Recycle Your Old Phone - Donate to Sprint Project Connect

Got an old phone laying around that you will never use again because it's too large or too out-dated? DON'T THROW IT AWAY! Help the environment and keep kids safe by sending your phone, wireless accessories, batteries, and connection cards to Sprint Project Connect. Send in any device regardless of carrier or condition. Devices from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Alltel, etc. are accepted.

To donate a device, simply drop it off at any Sprint retail store. If you don't want to leave the house, just visit www.sprint.com and print a free, postage-paid mailing label.

Sprint recycles or refurbishes the devices, keeping them out of landfills. 100% of all proceeds from Sprint Project Connect are go to Sprint's 4NetSafety program, a partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the NEA Health Information Network designed to educate children, parents, and educators on Internet Safety.

Sprint Announces LG Rumor

Sprint announced the LG Rumor will be available online later this month and in retail stores on November 4th. The LG Rumor will give Sprint a low to mid end device with a Qwerty keyboard, providing consumers with an affordable device developed for messaging. The Qwerty keyboard will make sending text and email messages easier. Every time the Qwerty keyboard slides out, the messaging menu on the phone automatically appears.

The LG Rumor measures 4.3 x 2.0 x 0.7 inches and weighs 4.13 ounces. It comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera, GPS, Bluetooth, MP3 player, and a MicroSD slot. It supports IM apps like AIM, MSN, and Yahoo Messenger and provides quick access to social networking sites like Xanga and Facebook.

Sprint will offer the device for $79.99 with a new service agreements and rebates. It will be available in two colors - black with blue interior and white with silver interior.

Sign up for notification alerts at www.sprint.com/rumor.

Sprint Announces New BlackBerry Pearl 8130

Sprint is planning to launch its first multimedia BlackBerry handset with the new BlackBerry Pearl 8130, an upgraded version of the original BlackBerry Pearl announced in September of 2006. This will be the first Sprint BlackBerry device with an integrated camera.

The device is 4.2 x 2.0 x 0.6 inches and weighs 3.4 ounces. Some of the upgraded features include access to Sprint's high-speed Mobile Broadband network (EV-DO) for faster internet access, a 2.0 megapixels camera, stereo Bluetooth support, added GPS functionality, and access to Sprint's PowerVision services such as Sprint's Music Store, Sprint TV, OnDemand, and Sprint Navigation.

The phone will be available next month. You can sign up for alerts on device availability by going to www.sprint.com/pearl.

Sprint Announces the Palm Centro

Sprint announced the newest product offering from Palm, the Centro. This is Palm's first device geared for the consumer versus the business user. Following in RIM's footsteps, Palm is looking to regain some of the market share it has lost over the past year by going after the consumer market. The Palm Centro will be available in mid-October at all Sprint Sales channels and Palm retail stores. It will also be available online at www.sprint.com and www.palm.com/centro. After promotions and rebates, the phone will sell for only $99.99.

The Centro is the smaller and thinner than the traditional Treo models. Its measures 2.1"x4.2"x0.7" and weighs only 4.2 ounces. It features a full QWERTY keyboard along with a five-way navigation button. Although smaller than the Treo, it still packs a 312 MHz processor, 128 MB of ROM and 64 MB RAM, EVDO, a 1.3 megapixels camera, Bluetooth, a full color touch screen, and a MicroSD slot for extra memory. The device will also feature Palm OS 5.4.9 and supports Phone as Modem, allowing users to connect to the Internet from their laptop or desktop computer by via the device. The Centro also supports Data Transfer Mode (DTM), notifying users of incoming calls even when they are in an active data session versus just sending the calls to voicemail.

The device will be available in Onyx Black and Ruby Red. It will be exclusive to Sprint for 90 days. You can sign up to receive alerts on the availability of this device at www.sprint.com/centro.

Preview the Palm Centro (w/ video) at PhoneScoop.com.

Sprint and Microsoft Offers Mobile Searches Based on GPS

Sprint and Microsoft are combining to offer a first of its kind service. The first fully integrated GPS location-aware mobile search service is now available from Sprint at no additional cost to Sprint data subscribers.

Using the existing search function on Sprint GPS enabled phones, users can simply type in a keyword like "gas station" and a listing of nearby gas stations will be listed based on GPS coordinates. No address information is needed, not even a zip code. The service takes it a step further by offering driving directions by clicking on a link or calling the business directly from the search screen. Users also have the option to send directions to a friend who may need directions to the same destination, like a restaurant.

Voice search capabilities are also available allowing users to simply say the word "gas station" versus typing it in. This service requires users to download a client to their phones and is only available on certain phones.

AAA Provides Mobile Application to Drivers

AAA is entering the Location-Based Services (LBS) arena with a new downloadable application. The appication provides turn-by-turn directions and allows users to automatically send their GPS coordinates to AAA over a wireless handset. The service makes sense to AAA as they stated that half the calls they receive each year are from mobile handsets.

The application is currently only available from Sprint for $10 per month. It is available for AAA members as well as non-members. In addition to the services listed above, users also gain access to AAA hotel ratings and info on AAA "points of interest" around the country.

For instructions on downloading the application, visit AAA Mobile.

Save Time with Waitless.org

You have to check out this new website from Sprint - www.waitless.org. Sprint's new marketing campaign, "Sprint Ahead", emphasizes "Sprint Speed". www.waitless.org focuses on how speed can save time in your daily lives by using shortcuts known as "Sprintcuts". For example, using a "Sprintcut" to peel an egg can add four days to your life. A Sprintcut on pouring ketchup can save you two days. And by starting your night calling at 7 PM (standard with Sprint service) instead of 9 PM, you can save 4 years of your life!

The website uses short "How To" video clips to demonstrate the Sprintcuts. Examples include how to speed tie your shoes, instantly soothe a crying baby, and chill a warm soda in two minutes. www.waitless.org allows users to submit videos with their time saving ideas and to hear about new Sprintcuts via a text message and/or email. You can view all video submissions at www.youtube.com/sprintcuts. You can also use a calculator provided on the website to estimate where your time goes by showing how much time you spend on your specific daily activities. For example, if you spend one hour a day "Reading Blogs", in your lifetime, you will spend 3 years and 4 months "Reading Blogs".

Motorola RAZR2 Gets Triple Launch in US

The Motorola RAZR2 is coming to a store near you! Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T have announced the upcoming availability of the successor to Motorola's popular RAZR, the RAZR2. Sprint will be the first to make the phone available to the public. You can purchase the handset from Sprint's online store starting August 22nd. It will make it to Sprint retails stores on September 4th. Verizon and AT&T have not given specific dates, but have stated they plan to have the device available in September. Sprint has stated that their version with EVDO support will be available for $250 with service agreement and rebates at launch. Both Verizon and AT&T stated they will launch the device with a $300 price tag.

Motorola was able to make the device even slimmer, while packing in more power and features. Processing speed of the RAZR2 (225Mhz)is 10 times faster than the original RAZR. It has 2 GB of internal It sports a 2" external display, with features allowing you to view text messages and reply with pre-set text messages and listen to music with virtual music keys, all without opening the phone. Other features include stereo Bluetooth and a micro USB slot.

Get a Free Ringtone from Sprint

For all the customers who own a Sprint PowerVision or PowerSource phone, Sprint is giving away a free ringtone. Just go the the Sprint Digital Lounge website. The free offer is available for a limited time only: July 30th to August 6th, so hurry up as Monday is the last day. Just go to the website, choose the ringtone you want, and enter the special promotion code listed on the website.

The offering is not for use with Sprint Nextel handsets, Windows-based, or PDA phones. For users with Sprint Nextel handsets, look for a separate promotion coming out soon. Also, if you do not have a data plan, usage rates may apply for the download.

Locate Family and Friends on Your Sprint Phone

Sprint will partner with loopt to provide a social mapping service that allows you to find friends, connect with friends, and tag places and events. The service is currently available through Boost Mobile, which is a Sprint MVNO. With this announcement, Sprint will be launching the service on its own handsets . The service will initially be available on 42 handsets.

Loopt allows you to see the location of friends and family on your mobile handset or from any web browser. Loopt allows you to set up alerts, so you can be notified when friends are in the same area. You will also be able to communicate with them through the application. For example, after being alerted that a friend is in close proximity to you, you can send them a text saying "I see you are in my area, let's meet for lunch".

As mentioned, the service is currently only available on Boost. It should be available soon from Sprint. You can still sign up early on the loopt website. The cost of the services is $3 per month.

Sprint to Give Away One Million Dollars

In connection with Motorola and NASCAR, Sprint will be giving away $1 million to a lucky race fan. To enter the contest, fans choose the driver they think will win the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Championship. Entries can be made at retail stores, online at www.sprint.com/speed, by texting "million" to 7777 from any Sprint phone or at the NEXTEL Experience booths trackside. Entries will be accepted up to Sept. 3rd.

When the 12 Cup series drivers are chosen on Sept. 8th, 12 sweepstake finalists will be randomly drawn and paied with the drivers they selected. All finalists will win a trip to one of the Chase races. The finalists that choose one of the top-three drivers will be invited to the season finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18th, where the $1 million will be awarded.

Sprint Launches Katana Deluxe (DLX)

Hot on the heels of the launch of the Katana II earlier this month, Sprint today announced the availability of the Sanyo Katana Deluxe (DLX). The DLX is the high end version of the Katana line. The major difference in the DLX version is the ability to operate on Sprint's High Speed Mobile Broadband network (EV-DO), a 1.3 megapixels camera, and a microSD slot that supports up to 4G cards. The Katana DLX keeps the thin clamshell form factor measuring 3.7"x1.9"x0.6" and weighing 3.5 ounces. The device comes in three new colors - Platinum Ice, Champagne, and Pink Satin.

Other features of the Katana DLX include power save mode, phone as modem, Bluetooth® wireless technology, wireless backup for easily restoring contact information if the phone is ever lost, stolen or damaged and a large QVGA main display. It is also GPS-enabled supporting Sprint Navigation, powered by TeleNav, with turn-by-turn driving directions and more than 10 million business listings. The Katana DLX is priced at $129.99 after service agreements and rebates.

See a previous review of the Katana II and Katana DLX

Two New Katana Phones from Sprint

In July, Sprint will launch two new thin devices. The Katana II is the successor to the Katana launched last year. It is very similar to the original device - same camera and Bluetooth support. It will be a little thinner and available in 3 colors - black, pink, and steel. It has the same camera and still does not have EV-DO, but it will have GPS. Based on it's price of $50 with service agreements and rebates, this is meant as a mid-level device. (SRP is $249.99)

For the high end, Sprint and Sanyo are releasing the Katana DLX. It will be available in silver, pink, and champagne. It will be similar to the Katana II externally, but on the inside, it will contain an EVDO chip offering access to Sprin't high speed Mobile Broadband network and PowerVision services. It will also have a MicroSD slot and will ship with a 128 MB card included. Other features include stereo Bluetooth support and GPS. The SRP is $329.99, but the phone will be available for $129.99 with service agreement and promotions.

Look for the Katana II on July 1st and the Katana DLX on July 15th.

Sprint's Announces Another iPhone Killer

Sprint will add another device to it's music lineup on July 15th. The MUZIQ by LG will be the successor to the Fusic by LG. The MUZIQ by LG will be one of the first Sprint devices to support 4 GB microSD cards, giving it the same capacity as the iPhone 4 GB model. As is the trend with successor phones, the MUZIQ will be thinner than the Fusic and will not have the external antenna.

The phone will still support EV-DO, Sprint's high speed mobile broadband network, giving you access to Power Vision services, including over-the-air music downloads. It will also still have a 1.3 megapixels camera, FM transmitter, external music controls, and stereo Bluetooth. The MUZIQ measures 3.8"x1.94"x.61" and weighs 3.14 ounces.

The phone will be available for only $99 with service agreement and rebates, which is a lot less than the $499 price tag of the iPhone. You can register to become one of the first to purchase the MUZIQ by LG by going to www.sprint.com/music

Family Phone Pack from Sprint

The Sanyo 3200 is now available from Sprint. This is an entry to mid level phone as it does not support access to Sprint's high speed Mobile Broadband Network (EVDO). However, it still has several other functions that make this perfect for a family pack. It comes in 3 different colors, offering personalization for different family members. The phones support GPS and are compatible with Sprint's Family Locater service allowing you to view the location of family members. There are also Parental Controls allowing parents to limit phone and web access. Other features include Bluetooth and VGA camera. The phone dimensions are 3.5"x1.8"x0.8" and weighs 3.4 ounces. The suggested retail price is $199.99, but it is available for $49.99 with service agreements and rebates.

New PowerSource Phone From Sprint

Sprint just launched its latest handset in the PowerSource lineup. PowerSource phones operate on the Sprint iDEN network for Push-To-Talk calls and the Sprint CDMA network for voice and data calls. Dubbed the "Motorola Deluxe", the ic902 is the first PowerSource phone to launch with EVDO Mobile Broadband support. The ic902 provides push-to-talk users access to high-tier applications such as Sprint TV and Sprint Music Store.

The phone comes with a 2 megapixels camera, bluetooth support, a microSD slot, MP3 player, speakerphone, and push-to-talk. The flip phone dimensions are 3.78"x1.97"x0.87" and it weighs 4.8 ounces. The SRP is $489.99, but the phone is available for as low as $299.99 with service agreement and rebates.

PPC 6800 (HTC Mogul) Coming to Sprint June 18th

The PPC 6800 (HTC Mogul) may be available from Sprint as early as June 18th via online sales. The retail launch is currently slated for July 16th. The phone will replace the currently available PPC 6700 (HTC Apache). The major differences are this device will be the first CDMA device to ship with Windows Mobile 6 and will be upgradeable to EVDO Rev A this fall. Other than that, it's 1/3 thinner, the camera increased from 1.3 mega pixels to 2 mega pixels, ROM doubled to 256 MB, battery life increased 20%, and the external antenna has been removed. The device comes with a 416 MHz processor and still supports Wi-Fi (both 802.11b and 802.11g). The suggested retail price is $549.99, but it will be available for $399.99 with service agreement and rebates.

Pros: Touch Screen, Windows Mobile 6, Wi-Fi, 2 MP camera, EVDO Rev A.
Cons: EVDO Rev A upgrade won't be available until the fall.

Sprint to Launch the UpStage in Red

The popular music phone from Samsung and Sprint is expected to be available in RED sometime around June 18th. The combination phone is a phone on one side and an MP3 player on the other. The current model (available in Black) is on sale for $99.99.

Even with two sides with separate displays, the UpStage is still only 0.3 inches thick. It has a 1.3 megapixels camera/camcorder, Bluetooth, and a MicroSD slot. One thing that separates this music phone from the much anticipated iPhone is the ability to download music directly to the phone over-the-air (OTA) from Sprint's music store. To put music on the iPhone, you will have to download it to your PC and then sync the phone to the computer.

Pros: OTA music downloads, thin, and EV-DO
Cons: The phone does not have much internal memory, but it does have a MicroSD slot to store music and comes with a 64 MB card.

Sprint Launches New Samsung Clamshell Phones - M300, M510

The M300 (not pictured) is an entry level device. It measures 3.6" x 1.9" x 0.7" and weighs only 2.7 oz. It's best features are Bluetooth support and a VGA camera. Being an entry level phone, it works with Sprint's 1xRTT data network versus the higher speed EVDO network. The M300 is avaialable in two colors (red and silver) for $29.99 with a two-year service agreement.

The M510 (pictured in pink) is a mid-range phone. It measures 3.6" x 2.0" x 0.6" and weighs only 2.9 oz. The phone may be tiny, but it packs a lot of punch. It comes with stereo Bluetooth support, a 1.3 megapixels camera that takes pictures and videos, a web browser, a media player, GPS, and a microSD slot for extra storage. The phone also operates on Sprint's high speed Mobile Broadband (EVDO) network allowing over-the-air music downloads, Sprint TV, and PAM (Phone As a Modem). The M510 is a available in two colors (black and pink) for $129.99 with a two-year service agreement.

Get Episodes of "Lost" and "Grey's" on Your Sprint Phone

Sprint and ABC just inked a deal where episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Ugly Betty will be available on certain Sprint handsets. Programming will also be available from ABC's other stations such as the Disney Channel's Hannah Montana and ABC News' Nightline.

Subscribers of a Sprint Power Vision TV Pack ($20) will be able to view the last four episodes of each series. The shows do not have to be downloaded and can be viewed on demand. This is seen as a benefit over the iPhone, where users will first have to download each show to their PC from iTunes and then sync their phone to their PC.