Palm Pixi Coming Soon

Were you a fan of the Pre's software, but didn't like the design? This seems to be the case with many people that haven't taken to the smartphone, but now Palm has you covered. Introducing the Palm Pixi. It is a sub-$100 smartphone that offers the same software as the Pre, but in a different design. Instead of the slider design that the Pre has, the Pixi is more like the Centro, with a candy bar design with a touch screen and a full keyboard underneath. The Pixi doesn't feature the center button to get back to your cards that you have open like the Pre, instead it uses the gesture area to get to card view. When it is available to get to card view, a light strip is present that lets you know that you can tap the gesture area to get to card view. The Pixi also features a 2 megapixel camera, 3G support, and the WebOS software that is also on the Pre. The main missing features form the Pre, however, are wifi and a 3.2 megapixel camera. The Pixi is aimed at entry level smartphone users, so these missing points are not a problem. Overall, the Pixi looks like it is going to be another great smartphone for Sprint, and it will be interesting to see how the reviews of this second WebOS device look.

Pixi hands on with Cnet.

Palm Centro at New Low Price

The Palm Centro, one of Palm's last Palm OS devices, and arguably it's most successful device ever, is still available from Sprint, believe it or not. There are other, newer smart phone choices, but the Centro is still a solid offering for an entry smartphone. The phone is now just $29.99 with a new two year contract. It offers a 1.3 megapixel camera, 3G support, and is compatible with the Sprint TV service. The phone also has a full QWERTY keyboard and a touchscreen in addition to it's hardware controls. The phone comes in black, olive green, and vibrant rose. It would have been nice to see the red color with Sprint, but you will have to deal with the three other colors that are still around. From personal experience, the keyboard looks small, but is usable. You would have to try it out by yourself, though. It takes nice pictures, and is a great device for messaging, email, internet, or whatever you want it to do. The silence switch on the top of the device is a nice addition, too. Overall, you might want something more new and advanced, but if you have used a Palm before, or looking for a cheap and basic smart phone, the Centro might be the way to go for you.

A full Cnet review here.

Blackberry Tour: Now Without Camera

The Blackberry Tour is the newest and greatest Blackberry for CDMA carriers. Not only does it offer an updated design and interface, but it was meant to replace the aging Blackberry Curve 8350i. The only missing links for the update were Wifi and a camera-less version for secure work places. Now that Sprint has said that they are to offer a Tour with Wifi come 2010, the only other factor that might keep someone from buying a Tour is now fixed: a camera-less version is now available. Sprint Enterprise and Business users that need a camera-less phone: you can now get a Tour without the camera, but if you want Wifi, you will need to wait longer still.

A full Cnet review of the Tour (with camera) here.

Sprint Website Now With Cnet Ratings

The Sprint main website for buying phones and other services (sprint.com) now includes more than just user reviews, but also Cnet.com reviews. For years, Cnet has been a great source of high quality professional reviews with videos and pictures to go with the phones. And now when you are searching for a new phone to buy, the sprint.com website supplies you with a quick average user review and a Cnet Editors review. A great addition to the website!

Their website can be found here.

Samsung Instinct HD Camera Phone

The newest addition to the Instinct line for Sprint, the Instinct HD, finally gives some improvement over the first device, not just a design change. The new camera phone includes a 5 megapixel camera (with HD video recording), Wifi, 3G, and a full touch screen. The phone includes the typical Samsung interface for the Instinct line, with a favorites menu being prevalent to every other menu on the phone. The Instinct HD has a good design and hardware that finally improve upon the first phone, but you should only consider the phone if you want high quality 5 megapixel photos and/or HD video recording, since the phone will set you back a full $250 with a new two year contract.

A full Cnet review of the Instinct HD can be found here.

Samsung Reclaim Free!

The eco-friendly phone from Sprint, the Samsung Reclaim, made just a small splash when it was released. Being credited for containing many recycled materials and made very naturally (as far as cell phones go), it is now free with a new two year contract. The phone comes in both blue and green, and both colors have a 1.3 megapixel camera, the Sprint One-Click User interface, and a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard.

A Cnet review of the Reclaim can be found here.

HTC Hero Now Available

In case you haven't already head, the HTC Hero is now available from Sprint. The Hero is somewhat similar in design to the European Hero, but it now doesn't feature the large chin that the European version has, and also has a larger trackball surrounded by flush (but easy to press) buttons that were all right below the screen on the European version. The Hero also is much snappier than the European Hero, which was known for it's lag time, partly because of the HTC Sense UI. The Sense UI is also on this version of the Hero, but it seems that the software has been modified so the lag time is gone from the phone. The whole phone is great from my use. It has a gorgeous multi-touch screen, a great web browser, and the entire phone is very customizable and has a great feel to it. Every feature of it is great, including the multiple home screens that now come with it. The virtual keyboard is also great, and you can use it either in vertical or horizontal, or use a modified (like the Blackberry Pearl) keyboard or a number pad with T9 text input, also. And in case you were worried about breaking it, don't worry, because the built quality is some of the best I have ever used (er, felt), and it doesn't seem like a few drops w0uld hurt this phone. It is available from Sprint for $179 with a two-year contract.

Samsung Moment Coming Soon

The Android revolution is here, and it's coming fast. Now that there are more Android phones coming, and not all the phones are on T-Mobile anymore in the form of the G1 and the My Touch 3G, people are starting to realize that Android is a powerful platform. The OS has already come to Sprint on the HTC Hero, but it was covered over with the (great) HTC Sense UI. Although the HTC
Sense UI is great, some people would prefer the stock Android OS without Sense. Welcome Samsung Moment. The Moment is the second device that will be coming for Sprint, and will probably be the second that isn't from T-Mobile. Although it doesn't seem to have as solid as a build as the Hero, it features a faster processor and a slide out keyboard. The phone also features an optical touch pad, similar to the new Blackberry's, which is a nice touch instead of the trackball that HTC has put on their Android phones. The Moment is geared more towards users that want a keyboard on a phone, not just a full touch screen. This will be a great device for that market, and will be a solid smartphone to Sprint's already robust smartphone lineup. Expect to see the Moment sometime in November.

About This Blog

Hello, and welcome to the Sprint Blog! This is my first blog post and blog on blogger.com, but I am coming from wordpress.com after they suspended my account. This blog will be about everything Sprint, from their new phones and rate plans to what is happening with them in the news. If you are interested, I would definitely make sure to check back regularly, and I will be trying to keep you all updated on what's happening at Sprint! Enjoy ;)

Update: The site will now include Cnet review links for products that have them. Cnet is based in California, and is a company dedicated to electronics and gadgets. They have many product reviews and news about everything with electronics. Check out the site here!