Sprint's full-day technology summit today in Northern Virginia had a major prize at the end: a room full of Sprint's upcoming phones and PDAs for the rest of 2007. The bad news: they stopped me from taking pictures. (The shot at the left is of the existing GSM version of Sprint's new HTC Touch.) The good news: I got plenty of details, and hands-on time with a bunch of new gadgets.
The Palm Centro, aka the "Gandolf" or "Treo 800" is a tiny Treo running Palm OS, the first truly new Treo form factor in years. (Yes, Engadget's photos are roughly correct.) Sprint doesn't have an official name for it, but there was an app called "About Centro" on the home screen. Specs were also hard to come by: a Sprint rep at the event said it was "a shrunk-down 755p," including EVDO, but other scuttlebutt at the show was that the gadget will sell for only $99 with contract when it pops onto the market this fall. One thing that was sure was that Sprint will have a 90-day exclusive on the new Treo.
More on the Treo, HTC Touch, LG Rumor, Sprint Airave and others after the jump ...
The Centro has possibly the tiniest QWERTY keyboard I've ever seen. It's infinitesimal: it's actually impossible to type on this thing with two thumbs. The keys on the model I tried were little clear rubbery bumps, below a cursor pad and the usual Palm OS quick application buttons. Seeing me get frustrated trying to puzzle out letters on this tiny thing, a Sprint rep stepped in to say that it was for the "youth market" - in other words, kids with nimble fingers and sharp eyes to read the small screen. On the other hand, it'll fend off the argument about Treos being chunky, that's for sure.
HTC Touch, Blackberry Pearl
The HTC Touch was a surprise: this is a CDMA version of the model I reviewed a few months ago. The Touch is a keyboard-less Windows Mobile 6 phone with a special HTC-developed interface that lets you swipe your thumb up and down the screen to pop up application menus of big buttons. On the Sprint device, one of those menus is messaging - IM, communications manager, SMS, software store and mailbox - and the other is media - Sprint TV, Music Player, and Music Store. The music player is Sprint's Groove Mobile store, which uses tiny little type, so it's difficult to click on options with your fingers. (Fortunately, there's also a stylus.) The device also has a 2-megapixel camera and 128 MB of RAM.
The Sprint Touch has several big advantages over the GSM version, though. The processor speed is doubled: 400 Mhz as opposed to 200 Mhz. The modem is fast EVDO (software upgradeable to EVDO Rev A), not slower EDGE. When the Rev A upgrade comes, it will activate the built-in GPS, and you'll be able to use Telenav for GPS navigation. And this version of the device lets you pop up virtual 12-key and 20-key keyboards with buttons big enough for you to use your fingers, as opposed to the standard Windows Mobile onscreen keyboard with its tiny buttons (which is also an option.) Sprint didn't give a price for this gadget, but said it's probably coming in November.
They had a Blackberry Pearl there, too. Eh, it's an EVDO Blackberry Pearl. Moving on ...
Consumer Phones: Sanyo and LG
But that's not all! How about some consumer phones - like a Sanyo candybar? Sanyo is famous for the awesome voice quality on their generally ugly flip phones. The unnamed Sanyo I saw was a petite candybar with sculpted edges and a cool hardware keylock button on the back, so it doesn't accidentally dial in your bag. It has 1xRTT data and Bluetooth, too.
From LG comes a blue messaging phone with a slide-out keyboard - think the LG EnV but with a keyboard that slides out horizontally and only one screen. The "LG Rumor" has a 1.3 megapixel camera and EVDO, and a much better email program than Verizon's EnV. Sprint's email program, provided by Seven, is free and can aggregate several email accounts into an attractive tabbed interface. The screen rotates into landscape mode when you pop out the keyboard, but the big question for all devices like this is how many applications it lets you use in landscape mode. SMS and e-mail, at least, seemed covered.
Home Cell Solutions
Finally, Sprint showed two ways to extend their network. A pocket EVDO-to-Wi-Fi router from Cradlepoint is smaller than a paperback book and has a USB port where you can plug an EVDO USB dongle or tethered phone. Hook 'em together, and pow, instant hotspot wherever you go. The gadget has a built-in battery with 2-3 hours of life if you don't want to be tethered to your hotel room.
Finally, the Sprint Airave home cell site was once known as the Samsung Ubicell. It's a rounded, attractive white box about the size of your standard Wi-Fi router. Plug it into your home broadband connection and you get your very own Sprint cell site, covering up to 5,000 square feet. The Airave can handle three calls at a time, or 1XRTT data. You can leave it open to all passing Sprint customers or give Sprint a list of up to 50 phones that can exclusively use your cell. Sprint will charge monthly for the Airave, but will offer unlimited calling on the cell for the monthly price - so it's like T-Mobile's Hotspot@Home in that way. Also like Hotspot@Home, you can take the Airave on trips with you, but alas, only within the US: legal restrictions prevent Sprint from allowing it to work outside the USA. Sprint didn't have a precise price or launch date for the Airave, but they said it would be "competitive."
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August 16, 2007 9:46 PM
Re: the Sprint Airave - anyone know if Cingular offers anything Cingular? The only thing stopping me from buying an iPhone is that I get no Cingular coverage in my home office. Such a device would fix this for me.
August 17, 2007 7:38 AM
You're NOT supposed to type on the Centro -- you'll buy a Foleo if you want to type. BUT if you mostly just read e-mails, check your calendar and talk on the phone - it might be just right.
August 17, 2007 1:57 PM
Or you could buy any number of other handsets that let you do all of those things *and* type on them. All the new BlackBerrys, the BlackJack, the Dash, the Q, even Palm's own 755p or 750 if you don't mind the extra weight.
August 17, 2007 2:36 PM
WTF!@# Why cant Sprint come out with an LG phone like the one Verizon has (VX9800)?? Does it take that much logic and genious to understand that it makes more sense to have the screen on the inside of the phone instead of the outside? I'm on my 6th PPC6700 because I've either dropped the phone or bumped into a table with it in my pocket and had the screen break! I read the rumor that Sprint is going to get a messaging phone from LG and I was very exicited until I read that it was a slide out keyboard with the screen on the outside. Can somebody please pound some sense into the people at Sprint??
August 18, 2007 1:57 AM
"Can somebody please pound some sense into the people at Sprint??"
honestly? i think is you sir that needs a pounding of sense. please answer me why it is a carriers or manufacturers duty to concieve a phone due to your innability to take proper care of them? in that entire statement of yours you are essentially blaming "sprint" for every action YOU performed that resulted in damage to your device. take responsibilty for your own actions and better care of your phone. millions of people have purchased the SAME devices without issues due to negligance. so if your going to complain about a phone, a design, or a carrier, actually make a statement that corresponds. like "sprints phone selection(or lack there of and when compared to other carriers)is, for the most part, ugly and outdated" which im sure every sprint customer on some level has felt. or "i prefer a flip open screen like on the env because the core of the phone is most protected. more companies should implement this idea into thier design" which i also think is true. so yes i am in agreement that more phones should be designed in that manner. but your reasoning for it occur is annoyingly childsh. what you should spend more time doing is conatining your ignorance and owning up to the fact that everything that happens to you is not everybody elses fault nor as a result of thier actions.
August 18, 2007 8:15 AM
I think sprint should make a phone out of solid rubber. So idiots like this can play street hockey and go scuba diving with it, and not have to cry about how sprint screwed them with yet another "poorly" designed phone. Idiots like you think every cracked screen, is a design flaw, and sprint is to blame.
Ever broke your home phone? Do you think your home carrier is going to give you another because it didnt survive the fall from the 2nd floor balcony? Hell no, your going to march your ass back up to walmart and buy another. Why cant you morons realize that sprint only provides the service to talk on your phone? Why does everyone think Sprint owes them a phone every time they break theirs?
Its a phone.....not a hockey puck. Stop whining bitches. _|_
August 18, 2007 12:34 PM
Shesh --- chill out! Some people do live or work in an environment where they (a) have to have their phone on thier person, not sitting back in there cubicle and (b) these environments have projectiles at hip-height - things like counters, furniture, chair backs, etc.
Bulging phones on a holster are a bad thing for these folks. They need a flip/clam or something so slim that it can be placed into a pocket without attracting uncomfortable stares (is that a Nokia in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me).
Sprint's problem is that they don't have a wide enough choice to make everyone happy.
August 18, 2007 10:23 PM
"lease answer me why it is a carriers or manufacturers duty to concieve a phone due to your innability to take proper care of them?"
Uhhh,I don't know. Maybe because they would like people to buy them and if they made phones that people would like,they would buy them. Maybe because a lot of their customers DO accidentally damage their phones,and a ruggedized phone would actually be something their customers would like. (Ever seen a pair of flexon eyeglasses,you can run them over in your car)
August 19, 2007 10:08 AM
"Ever broke your home phone? Do you think your home carrier is going to give you another because it didnt survive the fall from the 2nd floor balcony? Hell no, your going to march your ass back up to walmart and buy another"
Precisely, you CAN'T buy a new phone, or choice of phones at WalMart like you can a regular phone, because the providers won't unlock their networks.
August 19, 2007 11:54 AM
Sprint doesn't even make the phones, so stop bitching at Sprint. Bitch at LG or UTStarcomm if you have a problem with the design of a phone.
Some carriers get exclusive agreements, it happens.
Ever see the UpStage, just for Sprint.
The LG Fusic and Muziq, only for Sprint.
The Mogul (PPC-6800), exclusive on Sprint for a few months before Verizon gets it.
The Treo 755p, exclusive to Sprint for a few months.
All Sanyo phones - FANTASTIC, and just on Sprint.
People need to stop bashing Sprint's line-up. It's good, Sprint just doesn't know how to market it.
August 20, 2007 1:40 PM
Another facet that hasn't really been looked at is fiscal power. Verizon has a lot more money to play with than SPint (whom has tetered on the brink of bankruptcy for nearly ten years). While Sprin does spend a lot of marketing dollars on exclusive handsets throughout the year, it does cost significantly more to adapt a phone like the 9900 EnV (or even the now-antiquated 9800 V) to a network than a more simplified slide-out messenger like the C-5100 that Cingular/ATT/Cingular/ATT/Whatever had on their network a couple of years ago.
Money is such a huge hurdle for Sprint. If you notice, every qurter, when they announce a newproduct or service launch, they very quietly lay off 5000+ employees to afford it. I don't know about you all, but that makes me fee much better about running a MotoQ on America's Best, Most Reliable Wireless Network...
And, lastly, in regards to the bit about carrier's refusing to unock their networks... they're technologically incompatible and the government/ the people have no right to dictate busins practices in the modern, capitalistic world (though I'm sure Karl Marx would love the idea). Networks are networks, and just because ATT, Sprint, and T-Mobile spend billions a year on commercials that they could spend on towers and other scientific developments, doesn't mean that Alltel and Verizon should bail the out with coverage.
All hail the power of the dollar.
August 20, 2007 3:25 PM
Terry, Clamshell, Get one. Whiner!
August 21, 2007 12:49 AM
[Quote]but that makes me fee much better about running a MotoQ on America's Best, Most Reliable Wireless Network...Networks are networks, and just because ATT, Sprint, and T-Mobile spend billions a year on commercials that they could spend on towers and other scientific developments, doesn't mean that Alltel and Verizon should bail the out with coverage. [/Quote]
You got to be joking right. I've been right next to my girlfriend (Verizon) and best friend (Bellsouth/Cingular/AT&T or whatever they are called now) and i had 4 bars and they both were in Roam. They've dropped more calls than i ever have with Sprint. All these companies lie though...And any Sprint customer should feel good to have Alltel around when concerning to cellphone models. Their selection sucks and they get the last pick of the litter that no other company wants. T-Mobile selection isn't that much better than Alltel's....the Sidekick singlehandedly kept them afloat for years...
August 23, 2007 9:39 AM
You said it C Wood. I have been so happy with sprint. I just laugh at att's "Dropped Call" ads right now. who did they talk to for those?? but people do need to stop their whining. you shouldn't whine about something that you can change your self... GET A NEW PHONE OR SERVICE IF IT SUCKS THAT BAD... now I feel better. Everyone has different needs. not every carrier has the perfect solution for everyone.
August 28, 2007 1:34 PM
i think your all idiots. the i-phone is the best phone ive ever used. if you dont have it, your a looser.
August 30, 2007 1:44 AM
Anyone ever heard of insurance??? Its 7 dollars a month. Stop bitching about breaking your phones and just put it on your damn plan..Haha! America's most reliable network? Has anyone told you that both Sprint and Verizon work off the same network? I actually sell Sprint, T-mobile, and AT&T I have a pretty good idea what I'm talking about!!!
September 2, 2007 4:00 PM
"i think your all idiots. the i-phone is the best phone ive ever used. if you dont have it, your a looser."
No capitals.
No apostrophes.
Incorrect use of "your" and "looser".
Mis-spelling of iPhone.
I wonder, is that the fault of the iPhone, or of an idiot user?
September 2, 2007 4:10 PM
Terry,
6th PPC? Good grief. I've been using touch screen devices for over 10 years and never broken a screen yet (touch wood!). Here's a simple tip - put the device in your pocket with the screen facing inwards. Or by one of the dozens of protective cases available for your phone. There, that wasn't difficult, was it?
Or maybe you're too clumsy, drunk, or just too fat to walk around without bumping into furniture?
September 6, 2007 10:01 AM
Dan,
First of all P is right, you're the one that comes off as the loser. And second of all there isn't one good thing that I can see about the iPhone. Everyone I know has already had to have them replaced AT LEAST once, and it's been out, what, 2 months? AT&T really screwed themselves on that one. I personally think anyone that actually has an iPhone is the real LOSER!
September 25, 2007 10:08 PM
Stephanie, just b/c you sell Sprint doesnt mean you know what your talking bout. Sprint runs on a differant spectrum than Verizon....They do not share towers, they dont share anything....the only time anything is shared is when yoru roaming....Every hear Digital roaming?
September 25, 2007 10:09 PM
Stephanie, just b/c you sell Sprint doesnt mean you know what your talking bout. Sprint runs on a differant spectrum than Verizon....They do not share towers, they dont share anything....the only time anything is shared is when yoru roaming....Every hear Digital roaming?
September 28, 2007 9:06 AM
Does anybody know the release date for the touch?
October 9, 2007 3:42 PM
Should come out Nov. 4
October 18, 2007 12:51 PM
Chris, Sprint announced yesterday that it will be available on November 4th. $249 with a 2 year service agreement after a $100 mail in rebate.
October 22, 2007 10:54 AM
Can't wait to get my hands on this device.
www.htcsource.com
November 9, 2007 4:16 PM
I tried out the HTC Touch in the Sprint Store. I don't know if I'm overly impressed with it. It's certainly better than their previous models, sure. I just don't know if it's $249 (with 2 year contract) good. I sure as hell wouldn't have spent $399, much less $599, on the iPhone, no matter how good I thought it was.
As for service, it all depends on where you are. I know Cingular (now AT&T) worked better while I was in Chicago, but that's not saying much compared to Ameritech (now Verizon) Now I live in Charlotte, and Verizon and Sprint work best. However, there's a $30 difference per month between the comparable plans that I got. (450 minutes plus data pack) I've had dropped calls on all three of them, and none of them to me seemed to be any worse than any other one.
I've been with Sprint now since 2002, so I guess that says something right there. Of course, once I started paying the $7 per month insurance, I haven't lost or broken my phone. Gotta love Murphy's Law, huh?
March 2, 2008 4:04 PM
I have an HTC Touch and I´m very happy with it. Bevore I got one of the first IPhones available - but the syncronisation process over ITunes was to complicated. With the HTC Touch was this no problem - a very good smartphone.