Tag Archives: sprint

Motorola Admiral Coming Soon as Sprint Direct Connect Device

Sprint will be kicking off their Direct Connect service in an Android fashion with the Motorola Admiral, according to a recently leaked document. We’ve heard the name before , but this is our first look at the handset and its specs. The portrait QWERTY smartphone will feature Android 2.3, a single-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm chipset, and 3.1-inch display. It also gets a 5MP camera, 4GB of internal storage, and an 1860mAh battery, all of which is built into a military-specced case capable of resisting water, dust, shock, pressure and temperature extremes, and pretty much whatever else you can throw at it. Quite admiral-able. Aren’t I punny? The Motorola Admiral should be making its way to Sprint later this fall.

Sprint Making Major Changes – Shuts Down Premier Program, Cuts Back Return/Exchange Policy and More

As a Sprint customer, this is definitely NOT the news I was looking to hear today. Looks like Sprint is doing a bit of house cleaning and making a lot of changes in the form of a few cost cutting measures. Dead and gone is Sprint’s Premier program which recently saw a new tiered system into Silver and Gold members. Can’t say I’ll miss it. Now this one is going to hit me a little harder. Sprint will also be doing away with their once amazing 30 day return/exchange policy only to cut it in half. The new policy is a mere 2 week or 14 days. However you want to look at it — it sucks. But it’s not all doom and gloom for Sprint customers. Sprint will also be introducing a “New for You” program that allows customers to upgrade their device every 20 months. The downside? Well, it’s not really the same 2-year discount new customers get when purchasing a new device. After 20 months with Sprint, you’ll now receive $150 off the full price of a new device which could even be seen as less thanks to the increased upgrade fee, up from $18 to $36. All changes should go into effect by tomorrow, September 15th. Can’t say things aren’t looking too good for ‘ol Yeller. If T-Mobile still had a future, I’d consider making the jump back on over to them. But now, seems the only real option would be Verizon. Don’t think I could handle that steep monthly bill though. Bummer. [Via AndroidPolice ]

Sprint iPad on the way alongside iPhone 5?

We know that the iPhone 5 should be coming to Sprint in October but the third-largest mobile operator may also be getting the Apple tablet to go along with it. According to 9to5Mac, Apple has prepared a 3G iPad which will be compatible with Sprint’s network. This is different than the Verizon 3G iPad but the report doesn’t mention whether there will be WiMax 4G support or not. I don’t picture Apple being the biggest fan of WiMax but I think that having 4G in an iPad could be a very cool thing. The AT&T version has a 3G iPad but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the next version have AT&T’s 4G . The issue is that having 4G on each network will require different radios and Apple generally doesn’t like to alter its devices too much for carriers. Still, having an iPad available on Sprint is a solid option but let’s wait to see how the tablet data plans work out. [Via 9to5Mac ] Sprint iPad on the way alongside iPhone 5? originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-14T16:17:58Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Sprint LG Marquee, better known as the Optimus Black in Europe and Asia, press shots leak

Several days ago, at a RadioShack Business Summit in Dallas, the folks from AndroidCentral were able to capture a blurry photo of a device called the LG Marquee that’s due to come out on Sprint. We’re pretty sure that the Marquee is nothing more than the Optimus Black, but with a slightly modified body, thanks to a Sprint roadmap that leaked in July that said the “LG LS855″ was coming. Now thanks to press photos that have hit the internets today , we’re 100% sure that the Marquee is the Optimus Black. We just need to find out when exactly it’ll come out and how much it’ll cost. For those who are less familiar with the Black, you’re looking at a single core 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, and a 5 megapixel camera. That’s not too exciting when you compare those specs to the super phones that are currently on the market and the rumors about the total monsters that are due to hit this fall, but what makes the Black special is the ultra bright screen and super slim body. Rumors say the Marquee will hit in early October, just around the same time as the iPhone 5, and likely when we’ll start hearing about the next Nexus device featuring Ice Cream Sandwich. Without knowing how Sprint plans to price this thing, it’s hard to say whether or not it’ll be a hit. Frankly, if they can manage to offer it for less than $100, preferably less than $50, then expect it to fly off store shelves. That being said, we can’t really recommend LG smartphones. They’re buggy, they don’t really get firmware updates, and you’re simply better off getting the equivalent device made by Samsung. If you want a slim smartphone, check out the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc or the Samsung Galaxy S II. Sprint LG Marquee, better known as the Optimus Black in Europe and Asia, press shots leak originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-14T09:57:54Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Fantasy Football Fanatic Sprint ID pack is out now

Sprint has launched a new Sprint ID pack for fantasy football fans. The Fantasy Football Fanatic pack comes with essential apps that will help get you through the season. Included in the deal are news apps, fantasy apps and radio (podcast) apps. More precisely, here’s what you get: SportCaster RotoWire Fantasy News Center National Football Post Express Football The Fantasy Football Guys FriendCaster for Facebook Yahoo! Fantasy Football Sprint Football Live The app bundle is free to download from Sprint’s website , or you can grab individual apps by clicking on their titles on the list above. Personally, I’m not sure I like Sprint’s bundles. For one thing, I don’t dig the idea of having that many apps around one subject. Instead of making me more productive (or that’s engaging), I spend more time browsing around news and various different options. My advice is – try all of them out and see which ones are working for you. Then uninstall apps you don’t need and take it from there… [Via: AndroidCentral ] Fantasy Football Fanatic Sprint ID pack is out now originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-13T08:50:02Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Sprint Combats Distracted Teen Driving With New Application For Parents

Sprint is taking their customer safety to a whole new level with the release of their new custom “Drive First” application for all Android powered devices. In a press release today, Sprint talked more about this new tool parents can use to keep their kids off the phone and on the road while they’re driving. The app will be able to detect when the car being driven goes over 10mph and from there will lock down the device, sending calls to voicemail, answering texts messages with an auto-reply and silencing alerts that could distract your easily distracted teenage driver. While the service is available for Sprint’s entire Android lineup, the service and peace of mind will cost an extra $2 a month. If you want to check out the 15 day free trial, here’s the link . Full press release below: Sprint Drive First Application Helps Parents Combat Distracted Driving Mobile Phone is Automatically Disabled While Driving; Incoming Calls Go Directly to Voice Mail; Those Sending Text Messages Receive Auto Response; Distracting Alerts are Silenced OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), September 12, 2011 – Parents worry when their teenager is behind the wheel of a car. Sprint (NYSE: S) is helping ease the minds of parents by launching Sprint Drive First, a new application that automatically locks a mobile phone when a car is moving more than 10 mph, disabling phone functionality, directing incoming calls to voice mail, and silencing distracting alerts for emails and text messages. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashes, 995 involved reports of a mobile phone as a distraction (18 percent of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group – 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. (NHTSA) How to Get Sprint Drive First Sprint Drive First, powered by Location Labs, is now available on all Sprint CDMA Android™-powered smartphones for $2 per month per phone and will be offered on BlackBerry® devices and other operating systems in coming months. Parents get started by registering for an account at www.sprint.com/drivefirst. On this website, they will see a list of phones on their account, select the phones to which they want to add the app, and they will receive detailed instructions on how to get the app. For phones already in the market, a software download is required to activate the service.* All Sprint Android-powered smartphones launching after late Q3 will have the Sprint Drive First software preinstalled and will not require a download to activate the service. Details about Sprint Drive First Shortly after the car exceeds 10 mph – determined using GPS and cell tower triangulation – the mobile phone will be locked. If the driver is using the phone when Sprint Drive First engages, the call will end and the phone lock screen will appear. Anyone texting the driver will receive an automated message indicating the person they texted is driving. The message is customizable by the account holder. A locked device displays a home screen with exit and emergency 911 buttons to override the app. Sprint Drive First can be overridden if the user is a passenger in a car, on a bus or train, but the parent or account holder can choose to receive notifications when the service is overridden. Parents have a choice of programming up to five phone numbers to ring through when the phone is locked as well as allowing functionality of three apps, such as navigation, music or weather. When the application no longer detects movement it unlocks and full device functionality resumes. Sprint Drive First takes into account stop-and-go traffic, so the driver needs to be sitting idle for a few minutes before it will unlock. Sprint’s Distracted Driving Initiatives “Sprint Drive First is another action Sprint is taking to encourage its customers to use their phones responsibly behind the wheel,” said David Owens, vice president-Product Development, Sprint. “We want to help our customers arrive at their destination. Texting while driving makes drivers four times more likely to crash their car. The person you want to call or text will be there when you get done with your drive; we want to make sure that you are, too.” “Location Lab’s goal is to empower today’s parents with the tools they need to better protect their families,” said Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of Location Labs. “Our collaboration with Sprint not only addresses distracted driving but makes the Drive First technology widely accessible, offering Sprint subscribers an easy way to gain peace of mind when their loved ones are on the go.” Since 2005 Sprint has worked on behalf of its customers and employees on the issue of distracted driving – including sponsoring national and local driver safety programs for teenagers and adults; releasing a distracted driving pledge for Sprint customers and employees; and developing a robust portfolio of distracted driving mobile applications and resources for general and business consumers. More information on Sprint’s distracted driving efforts can be found at sprint.com/focusondriving.

LG Optimus Black Coming To Sprint As LG Marquee [Confirmed]

After a Radio Shack promo video briefly showed the LG Marquee for Sprint, there was a lot of speculation that this would in fact be Sprint’s version of the LG Optimus Black We’ve known for awhile that the LG LS-855 would be Sprint’s version of the Optimus Black and now we thanks to Sprint’s Cellebrite data courtesy of PocketNow, this has all but been confirmed. There you have it, folks. While this device may not have the dual-core punch that many of our die-hard Android readers crave (and the Android OS has yet to support) the bright Nova display should be enough to capture the attention of casual passer by’s. I’ve held this device in my hand and there’s absolutely no denying its sex appeal. Should compliment Sprint’s Android lineup nicely. [Via Pocketnow ]

Sprint iPhone could land in early October

The drumbeat for Sprint getting the iPhone 5 just keeps growing louder, as a reportedly leaked internal memo says that the third-largest carrier is gearing up for a “major phone launch in October.” According to SprintFeed , the carrier is blocking out vacation requests for employees between September 30 through October 15th. The Epic 4G Touch will be landing later this month, so it’s not too crazy to think that this major phone launch will be the next iPhone. The iPhone 5 on Sprint may be the best choice for newcomers to Apple’s smartphone, as reports suggest it will be offered with unlimited data plans . Newbies on AT&T and Verizon have to put up with a tiered data plan, which can quickly be a pain if you’re a big user of streaming services. So Sprint fans, it’s looking like the iPhone 5 on your carrier is real, are you excited or will you be too busy enjoying your Epic Touch 4G too much to care? [Via SprintFeed ] Sprint iPhone could land in early October originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-09T21:24:47Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Sprint to one-up AT&T and Verizon, offering unlimited data plans to the iPhone?

Sprint, number three when it comes to U.S. wireless carriers, is said to offer the iPhone next month with unlimited data service plans to better seperate itself from rivals AT&T and Verizon Wireless, according to “people familiar with the matter”. This is interesting information considering all sorts of rumors have swirled for weeks indicating that Sprint is offering iPhone 5 in October . Lets face it, Sprint is struggling to compete against AT&T and Verizon, and the fact that it’s been bleeding money for 15 consecutive quarters doesn’t help either. There shouldn’t be any question that the addition of the iPhone to Sprint’s lineup will help it win customers, especially when its the only one offering true unlimited data service plans. If Sprint keeps its data plans unlimited, the iPhone could be a potential game-changer for the carrier. Just think, would you prefer AT&T’s unlimited voice service for $69.99 a month, and measly 2 gigabytes of data for $25 a month? How about Verizon’s voice service for $69.99 a month with its ridiculous $30 a month for 2 gigabytes of data? These prices are insulting to consumers, and I don’t care how good Verizon’s network is. I rather take Sprint’s $99.99 everything unlimited plan with no data caps. It’s a no-brainer. Sprint customers, are you getting the new iPhone when it launches? People without Sprint, would you consider dumping your carrier for true unlimited plan on Sprint? [via Bloomberg ]       Sprint to one-up AT&T and Verizon, offering unlimited data plans to the iPhone? originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-09T16:46:19Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Rumor: Sprint Won’t Budge on Unlimited Plans for Forthcoming iPhone 5

A new rumor’s swirling around about the boys and girls at Sprint and what the arrival of the iPhone 5 means for their data plans. This isn’t exactly Android related, but it does impact those of you who have Android phones like Sprint. The rumor is that Sprint won’t be touching their plan structure, something we saw Verizon time with the launch of their iPhone and something AT&T has done a few years after the first iPhone launched. We’re not saying the iPhone was the reason for those carriers changing their plans up (they say it’s because of increased smartphone usage overall), but Verizon’s timing suggested as much. Unlimited is one of Sprint’s biggest marketing campaign forks and we’re relieved they aren’t letting up on the unlimited data peddle one bit (though no one ever said anything about throttled unlimited data – let’s hope it doesn’t come to that). [ Venture Beat ]