Tag: Sprint

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Sprint Teams Up With Google Voice | Epicenter | Wired.com

 

Google Voice is getting a lot easier for Sprint mobile phone customers to use starting Monday. The two companies are making it possible for customers to integrate their Sprint and Google Voice numbers, regardless of whether their phones are smart or dumb.

Sprint customers who don’t have Google Voice can now choose to use their existing Sprint number as their Google Voice number, without having to go through the hassle of porting it over to Google.

The move gives Sprint a marketing tool to win new customers — something Sprint will need if AT&T gets clearance to buy T-Mobile. The partnership also offloads some of the work in building new voicemail and phone features to Google, while the search and advertising giant finds a way to tie even more users to its web of software products.

It also marks the first time that a mobile carrier has partnered with Google Voice — which many had seen as a way for Google to eventually develop a phone service that bypassed traditional operators.

Google allowed any U.S. cellphone user to port their existing mobile number to Google Voice in January. That long-awaited feature makes it simple to switch to Google Voice because you don’t have train people to call a new number. However, the porting option is fraught with peril, due to the vagaries of cellphone contracts and mobile operator’s customer service.

The new Sprint partnership makes it much simpler to choose Google Voice. When you sign up, your Sprint number just becomes your Google Voice number without the hassle and expense of porting — or the need to download an app.

Once it’s set up, incoming calls to a Sprint user’s current number can also ring work and home numbers, as well as software inside Gmail. Those who switch also get low-cost international calls through Google Voice, call screening, voicemail transcription, phone number blocking, the ability to switch a call from phone-to-phone while in progress, free conference calling and per-person voicemail greetings.

Calls from Gmail and text messages sent using the Google Voice website, http://google.com/voice, will also display your.....Read more via Sprint Teams Up With Google Voice | Epicenter | Wired.com.

Deutsche Telekom thinking of merging T-Mobile USA with Sprint?

It ain't as crazy as you may think. If you'll recall, we actually heard last month that Deutsche Telekom was mulling the idea of spinning off T-Mobile USA from its portfolio, and now it looks as if one carrier in particular is interested. According to the inimitable "people with knowledge of the matter," Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting that Deutsche Telekom has gone ahead with talks to "sell its T-Mobile USA unit to Sprint in exchange for a major stake in the combined entity." Granted, there's no guarantees at this point that the two will actually reach a deal that sits well with both boards, and up until now, they haven't been able to come to terms with T-Mob's valuation. As the story goes, Deutsche Telekom has purportedly said that it could sell "all or part of the US business, and all options are open." Meanwhile, Sprint's remaining mum. A merger of these two would combine the number three and four players in America, but if that doesn't pan out, T-Mobile USA may end up buying wireless spectrum from Clearwire as an alternative. We're hearing that an outright sale of T-Mobile in the US is pretty much off of the table, but considering just how many backroom talks are apparently going on in both camps, we won't be surprised until they tell us to be.

Deutsche Telekom thinking of merging T-Mobile USA with Sprint? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC seeks EVO View 4G trademark, all but confirming WiMAX tablet for Sprint

Not that we were doubting the veracity of our tipster's info, but here's a nice fat slice of pseudo-official confirmation of what we were told a couple of days ago. HTC has laid claim to the trademark of "HTC EVO View 4G," confirming our indications that an EVO View tablet would be coming to Sprint's Now Network. That postulation is also supported by the fact that the EVO branding has only ever appeared in association with Sprint as well as some pretty compelling circumstantial evidence. There is an interesting new piece to the puzzle, however, in the 4G appendage to the device's name, which would imply that we're looking at our first WiMAX tablet -- something Sprint promised for this year and looks set to unveil at the upcoming CTIA 2011 trade show. Our expectation is that the EVO View 4G moniker will be attached to HTC's1.5GHz Flyer, a 7-inch Android Gingerbread slate with aspirations for Honeycomb glory in its near future. Only one way to be sure though, keep an eye on our CTIA coverage and we'll let you know as soon as the official bird chirps out the official word.

HTC seeks EVO View 4G trademark, all but confirming WiMAX tablet for Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's Nexus website is 'coming soon'

Just to throw a little more fuel on the fire, it turns out that directing your browser to now.sprint.com/nexus takes you to a landing site where you're told that "this page will be ready soon." Certainly sounds more likely than ever that Sprint's preparing to launch its own variant of the Nexus S -- and if our sources are correct, it'll be called the Nexus S 4G, likely with both CDMA and WiMAX on board. Interestingly, both now.sprint.com/evoview and now.sprint.com/evo3d -- the other two devices in our rumor three-pack from earlier today -- redirect to Sprint's home page rather than giving you an HTTP 404 error, suggesting they're also real. CTIA kicks off in just over two weeks' time where these things are likely to be revealed, but who knows? Maybe they'll give us a little tease ahead of the show. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sprint's Nexus website is 'coming soon' originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint announcing Nexus S 4G, EVO 3D, and EVO View tablet at CTIA?

The media -- yours truly included -- has been trying to figure out why Sprint has booked an insane two-and-a-half hour slot at CTIA later this month. That's not the kind of event you throw together just to rehash the devices you've introduced over the last half year -- something's up, and if our source is correct, they're up to something big. First, we're hearing that the carrier will launch the Nexus S 4G from Samsung, and judging from the name, the phone should be something akin to a Nexus S with WiMAX. It seems this one could be either the SPH-D600 or SPH-D720, both of which have recently received certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance, though the SPH-D720 is more likely; the D600 shows WPS support, which is available in TouchWiz-skinned devices but not in stock Gingerbread. You might recall that Sprint came very, very close to launching its own version of the Nexus One before dropping it in favor of the EVO 4G last year, so maybe they're ready to do the deed this time. Next, a couple that we don't have much detail on: the EVO 3D, which is... well, a 3D-capable EVO of some sort. 2011 is certainly shaping up to be the year of 3D phones and tablets, so that wouldn't be much of a surprise. The other unit in the mix is the EVO View, a tablet that we're guessing will shape up to be something of a CDMA-powered Flyer. If this all pans out, it's looking like Sprint could own this show. CES was a bit of a dud for them, you might recall -- the EVO Shift 4G was the only handset announcement there -- so they're overdue. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Sprint announcing Nexus S 4G, EVO 3D, and EVO View tablet at CTIA? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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