US Cellular announces their plans for their 4G LTE network today. At launch, it will cover the cities of Milwaukee, Madison and Racine in Wisconsin, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport in Iowa, Portland and Bangor, Maine, Wichita Falls, Texas, Lawton, Oklahoma and Greenville, North Carolina. The first two devices available will be a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a Samsung Galaxy S Aviator. There's no pricing available yet and their LTE network will be launching in March.

Source: Slashgear

© 2012, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

In the next few days, Sprint will be rolling out some updates for these devices. Most are pretty minimal. The "Security Update" could be to remove the controversial CarrierIQ software. Here's what's included in the updates:

HTC Evo 4G
Security Update
Updated Peep client (to align with Twitter)
Battery life improvements

HTC EVO Design 4G
Security Update
Updated Peep and Sprint Zone clients
Battery life improvements
3LM Enterprise Tool Access (no user interface changes)

Samsung Epic 4G
Security update
Speaker feedback fix
The QIK and Asphalt 5 applications are no longer preloaded – when tapping on their icons you will be redirected to the Android market to download them from there.

Source: IntoMobile

© 2012, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

The NFL announced that NBC will stream the 2012 Super Bowl live, for free, to the web and Verizon smartphones. This is nothing new for the network, either. It already streams its "Sunday Night Football" telecasts online and to Verizon phones. NBC expects a hearty response for the Feb. 5 showdown in Indianapolis. NBC will also stream its other postseason games, including the Pro Bowl and wild card Saturday--all will be streamed online and to mobile phones for the very first time. All will be available through Verizon's NFL Mobile application. And, according to the network, the package will include additional camera angles, in-game highlights and live stats.

NFL Mobile

Verizon Wireless

Description

© 2011, . All rights reserved.

Earlier this week we wrote about the Carrier IQ ordeal, we should have know it was only a matter of time with all the media hype and internet buzz before this whole thing started getting out of hand.

Senator Al Franken is demanding the company provide details about what data it collects and how it's used and has given the company until December 14^th to respond. Massachusetts congressman Edward Markey has asked the FTC to open an investigation into Carrier IQ. Markey wants the Federal Trade Commission to look into whether or not the rootkit and its creators have violated the privacy of millions of cellphone users and federal wiretap laws.

A class action lawsuit has also been filed against Carrier IQ, HTC and Samsung. The class action lawsuits are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of all U.S. residents. All three companies have been accused of violating the Federal Wiretap Act which “protects
 the
 privacy
 of
 wire,
 oral,
 and
 electronic
 communications” of all Americans. A St. Louis lawsuit against HTC states the following:

Plaintiff, Erin Janek owns an HTC Android phone using the Sprint network. At all relevant times Plaintiff used her phone to electronically send over her cell phone network various types of private data. This data was not readily accessible to the general public. She did not know that Defendants were surreptitiously monitoring and collecting this data, nor did she give them permission to do so.

 
So far none of the phone carriers have been included in this class action lawsuit but we have a feeling that may change of the course of the next few days. Sprint and AT&T have both admitted to using the application, and other carriers likely use similar services, but both carriers have denied taking advantage of the software’s ability to spy on customers. Stay tuned for more detail, we have a feeling things are going to get real interesting.

© 2011, tsowen. All rights reserved.

Sprint, being the 3rd largest US Carrier is always looking for a way to undercut Verizon and AT&T, has just announced two new mobile broadband data plans that give you more bang for your buck. Customers can now play with 6GB of data per month for $49.99, while the truly adventurous can have 12GB of data per month for $79.99.

Hotspot and tablet-specific data plans have been reconfigured as well: tablet customers can score 1GB of data for $19.99 per month, while 3GB will cost users $34.99.

“Sprint is committed to delivering exceptional value to its customers, and our new 3G/4G Mobile Broadband plans are the latest example of that,” said Will Souder, vice president of pricing for Sprint. “Sprint gives customers more data at lower prices than competitors, so they can do more with their mobile broadband devices on Sprint’s 3G and 4G networks.”

To accompany their new broadband plans, Sprint has also pulled back the curtains on a new Huawei mobile hotspot. Dubbed the Express, this no-nonsense hotspot is priced to move at $29 so certain Sprint customers will just be swimming in savings.

Sprint’s new data plans certainly seem like a better value than comparable plans on AT&T and Verizon, but there’s a catch: Sprint’s 4G WiMax network has seen better days. While Sprint has more-or-less confirmed that they and network partner Clearwire would continue working together for at least a little while longer, the rollout of new WiMax markets was slowed down dramatically in recent months. Long story short: if you don’t have Sprint’s 4G WiMax service already, there’s a very real chance that you won’t get it at all.

Still, it’s not a shabby deal if you’ve been bathing in Sprint’s WiMax signal for a while now. The plans are available to all new and existing mobile broadband customers, so you data-hungry Sprint customers should get on the horn and renegotiate your plans.

© 2011, tsowen. All rights reserved.

Yup, you heard that right. LightSquared took to the stage this wendsay during the Open Mobile Summit to outline their goals going forward as a national provider of 4G LTE service.

“We want to be the dumbest wireless broadband pipe. No intelligence in our network. None. Zero.” said  LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja in his keynote address.

Effectively Lightsquared is distancing themselves from every player in the mobile industry that tries to monetize their income by charging you ridiculous prices for exactly the same thing. Instead they seek to become a utility company that provides unrestricted data via LTE.

Now of course there is a possibility this claim is done to garner more popular support for them in their never ending debacle with claims of GPS interference. But any cell phone enthusiast can't disagree that if this come to be, it will be like a dream come true.

What do you think?

[Source]

© 2011, gTen. All rights reserved.

With the holiday season approaching fast, lots of people are looking for their next phone upgrade, either for themselves or for their family or friends. We've had some announcements of phones coming out, or ones that have been released recently. There's a variety of operating systems to choose from, along with carriers. Let's start a discussion about each aspect of a phone upgrade.

First off, the carrier. Who are you with now? Have you been happy with them? Have you considered switching, and if so, to who? There's been lots of changes going on with carriers too, ranging from data rates, to caps, to 4G technologies. We have At&t trying to merge/buy T-Mobile USA. We've had Sprint announce their plans to roll out LTE instead of their WiMax network for 4G (rumor is that it won't start until 2013 though). We have some carriers that set a hard cap on data usage, while others throttle your speed once you reach a limit. For voice and 3G, we have CDMA/EVDO vs GSM/HSPA.

For the operating systems, the big ones are obvious...Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7. There's also Blackberry and still some WebOS devices out there (although its being discontinued). So with all of those choices, which is your preference? Would you consider using one of the other ones? What features do you like most about them? Which do you like least?

Now for the phones. We have Nokia announcing their new Windows Phone 7 devices, but there's talk that they won't come to the US until 2012. We have the new Samsung Galaxy S II line coming to most carriers. Verizon has the Motorola Droid RAZR coming out. Then there's the next developer phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which is coming to Verizon. The GSM version has penta-band 3G/HSPA though, so it'll work across all carriers, you might just have to buy it from overseas right now. There's also the new iPhone 4S. Blackberry has their Bold line and Torch lines.

So with all those choices out there, talk about what your plans are. We're interested to see what everyone is doing.

© 2011, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

The end of WiMAX, the first 4G technology in America launched by Sprint and Clearwire in 2008, looks to be two years away.

At the "Sprint Network Vision Strategy Update" in New York, Sprint executives announced the aggressive rollout of a 4G LTE network to the end of 2013, the fastest 4G standard available in the U.S. today offered by both AT&T and Verizon.

Sprint will "continue selling WiMAX devices throughout 2012," said Steve Elfman, president of network operations and wholesale, leaving many to conclude that the WiMAX product roadmap would not go any further.

For an idea of how Sprint's support for LTE will trump WiMAX, Sprint said that by the by end of 2012 it will cover 120 million people and 250 million by the end of 2013.

The announcement adds to a big week for Sprint. The company became the latest carrier to offer the iPhone, joining larger rivals AT&T and Verizon Wireless, when Apple unveiled its iPhone 4S on Tuesday. Elfman said he believes the network will be able to handle the increased traffic that comes with the iPhone.

Sprint plans to to launch 15 dual-mode 4G LTE/CDMA smartphone and tablets by mid 2012.

© 2011, tsowen. All rights reserved.

Samsung waisted no time in going after Apple and the release of the iPhone 4S. Just a few hours after the announcement the director of PR sent out a helpful comparison chart showing how the iPhone 4S stacks up against the company’s newest flagship phones, the Galaxy S II.  The company also announced that they’re seeking to block sales of the iPhone in France and Italy, citing patent infringement. Sound familiar? This fight is going to be good.

Looking at hardware alone, you have to admit that Samsung has the advantage if you want a large screen and masses of storage. You also have to wonder how the iPhone 4S will stack up in a few months as new Android smartphones keep appearing such as the Samsung Nexus Prime.

With that being said let's see  how the iPhone 4S stack up against the competition.

© 2011, tsowen. All rights reserved.

Samsung has filed two separate motions for preliminary injunctions in Paris, France and Milan, Italy on October 5th seeking to block the sale of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 4S in each respective market. The company posted the complaints on its corporate blog on Wednesday, just one day following the unveiling of Apple’s next-generation iPhone 4S smartphone. Samsung’s motions allege that Apple’s new smartphone infringes on two Samsung-owned patents related to wireless telecommunications technology, specifically Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standards for 3G mobile handsets.

“The infringed technology is essential to the reliable functioning of telecom networks and devices and Samsung believes that Apple’s violation as being too severe and that the iPhone 4S should be barred from sales.”

“Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology,” Samsung said in a blog post. “We believe it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation.”

The move is hardly unexpected. Reports surfaced last month suggesting that Samsung was already planning to target Apple’s next-generation smartphone in a wave of patent attacks. Samsung then later went on record just days later stating that it planned to turn up the heat in its ongoing patent disputes with the Cupertino, California-based tech giant.

© 2011, tsowen. All rights reserved.

 For Sprint iPhone enthusiast yesterday was a day of good news, it was finally confirmed the third largest carrier in the U.S. would now carry the iPhone.

As promised, Apple shows off its latest iPhone Tuesday at “Let’s Talk iPhone Event”, and although the new handset was packed with new features and hardware like a new chip and improved camera, the general reaction was less than spectacular. Many had hoped to see the new rumored iPhone 5 released but this was not the case.

 On the carrier front, Sprint will become the third U.S. wireless provider to carry the iPhone, but it won't come easy for the company. Like the other carriers, Sprint will have to buy the phones for around US$600 each, and then sell them at the suggested retail prices, starting at $199 with a two-year contract.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint -- the third-largest carrier in the U.S. and in a more difficult financial position relative to rivals AT&T and Verizon -- made a commitment to purchase more than 30 million iPhones over the next four years. Neither Apple nor Sprint has confirmed that number.

The move has the potential to be a lifesaver for Sprint, especially as future iPhones with more advanced wireless capabilities come along. However, the initial capital could put a strain on current balance sheets.

John Feland, CEO of Argus Insights, said "It would make sense strategically for both companies. Sprint has the most mature and widespread true 4G network in the U.S. They are in desperate need of a winner. Apple needs a 4G network to push new experiences out to the iPhone faithful, especially in the face of competition heating up from Amazon."

It's a risky move for the company, but it's the kind that can pay off well, especially when the company is in the position of going big or going home.

© 2011, tsowen. All rights reserved.

Sprint has issued a gag order on anything to do with the iPhone. Sprint sent out a gag order to their employees stating "If asked about the iPhone coming to Sprint, please just say you have no comment, no answer, and to direct them to the Sprint Newsroom.

So here is my take away on this. The No Comment is very similar to what Verizon and AT&T were told when they first got the iPhone, this fits in with Apples Secret Cult of who gets what when... It also seems that they even asked the employee not to comment to family and friends... HMMM HUGE secret...

My guess - Sprint users get ready iPhone is coming... Is this good or bad?

Source: TheRegister

© 2011, JasonFieldz. All rights reserved.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint will indeed be offering the long awaited and heavily rumored iPhone 5, packed with a dual-core A5 processor and supposed Retina Display 4" screen powered by iOS5.

Sprint blamed a Q2 contract decline on  "competitive head winds," most prominently, "the first full quarter both major competitors offered the iPhone."  This would certainly help bolster subscribers.

They are also supposedly going to offer the iPhone 4, or perhaps the iPhone 4S rumored to be a lower-end upgrade to the iPhone 4.  Our article earlier this morning outlined the fact that iPhone 4 and 3GS are still outselling Android and WP7 devices, so this is sure to be a hit for Sprint and they will certainly get more traffic in their stores.

Verizon has sold 4.5 million Apple devices this year, whereas AT&T has sold 7.2.  Sprint offering the iPhone 4, the iPhone 5, and the Samsung Galaxy S2 along with already released Evo3D would be quite the offering for current subscribers looking to upgrade and new customers hoping to escape the higher prices of Verizon and AT&T.

All rumors seem to point to a September announcement with October release of the iPhone 5 in two, three, or all four US carriers.  This may also work against Windows Phone 7 sales as it will coincide with the release of Mango on the Arrive.  Only time will tell.

You getting one?

UPDATE:  MacTrast is now reporting that they have an anonymous T-Mobile source who claims the iPhone 5 will indeed be coming to to T-Mobile as well.  The source went on to say

"We expect the addition of the iPhone, and the iPhone 5′s ability to run on our 3G network to make a significant financial difference for T-Mobile."

As you know, most current iPhones on AT&T's network can run on T-Mobile if jailbroken and unlocked, but only get Edge speeds.  Earlier this year T-Mobile stated that they had an estimated one million iPhones on their network, and I personally have had very good iPhone customer support from T-Mobile, including them giving me proper APN settings and telling me to download Cydia apps that would help with my data connection.

An iPhone 5 on ALL networks could reclaim iOS taking over mobile market share, currently lead by Android with 52%.

You getting one?

© 2011, orangekid. All rights reserved.

How about an early Christmas present? We have a sneak peak of the fall lineup from Verizon, and it looks sweet!!! A couple surprises, some next gen and even a couple new players in the deck for us to pick from!

There have been rumors for a while about the new Bold and Torch from Blackberry, but a 4G???? Blackberry users will be very happy with this surprise entry, the new 4G Curve should be out in September!!

Other devices in the running are the Droid Bionic (also in September), the LG Revolution 2 and the 4G Samsung Stratosphere (Verizon's version of the Galaxy S2). Also mentioned is the LG Cosmo Touch feature phone.

If you notice, there is no mention of the iPad3 or iPhone5 which may surprise some, but personally I'm not. Apple has always been very secretive and to see it on a list like this that early would make me suspect the validity of the entire list.

Now....I know I am biased by being an Android user, but seeing the new HTC Bliss on this really has me excited. It is still in the rumor stage itself, but looks like a very good step for HTC.

What do you guys think? Is this a good selection? Anything you think should be here that isn't (you never know who is reading)? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!!

Source: Gear News at IGN

© 2011, syrguy1969. All rights reserved.

Another industry first comes out of Overland park Kansas; where Sprint has announced that it will offer wholesale 4G sales. What does this mean exactly? Well it just means that it will allow other ISP or cable companies to use their system to offer 4G services. they will be providing the HTC Detail 3G/4G handset (same features as the HTC Evo Shift 4G) and the Sierra Wireless 250U 3G/4G data card.

In their press release Sprint goes on to say:

“Customers looking for a large and established 4G ecosystem should consider Sprint, as we offer access to more than 120 ecosystem partners, including chipset vendors, device and equipment manufacturers, applications developers, machine-to-machine solutions providers and more,” said Matt Carter, president Sprint Wholesale Solutions and New Ventures. “With Sprint 4G, the possibilities for our customers are endless. 4G is another fine example of the complete solutions we offer to help our customers harness their full potential.”

As other businesses try to compete in the wireless 4G markets (think Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable) they are met with challenges of how to provide service. This is one way that Sprint can stay ahead of the game (and ahead of Verizon, and AT&T) to give themselves a nice boost in revenue.

To me this is just one way that Sprint can help Clearwire in their LTE-Advanced roll out. Remember that Sprint 4G service is really just Clearwire's WiMax...With that said I can see that companies that want to get an edge up on competition and offer 4G wireless Internet everywhere possible - can now look at Sprint for a helping hand. This should help the revenue of both Sprint and Clearwire, and possible help Clearwire expand their LTE-Advanced fantasy sooner...

What are your thoughts on this PPCGeeks? Is Sprint making the right move here? Do you see it helping out the masses? Just what does this mean for Sprint in the long run? Tell me the answers and give my your insight to what you think might happen with Sprint offering wholesale 4G service.

Source: Sprint

Special thanks goes to darren.wlsn1 for giving us the tip on this article. thanks!

© 2011, JasonFieldz. All rights reserved.

Well what a shocker we have here today! We all knew that Clearwire has been struggling to keep WiMax working properly; and we also knew that they were testing LTE technology at one point in Arizona. But what we did not expect to see was this! Clearwire says that this fall they are going to be releasing LTE-Advanced!

Dan Hesse did say we would have something "spectacular" coming this fall. This could be it. Clearwire is going to stop building out WiMax and start switching to LTE- Advanced. LTE-Advanced is the next step up from LTE, and could deliver download speeds of 120Mbps! Now don't worry Evo, Epic, Evo 3D lovers - Clearwire will be keeping WiMax around - but will soon be switching it out it sounds like. They are going to start in areas that are already deployed with WiMax but has high demand of 4G. 

Dr. John Saw, Clearwire's Cheif Technolog Officer, confesses:

"This is the future of mobile broadband. Our extensive trial has clearly shown that our 'LTE Advanced-ready' network design, which leverages our deep spectrum with wide channels, can achieve far greater speeds and capacity than any other network that exists today. Clearwire is the only carrier with the unencumbered spectrum portfolio required to achieve this level of speed and capacity in the United States. In addition, the 2.5GHz spectrum band in which we operate is widely allocated worldwide for 4G deployments, enabling a potentially robust, cost effective and global ecosystem that could serve billions of devices. And, since we currently support millions of customers in the 2.5 GHz band, we know that our LTE network won't present harmful interference issues with GPS or other sensitive spectrum bands."

This is no doubt why we have not seen any WiMax roll outs planned for Clearwire this year (2011). They did go on to say that they have to wait for additional funding to make their LTE-Advanced fantacy come true. Then they stated that they will be using multicarrier, or multichannel, wideband radios that will be carrier aggregation capable. This sounds like they are going to market to the masses of carriers - not just Sprint.

Now you might be saying "Jason - Sprint just signed a partnership deal with Lightsquared - how is this love triangle going to work?" Well all I have to say is it will be tricky but I bet we see that this love triangle will fester and bloom into a oozing pot of LTE goodness for all of us. Remember that Lightsquared is still face with issues regarding GPS - so this gives Sprint that one way out.

You tell me PPCGeeks, what do you think of this news? Does this spell "Love" for Sprint, or does it put a nail in their casket? Tell me below!

Source: Engadget

© 2011, JasonFieldz. All rights reserved.

WOOONELLY! Looks like the Cell Phone Gods have blessed Sprint customers! This document says it was last updated on July 22nd, so if that is true then this should give all you Sprint (and not Sprint) customers something to look forward too! It is always changing so please take this with a grain of salt but it looks to be a lot of phones! We are going to list them all out for you in a lovely bullet list.... Why? Because I want to and I like to break it all down for you!

• Samsung D600: Also known as the Conquer 4G, it's currently slated to arrive August 21st.

• BlackBerry Bold 3: Also known as the Bold 9900/9930.
• Kyocera KYC5120: No word yet on exactly what this handset may be, but the fact that it's due to replace the aging Samsung Intercept suggests that the 5120 is an Android phone of some kind. May be due on September 9th, which is a couple of days earlier than the previously-leaked September 11th launch. It's worth mentioning that September 11th is a Sunday, which is the day of the week that Sprint normally launches phones on
• BlackBerry Curve 4: We've known this handset as the Curve 9350 and Apollo in the past. Also reportedly due to hit Sprint on September 9th.
• Motorola XT603: Mysterious device that may hit Sprint on October 2nd
• Motorola MB855: Also goes by the name Photon 4G, coming July 31st.
• Sprint M650: Said to be the Huawei M650, another smartphone that we know little about as of now. Reportedly coming on October 30th.
• ZTE V55 tablet: Sounds like a tablet, no? Not much is known about the device, but it could be launching in the first quarter of next year.

But WAIT! That's not all for the next Quarter we get word that Sprint is going ot be launching their NEW Direct Connect push to talk network! This is to replace the old and dieing iDEN network set to be killed off in 2013!  Their Direct Connect is Sprints vision to grow PPT to 2.7 Million miles up from the 908,370 square miles iDEN covers now. The first two handsets, the Kyocera DuraMax and DuraCore, will feature a rugged construction and will be out later this year along with a Motorola-made smartphone. Sprints Official News Brief is below - enjoy the reading!

So with all this great Sprint love how does this make you feel??  Yea well for me I feel good knowing the Now Network is stepping up and going to release an onslaught of devices, even if it is Blackberrys, and Android (now WP7 love)... But you know they start somewhere and finish with the best plans, and now phones! Tell me what you think PPCG Sprint Lovers!

Source: Phonedog

Sprint Prepares for 4Q Launch of Sprint Direct Connect with Feature-Rich, CDMA Handsets

First phones come packed with broadband capabilities and next-generation functionality; New phones will operate on push-to-talk footprint that's triple the size of Sprint's current one

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 25, 2011 - Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced the initial phones it plans to deploy in the fourth quarter when the company launches its next-generation, push-to-talk service powered by Sprint's broadband CDMA network. The new service – Sprint® Direct Connect – will deliver higher bandwidth capacity to keep up with customers' data demands and is expected to extend the company's push-to-talk coverage to almost triple the square miles of the company's current push-to-talk offering.

The Sprint Direct Connect phones to be introduced this fall will be the Kyocera DuraCore and the Kyocera DuraMax. As previously announced, a third handset -- a Motorola smartphone -- will be described closer to the launch of Sprint Direct Connect. The devices will feature most of the capabilities available on current Sprint push-to-talk phones plus next-generation, push-to-talk applications and functionality. Specific availability dates and pricing for each device will be released later.

"Sprint is thrilled to launch Sprint Direct Connect with a strong starting lineup of phones," said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. "These devices represent the new gold standard in push-to-talk technology."

Devices in 2011

Kyocera DuraMax brings customers advanced technology wrapped in a rugged exterior with a clamshell form factor. It offers military-grade durability, including water resistance when submerged up to one meter for up to 30 minutes. DuraMax comes with an integrated 3.2-megapixel camera and camcorder. The 32GB expandable microSD memory card slot provides the storage capacity required to manage large files on-the-go. Additional key features include:

* 2.0-inch QVGA TFT main display
* Military standard 810G specifications for dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain and immersion
* Encased in rubber, non-slip Dura-Grip® material for sure hold and extra durability
* Stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology
* 2.5mm stereo headphone jack (supports PTT headsets)
* 1GB microSD memory card
* Large-font menu option
* GPS navigation enabled
* Supports SMS and MMS messaging and third-party data applications

Kyocera DuraCore is an affordable, high-impact solution for a mobile workforce that relies on push-to-talk. Additional features of this rugged, clamshell-style phone:

* Military standard 810G specifications for dust, shock and vibration
* Encased in rubber, non-slip Dura-Grip material for sure hold and extra durability
* Bi-directional speakerphone
* Bluetooth wireless technology
* 2.5mm mono headphone jack (supports PTT headsets)
* Large-font menu option
* GPS navigation enabled
* Supports SMS and MMS messaging and third-party data applications

In addition to Direct Connect® and group calling options, the devices are expected to enable Land Mobile Radio (LMR) interoperability, simultaneous data and push to talk, and availability notification. In early 2012, Sprint Direct Connect will offer additional capabilities, including international push-to-talk.

Sprint continues to involve developers in the creation of new applications through its Sprint Gets Rugged application developers program. The program provides information, support and tools needed for developers to port applications to Sprint Direct Connect devices and to create innovative applications.

Sprint Gets Rugged application developer program also will be featured at the Sprint Open Solutions Conference, Nov. 2-4, in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information or to register for the conference, please visit http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2011.

More information on the Sprint Gets Rugged application developers program can be found at http://developer.sprint.com/SprintGetsRugged.

Better Coverage and Capacity

Sprint Direct Connect marks a tangible initial benefit of Network Vision, Sprint's blueprint to deploy a cost-effective and innovative network. Announced in December, Network Vision is expected to consolidate multiple network technologies into one seamless network, resulting in enhanced coverage, quality and speed; better network flexibility; reduced operating costs; and improved environmental sustainability. The plan includes a complete upgrade of Sprint's wireless networks accompanied by changes in device chipsets and network infrastructure.

The expected benefits of Network Vision to Sprint's push-to-talk customers will be wide-ranging:

* Push-to-talk coverage footprint is planned to increase to nearly 2.7 million square miles and is expected to cover a population of 309 million (with the addition of 1xRTT and roaming coverage) – an increase from the iDEN network's 908,370 square miles covering a population 278 million.
* In-building coverage is expected to improve significantly through investment in the most advanced CDMA technology and radio equipment.
* Voice and data capacity is expected to increase significantly as Sprint will be able to fully leverage its industry leading spectrum holdings in 800MHz, 1.9GHz, and – through its relationship with Clearwire – 2.5GHz.

"Our customers are asking for broadband push-to-talk now," said Paget Alves, president-Sprint Business. "We've seen steadily increasing demand for faster data speeds, better and broader coverage, and more applications on push-to-talk devices. Sprint Direct Connect is designed to solve for all three and is expected to come with sub-second push-to-talk call setup time initially in Sprint CDMA Rev. A (3G) coverage areas. Sub-second call setup is expected to expand across the United States with the implementation of Network Vision."

During the nationwide implementation of Network Vision, Sprint expects to continue operating the iDEN network at current best-ever performance levels. As the customer base shifts to more broadband-centric push-to-talk applications on the CDMA network and Sprint launches Sprint Direct Connect, iDEN cell sites are expected to be phased out in 2013. Sprint account executives will work with customers to provide a smooth transition with personalized upgrade assistance. Sprint also plans to offer current Nextel Direct Connect customers attractive device pricing to help transition to Sprint Direct Connect.

© 2011, JasonFieldz. All rights reserved.

If you're an At&t Android user, today is a happy day for you. They have announced that all of their postpaid Android users will get an upgrade to Gingerbread sometime this year. The Motorola Atrix 4G is first on the list, getting their update within the next few weeks. The HTC Inspire 4G will get their's sometime next month.

One thing I found interesting is that they listed the Samsung Captivate 4G. I was a previous Captivate owner, and it does not have HSPA+ (At&t's 4G). This is also the first time I've seen them call it a 4G phone. I believe it did have HSDPA and HSUPA for faster uploads, but not the +.

Source: PhoneDog

AT&T Customers to Enjoy Gingerbread
Android 2.3 Debuted in the AT&T Portfolio with HTC Status, All Post-paid Android Smartphones Released in 2011 Planned to Receive 2.3 Upgrade

© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

© 2011, mindfrost82. All rights reserved.

AT&T very own customers have been suing the company for what appears to be their way of showing how disapproved they are about the T-Mobile take over. They say they are suing to voice that this merger will hurt consumers by squashing the competition.

A New York law firm, Bursor & Fisher, filed a 236 page document requesting arbitration for 11 of its clients, alleging the proposed $39 million merger violates the Clayton Antitrust Act. The firm has also created a website for more people to sign up to get into the action....All at the cost of AT&T...

Attorney Scott Bursor says nearly 50 people and counting are interesting in pursuing arbitration in this legal matter.

"We've spent months compiling evidence of how this merger will cause higher prices and worse service," Bursor said, outlining the case. "We've hired experts who are prepared to testify at arbitration hearings across the country. And we are prepared to file hundreds of arbitration cases, any one of which could stop this merger."

Now you may remember AT&T won a Supreme Court case in April that ruled consumers cannot bring a class-action suit against AT&T, upholding the wireless carrier's attempt to prevent such suits in its customers contracts. But customers can (and are) still requesting arbitration, according to the courts.

AT&T must still pay for each arbitration dispute a customer files against it, and up to $10,000 if the arbitrator find in favor of the plaintiff. In other words if (and that is a big IF) Bursor & Fisher win their filings, AT&T must make a sizable contribution to all consumers involved in arbitration against it.

So with that my AT&T loving PPCGs, will you too file suit and show your outcry about the merger? This could make things heat up for AT&T and if enough people sign and win maybe make AT&T think twice about the merger and the costs associated with it. Will you sign it - tell us below!

Source: Mobiledia

© 2011, JasonFieldz. All rights reserved.

Once again some new FCC papers have us wondering. As a GSM version of the Motorola Droid 3 showed itself to the FCC, with full support for bands used by AT&T and Bell in Canada. I'm sure those of you who have AT&T as their carrier would like to see this phone come their way. However, I would say don't hold your breath though stranger things have happened. There's a better chance this device is the one that was mentioned by Mobile Syrup last week discussing the Motorola XT860 (aka Milestone 3) heading to Bell on August the 14th.

According to FCC reports, the device has:

• 16GB of internal storage
• a 960×540 qHD display
• uses an SNN5885A battery

So it definitely appears to be the GSM Motorola Droid 3. The device, as referred to by its FCC ID IHDT56MF2, supports bands for GSM 850, 1900, and WCDMA bands II and V. AT&T and Bell in Canada both currently use these bands.

Would you like to see this device show up on AT&T's inventory?
Perhaps an unlocked model would do?
What are your thoughts on this latest variant of the Motorola Droid 3?
Let me know in the comment section below.

source: FCC

© 2011, santod. All rights reserved.