the WebKit browser and BlackBerry 6. One of the pics of the WebKit browser is touting an Acid3 test score of 100/100! Hopefully this will make up for the mediocre browsing experience us BlackBerry users have had to deal with while other companies have been jumping ahead.
News, Rumors & Leaks
The BlackBerry Bold 9800 Slider Running The New Webkit Browser
Bold 9650 Now Availabe From Sprint Via Web
T-Mobile x Pearl 3G x Curve 3G Rumors
Koodo Mobile Getting BlackBerry 8530 on May 25th, Two Plans To Choose From
RIM and Prism Settle Patent Infringement Case
Rogers Confirmed Stock of White BlackBerry 9700
BlackBerry Bold 9650 Coming Soon to Verizon
Hands-On
Rogers Blackberry Pearl 9100 Unboxed and Reviewed
Video Overview: Rogers BlackBerry Pearl 9100
Apps
Twitter For BlackBerry v1.0.0.40 Rolling Out
Quickpull v4 Gets Released, Brings Reliable OS 5.0 Functionality
BlackBerry Desktop Manager For Mac Updated – Fixes Some Bugs
BlackBerry App Review: Ringtones RCP Business Edition
Tips
Now Live! Twitter for iPhone, Sprint Hero Gets 2.1
May 19th
What a night! First, Twitter for iPhone is released (well, it’s kind of released) and Sprint Hero customers finally get theirs!
According to various sites, T4i is being propagated through various App Stores around the world, and has yet to reach these shores. What we do know is that there are tons of new features and UI improvements, but is essentially a rebranded Tweetie 2. UPDATE: Get the app now from the app store!
In other news, Sprint has gone official with its 2.1 update for the HTC Hero. Again, nothing OTA, but you can download it from their support website.
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