Yesterday Sprint announced that they too will carry the Google Nexus One. This makes it one of the few smartphones you can get on all 4 US networks with no real variation (and maybe the only one that’s not a Blackberry). There’s no announced date and price, so we’re going to have to wait and see.
If you’re looking to try out Android and don’t want a Droid for some reason, Best Buy has a deal for you. $99 for the Samsung moment or HTC Hero. These are pretty compelling deals, and they’ll be running through December.
Can’t help but think that while the deal may be good for Sprint and Best Buy, it may not be the best news for the Palm Pixi. Why pay $99 when you can get two just-as-good phones with larger screens and GPS? If you really need WebOS, the Pre’s just $50 more.
It’s interesting how married to Operating Systems people can become. My first computer was an Apple IIGS, but then we swiftly moved to Windows. I used to join in deriding Macs, then I got one. Mac OS, especially 10 and up, became my OS of choice. However, I still used Windows (and occasionally Linux) on a daily basis. I’m basically platform agnostic. A platform is a tool, and the one that works best for you is the best… for you. There is no perfect platform for everyone, for computer or phone.
I mention this because of discussions I’ve been having with some fellow techies. This week I finally broke down and bought a Pre. The reactions from my iPhone, WindowsMobile and Blackberry using friends (Sort of sad, but I don’t personally know a single Android user – no I’ve never met Justin) were almost comical in their predictability. I even got complaints about the Pre from a fellow Pre owner… because he’s really a Blackberry user. I’m not saying they’re wrong – I’m just saying the Pre is closer to my “ideal” phone than most of those other options (In fact, I recalled a doodle I drew ten years ago and it resembles the Pre to the point of scariness).
Every phone does its job in one way or another and every phone does it for someone. The cell market is really big enough for everyone. So how about we all just calm down and let people find the right solution?
So, why is the Pre my “perfect phone” (so far, anyway?)? Click the read link and find out.
[Warning – this thing is a fricking essay. I clearly have no life.] (more…)
While the HTC Hero and Palm Pre have been shown to not work on SERO, this writer was able to log onto the SERO web site and select a Moment without any sort of flag. This is very different from what happens when you select a Pre or a Hero – when one does so, the site flags it and tells you one must change one’s plan.
I’ll be spending my lunch break tomorrow testing this theory at a local Sprint store, but I just wanted to throw that out there.
it would seem to make for an interesting corroboration of Mordy’s theory that Sprint is making exclusive OSes (WebOS, Android+SenseUI), and making them require one set of plans, while having “generic” OSes (Palm OS, BB, WinMo) work on any plan.
Oh and side note: Has anyone tried a Samsung Intrepid? For Sprint’s first WinMo 6.5 device, the internet has been stunningly sent.
UPDATE: Looks like the answer is a resounding “no”. A long conversation with a reliable source has shown that yes, you can order the Moment, but it won’t activate. In some ways, that’s even more annoying than just not being able to order the thing. Teases. -Morts 11/4
News this morning that the Palm Pre can be had for a mere $99 has made this blogger wonder again – what kind of pricing will we be seeing for the Pixi?
While a $99 price-point for the Pixi seems obvious, with the Pre already down to that price at one of the largest retailers out there, you have to wonder if the Pre may be (at least through some outlets) the first sub-99 smartphone (first that I can recall, anyway, and isn’t that what matters?).
Yet at the same time, pricing for the Samsung HD was announced this week at a staggering $250. That’s a heck of a lot of gre for a psuedo-smartphone of dubious heritage (to be kind). Plus, the HDMI port on it certainly earns it a “Solution in Need of a Problem” award.
So will the Prixi make headlines by breaking a price barrier? Will they make bloglines by being more expensivethan “big brother” Pre? Will I finally break down and give up my SERO for a WebOS device?
In one of the strangest stories to hit the mobile space in quite some time, T-Mobile USA’s parent company, the mobile giant Deutsche Telekom is rumored to be in talks with Sprint/Nextel about an acquisition.
This sounds hardly likely for a multitude of reasons- first and foremost, the technology isn’t compatible with their current GSM networks. Sprint, being a CDMA carrier, uses completely different frequencies and protocols- the network could never integrate together into one, and would have to be operated as two independent providers. Sound familiar?
Yeah. Sprint did that when they bought Nextel. Nextel was built around yet another competing technology, called iDen, which was famous for its excellent push-to-talk service. When Sprint’s own attempt at a Push-to-talk service didn’t catch on (anyone remember ReadyLink?), the company made a bold move and just bought up their competitor Nextel.
Not only did the move baffle users everywhere, it apparently baffled themselves as well. What was Sprint supposed to do with Nextel? Consolidate into one network? Not possible!
How do you juggle two networks that have nothing to do with each other? The phones aren’t compatible, the towers and infrastructure are different… you’re basically left with one company trying to run two independent networks along with a totally separate lineup of phones.
Sure, Sprint/Nextel tried to make it work with their hybrid phones (superior voice & data of CDMA, instant walkie-talkie chirp of Nextel), but that unfortunately didn’t catch on as well as planned, and it didn’t help solve the infrastructure problem of maintaining towers for both.
In fact, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was recently interviewed by Charlie Rose, and asked if he thought the Nextel aquisition was a bad idea. His response? “In 20 / 20 hindsight, it was, yes… the premium that Sprint paid for Nextel was too much.”
There is a lesson to be learned here. Competing technologies don’t blend together well. So why on earth would one of the largest GSM providers in the world be interested in purchasing the very same US provider guilty of that very mistake?
What could they possibly do with it?
Imagine- T-mobile, together with Sprint, together with Nextel. Three totally different, totally incompatible technologies with different phones and different towers, trying to be maintained by one parent company.
No, this sounds like a hoax.
But isn’t it true that Sprint was planning on selling their Nextel division? Perhaps Deutsche Telekom is interested in just that?
Still rather unlikely. Even though iDen and GSM both use SIM cards, their similarities end there. They would still have the dual-network problem to tackle, although admittedly this is better than a triple-network to tackle. Still, why would D.T. want to take on Sprint’s headache, especially when they admit it wasn’t worth it?
Numbers.
It could very well be that D.T. wants a stronger US presence. T-mobile USA is currently in 4th place as far as subscribers for national carriers. Unlike Sprint, D.T. has very deep pockets due to its worldwide presence, and the sheer number of subscribers may be worth trying to maintain both networks, even if it is not profitable at first. Still, it sounds far fetched, and besides the rumor circulating is about Sprint/Nextel, not just Nextel.
So, no one will ever buy Sprint?
No, I’m not saying that. Sprint has been losing money according to its financial reports, however Deutsche Telekom seems like a poor suitor. Fellow CDMA carrier Verizon seems more like a viable option, especially seeing how they recently bought and are merging networks with CDMA carrier Alltel.
Still, despite financial reports, Sprint appears to keep on pushing ahead with new technology and exclusive handsets… and has no sign of slowing. It is my personal opinion that Sprint itself will be around for some time still.
Still, at the mere mention of this news, Sprint’s stock jumped 11%. While I find the whole thing very unlikely, it would seem that at the very least some investors have reason to believe. Or… like so many other rumors in the wireless industry, this could just dissipate and be forgotten a month from now. We shall see…
While the HTC Hero and Palm Pre have been shown to not work on SERO, this writer was able to log onto the SERO web site and select a Moment without any sort of flag. This is very different from what happens when you select a Pre or a Hero – when one does so, the site flags it and tells you one must change one’s plan.
In one of the strangest stories to hit the mobile space in quite some time, T-Mobile USA’s parent company, the mobile giant Deutsche Telekom is rumored to be in talks with Sprint/Nextel about an acquisition.
