Currently, consumers in America can waltz into their nearest Sprint store and pick up a Samsung Galaxy Tab for use on the CDMA network. But it only works on EVDO, not Sprint’s speedier WiMAX network. According to Sprint President of Business Markets Paget Alves in Forbes, they’ll be rectifying that in 2011, with the launch of an unspecified 4G-capable tablet.

The big unknown is what exactly this tablet (or tablets?) will run as an operating system, a specific Alves was mum on. He did at least admit that Sprint will soon have tablets running different operating systems than the Android-powered Tab. There are a number of options, including BlackBerry’s upcoming playbook, any number of Windows-powered tablets, but oh, could it be, an HP webOS-powered PalmPad? Don’t get your hopes up, because we have no way of reading any further into Alves’ words: there are several options, of which webOS is only one. Then again, we’d like to think that HP is going to go all Samsung here and make their webOS tablet available on all carriers. Wouldn’t that be something?

Source: Forbes; Via: Engadget; Thanks to everyone for the tips!

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The original webOS handset, the one that started it all, appears to be headed the way of the dodo, or at least Amelia Earhart. The Sprint Palm Pre, on sale since June 6, 2009 (522 days ago) has vanished from Sprint’s website. While there are still plenty of references to the phone in various pages (it still shows up in a search for Palm), the phone itself cannot be selected for viewing, purchase, or reminiscing. With no new webOS handsets yet announced, or even rumored, for Sprint, any potential webOS conversion will have to pick up a Wi-Fi-less Palm Pixi if they want to be on Sprint. With how much focus Sprint has been putting on Android handsets and their growing 4G WiMax network, we can’t say we’re too surprised to see the original Pre fading quietly into the sunset. But it still makes us sad.

Non-Source: Sprint.com, Thanks to Dan for the tip!

Update: The Pre Plus is gone from Verizon Wireless as well, several readers tell us. That situation is less dire: we’ve seen the Pre Plus popping on and off Verizon’s site for some time now and (more importantly) we know for sure that the Pre 2 is hitting Verizon soon.

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We’re listening in on Verizon’s presentation at CTIA and they just announced their plans for their LTE roll-out. Unlike Sprint and Clearwire, who have been flipping on their 4G WiMax network one city at a time, Verizon plans to flip the switch to bring their 4G LTE network online in thirty-eight metro markets by the end of 2010 (the black dots above – red is 3G coverage). Verizon also plans to have sixty-two airports blanketed in LTE by the same time. Verizon’s network is designed to handle 5-7Mbps downlink speeds, with an impressive 2-5Mbps uploads. Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not those speeds will be possible in real world use.

Verizon isn’t announcing any devices right now, they’re saving that for CES at the start of January 2011. Apparently both smartphones and tablets will figure into their announcements then, and you can bet that we’ll be listening in with serious intent then. Verizon’s press release on the matter, with a full list of 2010’s LTE cities and airports, is after the break.

Source: Verizon

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Sprint has been the bastion of unlimited data in a land where the giants of AT&T and Verizon have either switched to the metered side, or have indicated it’s going to happen. But Sprint CEO Dan Hesse noted at the EmTech@MIT conference that if data usage gets out of hand, then Sprint’s unlimited data plans might got the way of the dodo, the dinosaur, and Lindsay Lohan’s film career. Says Hesse:

“We can offer unlimited as long as the usage is reasonable. If you run an all-you-can-eat buffet, but you have the New England Patriots come in and the whole team spends a whole day there, I can’t afford to do that anymore.”

True words, Mr. Hesse. The Sprint chief was sure to note that their 4G WiMax devices do command a $10-a-month higher charge than 3G-enabled devices, obviously because it’s easier to pull down more data over a faster 4G connection. For what it’s worth, the same thing happened when moving from $10-a-month 2G 1xRTT “Vision” service to $15-a-month 3G EVDO “Power Vision” service.

Hesse knows that Sprint users are fans of their unlimited service, and will be watching (and hoping) to see if they experience an influx of customers from AT&T and Verizon seeking to leave behind the metered data plans. Hesse himself is a fan of the unlimited concept: he is the owner of an unlimited car washes pass good for an entire year. “I spend more probably than I would without it, but I enjoy not having to pay to wash my car each time.”

Source: ComputerWorld; Via: Engadget

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Since Sprint is currently the largest portion (if not the majority) of the webOS user base, we tend to pay attention when fancy new phones launch on Sprint. We lost a lot of Pre owners to the HTC Evo 4G, but there are many out there who simply must have a keyboard. Enter the Samsung Epic 4G, part of their cross-carrier Galaxy S platform (unlike the others in the series this one carries along WiMax and a keyboard).

Is another large-screened Android phone something that webOS users should be worried about? That’s hard to say, as the Evo with its HTC Sense overlay and the Epic’s Samsung TouchWiz UI are completely different beasts. We have to admit, though, at this point much of those that have remained with Palm to this point are the contract frugal and the webOS loyal. Whether that’s going to be enough to tide them/us over until Palm releases its first device under the auspices of HP remains to be seen.

Regardless, Phil over at Android Central has had his hands on the Epic 4G long enough to develop some 3,276 words worth of impressions, and in short the device really might qualify as Epic. Head on over to Android Central to check out the Samsung Epic 4G review (and then come back here to where you know you really belong).

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Sprint’s quasi-subsidiary former-underling Clearwire is moving against the WiMax or the highway attitude with the recent announcement that they intend to start LTE trials this year. Clearwire, who offers Clear 4G WiMax service in cities around the nation and shares their network with Sprint (and visa versa), hasn’t been quiet about their awkward courtship with LTE despite the rocky marriage with WiMax. In fact, it was just about a year ago that Clearwire started making noise about LTE.

So what does this mean for Palm and Sprint? For one, it means that Clearwire doesn’t have an exclusive relationship with Sprint, and if it sees more potential in LTE (let’s be honest here, who doesn’t?) it could shut down or switch over those single-network WiMax towers to LTE to be used by Verizon and AT&T and everybody else on the planet. For Palm it could spell trouble if they’re working on a WiMax device for Sprint.

But in all reality, if Clearwire were to decide to make the switch to LTE, it’d probably go something like the switchover to GSM currently being executed by Telus and Bell up in Canada – they turned on the HSPA+ network back in November 2009 and their CDMA network is still running concurrently with a few million customers on board. It’ll be years before they can shut it down without angering hundreds of thousands of customers. If it weren’t for the customers these standards switches could happen overnight, but for now we can dream of Clearwire offering service to both WiMax and LTE customers in a happy land of compatibility.

Via: Engadget; Source: Clearwire

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With webOS available on three of the four major US carriers, there’s no time like the present to kick some dust around and see who comes out on top. According to PCMag.com’s exhaustive cross-country testing of the Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Cricket, Ma Bell came out on top as far as the nationwide averages are concerned. AT&T also took the speed crown in every region of the US excepting the northeast, where T-Mobile dominated.

While it’s little surprise that AT&T took the crown in 3G testing, the network also bested Sprint’s fledgling 4G network when available. The problem turns out to be the WiMax network’s consistency – while tremendous bursts of speed up to 3.14 MB were observed with 4G, when averaged with PCMag’s consistency scoring Sprint’s 3G network usually proved to be faster and reliable. Of course, we expect that to improve and can remember similar growing pains when 3G EVDO and HSDPA first hit the scene.

Of course, we do have to mention that all that was tested here was data speed (and we’re sure AT&T will be touting the results in ads in no time). Being able to download stuff really fast is great and all, but you should always remember to take the entire package of call quality, dropped calls, signal strength in the areas you frequent, and, of course, whether or not they have webOS phones available, when looking for a carrier.

Source: PCMag.com, via Boy Genius Report

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Clearwire (mostly owned by Sprint) had their first quarter earnings call and promised to launch two WiMAX smartphones by the end of the year. The first will come from Samsung, described as an "Android-based 3G/4G/WiFi device optimized for heavy video and video communications use" and the second from HTC which was dubbed a "3G/4G/WiFi enabled phone." Clearwire even went as far as saying during the call it wasn’t the EVO 4G but a yet to be announced Device.

Why should webOS lovers care? No 4G Palm webOS device was mentioned whilst the company felt entirely comfortable pre-announcing two other WiMAX based smartphones. Whether we can deduce anything from this remains to be seen, however that mythical Palm C40 is looking a lot less like a WiMAX webOS device now. But hey, look on the bright side, HP said they’re doubling down and there’s always the hope that will mean a faster hardware cycle.

Here’s the real question: do you care about 4G yet? Must the next webOS device on Sprint have 4G or else be annihilated by the likes of the EVO? Have your say in the comments below!

Does Palm need a 4G device to compete?Market Research

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Here’s some of the latest talk in the forums:

• 4G, 4G, Four Gee. With the announcement of the HTC EVO 4G on Sprint, many in the forum are convinced that Palm should release a phone with a 4G radio. Let’s hope that battery technology jumps ahead a generation too.
• Folks are loving the new ZumoDrive service and are sharing their experiences with it and other cloud-based file services. Maybe that 4G connectivity will come in handy after all?
• With all of the recent bad news, a few tech publications have come out to say that Palm is finished. Our forum members disagree.  
• Speaking of the EVO, member benly52 isn’t sold and is going to be keeping his Pre: "they will have to pry my PRE from my cold dead hands." Surely, he isn’t alone.  

We look forward to seeing you in the Forums! Not a member?  Remember: registration is free, and the benefits of being a member are numerous indeed.

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Analysts say all sorts of different things about Palm, and when we’re hearing something wild from just one of them we tend to discount it. But when multiple analysts and supposed insiders are chattering about something we have to sit up and take notice, even if we’re still not completely buying it. The latest Palm rumor falls into that camp: Palm is developing a WiMAX (4G) device for Sprint and could be unveiled as early as this month at CTIA.

We’re not entirely sure what to make of this. There is always the almost mythical Palm C40 floating around in Sprint’s inventory systems, but we haven’t heard anything other than rampant speculation about what Palm’s next products might be.

As for all the talk about how a WiMAX phone will save Palm… That, like the existence of the phone itself, might be wishful thinking. Like it or not, WiMAX still has a relatively small footprint and Sprint is still a network with half as many subscribers as competitors Verizon and AT&T. A WiMAX Palm phone would be undeniably awesome, but it would also mainly be compelling to a small subset of users on a small network. 

Thanks to DeltaSPARTAN003, EtuTreo300, and spectre686, and, well, a lot of other folks for the tips!

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