Sprint Epic 4G update coming tomorrow, should fix 3G upload issues

So, you aren’t crazy after all. Feels good, right? After nearly a month of bickering from Epic 4G owners, a Sprint forum administrator has finally come forward with glowing news about this so-called 3G upload issue: a fix is coming, and soon. If you missed out on the story, users were finding that their 3G uploads were being capped at around 150kbps, and a ginormous thread over at the carrier’s message board has grown as the problem has persisted. Just today, though, one dshoem01 has provided the following snippet:

“Good news – an update will be released tomorrow 9/30. It will be rolled out over a 4 day period so not everyone will get it on day 1. I will have the standard MR information (fixes included, rollout schedule, etc) available tomorrow morning and will post it in a new featured thread.”

Note that this doesn’t specifically say that the 3G caps will be fixed here, but why else post this newsflash in the very thread that surrounds the issue? Rest assured, our fingers are firmly crossed.

[Thanks, Bradley]

Sprint Epic 4G update coming tomorrow, should fix 3G upload issues originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearwire throttling at-home WiMAX users?

Ah, throttling. Can’t ever seem to fully shake it, can we? Just weeks after hearing about a similar issue with the Epic 4G, scores of Clear at-home WiMAX users are now up in arms over apparent throttling on certain accounts. As the story goes, it seems as if the company is pulling back on upload and download speeds (from 10Mbps to around 0.25Mbps) for users who have consumed between 7GB and 10GB in a month, which is comically low even compared to Comcast’s hated 250GB / month usage cap. Forum users are finding customer service lines to be no help whatsoever, and some digging has found that this may all be a part of a network traffic administration program that’s ongoing within Clearwire. Have any of you seen similar issues? How much data are you sucking down per month? Does your usage clock still show up in your account profile? Let us know in comments below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Clearwire throttling at-home WiMAX users? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Style 9670 spotted in Sprint’s database, yet another YouTube clip

Any lingering doubts about this thing’s existence? Scatter ’em. The BlackBerry Style 9670 has just shown up in what appears to be a Sprint database leak, and given that it just received FCC approval earlier in the month, we’d say this is all lining up nicely for a near-term release on one of America’s most well-known CDMA carriers. As the story goes, these database slips usually happen just weeks before the official public release of a phone, and we’re guessing that both RIM and Sprint would love to have this out and about before the holidays. Head on past the break for yet another look — assuming you need one, that is.

Continue reading BlackBerry Style 9670 spotted in Sprint’s database, yet another YouTube clip

BlackBerry Style 9670 spotted in Sprint’s database, yet another YouTube clip originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confirmed: EVO 4G update removes framerate cap

You hoped, you opined, you might have even prayed — and as it turns out, you win. As many of you have suspected, the latest firmware update to Sprint / HTC’s EVO 4G does, in fact, let us break past the former 30 frames per second barrier. You know, the one HTC said couldn’t be crossed with software updates alone. At least, it did for our handheld, as you can see above. Good news for everyone bothered by this (now seemingly) artificial limit — now back to your regularly-scheduled WiMAX enjoyment.

Confirmed: EVO 4G update removes framerate cap originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comcast says additional Clearwire investment is unlikely

Clearwire isn’t in the black yet, having bled about $126 million in the second quarter of 2010 — but should the need arise for additional investment before it can turn a profit, the company shouldn’t plan to knock on Comcast’s door. Though it doesn’t have as much visibility in the 4G marketplace as Clear and Sprint do, Comcast does actually offer WiMAX service using Clearwire’s network and owns about 9 percent of it, but the cable provider’s CFO says that the prospects for upping that share aren’t good and that its up to Clearwire to “figure this out” — “this” being its financial pickle. Not exactly a vote of confidence, is it? Obviously, adding (or converting to) LTE is a possible game plan for Clearwire that’s going to require some serious cash to pull off, so staying tight with Sprint seems like a stellar idea right about now.

Comcast says additional Clearwire investment is unlikely originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint CEO hints unlimited data could end if usage gets crazy

So far, Sprint’s been steadfast in its commitment to keeping caps off its data plans — a big selling point since AT&T’s moved to tiered pricing and Verizon has threatened to do the same — but the laws of supply and demand sadly still exist, and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse knows it. In speaking at the Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT today, Hesse mentioned that his company “can offer unlimited as long as the usage is reasonable,” suggesting that a glut of extremely heavy users (you probably know who you are) could ultimately mean he “can’t afford to do that anymore.” Torrenting off a tethered EVO is fun, yes — especially when you’re on WiMAX — but just remember: it might ultimately come back to bite you.

Sprint CEO hints unlimited data could end if usage gets crazy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint outs EVO 4G and Hero updates, EVO framerate cap might be solved

Last time we checked in on this problem, HTC had said that the EVO 4G’s 30fps cap on video output simply couldn’t be increased — but it seems the latest firmware update might prove otherwise. We’ve got a couple screen shots showing details of the latest upgrades for both the EVO and the Hero; in the latter case, you’ve just got a couple bug fixes, but the EVO’s list includes a total of four: the nasty calendar issue, the 30fps fix, a reboot problem involving GPS, and multiple Gmail sync that was busted in the Froyo update. Interestingly, Sprint’s official changelog only mentions the calendar and Gmail sync fixes, so it’s possible they’re trying to keep the other two low-key to prevent undue questions and curiosity from folks as they upgrade. What’s everyone seeing out there?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sprint outs EVO 4G and Hero updates, EVO framerate cap might be solved originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clear WiMAX is live in New York City (updated: semi-live)

Sprint and Clearwire’s WiMAX service has been making occasional cameos throughout the five boroughs since at least June, but now it’s official: the service has been launched, closing up one of the most conspicuous holes in coverage so far. This matches up nicely with the San Francisco go-live we reported on earlier today, so you’ll now be able to take your red eye from the Big Apple to the City by the Bay without fear that your EVO’s going to get slow when you go wheels-down. Plans run from $25 a month (for the iSpot) all the way up to $55 for a mixed-mode WiMAX and EV-DO data stick, which works out to somewhere between 0.00001 and 0.0003 percent of your housing costs in Manhattan. Glass is half full, y’know.

[Thanks, Marcus]

Update: We’ve just been contacted by Clear and told that New York’s still in the “operational readiness” phase of the go-live, which means hardware’s only being offered to customers in limited areas and not all hardware is available (notably, the iSpot isn’t yet being offered). Same goes for Los Angeles. San Francisco, meanwhile, isn’t yet there — we’re told there might be some limited pockets where service is showing up, but Clear hasn’t commercially launched there, even on a limited scale. For what it’s worth, all of these areas are still expected to go fully live in 2010, they’re just not quite there yet.

Clear WiMAX is live in New York City (updated: semi-live) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 to be GSM-only until first half of 2011

Well, damn — Verizon told us earlier that it wouldn’t be carrying Windows Phone 7 devices until 2011, and now Microsoft’s twisting the knife by confirming that its new platform will be GSM-only until the first half of 2011. So much for our dreams of a 4G Windows Phone 7 device on Sprint, we suppose. Product manager Greg Sullivan told CNET that trade-offs had to be made in order to meet the schedule and GSM was prioritized since it’s used worldwide, but that CDMA devices would be available early next year. Of course, we’ve also heard that the failed Kin project soured the Verizon / Microsoft relationship and that’s why AT&T is the “premier carrier” for WP7, but either way, it’s down to Ma Bell and T-Mobile to get this thing off the ground now — and we’ll say right now that launching CDMA devices with the current Windows Phone 7 spec list later into 2011 isn’t going to do anyone any favors.

Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 to be GSM-only until first half of 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Samsung Galaxy Tab won’t have 4G

Well, isn’t this a bit sad — the Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be 3G-only. Ouch — we’d definitely heard that Sprint’s version of the Galaxy Tab would follow in the steps of the Epic 4G and have a WiMAX radio, but no dice, amigos. We’re guessing Sprint won’t be cheekily releasing a Tab case with a built-in Overdrive pocket, either.

Sprint Samsung Galaxy Tab won’t have 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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