Blackberry Announces 4G Playbook Tablet for Sprint

For all of you email fanatics out there that are locked to your Blackberry, or for everybody that is looking to get a new tablet and wants to get the fastest speed on their new device, you will now find that the Blackberry Playbook will be coming to Sprint with WiMax in tow. The tablet shouldn't be released until sometime this summer, but it is good to know that RIM is still commited to the latest network technology, even if they still have EDGE phones available for purchase. (Both picture and information via Engadget)

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 4G Launches In Sacramento, California

If you live in the Sacramento area and haven't already figured it out, Sprint 4G launched on November 15th. This makes the 62nd market to have the Wimax technology. So everybody with an Epic, Evo, and Overdrive, turn on 4G and start experiencing the Wimax! (Sprint)

Samsung Galaxy Tab Available for Preorder by Sprint Premier Customers

For the next three days, Sprint will be taking preorders for their version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The seven inch tablet is expected to be a major iPad competitor, and has been announced for T-Mobile and Verizon, too. The Galaxy Tab features a seven inch capacitive touchscreen, dual cameras, and Android 2.2. The tablet also has support from Google and features the Android Market and Google apps, something that some other tablets have failed to get. The tablet has already been reviewed by a few sites, such as Engadget, with one of the major complains being that some of the apps don't scale properly for the different screen size of the Galaxy Tab. Pricing is $400 with a new two year contract, and the smallest data plan is $29 a month for 2 GB of data. Oh, and for all you 4G fans out there, this is a 3G only device, so sadly no Wimax.

ZTE Peel Creates a Mobile Hotspot On Your iPod Touch

For Sprint fans that like the idea of carrying aaround an Apple device that is internet connected, but don't like the idea of being tied to AT&T's network, now have another option for their devices. The ZTE Peel is a case that is used for your iPod Touch that has a Mifi-like device built into the case. The case has a power button near the top of the case, and will run you $79 with a new two--year contract. The monthly charge for the case is $29, but unlike a normal Mifi, you can only connect two Wifi devices to the ZTE Peel at a time. So for road warriers that like their iPod Touch, the ZTE Peel is a device to consider, but a Mifi or Overdrive might better suit your needs if you want to connect more than two devices to your mobile hotspot, especially if you wannt the ability to access the Wimax network. (Sprint)

T-Mobile Claiming It Has the Fastest 4G Network

T-Mobile recently started an ad campaign claiming that they have the nation's largest 4G network. Although this sounds horribly familiar to Verizon making ads about it having the largest 3G network, their ads weren't false and actually made sense. T-Mobile currently operates a 3G network based on the HSPA+ standard, which T-Mobile claims is a 4G network as far as consumers are concerned, along with LTE and WiMax. Yet this is not true. Although WiMax and LTE aren't technically considered 4G networks at this point, they are based on a 4G standard, while HSPA+ is just another evolution of 3G. T-Mobile claims the consumers won't notice the difference, because they don't know enough about 4G networks and standards yet. But calling a 3G standard 4G is just false advertising and further confuses the consumers. Once T-Mobile finally does release a network based on 4G standards, what are they going to call it? I'm sorry, but false advertising is not going to help you in the long run, T-Mobile.

Sprint 4G Launched In Five New Markets, Including New York City

Sprint has finally launched WiMax in New York City, along with Hartford, New Haven, New Brunswick, Trenton, and Tampa. For everybody out there with 4G devices, this means you can finally get a taste of 4G speeds in all these locations. The addition of these five markets brings the total number of markets with 4G coverage to 61, which is a good number considering that no other wireless carrier has publicly launched a 4G network yet. (Sprint)