Sprint
Palm Pre First Impressions Review
 The Pre, Palm's latest smartphone offering, was announced at CES on January 8. Featuring a 3.1-inch multitouch touchscreen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard with an embedded dial pad, the Pre is poised to take on notable competitors like the iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1, and the Blackberry Storm. The Pre also packs in the hardware features that are key to being competitive, including 3G on Sprint's CDMA Rev. A EVDO network, a 3-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and aGPS. The Pre also debuts Palm's new operating system, dubbed webOS, that is capable of multi-tasking and has a unique way of handling notifications and open applications. How will the Pre stack up in the smartphone arena? Read our First Impressions Review to get our initial take on this new device...
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by Marianne Schultz
2009-01-11 01:49:00
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Palm Pre First Impressions Review
The Pre, Palm's latest smartphone offering, was announced at CES on January 8. Featuring a 3.1-inch multitouch touchscreen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard with an embedded dial pad, the Pre is poised to take on notable competitors like the iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1, and the Blackberry Storm. The Pre also packs in the hardware features that are key to being competitive, including 3G on Sprint's CDMA Rev. A EVDO network, a 3-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and aGPS. The Pre also debuts Palm's new operating system, dubbed webOS, that is capable of multi-tasking and has a unique way of handling notifications and open applications. How will the Pre stack up in the smartphone arena? Read our First Impressions Review to get our initial take on this new device...
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by Marianne Schultz
2009-01-11 01:49:00
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HTC Touch Diamond Cell Phone Review
 The HTC Touch Diamond sounds like smartphone heaven with its VGA touchscreen, 4GB of internal storage, 3.2-megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, and compact size in a slick form factor. Its screen is really vibrant and easy on the eyes, and a lot of internal storage is becoming a necessity today in terms of the documents and media most want and need to keep on a smartphone. The camera records still images with very good resolution for a cell phone, though not so much at all with video. The TouchFLO interface is painfully unresponsive at times, and we thank our lucky stars that it can be turned off to fully reveal the powerful Windows Mobile behemoth lurking below the surface.
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by Marianne Schultz
2008-10-14 17:40:00
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Samsung Instinct Cell Phone Review
 The Samsung Instinct is Sprint's newest iPhone competitor, and it brings a lot to the table. We found the large display and responsive touch screen were easy to use, and the interface sacrifices extra functions for ease of use, which isn't a bad thing at all. Email mavens will appreciate the Exchange support and the music and video software is good, but slow to load. There's also GPS on board, a good web browser and with Sprint's Simply Everything plan you'll be able to use it all without worrying about extra charges, for a price of course. So does all of this add up to an iPhone killer? Read the review to find out.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2008-07-07 23:07:00
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Samsung Ace Cell Phone Review
 The Samsung Ace is a powerful Windows Mobile Standard device from Sprint that is similar to the Samsung Blackjack line of phones that have been limited to AT&T until now. The ace up the sleeve, if you pardon the pun, is the support for both Sprint's CDMA network and international GSM networks. This puts it on the short list for any Sprint customer who does a lot of overseas travel, but they may be less enamored with the limited talk time, poor camera and the strange decision to leave Office Mobile off the device. The price tag is also a concern as similar handsets can be had for half the Ace's $199 cost. Do other bonuses make up for these drawbacks? Read on to find out.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2008-04-29 09:01:00
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Samsung M520 Cell Phone Review
 The Samsung M520 is a slim professional looking handset from Sprint that provides solid functionality in a reasonably attractive form factor. We liked the handsets easy to use keypad and controls and the fairly responsive interface. The M520 does have its drawbacks, however, like the poor quality photos it takes and the terrible web browser. On the plus side you get solid music playback time, albeit only mediocre talk and web browsing times. Tamping down the enthusiasm on the musi side, however, is Sprint's music software, which is slow to load and lacking in features. At the price, $49.99 with a two-year contract and after rebate, the M520 is a good choice for those who want a budget phone that only has a few compromises.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2008-04-07 13:32:00
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Palm Treo 755p Cell Phone Review
 The Treo 755p won't be a surprise to anyone who knows Palm phones. We've seen the software and hardware on other devices, this just happens to be the first with this particular combination. Running Palm OS the Treo 755p is a powerful smart phone with excellent messaging and organizer features. Palm OS is as quick and easy to use as ever, making the Treo 755p a good choice for those who want the power of a smart phone without the learning curve that comes with Windows Mobile or Symbian devices. We like the small design changes made from previous Treo devices, removing the camera, adding a soft touch finish and slimming a couple of millimeters off, but the Treo 755p is still a rather bulky device. Palm hasn't wowed us with a device for awhile and the Treo 755p does nothing to change that track record.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-12-20 18:23:00
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HTC Touch Cell Phone Review
 The HTC Touch is a touch screen Windows Mobile Professional device that's positioned to compete with the iPhone. We found the TouchFLO interface, which is designed to improve the experience of using the touch screen, succeeds strongly in some areas (like the new album software) but fails in other areas, like text entry. The Touch is definitely a small and attractive device, but its reliance on the touch screen, which just isn't up to the standard set by the iPhone, is its Achilles heel. The Touch has some solid multimedia support for video and music playback, and Windows Mobile Professional does its typical solid job, but heavy e-mail or SMS users will find the on-screen text entry systems to be frustrating. We also weren't happy with the Touch's battery performance, which was subpar across the board. The Touch is definitely a cool device, but we just don't think TouchFlo is ready to be the main interface for most users. This is probably why the successor to the Touch adds a slide-out keypad, and we wish Sprint had picked up that version.
Sprint is currently the exclusive carrier for the Touch in the U.S., although you can purchase unlocked GSM versions that work on T-Mobile and AT&T. Sprint is selling the Touch for $249.99 with a two-year contract or $499.99 without.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-11-07 19:24:00
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Palm Centro Cell Phone Review
 The Centro is Palm's latest attempt to bring innovation to the smart phone market, after years of phones with only minor improvements. The biggest thing you'll notice when you see the Centro is that it's smaller than any Treo, and, despite being thicker than we might like, it feels very comfortable in hand. The trade-off is that the Centro's QWERTY keyboard is small and difficult to use — we almost wish Palm had gone with a two-letters-to-a-key approach, as we've seen on the BlackBerry Pearl.
The Centro runs Palm OS, which hasn't seen much development over the last few years. This isn't necessarily a terrible thing; the Palm OS remains one of the fastest and easiest to use operating systems we've seen on a phone, although it lacks in areas like multi-tasking. There is a huge library of Palm OS applications available to improve the Centro's software capabilities, though. Of course, the most important feature of the Centro for many people might be the price, and at $99 with a two-year contract, the Centro might be one of the best values out there, despite its flaws.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-10-25 10:15:00
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Motorola Razr2 V9m On Sprint Cell Phone Review
 The Razr2 V9m is the latest iteration of Motorola's iconic Razr line of phones. The major carriers are all offering versions of this new handset, but the first to come under our review microscope is the Razr2 V9m from Sprint. The most obvious upgrade on the V9m is the large external display. This looks as good as the main displays on many phones, and includes a touch-sensitive lower third with on-screen buttons. But this version of the V9m is really only an evolutionary upgrade over previous Razrs; under the hood it runs the same proprietary operating system you find on the Razr V3m, and the organizational and e-mail capabilities won't be sufficient for business users. At $250 with a two-year contract, the Sprint Razr2 V9m is a little pricey given its limited range of upgrades over previous versions. Aside from the external display there's nothing here that makes us sit up and say wow.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-09-04 13:31:00
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Sprint Upstage (Samsung SPH-m620) Review
 The Upstage sports an innovative new design, with a different interface on either side of the phone. On one side you find the control keys and a keypad, with a very small screen and limited access to most of the phone's functions. On the other side is a larger screen with touch sensitive controls beneath and full access to all the phone's functions, except text entry. The result of this design is a lot of "flipping", which can detract from the experience. Still, the Upstage sells itself with its slim good looks, and unusual design, although the interface leaves something to be desired.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-04-10 18:26:00
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Sanyo Katana DLX Cell Phone Review
 The Sanyo Katana DLX is an unremarkable handset that provides a pretty standard mid-range feature set. The Katana DLX is differentiated from the Katana II by the presence of a Micro SD slot and music playback capabilities. The DLX also supports Sprint's music store, which allows you to purchase and download music on the fly. The 1.3 megapixel camera is unremarkable, as are the organizer features. We were pleased to see, unlike most regular phones that only allow Web-based access to e-mail, that the Katana DLX has a true e-mail client, allowing you to view downloaded messages even when offline. The Katana DLX's gold design is supposed to approximate a fashion phone, but users will quickly realize the plastic construction is much more reminiscent of a mid-range handset. The Katana DLX is available exclusively from Sprint for a reasonable $129.99 with a two-year contract.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-08-06 08:31:00
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HTC Mogul Cell Phone Review
 The HTC Mogul is a phone for the messaging, emailing, calling person-about-town; with its 2.8-inch screen and large slide out QWERTY keyboard, this new HTC device is a good pick for the user who sends a lot of text and email messages and prefers a real keyboard to type on. The successor to Sprint's very successful PPC-6700 Windows Mobile smart phones, the Mogul is built by HTC, as were phones from other carriers like the T-Mobile Wing, Verizon XV6700 and AT&T 8525. But unlike these, the Mogul is the first HTC phone sold in the United States to bear HTC's name, part of their new global branding strategy. Regardless of what the phone is called this form factor has been very successful in the US and the Mogul looks to continue that success.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-07-23 09:58:00
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Motorola Krzr K1m Review
 The Krzr K1m represents another attempt by Motorola to capture the magic of the Razr series of phones. Motorola seems to have done a solid job with the Krzr K1m's form factor as it is an attractive phone and will appeal to those looking for a fashion piece. Under the hood not much has changed as the Krzr K1m still runs Motorola's outdated operating system. The camera is also nothing to write home about and battery life is definitely an area of concern.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-04-20 08:45:00
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Motorola RAZR V3m Cell Phone Review
 We reviewed the Motorola Razr V3m on Sprint; the phone is also available from Verizon. The Motorola Razr V3m is the latest iteration in Motorola’s lineup of Razr. The Razr series has to be considered one of the most successful families of phones of all time. Their success has been drive by looks, as the Razr pioneered the “thin” look. The Razr lineup has never wowed with specs and the V3m attempts to address this by adding an updated 1.3 megapixel camera and music playback capabilities.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-03-16 10:34:00
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Palm Treo 700p Cell Phone Review
 We reviewed the Treo 700p on Sprint, it is also available from Verizon. The Treo 700p is the successor to the Treo 650, running the Palm operating system. On the outside the 700p stays true to the tried and tested Treo form factor, sporting a full QWERTY keyboard and a large 320 by 320 pixel screen. Although there are a few software updates, as well as improved memory under the hood, the Treo 700p is very much an evolutionary upgrade to the 650.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-03-15 10:35:00
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Sanyo M1 Cell Phone Review
 We tested the Sanyo M1 on Sprint’s network. It is currently unavailable for any other major U.S. carrier. The Sanyo M1 is a multimedia oriented phone with an impressive 1GB of internal storage for music and pictures and a 2 megapixel autofocus camera on board. The M1 is a mid range phone, packing some impressive features into a body that is not as stylish as the “Razr” thin phones that are so prevalent today. Still, the spec sheet is impressive; does it live up to it? Let’s see.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-03-15 20:03:00
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Blackberry 8700 Cell Phone Review
 We reviewed the Blackberry 8703e on Sprint. 8700 series Blackberries are available on all of the other networks so you can shop around for the network provider you prefer. The 8703e, like most Blackberries, is a messaging centric device uniquely suited for enterprise environments. Push email using a Blackberry server is the killer feature for this phone, but the integration with Exchange server doesn’t hurt either. The 8703e is firmly targeted at business users. Although not as fully featured as some other phones, the Blackberry 8703e’s reputation centers on the fact that what it does, it does extremely well. Let’s see if it lives up to that reputation.
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by Alfredo Padilla
2007-03-16 19:44:00
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