Looking to improve and simplify the end user experience a bit, Sprint has announced a new user interface for their middle-tier handsets called “One Click”. First appearing on three Sprint handsets, One Click “gives customers the ability to easily access the features they use most on their wireless phone.” The One Click user interface is essentially a carousel style menu system that is personalized by each user. Users select their favorite phone features to place on the user interface and then with a single click, the user can access that feature (Yes.. hence the “One Click” name).

One Click will be initially available on three phones - the LG Lotus, the Samsung Highnote, and the Samsung Rant. Here’s what you need to know about these three phones:

LG Lotus:

• QWERTY flip phone
• Square shape
• Two color options - textured purple and satin black
• Stereo Bluetooth support
• 2.0 megapixel camera/camcorder
• Sprint TV, Sprint Navigation, Sprint Music Store  support
• Available in October for $149.99 after a two year contract

Samsung Highnote:

• Dual-slider design
• Slide up to reveal dial pad
• Slide down to reveal stereo speakers
• Available in red or blue
• Support for Sprint Music Store, Sprint Navigation, Web surfing, email, texting etc
• 2.0 megapixel camera/camcorder
• Stereo Bluetooth
• up to 16GB memory
• Speaker independent voice recognition
• Available on October 19th for $99.99 after a two year contract and a $50 dollar mail-in rebate

Samsung Rant:

• Horizontal slider with QWERTY keyboard
• Support for Sprint Navigation, Sprint Music Store, Sprint TV
• 2.0 megapixel camera/camcorder
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Up to 16GB memory
• Speaker independent voice recognition
• Available in red or black
• Available in October for $49.99 with two year contract and after $50 dollar mail-in rebate

Technorati Tags: Sprint, One Click, LG Lotus, Samsung Highnote, Samsung Rant

The Sprint AIRAVE device and service is finally just around the corner. According to a press release from Sprint, the new AIRAVE by Samsung, will officially launch on August 17th with an MSRP of $99.99 (additional charges will apply for required services - more on that in a second).

If you’re not familiar with Sprint AIRAVE, it’s basically a mini cell tower that you purchase and install in your home or business which then connects to your broadband Internet connection. The AIRAVE is compatible with any Sprint phone (not Nextel phones though) which means Sprint subscribers will be able to use their phones whether they are on the go or at home. It’s especially useful if you have poor Sprint reception in your home or office because the AIRAVE gives you a localized coverage area for your phone calls (think T-Mobile HotSpot@Home meets cell phone towers). The AIRAVE is compatible with all Sprint phones because it leverages the same Sprint CMDA network signals as the wider Sprint Nationwide Network. 

Key features include:

• No new phone to purchase
• Talk all you want with the optional unlimited AIRAVE calling plan. The plan includes unlimited incoming and outgoing calls and nationwide long distance are included
• Easy to install into existing broadband Internet connection - ready to use out of the box
• Calls initiated on AIRAVE will transfer automatically to nationwide Sprint network when you leave the AIRAVE coverage area.
• Covers up to 5,000 square feet

So now the payment details. The Sprint AIRAVE by Samsung will cost you $99.99 to purchase. You’ll need to subscribe to an AIRAVE enhanced coverage plan which costs $4.99 per month on top of your existing voice plan. If you want unlimited in-home calling and you do not have Sprint’s unlimited voice plan, you can purchase an optional AIRAVE Unlimited Voice plan for an additional $10 dollars per month for individuals or $20 dollars per month for families. And again - the AIRAVE will be coming out on August 17th.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sprint AIRAVE, August 17th

Sprint introduced their new Sprint Web homepage today - a new web property that attempts to personalize displayed content automatically based on prior web browsing usage history. Basically, the homepage attempts to personalize your web experience by tailoring the content to match your web surfing patterns. Sprint Web will be available on popular mobile phones from Sprint and will also offer direct access to Google Search.

The Sprint Web homepage is powered by technology developed by ChangingWorlds which specializes in mobile Internet personalization and content discovery technologies.

Sprint Web will be available on 40+ Sprint phones including RAZR2 by Motorola, Centro by Palm, Rumor by LG, Upstage by Samsung, and Katana DLX by Sanyo. The new homepage and Google Search features will be available at no additional charge to Sprint data subscribers.

Ah.. nothing like the battle for mobile eyeballs!

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sprint Web homepage

Sprint and Palm have announced that the new Palm Treo 800w is now available for Sprint subscribers. The Treo 800w runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and includes support for EV-DO Rev A data speeds. According to Sprint, the Treo 800w is “Palm’s most business-friendly phone yet.” Features include:

• Full QWERTY keyboard
• Five way navigation controls
• One-touch buttons
• EV-DO Rev A support with download speeds up to 3.1 Mbps
• One-touch Wi-Fi button with support for 802.11 b/g
• Integrated GPS
• Supports Sprint Navigation
• Connects with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or 2007
• Support for Microsoft Direct Push Technology
• Today Screen enhancements
• Dial from the Today screen
• Voicemail controls
• Sprint TV enabled
• Speakerphone
• Built-in 2.0 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth
• 320 x 320 External display
• Memory card slot (microSD)
• 256 MB user memory and 128 MB program memory

The Treo 800w will be available for $249.99 after discounts and a two year contract.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Palm, Sprint, Treo 800w, Windows Smartphone, Windows Moble 6.1 Professional

So we know that Canada’s TELUS Mobilty will be getting the new HTC Touch Diamond but what about here in the US? Well according to WMExperts, it looks like Sprint will be getting the Touch Diamond on September 2nd. The roadmap information they got their hands on shows Sprint introducing a new HTC handset called the MP6950 on that day as well as several other handsets. Just in case you have a hard time viewing the above picture, here are the other new handsets that are supposed to come out for Sprint over the next three months.

On July 27th:

• LG Rumor in Blue
• Palm Treo 800W
• BlackBerry Curve in Red

On August 17th:

• MotoRAZR VE20
• Katana Eclipse by Sanyo (SCP-6750)

On Sept. 2nd:

• Samsung M320
• Samsung M220
• Motorola Renegade V950
• HC MP6950
• Motorola i365

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sprint, HTC Touch Diamond

It appears the upcoming Sprint AIRAVE device is set to launch on July 15th. With AIRAVE, Sprint wll be able to offer a service that’s comparable to T-Mobile’s HotSpot@Home except the AIRAVE is compatible with all Sprint mobile phones and not just with Wi-Fi enabled ones. First off - what is the AIRAVE? Well it’s a device that creates a CDMA signal for your mobile phone and utilizes an existing broadband connection to carry your mobile calls over the Internet. Thus the AIRAVE is targeted for both home and business users - especially for those who have somewhat spotty Sprint service.  Other features include:

• Easy setup
• Works with any Sprint activated phone operating on the Sprint National Network
• Access both voice and data services
• Supports multiple simultaneous calls

Sounds cool right? Well now for the bad news.

According to GearDiary, the AIRAVE includes a GPS unit inside the device. Why a GPS unit? Well this ensures that the AIRAVE is being used in a location where Sprint actually has coverage. Yes.. this means you can’t bring the AIRAVE with you on trips abroad. Booo. The other bad news appears to be the price. For individuals, this will cost you $15 dollars extra (on top of your existing plan) and $30 dollars extra for family plans. Sprint might also require an unlimited plan in order for you to use the AIRAVE though this isn’t confirmed yet.

[Check it out via Boy Genius Report]

Technorati Tags: Sprint AIRAVE,

Making sure the world didn’t forget about the new Samsung Instinct, Sprint announced today that the new Instinct was the “fastest selling EVDO handset in Sprint history.” The handset was made available exclusively to Sprint customers on June 19th and made available to everyone on June 20th. The company said that the Instinct broke Sprint’s record for the first week of sales for any device.

Unfortunately, Sprint failed to actually say how many units were sold during this time period - thus I suppose someone could sit down and do the research on previous phone models that were sold by Sprint to figure out on the low side how many Instinct were actually sold (sorry - I’m not going to try and figure this out). However.. it would have been nice if Sprint actually compiled the numbers and told the press themselves. One would imagine that they know these numbers otherwise they wouldn’t be sending this release out right?

In any event, I’m sure the new Samsung Instinct is probably doing quite well overall for Sprint but it’s also important to remember that Sprint is going to pump out all the PR and marketing fluff it can right NOW while the rest of the world waits for the new iPhone 3G on July 11th. In many ways, this is the calm before the storm - with the storm being the arrival of the new iPhone 3G.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Samsung Instinct, Sprint

Sprint finally announced pricing for the upcoming Samsung Instinct smartphone. When the phone launches on June 20th, it will cost you $129.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a new two year contract with the provider. You’ll be able to get the Instinct either through Sprint’s website, Sprint retail stores, telesales, or Best Buy.

The Instinct must also be activated on a pricing plan that includes unlimited data which basically means you’ll need to choose from one of the “Everything” plans. Prices for the Everything plans start at $69.99 per month and go up to the “Simply Everything Plan” which includes unlimited nationwide voice and data services for $99.99 a month.

Here’s a quick reminder on features of the Samsung Instinct:

• Sprint’s first EV-DO Rev A consumer oriented device
• Large touch screen display featuring localized tactile feedback (haptics)
• Speech to Action button
• Browse the web, access email, share pictures, listen to radio, all at broadband speeds
• Sprint Navigation support via GPS
• Visual Voicemail
• 2 megapixel camera with camcorder
• microSD slot
• Stereo Bluetooth 2.0
• SMS voice and text messaging
• Sprint Mobile Sync

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sprint, Samsung Instinct

Samsung announced that their first Next Direct Connect capable handset, the Z400, is now available in several markets. The handset recently passed military standards (MIL-STD 810F) testing for resistance to dust, shock, and vibration thanks to its ruggedized design. The Z400 features the following:

• Clamshell design
• Measures 3.7 x 1.9 x 0.96 inches and weighs 3.5 oz
• Digital Dual Band 1900MHz and 800MHz, EVDO Rev A
• 2.1 inch main display with 262K color support and 176 x 220 resolution
• Rechargeable Li-Ion battery
• Talk time of 345 minutes
• Operates on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network
• 1.3 megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom
• Record video clips
• Stereo Bluetooth support
• Dark Blue finish and Black rubber housing. The rubber coating improves grip and provides added protection
• Single number option - one number for both wireless phone calls and Nextel Direct Connect calls
• PTT Missed Call Notification - when you’re on a Nextel Direct Connect call, receive notification that you missed a PTT call, Call Alert, or Group Connect Call
• DC Permissions: Ability to block/allow incoming one-to-one PTT calls and Call Alerts
• Call Alert/Call Alert with Text: Send a repeating alert to let any other Nextel Direct Connect user know you are trying to reach them. With the new Text feature you can send canned text messages with a Call Alert. (Users must have a Nextel Direct Connect capable Sprint device to receive the text.)
• Group Connect: Communicate or coordinate activities with up to 20 other Nextel Direct Connect subscribers all at once - nationwide, quickly and easily. Create and manage groups dynamically on your phone or online. Group Connect participants must also have a Nextel Direct Connect capable Sprint device with the Group Connect feature
• TeamDC: Communicate or coordinate activities with up to 35 Nextel Direct Connect subscribers at the same time - nationwide, quickly and easily. Create and manage groups online only. All TeamDC participants must also have a Nextel Direct Connect capable Sprint device with the TeamDC feature
• Speakerphone
• SMS Text Messaging

The Z400 is now available in select markets through Sprint direct sales force, phone sales, and Sprint Stores. The phone will cost $99.99 with a two year service contract and a $50 dollar mail-in rebate.

Technorati Tags: Sprint, Nextel, Samsung Z400

Sprint has announced that the iPhone wanna-be Samsung Instinct (model SCH-M800) mobile phone will be coming out on June 20th. In case you’ve already forgotten about the Instinct (and we really don’t blame ya since it’s easy to forget about anything from Sprint these days), the smartphone features:

• CDMA EV-DO Rev A network support
• Measures 4.57 x 2.17 x 0.49 inches and weighs 4.4 oz
• 3.1 inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 240 x 432. Also features haptic touch screen
• 2 megapixel digital camera
• Video recording and streaming with support for H.264 and MPEG4
• Support for MP3, AAC, AAC+m, MIDI, QCP, and WMA
• Bluetooth 2.0 with stereo Bluetooth profile support
• WAP 2.0, XHTML, HTML, WML, WMLS capable browser
• PictBridge support
• Phonebook
• 2 GB microSD memory card
• USB Charging Cable
• Two standard 1,000 mAh Lithium Ion Batteries
• Each battery support 5.75 hours of talk time

No word on pricing though…

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sprint, Samsung Instinct, June 20th