360° Coverage Sprint: Can Three Hot New Devices Reinvigorate WiMAX?
Filed under: Rumors | Technology News
Sprint: Can Three Hot New Devices Reinvigorate WiMAX?
And should WiMAX really survive?
Mar 7 2011, 10:17am CST | by Robert Evans
Things haven't been looking so hot for WiMAX lately. The launch of Verizon's (much faster) LTE network has taken the wind out of its sails. And the news that Sprint may be considering a switch to LTE hasn't exactly buoyed confidence. But now we're hearing rumors that Sprint has a huge WiMAX push planned for the CTIA show. How huge?
Try two new high-end Android smartphones and an Android tablet. The Nexus S 4G, the Evo 3D and the Evo View slate are all expected to launch during the 2.5 hour event. Nothing conclusive has leaked about these devices, but there are a few safe assumptions we can make.
The Nexus S 4G will be...a Nexus S with WiMAX. Either packing TouchWiz or stock Gingerbread. Hopefully the latter. And the Evo 3D is likely to be a dual-core smartphone with a 4.3" display and, obviously, 3D support. Last, we have the Evo View tablet. Since the Evo is an HTC phone, and HTC's only announced tablet is the 7" Flyer, that seems to be the the most likely culprit for Sprint's WiMAX slate.
What seems odd here is the absence of a 4G Galaxy S smartphone. We still have yet to see all the carrier-specific versions of Samsung's new flagship phone.
A 4G blitz like this represents one of two things. Either Sprint is pushing back against Verizon's LTE roll-out with an equally impressive spate of next-gen gadgets...or they're testing the waters to see if WiMAX really has any future in the industry. Sprint is currently studying the rate its customers move from EV-DO to WiMAX, in order to evaluate the need for an LTE service.
So if this new 4G bonanza goes well, Sprint will be more likely to carry WiMAX into the future. If it proves a disappointment, we might as well consider that Clearwire's death sentence.
But the more important thing to consider here is whether or not WiMAX makes any sense on a global field. Back in 2007 Intel pushed hard for global WiMAX adoption. As early as 2009, they started to backpeddle on the 4G technology. As the rest of the world jumps on the LTE bandwagon, WiMAX seems more and more like a "landlocked" technology (like CDMA).
I'll leave you with the words of Siegmund Redt, General Manager at Altair Semiconductor, "There will always be islands of solutions. What we see today with LTE is the world converging on single standards. LTE is international as no other standard before."
Sponsored Update
Updates
Google acquires flying wind turbine maker, will join Google X
Source: Business Journal of Portland
TechFlash delivers technology news and trends from your city and beyond. Google has acquired Makani Power, an Alameda-based airborne wind turbine maker. Google Inc. had previously invested in the company, contributing $10 millio ...
Full article at: Business Journal of Portland
More like this 55 minutes ago
Now that he’s done everything else, Paul Allen comes out with an album
Source: Seattle Business Journal
TechFlash delivers technology news and trends from your city and beyond. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is releasing an album, "Everywhere at Once." Techie, thought leader, philanthropist and billionair ...
Full article at: Seattle Business Journal
More like this 57 minutes ago
Elon Musk to gov't: Here's that $500M I owe you
Source: San Francisco Business Times
TechFlash delivers technology news and trends from your city and beyond. Shana Lynch is Managing Editor at the Business Journal. Her phone number is 408.299.1831. Why this guy's so happy: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk jus ...
Full article at: San Francisco Business Times
More like this 1 hour ago
where to buy
Don't miss ...
Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive
Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast
moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows
where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Latest stories
lowest ever by $200 for the dual screen laptop/tablet hybrid w/ Core i7
Most budding writers are constantly in search of new platforms for their short stories or novellas. Amazon has just done them a favor by launching a commercial publishing platform called Kindle Worlds, where all sorts of fan fiction will get published.
There have been attempts to mimic human language and comprehension in computers without much headway. Yet today that has been flipped on its head thanks to Google’s amazing conversational voice search. The service has been activated on Chrome 27 and is a marvel to behold.
Apple will integrate both the photography sharing site, Flickr and video sharing site Vimeo in its iOS 7. This will allow millions of users to gain access to the two sites on their touch systems. It is a smart move indeed for the late Steve Jobs’ brainchild.
More From the Web
Viral Stories
- Visit our Homepage for the Latest Rumors, News and Shopping Tips
Viral Videos and Photos
The Hottest Cheerleaders of 2013
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012
