The best mobile phone leaks always seem to be made with the worst possible cameras. And this leak is no different. It’s meant to show the a new HTC phone, with a Sprint logo.

The existence of a CDMA (the system Sprint and Verizon use) version of the Touch Diamond/Touch Pro was already confirmed, but this photo means Sprint is probably going to be the first to get it.

Of course, a blurry photo doesn’t necessarily mean it’s real, and it wouldn’t be the first prank photo made in Photoshop, but I’m cautiously optimistic that Sprint will indeed have this phone in stores within the next month or two.

Of course, this also means that the Sprint answer to the iPhone (the Instinct) will be "extinct" pretty soon.

Source: PPC Geeks

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If you have ever found yourself stuck in a hotel with no mobile phone signal AND are a Sprint Customer, then this product might just brighten your day.

The Sprint AIRAVE (made by Samsung) is a portable cellular base station with a network port.

Simply plug it into an Internet connection, and hey presto; instant Sprint signal.

Coverage is about 5000 square feet, which should be enough for even the largest hotel room. The device is secured, which means only the phones you register to it will be able to access the signal (up to three at a time).

The AIRAVE should be available from July 15th, and will cost $99 plus $15 per month for a currently unknown calling bundle.

When connected to a cable or DSL line, the AIRAVE will support voice and data signals, as well as provide location based support thanks to an included GPS antenna.

The Sprint FAQ’s don’t mention anything about using the device abroad, but chances are it’ll work just fine; though it may not be legal…

Sprint AIRAVE

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XOHM announced this week that it will be launching its first commercial market in Baltimore, Maryland in September 2008.

Up next are Chicago and Washington, DC, with commercial service planned to be ready by the end of this year.

WiMAX network preparations continue in Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Providence, and Philadelphia. Launch dates for those cities have not yet been decided.

Forget the 3G iPhone and the HTC Diamond… this is the technology I’m waiting for.

Source: Xohm.com

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WiMax has long been seen as a potential competitor to cellular-based data networks, allowing a combination of high speeds and reasonable range.  Plus roaming between access points is supposed to be way easier to manage than normal WiFi connections.  Of course, it also requires a whole new infrastructure to be built out and it isn’t backwards compatible with other technologies such as WiFi, so it is a bit of a hard sell to drive adoption.  Still, companies are developing solutions.  Sprint has been working on their XOHM network for a while now, with a launch expected any day now or in several months, depending on who is giving statements to the press on any given day.

Things like this seem to take off more quickly in Europe, with more densely populated cities and a populace generally more willing to adopt the new technologies.  And so it is that Amsterdam was the target of a WiMax network launch this week.  With access priced at 20 Euro per month and unlimited download capacity the offering is priced lower than most other broadband options, so they’ve got a chance to take over a decent market share.  At the same time, however, the company’s management acknowledges that unless they are able to expand their coverage area and their subscriber base pretty significantly that they won’t be able to stick around too long.

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Tomorrow is a big day for Sprint. It’s when their newest and "most advanced" smartphone goes on sale. The Sprint Instinct will sell for $129.99 (after a $100 mail in rebate). This is quite a bit lower than the $199 I had expected it to launch for. To get the phone, you’ll need to commit to one of the "simply everything" plans which start at $69.99 (for unlimited data and 450 minutes).

Family plans (with unlimited data and 1500 minutes) are $129.99.

Over the course of the 2 year contract a family using 2 of these phones will pay $3379, which seems quite insane for what is essentially a fairly basic smartphone. The features of the Sprint Instinct match the other smartphones in their lineup (the Touch and Mogul). Needless to say, I doubt we’ll be seeing iPhone like madness at the local Sprint store tomorrow.

Sprint press release

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No and no.

Most of the world (and the iPhone) uses the GSM system. GSM is the technology used by T-mobile and AT&T in the USA.

Verizon (and Sprint) use CDMA. This is a totally different system, and the innards of the phone are completely incompatible.

There is no "hack", trick or software enhancement that can turn a GSM device into a CDMA device.

Of course this isn’t what you want to hear, and I can fully understand that you really really want an iPhone on Verizon. But the only solution is to forget about it, or switch to AT&T.

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This is suddenly a hot topic. New phones are appearing on a rival network, but you are still under contract with your current operator. Canceling your contract will result in an early termination fee of up to $200, but what do you do if you want to keep your current number when you switch provider?

In most cases, it’s possible to port your number from operator A to operator B, without the contract at operator A coming to an end (and resulting in that ETF).

Once you’ve done the number port by calling operator B, call operator A and tell them you want a "win-back". This will assign your old line a new number and keep it active, thus avoiding the pain of the termination fee. In most cases you’ll see the ETF on your invoice, but once you do the win-back, it will be credited right away, so don’t wait too long to call them.

Of course, this means you’ll be stuck paying for 2 lines, but if you only have a couple of months left with operator A, then it means you can get that shiny new iPhone/Blackberry you’ve been dreaming of.

Of course, sooner or later all operators will have pro-rated termination fees, making this entire post obsolete.

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It’s finally official; the Sprint Instinct (aka the Sprint iPhone killer) will be available on June 20th, a full 21 days before the 3G iPhone arrives.

It’ll cost $199, but only after another customary $100 Sprint mail-in rebate. But to make matters worse, the rumors about the Instinct only being available with the Sprint "everything plan" are indeed true. You will have to pay Sprint a dollar short of 100 bucks a month for the pleasure of using this device.

The Sprint "everything plan" comes with unlimited minutes, data, SprintTV, Sprint Navigation, SMS and MMS messages. If you only need a few hundred minutes a month, then this plan makes no sense.

Which is why in my opinion it’s doomed before it has even been released.

The only bright spot seems to be that Sprint is willing to sell it to anyone, no matter how much they have left on their current contract. They will of course have to signup for a new 2 year plan though… That Blackberry Bold keeps looking more and more appealing to me…

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This summer is slowly turning into the hottest mobile season ever. All major manufacturers have at least one "super phone" in the pipeline. Here are some of the upcoming devices side by side:

(1) EVDO Rev.A.

(2) Initial release will be on Quadband GSM, a CDMA release is planned for later this year.

(3) The OS on the Sprint Instinct is "closed", no system currently exists to develop or add applications.

(4) The iPhone, HTC Diamond and SonyErcisson Xperia X1 all support Microsoft Activesync email, which requires a third party service. The iPhone will support the upcoming Apple MobileMe service which includes push email ($99/year).

(5) No US operator has openly committed to releasing this phone on their network.

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Laptop magazine got their hands on the upcoming Sprint Instinct, and took it for a spin. The initial impressions? Head on over to their site to find out. But I can reveal that it looks quite promising.

Laptop Magazine Sprint Instinct review

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