Mobile Technology News

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Yesterday, an updated version of Google’s Nexus One Android smartphone was released, compatible with AT&T and Rogers Canada’s 3G networks. Today, Sprint is letting everyone know that it is getting the device too.

This means that all four major wireless carriers have secured a spot for the Nexus One this year. Google sells versions of the device optimized for T-Mobile and AT&T’s wireless networks, and a version for Verizon’s network is still expected some time in the Spring, but the operator has not put out any further notices about its availability.

LG and Sprint are continuing their partnership with the release of the successor to the stylish Lotus phone. The LG Lotus Elite has all the looks of the original Lotus, but has stepped it up a notch with a few exclusive features.

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Without any notice to current customers with or those early adopters with dormant accounts, Sprint has locked down the Baltimore Xohm WiMAX network and is not letting inactive hardware be turned back on to allow free upgrades to Clear hardware.

Sprint’s Xohm network was one of the first two WiMAX deployments in the United States. We watched with excitement as the towers were raised in Baltimore and the ceremonial ribbon was cut on the new high speed wireless network.

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Palm limped toward the launch of the Pre, relying on cash and short-term investments to pull it through eight consecutive money-losing quarters in an attempt to turn things around. And now that the Pre has been turned loose, and Pixi, Palm’s second WebOS, device is on the way, the struggling company’s long-term outlook remains modest, and it continues to post losses. Yet it doesn’t want to get too specific about numbers.

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Sprint, the United States’ third largest mobile phone network operator reported its second quarter earnings today, showing a total loss of 4 million, and 257,000 subscribers. For Sprint, these numbers actually represent a minor improvement.

In the past two years, Sprint’s number of subscriptions has dropped by more than 7 million, or roughly one million subscribers per quarter. This quarter Sprint lost 991,000 contract subscribers, but coupled it with the biggest gain in prepaid customers from any U.S. mobile carrier in three years (more than 777,000).

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Tour world phone will be released this weekend on both Verizon and Sprint for 9, and while the device has been received warmly by reviewers and BlackBerry fans, a point of consistent criticism has been the device’s lack of Wi-Fi.

A report from Sprint has arrived, saying that Wi-Fi is a necessary feature in major devices, but the Tour was actually rushed out. Bringing the new BlackBerry to Sprint in a timely fashion outweighed the carrier’s desire to wait for Wi-Fi, according to the report. Consequently, a version of the BlackBerry Tour will be released next year equipped with 802.11.

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

WiMAX operator Clearwire
has acquired the remaining WiMAX licenses from Oneida Communications for an undisclosed amount. Last year, Oneida sold the majority of its licenses to Sprint, but held onto an unspecified number, which now belong to Clearwire. The company did not divulge how many licenses each company obtained or which markets will benefit from the acquisitions.

The HTC Snap for Sprint is a Windows Mobile smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard and HTC’s hot new Inner Circle email system. We give it a workout in this review, complete with video.

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