sprint

Although the HTC Arrive is yet to come out, looks like Sprint is pushing some updates to the few carrier apps that are on board (seriously, it's sparse). Both the 'Sprint  Zone' and 'TeleNav GPS Nav' programs received some 0.1 updates with, of course, no change-log to be noted. However, we can now at least use TeleNav as before we were unable to register the device, so perhaps that's the fix.

'Sprint Zone' is the carriers "hub" for the phone, offering software, tips and other Sprint news delivered to the phone (see it in our video hands on), whereas TeleNav GPS is a full-featured turn-by-turn navigation system (works in landscape too, woohoo).

Interestingly, it looks like Sprint is still finishing up some apps for Windows Phone as the Sprint Zone lists 'Sprint TV & Movies' but it's not available. However, 'Sprint Radio' ("powered by mSpot") is and it delivers "over 60 channels of crystal-clear music in all genres" and is free with your data plan (eat that, AT&T). Of course there is also 'Sprint Radio Extra' which you can pay $5.95/month for, zinger. Sprint Radio Extra is commercial-free and has ABC News, Fox Sports, NPR, etc. with customizations. It's like Pandora. We'll have more on Sprint Radio later.

File this under unconfirmed, but probable.

We have a report that people in the Seattle area may have early access to the Sprint HTC Arrive, which will hit Sprint stores around the 20th of this month. Evidently, some Sprint stores are telling customers that they can pick up their phones on the 17th instead--okay, so three whole days is nothing extraordinary, but it's still, not shabby.

Interestingly enough, the reason given for the early release? Microsoft. We know those employees get to pre-order theirs, with the corp paying for each employee to have a phone and we hare they're nearby Seattle. Furthermore, we're told each store should have one Arrive on hand to play with right now...so maybe go hit up your local store and get some one-on-one time, eh? Let us know if you if you do.

Thanks, Bryce, for the heads up!

After a couple of days worth of teasing, the HTC Arrive -- aka the HTC 7 Pro -- has, erm, arrived on Sprint! It'll officially go on sale March 20 for $199.99 (after two-year contract and $100 rebate). And that's not a bad price for the tilting, sliding phone. And best of all, it'll have the cut-and-paste update on board when you pull it out of the box. Can't beat that.

Other features of note:

• 3.6-inch touchscreen at 480x800
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor
• 16GB of internal memory
• 1500mAh battery
• 5MP camera with flash and 720p recording
• Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
• Wifi b/g/n
• And all the usual Sprint customizations and WP7 features.

Full specs and the presser are after the break, and there's more at Sprint. Who's gonna pick this one up?

Like we needed any more proof from the other day, Sprint has gone ahead and dropped the "Xbox" word in their latest tweet just moments ago.

So no Android, no HP WebOS...just sweet, sweet Windows Phone 7. Probably, most definitely the HTC 7 Pro aka the T7575 aka "Arrive".

Come back and rejoice tomorrow when the details are posted...

Sprint just had another Tweet which not-so-cryptically reads:

"If you could design a brand new phone, what would it have? Ours will have a hub for gaming, music, pictures and video."

That's only one OS in the world and it ain't Android, baby! (Although technically, Samsung has been swiping "hubs" for their Galaxy SII phones...) We imagine in the next 48hrs a ton of info should be coming out regarding availability, pricing, etc. All we know is we can't wait and we'll be the first to order.

Finally, Windows Phone on CDMA.

Source: @sprint; Thanks, @bdattilo, for the heads up!

Rafael Rivera of CheveronWP7 fame has tweeted that Sprint customers will be enjoying Windows Phone 7 in the first two weeks of March. And the phone of choice for Sprint shall be the HTC 7 Pro. This makes sense as we just saw the leaked, finalized ROM for the Sprint 7 Pro, which hints as near release.

To date, the official time frame for a CDMA Windows Phone 7 is sometime during the first half of 2011 (March would qualify). This time frame also mirrors the release date (early March) for the first WP7 update, "NoDo", that will contain CDMA support as well as copy/paste and performance enhancements.

There was speculation that the "NoDo" update was delayed due to carriers. Could the carrier delay have been to allow Sprint time to get ready for a Windows Phone launch? Nothing official from Sprint or Microsoft confirming this but March will be here before you know it. 

Source: Twitter; Thanks goes out to TimN for the tip!

While news of the HTC 7 Pro heading to Sprint has gotten Windows Phone users excited, this next bit of news may be more of a bitter pill to take. Sprint has announced that effective January 30, 2011 they will begin charging a $10 per month Premium Data add-on charge to customers with smartphones.

Sprint is defining smartphones as,

"...devices with robust operating systems that deliver a rich wireless experience by bringing the full function of mobile applications and programs to life, including Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile, Palm, and the Instinct family of devices."

Bob Johnson, Sprint's President of Consumer Business, explains/justifies the reasoning behind the $10 fee by saying,

“Sprint wants its customers to experience the range of entertainment and productivity possibilities available with today’s wireless technology. While some of our competitors impose overage charges and complex plans, Sprint continues to provide a worry-free, unlimited data experience while on the Sprint network. This is responsible, sustainable and reflects our commitment to simplicity and value.”

Sprint contends that smartphone users consume, on average, ten times more data than users of traditional feature phones. Increased consumption means it becomes more costly for Sprint to maintain the same level of service.  But is it better to charge a Premium Data fee and continue unlimited data or put a cap on the unlimited packages and charge slightly less?

The good news in all this mess is that Sprint will not impose this fee on existing smartphone customers unless they upgrade to or activate another smartphone.  Still, the news of the $10 fee does put a damper on the excitement the 7 Pro was stirring up. 

You can read the full press release from Sprint following the break.

Source: Sprint  via: AndroidCentral