Sprint - 9/56 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Oct

[Update: Open Source Kernel, Too] It's Official: Sprint's Galaxy S III Jelly Bean Upgrade Starts Rolling Out Today

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy S III, News, Sprint

We heard the rumor yesterday and now it looks like our dreams have come to pass! Sprint's Galaxy S III will be receiving an OTA Jelly Bean upgrade starting today. Of course, this also bring a new TouchWiz update as well, but fortunately, things like Google Now and widget organization magic will remain intact. Here's the changelog:

Jelly Bean offers users a smoother, faster and more fluid experience with expanded feature functionality, including:

Google Now™ gets you just the right information at just the right time, like how much traffic to expect before you leave for work or when the next train will arrive as you’re standing on the platform.

Oct

[Rumor] Samsung Galaxy S III Jelly Bean Update May Or May Not Arrive To Sprint Tomorrow, October 25th

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy S III, Jelly Bean 4.1, Leaks, News, Rumors, Samsung, Sprint

I've been debating posting this all day for the reasons I'll explain below, but based on the feedback from a number of people who claim to be Sprint insiders, the information leaked earlier today in an XDA post by user supercholo may be legitimate. The leak suggests that the Jelly Bean update for Sprint's Galaxy S III may be arriving starting tomorrow, October 25th. Here is the alleged internal memo stating so:

Whether the memo is 100% legitimate or not, and whether Sprint actually follows up tomorrow remains to be seen - it's not the first time the company played tricks on its employees, and it's not the first time a software update was delayed.

Oct

There Is Hope For AOSP Support Of Sprint's Galaxy Nexus After All As Google Releases "Experimental" Binaries

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Galaxy Nexus, News, Sprint

The Galaxy Nexus variant on Sprint might actually have a chance of being officially supported by Google in AOSP after all, which would be a big step in the right direction for carrier-branded Nexus devices.

If you remember, neither Verizon's nor Sprint's Galaxy Nexus was supported by the Android Open Source Project at launch, with the Verizon's version joining the program over half a year after its release. Even though the Nexus S 4G is fully supported, Sprint's GNex variant remained absent from the Nexus Binaries page and was therefore completely unsupported by the Android team.

When the Android 4.1.2 binaries (i.e.

Oct

Sprint's Galaxy Nexus Landing Page Accidentally (Doesn't) Tease Galaxy Nexus 2

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Rumors, Sprint

As Nexus season progresses, and as we approach Google's October 29th event, rumors and speculation are reaching a fever pitch. Tonight, we caught sight of a story over at Gizmo Fusion pointing out a suspicious Sprint landing page potentially teasing Samsung's mythical Galaxy Nexus 2 so many fans have been hoping for.

The page in question (which one of our readers, Freak4Dell, also noticed) is Sprint's landing page for the original Galaxy Nexus which, for at least two days now, has had an interesting title – "Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2 – 4g Android Smartphone from Sprint".

Just in case anybody out there took this as a sign that their Galaxy Nexus 2 prayers would definitely be answered, we should point out that this almost certainly doesn't tease an unannounced device.

Oct

[Updated] Official TouchWiz Jelly Bean Leaks For The Epic 4G Touch On XDA, Look At Two Screenshots To Your Heart's Content

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Epic 4G Touch, News

Did you think that the Galaxy S III was the only one getting all of Samsung's Jelly Bean attention? Not so! As it turns out, the company is also working on Android 4.1 for older phones, including but not limited to the...*deep breath*...Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. A build has leaked out over on XDA of 4.1.1 in all its TouchWiz-ified glory that's ready for the ~~flashing~~ looking at, if you're feeling ~~adventurous~~ bored.

Of course, keep in mind that this is an early build of unreleased software, so make your backups and be prepared for some problems here and there.

Oct

Sprint's Galaxy Note II With LTE Will Launch On October 25th For $300, Offers Rebate To Get Your Arm And Leg Back

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy Note II, News, Sprint

Last Updated: October 25th, 2012

For the first time, Samsung's largest flagship line will be landing on Sprint with the Galaxy Note II. During the initial launch, though, you better know you want it as this device will come with a whopping $300 price tag with a new two year contract. This isn't unheard of for some major devices, but it still ranks as one of the most expensive handsets you can buy.

The Note II will be launching with Android 4.1.1, LTE, and the same Exynos processor as the international version. As we know, devices that use the Exynos 4 processor require a discrete LTE chip outside the SoC itself which can add thickness to a phone.

Oct

Sprint Announces The Optimus G Will Be Available On Nov. 11th For $199, Pre-Orders Start Nov. 1st

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Optimus G, Sprint

We've just confirmed with Sprint that the Optimus G will be available on the Now Network on November 11th, for $199 on a 2-year agreement. Pre-orders begin on the 1st of November.

The Optimus G, as a quick refresher, is the first mass-market phone to contain a Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core processor, which by all accounts is currently the most powerful mobile chipset on the market. I've been using the G for a few days now, and I have to say, it is fast. We'll have our review of the Optimus G for AT&T and Sprint up some time this week.

Oct

SoftBank Officially Announces The $20.1 Billion Investment In Sprint

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Sprint

SoftBank, a Japanese telecommunications and Internet corporation, has confirmed via a press release and a live event in Tokyo the $20.1bn investment that would give SoftBank a 70% ownership of Sprint. The news hit the rumor mill 3 days ago and was pretty much confirmed by CNBC yesterday. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2013 pending regulatory approval.

Roughly $12.1bn will be paid to the shareholders at $7.30 a share and $8bn will be used to "strengthen Sprint's balance sheet," grow the network, and perform "strategic investments."

Sprint's shares closed at $5.73 last Friday for a +144.87% gain this year so far.

Oct

Sprint Promises LTE Coverage For San Francisco, 21 Other Cities 'In The Coming Months'

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Sprint

Sprint would like you to know that, while LTE coverage has not yet been activated in these areas just yet, the Now Network has plans to rollout the shiny new towers to cities like San Francisco and Napa, CA, Naples and Cape Coral, FL, and several markets in midwest and southern states. The network is not live yet, of course. As with the carrier's previous announcement, this is simply to let people know what's coming.

Here's the full list of cities that have been added to the plan:

San Francisco, CA, San Mateo-Redwood City, CA
Cape Coral-Ft Meyers, FL
Dyersburg-Union City-Martin, TN
Emporia, KS
Fort Wayne, IN
Greenwood, MS
Joplin, MO
Kokomo, IN
Lafayette/West Lafayette, IN
Lexington Park, MD
Marion, IN
Napa, CA
Naples-Marco Island, FL
Ottawa-Streator, IL
Punta Gorda, FL
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
Sebring, FL
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN
Terre Haute, IN
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
Warsaw, IN

According to Sprint, before the official launch of these networks, you may see LTE coverage pop up and, in that case, you "are welcome to use the network" (as opposed to politely declining the coverage you paid for?) but there's no word yet on when the official launch in these cities will occur.

Oct

Sprint Is In Talks With Softbank For A "Substantial Investment" That "Could Involve A Change Of Control"

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Sprint

We've heard rumors that Sprint is considering outbidding T-Mobile for MetroPCS's affection. Just in case that doesn't work, though, Sprint wants us to know that there is another plan in the works: being purchased by Softbank. Since most of you likely aren't up to date on Japanese telecoms, here's the deal: Softbank is a Japanese telecom. The third largest wireless carrier in the country, so a bit of a kindred spirit with Sprint. Now, the Japanese company may be interested in purchasing big yellow. Rumors broke earlier today, and now Sprint has sent out this brief press release to confirm:

Sprint (NYSE: S) today confirmed that it is currently engaged in discussions with Softbank regarding a potential substantial investment by Softbank in Sprint.