Posted on November 5, 2009, at 5:07 pm .
The Sprint BlackBerry 8530 has been announced by Sprint and while we don’t have pricing and release dates yet, there is still some interesting news embedded in the press release.
According to the press release, “Sprint’s BlackBerry Curve 8530 will offer BlackBerry App World for instant access to thousands of applications. Sprint has employed an open Internet approach, and the Sprint Application Developer Program has been providing tools for third-party developers, since Sprint first launched the Wireless Web on its phones in 2001.”
These two statements are vague but seem to suggest that Sprint will be offering both App World, and their Sprint branded content. Sprint isn’t saying much about how they will offer BlackBerry App World, but hopefully it will come fully preinstalled. Sprint is also very vague about how they will deploy content created in their Application Developer Program. Ideally, it would go into App World, but it’s more likely it will be made for preload. Overall, I’m hoping carriers stop trying to compete with App World and just let it be the place where BlackBerry users go to get all their apps.
In any case, the 8530 will come in Black, Royal Purple and Red. Sprint will also be offering an All You Can Eat data plan for $69.99 per month.
Posted on October 29, 2009, at 6:55 am .
BlackBerry Cool readers are very familiar with the application Beyon160. It allows you to use more than the 160 character limit, imposed on BlackBerry users by Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, U.S. Cellular, Bell, Telus, and all other CDMA carriers.
So if you’re a CDMA BlackBerry user, consider Beyond160, on sale for today only for $3.50 (regularly $6.99).
Posted on September 17, 2009, at 10:55 am .
David Eller, an analyst at TownHall Investment Research, is saying the BlackBerry Tour has been experiencing a 50 percent return rate due to problems with the trackball.
Tour owners who are returning the device are complaining that they must roll the trackball repeatedly for it to move the cursor on the screen only minimally. One user said he was on his fourth Tour, after returning the previous three due to problems with the trackball.
Beginning of August, RIM said that a firmware fix would be issued in 30 days and would resolve the problem.
While it may not apply to this issue with the Tour, BlackBerry Cool would like to remind users that you can do 2 things to help fix your BlackBerry trackball:
1) Make sure the sensitivity settings are ideal. Often turning up your sensitivity is helpful for experienced users.
2) You can always replace the trackball yourself.
Are you a Sprint Tour owner? Have you noticed your trackball having issues?
[Via]
Posted on August 7, 2009, at 10:18 am .
While it’s not the first time we’ve seen the BlackBerry Curve go on sale for free with a contract, it may be the first time a carrier has partnered with a BlackBerry app to give them away.
Slacker has partnered with all the major carriers to discount the Curve to free with a new contract or a contract extension.
See the Slacker page for more details about a free BlackBerry Curve from Slacker.
[Hat tip @nanpalmero]
Posted on July 30, 2009, at 10:36 am .
Today I received my Sprint BlackBerry Tour and it’s amazing. But, you’re not here for a review, you’re here because you want to unlock your Sprint BlackBerry Tour. Here’s what you do. Thanks to my friend at CIO.com, Al Sacco, I knew the steps to unlocking it. Fortunately, the good folks at Sprint will walk you through the process as well. Here’s what I did to unlock the SIM slot on the Sprint BlackBerry Tour.
1. Call Sprint International Support – (817) 698-4199, prompt #2
2. Ask them if they’d kindly unlock your SIM slot on your BlackBerry Tour
3. Turn off your wireless network connection on the Tour (yes, you’ll have to call from another phone)
4. Click on Options > Advanced Options > SIM Card
5. Type MEPD
6. Type MEP2
7. The representative should give you a 16-digit code
8. Thank the representative for their help
9. Reboot your phone and you’re ready to go
There you have it! It took me about 5 minutes to get my phone unlocked. I tested my Sprint BlackBerry Tour with a T-Mobile SIM card and was able to access the web, use BlackBerry Messenger and send and receive messages.
As seen on Nan Palmero | BlackBerry Power User
Posted on July 10, 2009, at 7:19 am .
Sure, everyone is excited about the BlackBerry Tour’s launch this weekend. Even the GSM folks. Sprint wants you to not forget the BlackBerry Curve 8330 and 8350i, though, by launching new colors. Soon you’ll be able to pick up an 8330 in Inferno and an 8350i in Red. Anyone excited about these new hues?
Update – BlackBerry Curve Inferno is available
via
Posted on June 16, 2009, at 8:09 am .
Official Press Release: The New BlackBerry Tour Smartphone Launches on America’s Most Dependable 3G Network to Create a Powerful Mobility Tool for Those on the Go
The BlackBerry Tour smartphone from Sprint offers access to America’s most dependable 3G network, plus 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM support for international roaming
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun. 16, 2009– With the new BlackBerry® Tour™ smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) available from Sprint (NYSE: S) on America’s most dependable 3G network1, staying connected won’t be a worry domestically, or when you travel around the world.
The BlackBerry Tour smartphone is a powerful mobility tool that operates on Sprint’s nationwide 3G (EV-DO Rev. A) network domestically. It also roams on other high-speed wireless networks around the world for reliable voice and email communication without missing a beat.
The BlackBerry Tour is a sophisticated smartphone that enables customers to be more productive and better equipped to manage both their busy personal and business lives. It is ideally suited for those who want to stay socially connected, and lets you share moments through pictures and videos via MMS and instant message on popular IM services or BlackBerry® Messenger. It also offers easy access to your favorite social networking sites like Flickr®, MySpace and Facebook®, and you get smooth integration between the BlackBerry Tour smartphone and your Facebook events and friends giving you a great view of what’s happening both personally and professionally. This is the most powerful business smartphone in Sprint’s line-up with instant access to emails, calendar, contacts, robust business applications and location-based services, leveraging the best performing networks both domestically and abroad.
Continue reading the official press release for the BlackBerry Tour on Sprint
Posted on June 9, 2009, at 8:01 am .
Within hours of offering the Palm Pre, Sprint set a record sales debut. By late Sunday, the Palm Pre had broken previous sales records (first day and first weekend) for a Sprint device.
“Sprint is a very different company than it was 12 months ago,” said Dan Hesse, president and chief executive officer. “Palm Pre is the coming out party for the new Sprint. It is the perfect device that highlights all of the positive changes in our company, including our revolutionary Ready Now retail store experience, greatly improved customer care, unmatched value pricing plans and America’s most dependable 3G network.”
Palm was a focal point of discussion at the WES 2009 panel: Top 3 Predictions for BlackBerry. Some suggested Palm is a threat, and therefore a potential acquisition for RIM. Others argued that the Pre, while an interesting device, is not enough to save the company.
In fact, both Sprint and Palm have been dodging financial bad press over the past few quarters. Sprint has had a plethora of layoffs and news surrounding a complete downsizing. Palm has been hemorrhaging money for years and they have been producing very little to make up for it.
Overall, the Palm Pre is making a great impression on potential buyers, but its user base is predominantly consumers. While RIM is seeing a larger consumer market share, it is still the leader in enterprise hardware. If the Palm Pre is going to shake up RIM, they should provide a more convincing solution on the enterprise level.
What do you think? Will the Palm Pre make a dent in RIM’s market share?
Posted on May 13, 2009, at 1:29 pm .
Image courtesy of Will Park from IntoMobile.
Sprint has announced it plans to launch the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 intelligent mobile hotspot device for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year service agreement (excluding taxes).
MiFi allows users to connect to the Internet by bridging WiFi enabled BlackBerrry devices to Sprint’s 3G network – the EVDO Rev A Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. MiFi creates a personal cloud of high-speed Internet connectivity that can be shared among up to five users and a variety of WiFi-enabled devices through its connection to the network. Sprint is calling the service Sprint Mobile Hotspot, and it will be the first in the U.S. to support MiFi’s GPS capabilities, allowing users to take advantage of select location and mapping applications.
Stay tuned because Sprint’s MiFi service will launch the first week of June.
Pricing
Business and consumer customers may choose from the following service plans for the MiFi 2200: $59.99 per month mobile broadband only plan (excluding taxes and surcharges).
or
$149.99 per month Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband (phone plus device connectivity — excluding taxes and surcharges).
Both plans include up to 5 GB per month and 5 cents per megabyte overage for the MiFi 2200. The plan includes unlimited text, picture and video messaging, GPS navigation, email and Web surfing on their phone, plus 5 GB of 3G Internet access on your BlackBerru – for $149.99 per month, a savings of $599 per year vs. comparable Verizon plans. For that same price, customers can use the MiFi 2200 and connect to more devices at once.
Posted on April 14, 2009, at 9:50 am .
Many government and enterprise individuals don’t want cameras on their mobile devices for security concerns. In response to a small yet existent demand for a BlackBerry sans camera, Sprint is releasing the 8350i, a BlackBerry Curve without the 2mp camera. The pricing on the 8350i sans-camera is lined up exactly with the older version that includes a camera, at $149.99 after $100 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract.
Other unique features for this BlackBerry include Nextel Direct Connect service which lets Curve 8350i users instantly connect with other Sprint customers with PPT devices using its iDEN network. The device is also significantly more bulky than its other Curve 83xx siblings, due in part to its additional internal components; the 8350i packs both GPS and Wi-Fi, something that can’t be said about any of the other 83xx series devices. This Curve does include WiFi so they haven’t stripped anything but the camera which is great.
[Al Sacco Via]
