In a Shift from Nextel's Network, Sprint Releasing Rugged CDMA Phones

Although Sprint has already announced their plans to phase out their iDen network acquired by Nextel, they haven't given customers on the aging network a real reason to switch over to CDMA. In a first move to change this situation, Sprint has released the Sanyo Taho, a rugged flip phone that runs on the CDMA network. Although the phone isn't totally waterproof, it can withstand total submersion in up to one meter of water for thirty minutes, along with other military-grade specs. The phone doesn't have any type of push-to-talk service that doesn't use iDen, however, so this is only a phone for Nextel customers that like the rugged style of some of the phones. Sprint also has the Motorola ES400S smartphone, which is also a rugged phone. The ES400S has a full QWERTY keyboard on a candybar design and is running Windows Mobile 6.5.3. (Sprint)

Sprint Finally Offering Refurbished Phones for Regular Sale

Sprint has finally decided to let customers buy refurbished phones in addition to new ones, a great way to save some money the next time that you buy your next phone. Something that other phone carriers have been doing for a long time now, refurbished phones used to only be available when you got needed to get a phone replaced. Some of the phones that are available to be refurbished include the HTC Hero, Blackberry Bold 9650, and the Sanyo 2700. Hopefully, more and more phones will be available refurbished soon, since you can save over $100 buying a phone refurbished instead of new from Sprint. (Sprint)

Sanyo Vero Launched on Sprint

While there has been lots of talk about smartphones lately, there have also been other, more basic phones released on Sprint, like the Sanyo Vero. The basic flip phone features a 1.3 megapixel camera, a large and easy to use keypad, and text and picture messaging capability. The phone can hold 600 contacts in it's phone book, and it's name means "true" in Italian. The Vero also has a "glow-thru" external display that, when not active, blends in with the rest of the phone. The phone also has great battery life and a soft-touch backing for a better grip. The phone will be available for $9.99 with a new two-year contract from Sprint. (Sprint)

Foneshow Delivers Podcasts By Phone Call

For all those Sprint customers out there without a data plan, or don't feel like using their precious data for downloading or streaming podcasts, there is a great service called Foneshow. I have been using Foneshow for about two weeks now, and feel that the service is great, especially for customers that don't have smartphones with data plans to get their podcasts.

After signing up for an account on foneshow.com, you can select any shows that they have on the site and subscribe to them. They have a variety of shows from many different sources, and I am currently subscribed to some from Cnet and Engadget. Once you do this, you should get a text message with the latest episode and a phone number that is wants you to call. Here is what one of my text messages from the service looked like:
Buzz Out Loud from CNet: Buzz Out Loud 1254: Google has an honesty prob 29:41 call ---------- to hear this Foneshow!
The number goes where I put the dashes. I just call the number there and it delivers the Foneshow through the phone on a voice call. It is very simple to use and whenever a new episode is released it is usually quick to alert you by text message and let you listen to it through the phone.

Some will be turned off by the fact that it uses your normal minutes on the phone call, which wasn't a big deal for me since I have tons of leftover minutes from Any Mobile Any Time. Just make sure you watch your minutes and how long your podcasts are, and if you are short on minutes you can listen when you get night or weekend minutes. If you are a Sprint/CDMA user (you most likely are if your reading this), you will also not be able to get data on your phone when using the service, unless you are connected to a Wifi (or WiMax) network when on the call.

The service is also very useful by resuming the podcast where you left off if you hang up or it gets dropped, which makes it better than streaming because you don't have to find the place the video was. The feature also has pause, fast forward, start from the beginning, and other functions right from the call.

If you like to listen to your favorite podcasts without having to remember when they come on, Foneshow is a great service that is helpful to keep up on your latest podcasts. It is also nice for users without good data reception at their house or work, without smartphones, or who need to watch their usage of data. Although some people can just get the podcasts right on their phone, I find Foneshow easier to use and it doesn't take up space on your memory card or internal memory. (Foneshow)

Open Enrollment for Sprint Insurance Program in March

This month, you will be able to enroll in Sprint's Insurance plan for phones, no matter how long ago you purchased your phone. So in case you forgot to enroll within the first month of purchasing your device, or you realize that you want to enroll now, you can sign up now. They are also extending customer service hours and letting you track your phone online, which are great features for people anxious to get a broken phone back and working again. (Sprint)

Sprint Expands Buyback Program to Non-Sprint Phones, Too

Looking to switch to Sprint, but wondering what you are going to do with your old phone? It looks like anyone that has an old phone, even from other carriers, can now get credit for them when they give them to Sprint. Up to three phones can be returned to Sprint for a credit, and any phones after that won't be credited. If your family has been with another carrier before now, each person buying a new Sprint phone could give three phones for a credit, which adds up to a nice fat credit, depending on the phones. You can use the credit to pay for your bill or new phone, too. Previously, Sprint only accepted Sprint branded phones for a credit, but now they will take any phone and give you credit back for them. A great way to get customers, especially those that don't want to deal with services like eBay and Craigslist. (Sprint)

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.