Posts tagged 4g
HTC EVO 4G Out Now
Jun 4th
Ready for the first 4G phone Sprint users? The time has come– today is June 4th, and you know what that means– the HTC EVO 4G is here!
For those who don’t know why this is a HUGE day, here are a couple of features of the phone that may peak your interest:
- 4.3 inch multitouch screen with a 480×800 resolution in a thin, sleek design
- 8 megapixel camera with flash and support to shoot 720p HD video with a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera– for you guessed it, mobile video chatting!
- Android 2.1 with the latest and greatest version of HTC Sense as well a 1 GHZ Snapdragon processor in here that should keep everything on the phone itself nice and fast.
- 3.5 mm headphone jack, HDMI port, and a kickstand for media playback
And of course this is the first US phone that offers built-in 4G. This gives you not only faster internet speeds, but the EVO also has the ability to turn this into a mobile hotspot (like the MiFi and Overdrive), and share the 4G (or 3G if 4G isn’t available yet where you live) with up to 8 (!) other users at once (though this will run you an extra $29.99 a month, its still cheaper than the $59.99 a month needed for the MiFi or Overdrive). The EVO 4G costs $199.99 on a new 2 year contract with a data plan and Sprint’s $10 a month “Premium Data” add-on.
So, who out there is heading over to your local Sprint, Best Buy or Radio Shack to pick one up? And if you already have, what you think of it? Let us know in the comments.
And for those of you with the patience to not be the first to have one, you can head on over to Sprint’s site and order one for yourself right now.
EVO 4G Coming to Sprint on June 4th!
May 13th
Sprint users, mark your calenders. On June 4th, one of the hottest gadgets of the year will be released for you guys– the HTC EVO 4G, for $199.99 on 2 year contract.
Sprint released a whole bunch of other details on the EVO 4G particularly in terms of pricing. You will have to sign up for the traditional Sprint Everything Plan ($69.99 for unlimited text, calls and web) with an additional “Premium Data” cost of $10 a month (odd and annoying, I know). Using the mobile hotspot for up to 8 devices will also run you an additional $29.99 a month, though this is by far better than getting a smartphone and adding an Overdrive which runs $59.99 a month.
On a less expensive note, Sprint also said that video chatting will work over both 3G and 4G using the free Qik app for Android, and work whether it’s mobile to mobile video chatting or mobile to computer video chatting. Definitely nice.
For all the info on the EVO 4G, see our previous post here.
So there you have it. Now who else is excited for June 4th?
The Future is Now: Sprint Announces the HTC Evo 4G
Mar 23rd
We figured this was on it’s way, and today Sprint and HTC made it official. The first 4G phone is coming to the US this summer in the HTC Evo 4G (aka the rumored HTC Supersonic) and wow is this insane–like blow your mind insane.
I mean look at these specs:
- 4.3 inch multitouch screen with a 480×800 resolution– in other words, a crazy awesome screen (similar to that on the Nexus One).
- Thin, sleek design– think like HTC’s recently released T-Mobile HD2
- 8 megapixel camera with flash and support to shoot 720p HD video– yes, your phone can now record videos in HD! (Oh, and this is even better than what was rumored to be only a 5 megapixel camera– showing rumors aren’t always right).
- 1.3 megapixel front facing camera– for you guessed it, mobile video chatting! All I can say to this, it’s about time we in the US get this feature that’s been around overseas for awhile (though don’t get me wrong– I’m still pretty pumped about it).
Taking a video with Qik on the HTC Evo 4G
- Android 2.1 (with an updated, higher quality YouTube app to take advantage of the faster 4G speeds) with the latest and greatest version of HTC Sense (as we saw back at MWC)– there also is a 1 GHZ Snapdragon processor in here that should keep everything on the phone itself nice and fast.
- GPS, compass and WiFi with the ability to turn this into a mobile hotspot (like the MiFi and Overdrive), with support for up to 8 (!) users at once! The MiFi and Overdrive by comparison only allow 5.
- 1 GB of built in storage with microSD card slot (with room for up to 32 GB).
- 3.5 mm headphone jack, HDMI port (seriously, when do you ever see this on a phone!), and a kickstand for media playback (so you can prop it up on a table and video chat, watch movies, view pix etc. like you would on a laptop).
And of course– built-in 3G and 4G! This phone has both, which means not only solid 3G coverage when you’re outside of the growing 4G coverage, but also for when you do have 4G– you can now make a call over 3G while at the same time browse the web over 4G (something you’ve probably seen of in AT&T’s latest ads. This is pretty big news in its own right).
For the first 4G US phone, I gotta say, HTC and Sprint look to have set the bar really high. This is the future of our cell phones– truly a computer in our pockets, and now finally with the 4G speed to let you do all you could want, wherever you want.
Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait till sometime this summer for this bad boy to arrive (and Sprint hasn’t yet said the price for the phone or the plan, if there is a different plan required for the new 4G devices), but again– wow!
We will of course be all over this as more info comes out, but what you think– are you impressed with this new 4G phone? Will this be your new phone (and would you switch to Sprint for it)? Sound off in the comments.
For more info on the HTC Evo 4G, see Sprint’s site here.
Sprint Announcing a 4G Phone This Week?
Mar 21st
A rumored shot of the 4G packin HTC Supersonic for Sprint
Ok Sprint users– you can now think of this past week as an awesome one. Not only was it announced that you guys will soon be getting the Nexus One, but if these rumors are true– then we got for you something that will make that look like a toy. So what could possibly upstage news of the “Google Phone” coming to Sprint? Try the first US 4G phone! Yes, you read that right– a 4G phone!
As we know, for the past 2 years Sprint has been working hard on the rollout of their upcoming 4G network all across the US– already covering major cities such as Baltimore, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Seattle and Chicago (just to name a few); with others like New York, Boston and San Francisco said to be on the way in the “near future.” So with all that ever-expanding 4G coverage and only 2 data modems– like the Overdrive– being the only devices able to use it, it would make sense for Sprint to be preparing to launch a 4G phone to really kick off the 4G party (particularly with Verizon and AT&T beginning their 4G rollouts later this year/early next year).
So what could this first 4G phone possibly be? Obviously it has to be something insane, and from what this looks to be– we can definitely see this being it. Pix and info are pointing to an all touchscreen, Android 2.1 running phone called the HTC Supersonic (maybe the name has to do with the “super fast” 4G speeds?) to do the honors as the first Sprint 4G phone. The Supersonic is also said to be packing HTC’s latest and greatest version of it’s Sense UI (as we saw back at MWC), a 1 GHZ Snapdragon processor (as seen on the Nexus One), a 5 megapixel camera, and a 4.3 inch touchscreen (like on the HD2). All this in a very slim and sleek design as you see in a rumored shot of the device above.
Now those are just some rumored specs on the device (remember– until we hear official word from Sprint or HTC that’s all we can say this is), but according to the Wall Street Journal, we shouldn’t have to wait to long for this to all become official as Sprint is expected to do so this week at CTIA (think of CTIA as a part 2 of the big cell phone shows along with MWC, just this is taking place in Las Vegas and with more of a focus for US phones. This was where the AT&T Samsung Impression was announced last year for example).
We’ll of course have all things CTIA covered for you when the event takes place this Tuesday through Thursday– so stay tuned and keep checking back!
Pic and info from Phone Arena
Sprint About to Release a 3G/4G Portable WiFi Hotspot? (UPDATE: It’s Official)
Jan 4th
The Sprint Overdrive 4G hotspot shown in a Sprint online ad
With CES only 2 days away, the news and rumors flying out of Vegas are crazy.
Among the older ones is that Sprint is releasing a 3G/4G portable WiFi hotspot — basically a 4G-capable version similar to the MiFi 2200 we saw last year. For those unfamiliar with the MiFi, it takes the 3G/4G Sprint signal and turns it into a WiFi network, where any other device with the ability to connect to WiFi (iTouch, Zune HD, laptop– heck even iPhones) can get internet connection. In other words, let’s say you got your iTouch or laptop and want to get an update on the Jets-Bengals game this Saturday, but you don’t have any WiFi networks to connect to. With this new device attached, all you got to do is turn it on and you’ve got all the latest updates streaming down to you on Sprint’s fast 3G and really fast 4G network (think speeds close to the ones you get on your home broadband network, and much faster than the current 3G networks).
The device, called the Sprint Overdrive, does all that and is also quite compact, so it should be no problem for you to carry this in your pocket. Other specs on the device are said to include a microSD card slot (perhaps for sharing files over your portable network), support for location services (like a GPS), and has an 100 150 foot range (which is definitely not bad for such a small device).
Now while Sprint hasn’t yet confirmed any of this, some of their 4G ads online just so happen to be showing this off (that’s how we were tipped off on it), and going to sprint.com/overdrive takes you too a Coming Soon page, so an announcement and official details (like price and release date) can’t be too far off now.
UPDATE (1/06): With CES now really starting to get underway, Sprint has come out and made this official. Updated specs include sharing your 3G/4G connection with up to 5 WiFi devices– like the MiFi– a built in GPS, and support for up to a 16 GB microSD card which can be used as shared storage over your network. The Overdrive will be available online and in Sprint and Best Buy stores starting January 10th for $99.99 after a $50 mail in rebate and a new 2 year contract (with a $59.99 a month 3G/4G data plan).
Are YOU Ready for the Digital TV Transition?
Jun 11th
Today is June 12th, which means if you don’t have cable or satellite TV, or a digital converter box, then you probably aren’t getting TV anymore.
Why? Well if you haven’t seen the news recently (or any of the many ads about it both on TV and online), the TV signals will be switching to digital tomorrow from analog, as per a law passed by the government. The reason for the law? Its benefits will very soon be amazing. See, the analog TV previously used till now for the air stations like CBS, NBC, FOX, etc. (stations you can get with an antenna for instance, which are free “over the air”), use something called the 700 MHz spectrum. Basically, the government wanted to clear up this spectrum for a number of reasons, but the most relevant one to you is: Verizon and AT&T will use this for their 4G networks. Not only does this rake in a whole lot of cash –over $1 BILLION! — for the government, but it will allow for plenty of air for Verizon and AT&T to begin their intended rollouts of their 4G networks later this year and early next year, respectively. Both of their upcoming 4G networks should be INSANELY FAST but we’ll cover 4G networks later in another post.
So what can you do now to adapt to this new transition to digital? For one, you can always use this as an excuse to jump to cable or satellite, and get yourself a boatload of extra channels as I’m sure your well aware of (yeah, we thought you’d want that as your first choice). You can also order a $40 coupon the government is giving out to purchase a converter box to attach to your antenna and TV, which will essentially give you all your current, standard, “over the air” channels in a much better digital, near HD picture. You can read about the transition and order the coupon here, which will arrive in a couple days (I ordered mine about a week ago and got it Wednesday). You can then buy the converter box at a bunch of places, including Best Buy, CVS and Radio Shack among many.
So there you got it. Now go out there and get your converter box, and let us what you think of this new “digital TV revolution”: you getting better picture and sound, exicted for the future 4G networks coming because of this transition?
4G Coming to Sprint’s Palm Pre?
Apr 25th
Palm Pre– getting 4G?
I was at Best Buy the other day, and Iwas talking with a Best Buy Mobile (Best Buy’s cell phone department) guy. We talked about a lot of upcoming phones, and he shared with me something about the Palm Pre which, if true, would be absolutely awesome– think something that can really kill the iPhone! This news is really big if true, so big that we’re devoting a seperate post to it instead of putting it in the Upcoming Sprint phones post we wrote! Read on for all the details! More >
