Posts Tagged ‘Sprint’

The PEEL portable 3G 802.11 b/g WiFi hotspot passed through the FCC today.  As you can see the device bears Sprint branding, and it’s designed to work on the company’s CDMA/EVDO network.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer support for 4G.

Interestingly, the PEEL is designed to attach to the back of an iPod Touch – all you need to do is connect to the PEEL’s WiFi signal with your iPod Touch, and you have anywhere access to the Internet.  Yup, that means you can even place calls with your iPod Touch when logged on to the net via WiFi.  The PEEL supports up to five devices simultaneously.

The PEEL is manufactured by ZTE and has the model number U3200.  We don’t have any info on pricing or a release date, but today’s FCC filing suggests that the device should be available soon.

Note:  In our earlier post, we completely overlooked the fact that the PEEL is designed to fit on the back of the iPod Touch.  Sorry!

The Samsung Epic 4G is one of the more compelling incarnations of the Samsung Galaxy S.  With a slide out QWERTY keypad and WiMAX, the device promises to be a hot seller for Sprint.

So when can we get our hands on the Epic 4G?  The Android Police have a few data points that suggest the device will be on sale by August 20th.  They base this timeframe on the release date of a Samsung TV video featuring the Epic 4G.  Previously, Samsung TV videos for mobile phones have come between one and four days after the device was released.  The Samsung TV video for the Epic 4G is scheduled to be released on August 20th, so if the timing of this video is anything like previous Samsung TV videos, then the Epic 4G should be released before August 20th.

Sure, the Android Police’s theory isn’t solid proof, but the August 20th timeframe does jive with Samsung’s announcement that the Epic 4G will be available by “mid-summer.”  We’ll keep you up to date as we learn more.

Well look what the Android Community turned up.  This pic allegedly shows the Samsung Galaxy S Pro in the wild.  Like the EVO 4G, the Samsung Galaxy S Pro runs Android, offers support for Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network, and features a front facing camera.  The Galaxy S Pro also boasts a landscape QWERTY keypad.

The device was originally rumored to have a June 2010 release date, although this seems unlikely at this point.  We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.

On Monday, Sprint issued a press release stating that “the total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on launch day was three times the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined.”

Well, it turns out those figures weren’t quite right.  Today, Sprint updated its original press release, saying “We inadvertently erred in the comparison. The total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on launch day was in line with the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined.”

Those sales figures are still quite good – they’re just a third of the sales originally reported.

BTIG Analyst Walter Piecyk estimates that Sprint sold 150,000 EVO 4Gs during the device’s launch weekend.  However, since the EVO 4G is now in short supply with most stores sold out nationwide, BTIG doesn’t expect sales of the phone to increase significantly this week.

The weekend of the HTC EVO 4G has passed, and it appears to have been a very successful launch for Sprint – at least in terms of device sales.  A press release issued by Sprint today reports that the EVO 4G broke sales records for Sprint on launch day.

According to Sprint, “Friday sales of HTC EVO 4G marked the largest quantity of a single phone sold in one day every for Sprint.”  The company also notes, that the total number of units sold on launch day was “three times the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined.”

The EVO 4G was available at 22,000 locations nationwide, including Sprint’s retail stores, Radio Shack, Best Buy and Walmart.  The phone quickly sold out in most locations nationwide, although Sprint claims that it’s working with HTC to “increase inventory in all sales channels.”  Many stores, according to Sprint, are receiving new EVO 4G shipments on a daily basis.

Despite record sales figures, Sprint did suffer from a number of issues during launch day.  I personally experienced a two hour wait as Radio Shack attempted to activate my EVO 4G on Sprint’s overloaded device activation system.  Later that day, Sprint stores in the Bay Area went completely offline, and were unable to process any sales transactions.  I couldn’t even purchase a case for the EVO 4G – Sprint reps told me they expected their systems to come back online in a few hours.

Speaking of accessories, there wasn’t much selection available on launch day.  Sprint only had a few cases available, none of which were particularly exciting.  Best Buy had a Seido Platinum case available as well, although most of the stores we visited were sold out of all colors except purple.  The HDMI car and desktop docks for the EVO 4G were not available either.  Sprint representatives gave a July timeframe for the release of these accessories, although no firm release date was available.

Our sister site iGear360 has reviewed several cases for the EVO 4G.  Check them out here.

The Qik app for the EVO 4G also suffered from high demand for the device.  According to CNET, the Qik app was initially unavailable in the Android Market, and when the app was finally available for download Qik’s servers were hit with 20x the normal workload.  This caused connectivity issues for Qik users, forcing the company to pull the app until additional server capacity was added.

Although it was a rough weekend for some EVO 4G owners, reviews of the device have been generally positive.  As far as we can tell, there were no major issues with the EVO 4G, although HTC did issue a firmware update for the EVO 4G on launch day that fixed memory card recognition issues.

Yes, today was the day many of us have been eagerly awaiting – HTC EVO 4G launch day.  Sprint and Radio Shack stores even opened early for the occasion.  One problem however – Sprint’s activation service was hammered, resulting in long wait times for many EVO 4G preorder customers.

I experienced this in person at the local Radio Shack store in Cupertino, CA.  Although the store opened at 6am, the first phones were not activated until around 8:30am.  Even then, activations crawled along, with Radio Shack reps waiting frustratingly for several minutes to progress through each page in the new phone activation process.  According to the Radio Shack representative I spoke with, less then ten activations had been processed in the district by 9am, three hours after the Radio Shack stores opened.

It appears that this problem has subsided somewhat during the day, and activations are now going through at a steady pace.  Still, this was a major frustration for many prospective HTC EVO 4G owners who made the trek to Radio Shack and Sprint stores early in the morning.

Another major fail today was the availability of HTC EVO 4G accessories.  Although Radio Shack gave EVO 4G preorder customers a $20 credit towards accessories, there were no cases or covers designed for the EVO 4G available.

The only accessories on hand today were generic mini USB chargers and screen protectors that could be manually cut to fit the EVO 4G screen.  My Radio Shack representative said that it will be at least a couple of weeks before EVO 4G cases are actually available.  However, that doesn’t do much good for customers with the $20 activation credit, since this credit must be used when the EVO 4G is activated.

To their credit though, the Radio Shack representatives at my local branch were helpful and positive.  This was a problem with Sprint’s activation service, not Radio Shack’s systems or employees.

Drop us a line and share your EVO 4G experiences with us.

Last week we learned that Sprint stores will be opening early for the HTC EVO 4G launch on June 4th, and today RadioShack announced that it will be following suit.  The company announced today that on June 4th, select RadioShack stores will be opening their doors at 6am to fill HTC EVO 4G preorders.  Additionally, RadioShack will give preorder customers that show up early an additional 15% discount on accessories, on top of the $20 accessory gift card that pre-order customers are already receiving.

It’s not clear why Sprint or RadioShack decided to open early on EVO 4G launch day, but this does suggest that demand for preorders has been strong and stores are hoping to distribute the flow of activations throughout the day.

Just two more days to go.  Keep in mind that if you’re planning on arriving early to TheShack give them a quick call first, because only select stores will be opening at 6am.

Sprint unveiled pricing and release details for the HTC EVO 4G today in an announcement filled with a couple of surprises, and a few disappointments.

First, the good news:  You’ll be able to get your hands on an EVO 4G on June 4th – a few days ahead of rumored June 6th and June 13th release dates.  As expected, the EVO 4G will cost $199 with a two year contract, or you can purchase one for $450 off contract.

Now the bad news.  The device comes with a mandatory $10 per month ‘Premium Data add-on’ regardless of if you use 4G services or not.  This add on plan does give you unlimited 3G or 4G data though, so you don’t have to worry about any data caps.

Sprint’s Mobile Hotspot feature that turns your EVO 4G into a WiFi router will cost an additional $30 a month.  That’s a bit pricey, although Sprint argues that a stand alone data card or hotspot will cost at least $60 per month.

So how much will it cost to own an EVO 4G?  Sprint’s Everything Data plan starts at $70 per month with 450 minutes.  Add on the $10 Premium Data charge, plus the $30 hotspot fee and you’re looking at $110 per month plus taxes.

That’s a hefty month fee, especially when compared to Verizon’s Palm Pre Plus plans that start at $70 per month and include wireless hotspot functionality.  Sure, you don’t have access to a 4G network with Verizon, but Sprint’s 4G network is currently only available in 32 markets, so most users won’t have access to 4G with the EVO 4G, either.

Still, it’s hard not to love the EVO 4G’s 4.3 inch screen, 8 MP rear-facing camera, 1.3 MP front-facing camera and HDMI out.  Pricing aside, the device is clearly the best competitor Sprint has to the iPhone.  Engadget has excellent coverage of the EVO 4G’s capabilities here – just check out those videos.  You can also take a look at Sprint’s EVO 4G page, although no preorder options are currently available.

Interest in the EVO 4G has certainly been strong, and according to Sprint there is already a long list of customers that have shown interest in the device by pre-registering on its website.  It remains to be seen, however, if the EVO 4G will help Sprint to make a comeback.  The company’s stock has taken a hit since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, below.  Even Sprint’s exclusive deal for the Palm Pre didn’t help the company to change its fortunes.

We’ll get a better idea of the demand for the EVO 4G as the device’s launch date approaches.  Until then, we’ll keep you updated as we learn more about pre-orders.

The Android Guys got their hands on Sprint’s training materials for the HTC EVO 4G, and although the slides are short on specifics, they do provide a bit more info about plans and apps for the highly anticipated device.

According to Sprint’s training materials, the EVO 4G must be purchased with a data/messaging plan. That’s not a huge surprise – we don’t expect many users to purchase the EVO 4G for voice only.  Existing Sprint customers will need to upgrade to a data/messaging plan for the EVO 4G.

Unfortunately, the EVO 4G’s mobile hotspot feature will come will a separate monthly charge.  That’s a big disappointment, especially because Verizon is offering this functionality for free with the Pre and Pixi Plus.  Training materials don’t reveal pricing for the plan, saying only that the cost of the plan will be ‘revealed at a later time’ closer to launch.

Sprint apps, including Sprint Football Live (formerly NFL Mobile), Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV and Sprint Zone, will be preinstalled on the EVO 4G.  The device will also feature the Footprints app, along with a Google Talk client.

Sprint will formally unveil the HTC EVO 4G tomorrow, at their HTC EVO 4G event in New York.  The event starts at 6pm Eastern, and we’ll provide you updates as they are released.

With Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G event just a few days away, the eagerly anticipated Android-powered device made an appearance on the FCC late Friday afternoon.  Known as the PC36100 in FCC filings, the device rocks the expected support for CDMA/EVDO 850 and 1900, as well as WiMAX, 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth.

While there’s not a lot new in today’s FCC filings, FCC approval suggest that we will be seeing the HTC EVO 4G soon.  We’ll likely learn more during Sprint’s EVO 4G event on May 12.