Hasta La Gadget!

Sprint has just announced a spanking new smartphone for the masses which will take advantage of Sprint’s LTE network – and we are talking about the Sprint Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE here. The Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE will continue where last summer’s popular Motorola Photon 4G left off, and this new device will boast of a new five-row, PC-like QWERTY keyboard for easy typing. Not only that, it comes with international capabilities as well as a rather generous 4.3-inch ColorBoost display for your eyes to enjoy. Of course, we are not complaining that it is able to operate on Sprint’s new lightning-fast 4G LTE network, too.

There is no specific word on pricing and availability for the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE as at press time, but we do know that it will be announced within the coming few weeks.

What are some of the hardware specifications in the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE? For starters, it does not matter if you are a fan of the touchscreen virtual keyboard or a physical one, the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE will deliver the best of both worlds with its virtual keyboard enabling you to send quick texts in a jiffy, while those who prefer a more physical approach will be able to rely on a slide out PC-like QWERTY keyboard that paves the way for double-thumb efficiency. Each individual laser-cut key will be outlined in LED lights, enabling users to view what they are doing, even in the dark.

It boasts of a dedicated number row that paves the way for maximum typing efficiency and accuracy. As mentioned earlier, thanks to an impressive 4.3″ ColorBoost display, the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE is one that delivers the largest screen which is currently available on a 4G LTE QWERTY smartphone market. Apart from that, all that visual space makes it a snap for you to browse the Internet thanks to Google Chrome without the need to enlarge text, and you can also check out detail-rich images without the need to zoom in, in addition to watching a show without having to strain your eyes. The display itself is made out of scratch-resistant glass and splash-guard coating, enabling the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE to be able to resist everyday scratches and spills.

It will run on the Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, in addition to a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera located right at the back which does Full HD video recording as well, and a front-facing HD camera to boot for easy Google+ Hangout video chats or conference calls. It does sound like one of the more notable smartphones to look out for in the coming weeks.

Press Release

[ Sprint announces Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The folks at Sprint seem to be having a busy day so far — this morning saw (among other things) the release of the carrier’s latest quarterly financials, an announcement about new LTE markets, and the revelation that birds are keeping the company from lighting up “hundreds” of LTE sites.

If that wasn’t enough Sprint for you, now the carrier has announced the Motorola Photon Q, a new LTE-capable handset with a physical keyboard for all those customers who could stand to do a little future-proofing.

Putting the sizable five-row QWERTY keyboard — which looks as though it’s been transplanted directly from a DROID 4 — the rest of the spec sheet looks rather familiar Like the recently-released Atrix HD for AT&T (which, if you’ll pardon the aside, was quite a treat), the Photon Q sports a lightly-tweaked version of Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, 8GB of internal storage, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. Sadly it sports a slightly smaller 4.3-inch qHD ColorBoost LCD than its 720p cousin on AT&T, but its support for NFC may help to take the sting out of the switch.

As usual, Motorola is playing its cards close to the metaphorical vest when it comes to the Photon Q’s chipset. The last time Motorola did that, it was to conceal the Atrix HD’s Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 SoC, so here’s hoping for another pleasant surprise. Also up in the air at this point is when exactly the device is going to be released; all Motorola and Sprint will say for now is that the hefty-looking device is “coming soon.” With any luck, you’ll have some sweet LTE access in your neck of the woods when the little guy launches, but I’d advise against holding your breath.

It looks like we can now finally confirm the existence of the Motorola Photon Q. After being touted by Sprint CEO Dan Hesse at the company’s Q2 earnings call this morning , Sprint is finally making it official. Sprint said that the Motorola Photon Q, a spin-off of the Motorola Photon 4G, will boast a five-row, PC-like QWERTY keyboard and a 4.3-inch ColorBoost display, as well as the ability to operate on Sprint’s 4G LTE network. Additional key features will include a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, an HD front-facing camera, and NFC support. The Motorola Photon Q will arrive running Android 4.0 a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich.

“Motorola Photon Q will be the first 4G LTE device with a QWERTY keyboard and world phone capabilities to join the Sprint line-up,” said David Owens, Vice President of Product Development at Sprint. “We want to make sure our 4G LTE handset portfolio has the full complement of choices for our customers. Adding a product with both a physical keyboard and world mode makes this a great addition to the Sprint family of devices.” The pricing and availability of the Motorola Photon Q will be announced within the next few weeks.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Motorola Photon Q arriving this fall?, Sprint rumored to launch Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE, successor to last year’s Photon 4G,

In addition to announcing its quarterly earnings during the Q2 earnings call, it looks like Sprint had some additional information to reveal. When asked about the Motorola Photon Q, Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse mentioned that the phone is coming very soon. We don’t have an official announcement, but the phone has paid a visit to the FCC in the past so it shouldn’t be too long now. The Photon Q is said to feature 4G LTE connectivity, a five-row QWERTY keyboard, an HD resolution display, 8-megapixel rear camera, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, NFC, and global roaming capabilities. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted when it is officially announced.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Motorola Photon Q hits FCC with Sprint LTE, Sprint rumored to launch Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE, successor to last year’s Photon 4G,

Sprint mentioned that one of the holdups to get its LTE network rolled out is waiting for fiber-optic backhaul to be connected to its network sites. Of course, the company also mentioned a very different reason: birds. It turns out that some of the towers have become home to some avian families determined to hamper the uptake of high speed internet, which won’t be activated until they migrate. We wouldn’t advise you go with a stick trying to poke the nests from the sites — we suspect the Humane Association is on the lookout for angry nerds.

Filed under: Cellphones

What’s causing a delay in Sprint’s LTE rollout? Birds originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 09:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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