Hasta La Gadget!

Last week we reported that Sprint was looking to get in on the MetroPCS deal and could be looking to outbid T-Mobile. Those were rumors with nothing official having been announced, although thanks to a fresh set of rumors, it seems that Sprint might be holding off on countering T-Mobile’s offer on MetroPCS at least for the time-being. According to reports, Sprint reportedly met up with T-Mobile’s parent company, Deutsche Telekom to discuss the proposal. The consensus reached was that Sprint should wait for Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile to file the deal first before Sprint makes their decision.

Rather sporting of Deutsche Telekom but given that there has not been any official word, and since we aren’t privy to the discussions that happen behind closed doors, it’s hard to say why Sprint might have taken this route. In any case there are breakup fees involved should either T-Mobile or MetroPCS back out from the deal, but until someone steps forward and officially acknowledges Sprint’s interest in MetroPCS, we guess we will have to wait and see who MetroPCS will ultimately go to.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sprint reportedly looking to outbid T-Mobile on MetroPCS deal, T-Mobile, Sprint and Dish Network reportedly interested in acquiring MetroPCS [Rumor],

If you were given the choice, would you prefer a smartphone with a physical QWERTY keyboard, or would you prefer one that came with a full touchscreen instead? Well if you have chosen the former, it seems that Sprint might be your carrier of choice as the company has recently announced the LG Mach. The phone will be released this fall and is expected to be compatible with the carrier’s 4G LTE network.

According to David Owens, Vice President of Product at Sprint, “People actually like the comfort of a physical keyboard and say there are fewer errors. They want a two-handed device.” The LG Mach will feature a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 4” display and will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich preinstalled. No word on whether it will be bumped up to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean but for the physical keyboard lover, you can expect to fork out $100 for the LG Mach together with a new two-year contract.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: LG Optimus G headed for AT&T and Sprint with different cameras, LG Cayenne LS860 spotted in the wild again,

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but we had the opportunity to get our hands on the LG Optimus G… again. This would make the excursion lucky number four for Engadget, but this one is a touch on the unique side since it’s heading directly to Sprint at some point in the not-too-distant future. Here’s what we knew up until today: like the Korean versions, this particular flavor of the G — also known as the LS970 — will feature a 13MP rear camera (AT&T’s will only sport an 8MP module), and otherwise carries the same set of features such as a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB RAM, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 32GB internal storage, 2,100mAh battery and 4.7-inch 1280×768 True HD IPS PLUS display. Much like it did on the Motorola Photon Q, Sprint has elected to keep its carrier-specific branding off of the device (it’s doing this so the handset can make its way to the network’s prepaid brands with relative ease), but we were disappointed to see that the SIM card is once again embedded and not accessible without taking the entire phone apart. Aside from these cosmetic differences there’s not much that sets it apart from the international models — something that is a pleasure to see, instead of the standard carrier practice of tweaking OEM designs to their own whimsy.

The performance expectations set by the Korean Optimus G seem to be met here, with the 1.5GHz quad-core Krait processor running the show. Despite the G using a custom build of Ice Cream Sandwich (which will be upgraded to Jelly Bean soon, according to Sprint), we were highly satisfied with how quick everything was during our time with the device — it truly acts and feels the same as its overseas counterpart. The downside that you’ll find with Sprint — as you might imagine — is Sprint’s infant LTE network; customers getting this phone in a city not blanketed by the next-gen network will find themselves frustrated with lackluster EVDO speeds. To get a closer look at the Now Network’s flavor of the Optimus G, go below to see a full gallery of images and then head past the break for a video tour.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Continue reading LG Optimus G for Sprint hands-on (update: video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint, LG

LG Optimus G for Sprint hands-on (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If simple vanity trinkets don’t excite you, Sprint has something else to tempt you in — four new LTE devices. The new line-up includes two phones, a tablet and a USB dongle, so hopefully something for everyone. The phones? The 13-megapixel toutin’ Optimus G (as we suspected) and Mach (a cheaper, 1.2GHz dual-core, 4-inch, 1080p capable QWERTY ICS phone), both by LG. If you need a little more screen real-estate, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 will be joining the other Koreans with its 1.5GHz dual-cores and 1,200 x 800-screened ICS on the good ship Sprint too. Happy with your notebook, and just want the service? Sprint’s adding a Plug-in-Connect USB dongle to the menu also. No deets on cost and dates we’re afraid, with “fall” being all the info we’ve got right now. Feel free to delve into the PR after the break, in the meantime though.

Continue reading Sprint adds LG Mach, Optimus G, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and tri-mode USB dongle to fall LTE lineup

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, LG

Sprint adds LG Mach, Optimus G, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and tri-mode USB dongle to fall LTE lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When cell phone service goes down, the whole world goes haywire. Today, Sprint’s often-spotty service went totally down in the Pacific Northwest, and as a result Sprint subscribers in Portland and Seattle can’t make calls. That’s not all, though. Alaska Airlines is also reporting that the outage also affects thier internal systems, so they can’t check passengers in. They’ve had to delay flights. Sprint’s official word is that it’s a fiber cut:

Due to a fiber cut in the Pacific northwest, you may have issues making or receiving calls, or accessing data services if you are in the Minnesota, Washington, or Oregon areas. The issue has been identified and crews are working diligently to correct the problem. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Are you experiencing issues with Sprint cell phone service?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nationwide texting outage for Sprint subscribers?, Ditch your random phone number for a easy to remember **HANDLE,