If you have been around the various forms you will see a frenzy forming. Rumor has been that pre-orders for the Evo Lte would be shipping out tonight at 11 pm and pre-order customers are concerned. Why? Well, because Sprint hasn’t really updated any order information for their customers. Worry is setting in that the phones will be delayed and that pre-ordering really isn’t going to get the phone to the consumer any faster.

Now add rumors of delays in shipping and you have a full on mass panic. All we can say is take what you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Remember, than anyone can say anything and it will spread like wildfire. Also, remember that the official release date is the 18th. It is the 15th, we still have time for Sprint to make good on their promise that we will get it first.

It has always been my experience when dealing with Sprint that I always get the phone before I get any kind of update in their system. My personal account shows that Sprint owes me money since they have already charged my credit card for the order. I have no tracking information. Am I concerned? Sure, because I already passed on my Evo 3d to my husband and I am stuck with my daughter’s old LG at the moment. Am I’m stressing out? Not yet… but I will if this goes into the weekend. I am a phone geek after all.

I did come across this press release on 5-14-12 from Sprint and I feel that if they were concerned about stock they would not be pushing media events at a brick and mortar store.

Surely they wouldn’t stick us pre-order folks with a rain check slip and release them to the general public. Right?

Sprint was one of the first carriers to push “4G” when they announced their WiMAX network. One of their hottest selling phones was the HTC Evo 4G. Now that almost every other carrier has announced their dedication to LTE for 4G, Sprint has been making the switch to LTE as well. Today, Bob Azzi, Senior VP of Networks, announced that Sprint will no longer be launching any new WiMAX phones to the market. Previously, Sprint has said that it would release WiMAX devices through 2012.

He also said that LTE will launch on their 1900MHz spectrum, but that they will also repurpose its 800MHz spectrum as old Nextel iDEN users are transitioned to their CDMA Direct Connect service.

Earlier this year, they announced that they would be releasing LTE devices by mid-2012 and they would have 15 devices (phones, tablets, data cards) coming throughout the year.

Source: FierceWireless

First we have the Nokia PureView808.  This phone packs an insane 41 Mega-Pixel Camera.  It basically captures image data from seven adjacent pixels and combines it into one, which results in 5 MP stills with apparently awesome detail.  Video recording is up to 1080p @ 30 fps.  The phone runs a single-core 1.3 GHz processor with 512 MB or RAM and although you might expect it to run Windows Phone 7, it actually runs Symbian Belle.  It packs a 4″ Gorilla Glass display with 640 x 360 and also has NFC.  Look for it around May of this year.

The LG Optimus Vu is LG’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note, designed for those of us who appreciate a big screen.  This phone boasts a 4:3 IPS 5″ 1024 x 768 with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 1GB or RAM.  It comes with 32GB internal storage, an 8MP camera and is powered by Android 2.3.6.  As you can see, this device looks different than the Samsung Galaxy Note, although it has the “big screen” concept.  It also comes with a stylus, but this one does not fit into the actual phone and is a bit bigger.  Look for an LTE version of this device in the U.S. later this year!

The latest installment from Sony, the Experia S, packs a 1.5GHZ dual-core Snapdragon CPU with 1GB RAM.  It runs on a 4.3″ 1280 x 720 screen.  This phone features a 12MP camera which records in 1080p at 30FPS.  It ships with Android 2.3 but, like all these new phones, promises an ICS update.  Look for it any day now!

One of the most anticipated phones coming out is the HTC One.  This phone is coming in various flavors.  The One X packs a Tegra 3 quad-core 1.5HZ cpu (the AT&T version has a dual-core Snapdragon S4) with 1GB RAM.  It has a 4.7″ 720p Super LCD display showcasing Sense 4.0 over ICS, which seems pretty scaled back from previous Sense installments.  This phone looks to be a flagship device for HTC akin to the Samsung Galaxy S series and it competes heavily with the Galaxy S3 this year.  The One S is of the same ilk in a more mid-range level.  It still packs a decent punch though, with a 4.3″ qHD Super AMOLED display, the same 8MP camera the X sports, and a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor.  Look for both phones later this year!

LG shows off it’s latest installment in the Optimus series with the 4X HD.  It packs a Tegra 3 quad-core 1.5GHZ cpu with an 8MP Camera and a large 4.7″ IPS display over a 720p resolution.  The form factor looks to be pretty aesthetic with a very thin design and short length and LG is trying to stay on top of the game with the very latest hardware, although it sadly doesn’t have 4G capability.  LG also ships the phone with a skinned version of Android 4 ICS

The ASUS Padfone brings a whole new concept in phones.  This phone, which runs a dual-core 1.5GHz snapdragon S4 over a 4.3″ Super AMOLED qHD display powered by Android 4 ICS,  is actually designed to be slipped into an accompanying 10″ tablet.  The tablet interacts with the phone and charges it, and the keyboard accessory also has a battery that charges both the tablet and the phone.  Look for this phone in the near future and we’ll see how this tablet/phone transformer does out in the market.  The concept certainly is intriguing.

Stay tuned for more devices roundup where we’ll feature more upcoming phones with amazing specs and different form factors!

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

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.

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

]]> https://www.ppcgeeks.com/2011/08/04/verizon-fall-roadmap-sneak-peak-anyone/feed/ 8 https://www.ppcgeeks.com/2011/08/04/wholesale-4g-from-sprint/ https://www.ppcgeeks.com/2011/08/04/wholesale-4g-from-sprint/#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:45:44 +0000 http://www.ppcgeeks.com/?p=24072

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!

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

Verizon Wireless announced today that their advanced 4G LTE wireless network will be available to customers in the major areas of Sarasota and Bradenton in 2011.

Florida region president of Verizon Wireless Pam Tope stated, “Florida customers already have a lot of wireless power in their hands with 4G LTE, and this announced expansion in Sarasota-Bradenton will add to that.” “We’re proud to bring this superior technology to wireless customers in more areas across the state.”

Sarasota and Bradenton will be joining the following list of Florida markets that offer Verizon Wireless 4G LTE services:

• Miami
• Fort Lauderdale
• West Palm Beach
• Tampa Bay
• Orlando
• Jacksonville
• Tallahassee
• Gainesville
• Duval Street in Key West
• Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers

Other Florida markets scheduled to launch 4G LTE by the end of 2011 include:

• Fort Myers
• Daytona Beach
• Lakeland
• Winter Haven

As we have reported already many times, Verizon Wireless expects to complete its 4G LTE rollout throughout Florida and across the rest of the country by 2013.

If these reports seem to be coming one after another, they are.
As Verizon works hard to stay ahead, we are right behind them to bring you their latest progress.
Are you still waiting for your 4G?
Any Florida users looking forward to this expansion?

source: verizon

LightSquared has been plagued with issues as they build out their own LTE network. LightSquared will be a wholesale LTE provider (think Clearwire). In fact they just signed a $20 billion contact as reported here by Lives2Learn. Well in light of all that they have had a major GPS interference issue – one that would stop them cold in their tracks. Well they announced they have found a way to fix it.

The company, which owns spectrum in the L-band (1525 through 1559 MHz and 1626.6 to 1660.5 MHz) has found a way to push through and past the GPS issues. Basically their initial idea was to run on the lower 10 MHz block of the L-Band. This is close enough to GPS that they caused issues and in some cases cancelled each other out. Now the company [LightSquared] has come out to say that they are going to use the higher 10 MHz for deployment. They state that they were saving this resource for future expansion but given light to the issues that they will just stop development in that lower range and go to the higher range; this in return seems to resolve any GPS issues they were having. To see the full press release click here.

So PPCGeekers does this mean that you will want to trust their decision and use them for LTE? Do you think this will eventually re-pop up if they expand and need that other 10 MHz band? Tell me down below – as it has me pondering what will happen in a few years when Sprint grows their LTE network using LightSquared technology.

Source: fierceWireless

UPDATE: We have a official VZW doc detailing the stats above!

Currently, Verizon Wireless smartphone users with family plans are required to pay $29.99 per line for cellular data. Non-family-plan smartphone customers can purchase unlimited mobile data (with a 5GB allowance) for the same monthly price. That is all about to change when the free hotspot promo ends. Tiered pricing is now set to begin the day after the promotion ends , which is July 7th, for new contract holders. Yes, existing contracts will remain grand-fathered in and not incur any changes until their contract is up for renewal.

Verizon has made it very clear for quite some time now, that the future of its data network is going to be tiered. Late last year, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg told investors that the company would eventually swap its unlimited option with several data plans somewhat similar to AT&T’s tiered plans.
When speaking at the Reuters Global Technology Summit, Shammo again mentioned the plan and stated they would start offering data tiers instead of the unlimited plan sometime this summer, but once again at this time, he failed to offer any further details on what those tiers would be or how much they will end up costing.

Still, while this is sad news for Verizon’s heavy data users, it may be a positive move for families or even individuals with multiple smartphone or data intensive devices. Verizon CFO Fran Shammo also confirmed that Verizon would try to soften the bad news by stating the company was planning to roll out “family” data plans that could be shared among several devices.

Well the days of tiered data plans is almost here and we now have those details: via droidlife

Data plans:
• 2GB – $30/month
• 5GB – $50/month
• 10GB – $80/month

If you would like to add tethering on to any of those packages, you can purchase 2GB of data at an additional cost of $20 per month.

Data plans w/ tethering:

• 4GB – $50/month
• 7GB – $70/month
• 12GB – $100/month

Overages will be $10 per 1GB.
Tablet data plans will be $30 for 2GB of data, instead of $20 for 1GB of data as it is now.

How does this match up to the competitor?

AT&T’s tiers:

• 200MB – $15/month
• 2GB – $25/month
• 4GB – $45/month

Given that many different devices are now in market and users tend to have various data usage patterns, a family plan shared among several devices might not be a bad idea. A combined data cap could prove more efficient in terms of data utilization as both a low data user and a high data user from the same family can then share the cost and the data.

How do you think family plans will work out?
Do you think the tiered plans will work to your benefit? Why or why not?
Let me know in the comments, how you feel about this move from the carrier.

source: droidlife

A recent interview with Verizon Chief Marketing Officer Marni Walden provides some information on what the future holds for BlackBerry devices at Verizon Wireless. This interview confirms the upcoming arrival of three new RIM devices with the carrier later in the year.

For a while it seemed Big Red was relying heavily on RIM for it’s Blackberry devices, especially with the beginning of the Blackberry “Touch” and “Storm” series. However, since then things have gone quiet on the Blackberry front with the carrier, as they moved their focus almost entirely toward Android and the iPhone. But with this latest news, it seems they may be rekindling their partnership a bit.

The BGR interviewed Verizon Wireless CMO Marni Walden about these new devices and what she had to say was quite interesting. Much of their discussion was focused on 4G, Android, iPhone, and Windows 7,however they did eventually make their way into discussing Blackberry devices coming this year. Marni pretty well confirmed the launch of 3 new Blackberry devices this year.

Walden said, “RIM is still very, very important in the enterprise space. It does resonate in some of the consumer space as well, particularly with BBM. We’ll have three devices this year that we will bring to market with RIM. We’ll continue our partnership and it’ll be important for now going forward.”

Will one of them be a 4G LTE PlayBook?
Is there a CDMA Torch 2 coming to VZW?
The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is likely to be one of them.
What are your thoughts on the other two?
Hit up the full interview at BGR and let us know what you think.

source: BGR

According to a report from T- Mobile, they will be expanding their 4G HSPA+ network to 47 new cities across the US. This brings the list of current markets to 102 after they added 50 more markets back in May. That’s a fairly impressive number and to deploy that many more at one time, seems like a lot. It appears like T-Mobile really wants to be the GSM contender that keeps up with Verizon’s latest efforts to supply the nation with global 4G coverage.

The fact that their new HSPA+ markets are capable of 42Mbps, it seems a shame that the only device capable of using that speed so far, is the Rocket 3.0. But we have all seen the goodies that are coming down the pipes for T-Mobile, in the not too distant future.

Thinking further, maybe Verizon could actually learn a little here and see the other angle in which a company can approach a nationwide upgrade. Maybe having the network in place and ready, and then releasing the devices, isn’t such a bad way to go after all. I know it’s discouraging for me to own a 4G device, and live where it isn’t available yet. Good thing I make trips to the city and airports enough to make some use of it.

Anyhow, here is the list of cities being added:
• Akron, Ohio
• Albuquerque, N.M
• Allentown-Bethlehem, Penn
• Brownsville, Texas
• Cape Coral, Fla
• Canton, Ohio
• Charleston-North Charleston, S.C
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Colorado Springs, Colo
• Columbia, S.C
• Columbus, Ohio
• Corpus Christi, Texas
• Fayetteville, N.C
• Florence, S.C
• Fresno, Calif
• Harrisburg-Carlisle, Penn
• Hickory-Lenoir-Morgantown, N.C
• Killeen, Texas
• Lakeland, Fla
• Lancaster, Penn
• Las Cruces, N.M
• Madera, Calif
• McAllen, Texas
• Merced, Calif
• Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, S.C
• Napa, Calif
• Palm Bay, Fla
• Palm Coast, Fla
• Panama City, Fla
• Pueblo, Colo
• Reading, Penn
• Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif
• Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, Calif
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• San Antonio, Texas
• San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif
• Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, Calif
• Santa Fe, N.M
• Sarasota, Fla
• Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Penn
• Sebastian, Fla
• State College, Penn
• Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va
• Wilmington, N.C
• Visalia-Porterville, Calif
• Waco, Texas
• York-Hanover, Penn

***UPDATE
Apparently the carrier issued an erroneous statement that it would be launching dual-carrier HSPA+ in 47 markets, and later issued a correction stating the expansion would only cover 41 new markets.

T-Mobile decided to delay the launch of dual-carrier HSPA+ in Pennsylvania, which was the cause for the change in number of markets being deployed.

Six markets in the state, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg-Carlisle, Lancaster, Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, State College and York-Hanover, were dropped from T-Mobile’s first list of dual-carrier HSPA+ markets set to go live today. The only city from the state that remains on the list is Reading, Penn.
This brings the total number of markets launched to 96, not 102 as previously stated.
Just wanted to bring you up to date on the changes.

Is your city on the map?
Will they remain a threat to Big Red?
What do you think?

source: tmonews

Well, it appears that T-Mobile is making a nice attempt at welcoming new customers this Father’s Day week. Many of you already know that the HTC Sensation 4G has arrived at T-Mobile. Well it appears they wanna give it to you for $50 less for signing on with a new contract. On top of this, they are having a Father’s Day giveaway, where they announced on Facebook and Twitter that they would giveaway 10 of the HTC Sensation 4G handsets.

Early today, some TmoNews readers reportedly found the code on T-Mobile’s Sensation 4G page. This offer is only good for for new T-Mobile customers. But if you were already looking to jump to T-Mobile, or recently moved to where they become the best option, this should be great news.
Use coupon code “SENSATION50″ at checkout to get your new Sensation 4G for a very acceptable $149.99. Bringing the cost to almost exactly the same as Wal-Mart’s in-store pricing of $148.88.

T-Mobile seems to have no shortage of HTC love lately.
Is this the device you’ve been waiting for?
Will this offer be enough to get you to jump carriers? Or consider it?
Did anyone take advantage of this offer and wanna share their experience?
Let me know thoughts.

source: tmonews

Verizon Wireless has extended the Limited Time promotion for Mobile Hotspot and Mobile Broadband Connect on 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) Smartphones, ThunderBolt by HTC, DROID Charge by Samsung, and Revolution by LG. The following are the Unlimited Hotspot promotion details.

Limited Time promotion available through 7/6/2011 which allows customers unlimited 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot and Mobile Broadband Connect usage until July 6, 2011 with the purchase of a ThunderBolt by HTC, a DROID Charge by Samsung, or a Revolution by LG, with a voice plan and a data package $29.99 or higher.

The $20/GB (Gigabyte) plan will not be available on 4G LTE Smartphones. On July 6, 2011 a software update will remove the Mobile Hotspot offer. A message will be sent to the end user to contact their system administrator to subscribe to Mobile Hotspot.
For those of you lucky enough to be running one of their 4G handsets, soak it in while it lasts. There’s no telling what types of pricing we will be facing when this free ride ends come July.

It seems to me, this keeps getting pushed out further, possibly due to the latest Thunderbolt MR2 release not being quite ready yet. As I feel it will be through this update that they will put a distinct end to the free tethering and hotspot features. As well as adding in the data tracking features that have been non existent on the Thunderbolt and possibly the other 4G devices so far.

Is this just to get us all used to having the feature, so we are all inclined to pay for it when the ride ends?
Have you been making use of this treat from Verizon?
How has it improved your ability to stay connected?
Will you pay for the service when the gravy train stops?

source: Droid Life

Google has been working hard, to try and present the ultimate design and concept for what a smartphone should be. Recently introduced was the Nexus S from Google, the first phone to run Android 2.3, Gingerbread. According to exclusive details from our friends over at BGR, Google’s next Nexus device, possibly called the Nexus 4G, is going to be quite a device to behold with all of the latest and greatest specs you might expect. Read on to soak in more info..

According to details from BGR, it’s believed that the Google Nexus 4G will feature a next-generation dual-core 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz CPU, probably an OMAP 4460 or a, ultra low-power 28nm Krait-based Snapdragon instead of the rumored NVIDIA Kal-El processor. The display is said to be a 720p HD “monster-sized” screen. As reported in an earlier article, it’s safe to say that no buttons will be present on the face of this device. Everything will be on screen and software-based, providing much more screen real estate, without increasing the devices’ dimensions.

Other features we can expect to grace this device include, a 4G LTE radio, 1GB of RAM, 1080p HD video capture and playback, a 1MP front-facing camera, and a 5MP rear facing camera. The 5MP camera is said to be much better than previous generation cameras, especially in low light conditions. The Google Nexus 4G will run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and is expected sometime near Thanksgiving.

Is this just a reference design for Ice Cream?
Will this be one of AT&T’s first 4G LTE smartphones?
Do you think it may also make its’ way to Verizon, with its’ 4G onboard?
Let me know your thoughts on this next Google phone, the Nexus 4G.

**UPDATE** This should not be confused with the Nexus S 4G coming to Sprint, this is infact the ‘Nexus 3″…

source: BGR

Today, Verizon Wireless made an announcement that it would be adding 19 more U.S. cities to its continually growing list of locations with its’ well sought after 4G LTE data service. This increases its’ existing number of major cities up to a total of 74. Over half of their goal of 145 cities for 2011.

So it sounds as though they are moving along right on schedule or even ahead. Especially since they didn’t even begin their rollout until December of 2010. Sprint started their 4G Wimax in 2008 and still has just 77 cities covered. These additional cities are due to begin receiving the 4G service starting this Thursday.

David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless, was quoted saying:
“On Thursday when we light up 19 additional 4G LTE markets, we will offer consumers and businesses in 74 metropolitan areas the most advanced 4G wireless network on the planet while continuing to offer the nation’s most reliable 3G network coast to coast,” “We are aggressively expanding our 4G LTE network: by the end of 2013 we plan to bring 4G LTE mobile broadband to our entire 3G coverage area.”

The company will also be expanding its existing 4G coverage in San Francisco and Detroit the same day.

Newly added cities to get Verizon’s 4G LTE service on Thursday:
• Fresno and Sacramento, Calif.
• Hartford, Conn.
• Boise, Idaho
• Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Ind.
• Flint, Grand Rapids and Lansing, Mich.
• Dayton, Ohio
• Erie, Harrisburg and State College, Pa.
• Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.
• Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah
• Spokane, Wash.
• Madison
• Milwaukee

Will all the work Big Red is doing, be enough to stay ahead of AT&T, who is due to launch 4G LTE in 5 markets this summer?
Has your area received Verizon’s 4G service yet?
Do you have a device that makes use of it?
Or do plan to get one soon?

source

This is a move that I think we all saw coming eventually. Sprint has reduced it’s stake in clear wire from 50% to 49.8%. A move that makes Sprint less likely to be held accountable if Clearwire defaults. Most importantly though is that Sprint maintains 54% of the economic stake in Clearwire. See what was happening was investors were worried that if Clearwire was to default (go under) that Sprint would end up having to pay that money back.

With them removing themselves as a power player in voting they can now say – “Hey we had nothing to do with them going under”… By Sprint also doing this action Sprint is proactively providing protection and flexibility with respects to its debt agreement and eliminating ongoing investor concerns about any potential cross-default risk.

This action only affects Sprint’s voting interest as a shareholder of Clearwire and does not affect Sprint’s other governance rights, nor does it reduce Sprint’s economic interest in Clearwire, which remains the same.

So PPCGeeks, that should not come as a shock to you. Sprint has been in talks of making LTE based moves – could this be the first sign? Tell us your thoughts and opinions about this move. Do you think it has any merit as to what Sprint will do with WiMax or LTE? Tell us below….

Source: fiercewireless

Known specs:
• 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor
• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with HTC Sense 3.0
• 4.3 inch qHD display (540×960 pixels)
• 14.4 Mbps HSPA+ speed (no 21.1 or 42.2 support)
• 768 MB RAM and 1GB internal storage
• microSD card slot with 8GB included card
• 8 megapixel camera with 1080p support
• Front facing VGA camera for video chat
• 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 3.0
• 1520 mAh battery
• Dimensions of 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm and 148 grams

source

Google has been sued successfully and lost for use of Linux on it’s server platform.  Although this may not be a huge loss to Google financially, this issue could extend to the Android platform. Bedrock Computer Technology has also sued AOL, Yahoo and Amazon to name a few.

Will companies like Bedrock Computer Technologies impede the growth of Linux?

What do you Geek-A-Holics think?
Get your Geek Freak on and let us know.

Source: Intomobile & BBC