Visualized: this gel-filled Sprint head is testing all sorts of futurephones

Chamber testing is most certainly nothing new for your average carrier — every one of the big boys here in the States already does something similar to this — but it’s not often that we’re given an inside look at what exactly happens within those elusive doors. During a recent Sprint campus walkthrough, we peeked into the carrier’s network development lab for a glimpse at what it takes to certify a phone for use on its network. Granted, the vast majority of Sprint’s testing is done elsewhere across the industry, and we were informed that the yellow dome shown above is actually a minty fresh model that includes “gel” within its borders, seemingly to produce a more realistic testing ground. You know — because human brains are clearly shrinking, while craniums are being increasingly filled with nondescript fluids. All jesting aside, we were told that this is the place where Sprint ensures Antennagate never comes to its side of town, and every Now Network phone (present and future) has to roll through here before being allowed out. The reason? Sprint needs to be absolutely certain that there’s no stray radio emissions bleeding into frequencies that it doesn’t support, and of course, to ask the Verizon guy if he can hear him now.

Visualized: this gel-filled Sprint head is testing all sorts of futurephones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Sprint’s Fared Adib: we made a conscious decision to scale back bloatware on smartphones

If you’ve ever wondered what companies take your advice (read: complaints) to heart, here’s yet another one that is: Sprint. Recently, HTC received oodles of praise from a minuscule-but-passionate group of folks who appreciate the company’s stance on unlocking its bootloaders, and today we learned that folks at The Now Network made a similarly impressive change after hearing yet another enthusiastic sect… our readers. If you’ll recall, Sprint’s VP of Product Development Fared Adib appeared on the November 2010 episode of The Engadget Show, and it was during that appearance that he heard a rather shrill cry of users begging for a smaller amount of “bloatware,” or at the very least, bloatware that users could customize or outright remove. For those unfamiliar with the term, it generally refers to applications that are preloaded onto devices from the carrier; by and large, these clutter up the application grid, and many power users aren’t exactly enthralled by any carrier-imposed OS changes.

In speaking at length today with Adib during a Sprint campus walkthrough, he confessed that he jetted back from NYC and immediately informed his team that the bloatware needed to go. To quote: “Ben, we’ve got to get rid of these preloaded apps on our devices. A lot of customers don’t want this.” You may have noticed a dearth of those very apps on the EVO 3D, and according to Fared, customer feedback on the newly cleaned slate has been overwhelmingly positive. We inquired on whether this approach would be pushed across the company’s product spectrum, and he seemed eager to admit that it would. In fact, Sprint’s taking quite the different approach internally than some folks may be used to. It’s effectively trying to get out of the way in as many areas as possible, and in turn, litter your future phones with as little content as possible. In fact, he’s pushing to make whatever programs Sprint does preload user-removable, and it’s a mantra we can only hope other carriers latch onto. Nothing against NASCAR, of course, but having the ability to burn rubber in our own way is definitely preferred.

P.S. – This slide was just one of many, and is definitely not a comprehensive view of partners and plans. We were specifically informed to not read into it as a solo slide.

Sprint’s Fared Adib: we made a conscious decision to scale back bloatware on smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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

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 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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

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 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Motorola Photon 4G gets the bargain bin treatment at Wirefly, Walmart

Pew pew. Those are the sounds we instantly hear whenever we come across Motorola’s Photon 4G. Sadly, the soon-to-be dual-core star of Sprint’s smartphone lineup won’t come pre-loaded with a laser soundboard on July 31st, but it can be pre-ordered now — for a significant markdown. All it takes is a quick internetting trip to either Wirefly or Walmart, where this WiMAX handset’s up for a $20 – $40 discount. It’s not a massive price chop on par with free, but it should move some yellow-tinged operator inventory. If walking the straight and narrow’s your bag, you could still always opt for the direct carrier two-year contract option — but why? Hit the source to get yourself in line for this cut-rate beast.

Motorola Photon 4G gets the bargain bin treatment at Wirefly, Walmart originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 02:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Unwired View  |  sourceWalmart, Wirefly  | Email this | Comments

Motorola’s Photon 4G ships to Sprint on July 31st: $200 on contract

Too often, “expected summer launches” translate into “the very last day possible,” so we were happy to learn that Sprint’s latest collaboration with Motorola, the Photon 4G, will be available July 31st for the usual $200 on contract. To say the upcoming Android device will come loaded is an understatement: it’ll ship with Gingerbread, a Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz CPU, one full GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch qHD display, dual cameras (8 megapixel rear, VGA front) and 16GB of internal memory. Not surprisingly, Sprint’s also integrating its signature Sprint ID feature into the user interface. While the device will be available to the general public on July 31st, Premier Customers will have the golden opportunity to get it online three days earlier. If you were perched on the fence about the HTC EVO 3D, this may be the only Sprint phone that’s ready to push you in either direction. Full PR following the break.

Continue reading Motorola’s Photon 4G ships to Sprint on July 31st: $200 on contract

Motorola’s Photon 4G ships to Sprint on July 31st: $200 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Sprint Community  |   | Email this | Comments

BlackBerry Bold 9930 blows through the FCC, GSM and CDMA on board

BlackBerry Bold 9300 FCC

It looks like the BlackBerry Bold 9930 just finagled its way through the FCC, indicating the touchscreen, portrait QWERTY handset may be nearing release. This globe-trotting sibling of the 9900 comes packing a dual-band CDMA radio and a quad-band GSM tuner — in addition to the standard WiFi and Bluetooth antennae, and the increasingly popular NFC. Of course, being an FCC filing in which most identifying information has been removed, this is a bit of a guessing game. But, judging by the radios on board and the sketch of the label placement, it sure seems like the BlackBerry 7 OS-toting 9930 to us.

BlackBerry Bold 9930 blows through the FCC, GSM and CDMA on board originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

How would you change HTC’s Arrive?

We know, we know: Mango. But outside of wishing for Microsoft’s most significant update yet to Windows Phone 7, we’re curious to know how else you’d change the HTC Arrive. Your pickings are slim for WP7 on The Now Network, and while the Arrive has an absolutely rock-solid design, we’re sure you’ve picked up on a few quibbles over the past few months. Would you have tweaked the keyboard in any way? Boosted the resolution? Thrown in a WiMAX radio? Improved the camera? Softened the edges somewhat? Go on and get vocal down in comments below!

How would you change HTC’s Arrive? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 22:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Verizon pushes latest Thunderbolt update: solves reboot issues, kills free mobile hotspot

Don’t act like Verizon didn’t warn you: for Thunderbolt owners who see an available software update pop up on their phone this evening, they’ll be placed squarely between a rock and a towering boulder. Why? On one hand, the Froyo OTA update promises to nix random reboots, improve data connectivity and fix the Bluetooth Discovery Mode pop-up windows. On the other, it adds a helping of bloatware (V CAST Music, V CAST Videos and My Verizon) while also killing the lust-worthy free mobile hotspot feature. Not like the carrier ever said it’d be any different come early July, but it’s certainly a case of picking your poison here. If your T-bolt seems to be humming along just fine, we’d probably avoid the urge to update to the latest build. If it’s rebooting as we speak, well… good luck pulling that trigger.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Verizon pushes latest Thunderbolt update: solves reboot issues, kills free mobile hotspot originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jul 2011 02:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Police  | Email this | Comments

Leaked HP presentation hints at faster 64GB TouchPad in August, Pre 3 in fall?

Go grab the Morton — you’re gonna need a grain or two. According to a “confidential HP product brief” sent anonymously to PreCentral, HP is on track to launch a new 64GB TouchPad next month, complete with a white glossy cabinet and a “processor bump,” along with support for AT&T’s HSPA+ network. The company just started shipping its 16GB and 32GB TouchPads, but even August wouldn’t be too soon for a speed boost, considering the tablet’s disappointing performance during our review. The presentation also lists the Pre 3 for a “fall” launch, along with that mysterious Opal tablet. Despite the so-called leaked confidential presentation, this rumor should be approached like any other — but on the other hand, with the Pre 3 making recent appearances at the FCC in both AT&T and Verizon flavors, HP’s latest webOS smartphone could easily be on-track to hit stores by autumn.

Leaked HP presentation hints at faster 64GB TouchPad in August, Pre 3 in fall? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Everything Pre  |  sourcePreCentral  | Email this | Comments