Today, Sprint announced that its WiMAX, 4G network is officially open for business in six additional locales: New York; New York, Hartford; CT, New Haven; CT, New Brunswick; NJ, Trenton; NJ, and Tampa; FL.

“Sprint has provided customers with 4G service since 2008 and we’re proud to extend our leadership to six more cities today, including New York City,” said Sprint’s president of 4G, Matt Carter. “Sprint is the first national wireless carrier to make 4G a reality for our customers and with the addition of these six new markets we are now in 61 cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and Houston, and are growing. By the end of the year Sprint 4G plans to light up several major new markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Denver and Washington DC to name a few.”

If you’re in the Big Apple, or any of the other aforementioned markets, fire up your 4G device(s) and let us know what kind of speeds you’re seeing.

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If you’re a current Sprint customer, with an Epic 4G, you might not have had much of a reason to utilize the Media Hub feature included with the Samsung handset. However, if you plan on purchasing an Epic 4G or Galaxy Tab between October 31st and January 8th, Sprint might give you an incentive to explore The Hub a little further. According to blog Androinica, Sprint will be offering a $50 credit to Samsung’s Media Hub to customers who purchase any of their Galaxy S offerings. Vouchers will be issued with a 10-digit promotional code that can be redeemed anytime before March 31, 2011 and must be used within 60-days of activation. Seems like a pretty good deal. Hit the jump for the full article.

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Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, was speaking with FierceWireless when he noted that his company would eventually shut down their iDEN network. The move isn’t really all that surprising, especially when you take into account that Hesse asserted that there was “no timeline” and it would be a “gradual process.” The shuttering of Nextel’s iDEN network would, as the CEO put it, “free up some channels to put CDMA services onto Sprint’s 800 MHz iDEN spectrum.” One thing is certain, when Sprint does decide to drop the ax on their iDEN network, there will be plenty of local and state municipalities looking for another wireless provider.

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The pricing and launch date might look familiar thanks to an exclusive we ran earlier this month, but Sprint fans with a hankering for relatively tiny tablets can now rest easy — a release date and pricing information are now official for Sprint’s upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab. The 7-inch tablet will launch online and in select stores on November 14, and it will run $399.99 with a new 2-year contract. As far as what that 2-year contract entails, Sprint is making two data plans available alongside its first tablet offering: a 2GB option for $29.99 per month and a 5GB option for $59.99 per month. Pre-orders begin today at participating Sprint stores across the country. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Award-Winning Samsung Galaxy Tab,  Sprint’s First Android-Powered Mobile Tablet,  Debuts Nationwide on Nov. 14 As the perfect combination of e-reader, media player and mini-PC, Samsung Galaxy Tab features the reliability of the Sprint 3G network, a super fast 1GHz processor, Android 2.2 and two cameras Starting today, customers can pre-order Samsung Galaxy Tab at any Sprint Store; For more information, visit www.sprint.com/tab

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Oct. 25, 2010 – What do you get when you combine an entertainment device for e-books, movies, music and games with an amazing 7-inch screen and fast and easy access to the Web, video chat and apps in an incredibly portable design?  Samsung Galaxy Tab™, the award-winning¹ mobile tablet, available from Sprint beginning Sunday, Nov. 14, at select Sprint Stores, Business Sales, Web sales and telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1.

Beginning today, customers can pre-order a tablet at any participating Sprint Store with the purchase of a $50 Sprint gift card.  Customers who pre-order Samsung Galaxy Tab will have their name added to the Device Wait List and be contacted to set up an appointment to complete their Samsung Galaxy Tab purchase beginning on Sunday, Nov. 14.  Through the pre-order process, customers will have peace of mind knowing they are able to get the device they want and receive the full retail experience, including Sprint’s Ready Now customer service experience.

It will cost $399.99 (taxes not included) with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement on a 3G Tablet Mobile Broadband plan.  Sprint customers will have two rate plans to choose from for their Samsung Galaxy Tab: a 2GB data plan with unlimited messaging for $29.99 per month or a 5GB data plan with unlimited messaging for $59.99 per month (plus taxes and surcharges).

“Samsung Galaxy Tab is another Android innovation for Sprint, adding a new category of wireless devices to the Sprint portfolio,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development, Sprint.  “Samsung Galaxy Tab is a powerful entertainment device and business tool that offers our customers high-end features, including a blazing-fast processor, beautiful touchscreen for watching videos and Web browsing, two cameras, video chat capabilities and access to the Sprint 3G network with affordable rate plans that let customers take advantage of the advanced data capabilities their device offers.”

Samsung Galaxy Tab weighs less than a pound and features a brilliant 7-inch enhanced TFT touchscreen display, Android 2.2, 1GHz Hummingbird Application processor, supporting 3D graphics and smooth Web browsing, as well as dual cameras for video chat on-the-go. It offers two fast and easy ways to enter text onto the tablet – a virtual keyboard and SWYPE technology for faster and more intuitive text input with one continuous finger motion across the virtual keyboard.

Samsung Galaxy Tab features two cameras – a 3-megapixel camera with camcorder and flash, and a front-facing, 1.3-megapixel camera enabling video chat.  It also offers mobile hotspot capability as an optional add-on to simultaneously connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices for an additional $29.99 per month (plus taxes and surcharges).

Additional key features include:

• Android Market™ for access to more than 80,000 useful applications, widgets and games available for download to customize the experience
• ThinkFree Office to open and make changes to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or PDF documents
• Sprint Navigation can also be added for $2.99 per day or $9.99 per month (plus taxes and surcharges)
• Stereo speakers
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n
• Integrated GPS
• 2GB onboard memory, 16GB microSD card included, with support for up to a 32GB microSD card
• 4,000 mAh battery

On-The-Go Movie Theater Experience

Samsung Media Hub offers an easy-to-use mobile video store with movies and TV shows available for purchase or rental and video content set up for an HD-like entertainment experience.  Users can quickly get downloads of a full library of video content powered by some of the biggest names in entertainment using Wi-Fi, including MTV Networks, NBC Universal and Paramount.

Samsung Galaxy Tab will also enable sharing user-generated video content with other devices with Samsung’s exclusive AllShare service.  AllShare wirelessly shares stored music, pictures and HD-like video (720p) to other DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified™ home electronics, including HDTVs, monitors, digital cameras and printers.  Through AllShare, users can capture special moments with the phone’s camera and camcorder and wirelessly show them to friends or family on their DLNA-certified HDTV or download music from a PC to Samsung Galaxy Tab and take it on the road.

To make staying connected faster and easier, Samsung Galaxy Tab includes Samsung Social Hub, designed to integrate social networking services, messages, personal and business email, calendars and contacts. Calendar information from portal calendars, such as Google Calendar and social networking services, are displayed together in one calendar with two-way synchronization.

For more information about Samsung Galaxy Tab, visit www.sprint.com/tab.

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Now, we realize that this isn’t a shot of the actual handset’s release date, but hey, people have to get their cases on launch day, too! One of our Sprint sources sent us in a photo of the HTC Knight’s accessory list sheet, and the case for the HTC handset is set to launch on January 6th. We have also been told there is a good chance the phone will come to market as the HTC Speedy. No, we’re not kidding. Plus, do you know what day January 6th is, friends? It’s the first day of CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. Yeah, we’d pretty much guarantee this release date now. The HTC Speedy was pictured earlier in the day if you’re interested in seeing what it looks like.

What do we have here? The folks over at xda-developers have posted the above picture; an HTC Android phone purportedly named “Knight.” The phone rocks a 3.7-inch screen, akin to the Nexus One, and resembles a smaller EVO 4G with its four rounded soft-keys. The site’s source was unsure about an exact release date but does expect an official announcement “soon.” According to XDA, the phone sports a “hinge” of some sort; whether it’s a slide-out QWERTY, or a HTC Surround-esque speaker, remains to be seen. What are your thoughts on the 3.7-inch screen?

[Via PocketNow]

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As you can clearly see, no, we didn’t snag the royal purple BlackBerry Style, but Sprint and RIM were nice enough to hook us up with a steel grey (also known as black) unit, and we’re up and running. After a quick Enterprise Activation, the emails are flowing like wine. But there are no beautiful women instinctively flocking like the salmon of Capistrano — yet. Here are some of our first impressions on the device we exclusively showed the world way back in April:

• It’s not as big as we figured it would be. The BlackBerry Style is a little thick, but not overly hefty, and definitely manageable.
• The keyboard is… not as great as we hoped, and expected, it to be. It’s good, more than usable, but it feels a bit like the Torch’s keyboard — not enough travel tactility. Maybe we’re spoiled by our Bold 9780, but even though the keyboard isn’t as good, it’s most probably better than your current phone’s QWERTY keyboard, so that’s a plus.
• The screen is just what you’d expect; you don’t really notice the fact it’s a lower-than-optimal resolution due to the fact that the screen size is much smaller than on the BlackBerry Torch. Also without a touch layer, the display looks a little thinner and sleeker. Colors look good, crisp, and clear.
• The external display by default when closed is a clock, and when you receive messages, you can simply page through them without having to open the handset, just like on the Pearl Flip. Definitely a nice feature.
• Here is what we’re not in love with in our limited time with the Style… talking on the phone. With the device flipped open, the ear speaker doesn’t fit right against your ear and face. It’s on a diagonal angle because the phone’s hinge sits under the body of the phone. For example, instead of the hinge forming a straight V-shape, the flip part sits under the main part of the phone, and this recessed hinge design doesn’t offer the most comfortable phone talking experience. We’ll let you know if we get used to talking on it more in our review.
• The camera is pretty decent, seems as if it’s the same sensor as the one in the BlackBerry Torch and the BlackBerry Bold 9780.
• There is a non-button in place of the left convenience  key button and it’s kind of irritating. Not because there is anything wrong with it, but because it looks like a button would work there, and you’re left with only the right convenience key as a result. [Update: it's the cover for the microSD slot]

All in all, for a $99 (with contract) BlackBerry smartphone rocking 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 5 megapixel camera, BlackBerry OS 6, a QWERTY keyboard, and more, it does feel like an improvement over the Curve series in many ways. Especially for the younger, hipper demographic, the BlackBerry Style doesn’t feel too much out of place in that context. We just wish Sprint and RIM would have launched a slightly less expensive BlackBerry data plan (just email and BBM) with the Style — those high schoolers, and their parents, wouldn’t be able to resist the new 9670. It goes on sale October 31st on Sprint.

Click on over to our BlackBerry Style 9670 hands on gallery!

It looks like those Sprint Premier members who want to assure themselves a BlackBerry Style 9670 on launch day will be afforded that opportunity. Sprint has been sending out emails to its Premier customers with an option to pre-order the new BlackBerry flip-phone today; one day before the general public. Anyone out there going to scoop up RIM’s latest creation either today or tomorrow?

Note: We’re looking into why the email being sent out by Sprint says: “9760.”

Thanks, Craig P!

Sprint and BlackBerry have finally gone and made the BlackBerry Style 9670 official as of this morning. In case you’re forgetting the specifications on the device we first showed to the world, here they are… a full QWERTY flip phone rockin’ BlackBerry 6, 624MHz processor, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, and Wi-Fi b/g/n. The BlackBerry Style will also come in two colors on the nation’s first 4G carrier — steel grey and royal purple, just like we reported. If you’re looking for the purple variant, it won’t go on sale until “early November” but we’re sure most of the general public will be gunning for the grey handset anyway. As far as price, it’s just like we said — $99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and new 2 year cellular agreement. Full press release is after the break, folks!

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., and WATERLOO, Ontario – Oct. 18, 2010 – For the more than 100 million U.S. consumers who currently use a flip phone, Sprint (NYSE:S) and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM; TSX:RIM) today announced the much-anticipated BlackBerry^® Style™ 9670 smartphone. BlackBerry Style is an elegant, new flip smartphone featuring a full QWERTY BlackBerry^® keyboard, the new BlackBerry^® 6 operating system and a wide range of advanced communications and multimedia capabilities. It will be available in the United States only from Sprint beginning on Oct. 31.

The BlackBerry Style features a full QWERTY BlackBerry keyboard that makes email, messaging and real-time chats with BBM™ (BlackBerry^® Messenger) incredibly easy. It also comes with many advanced features, including a 5MP camera with flash and support for video recording, built-in GPS for location-based apps and geo-tagging, Wi-Fi^® for faster connectivity and extended data coverage, and an expandable memory slot for up to 32GB of additional storage.

“The beautiful and compact flip form factor on the BlackBerry Style smartphone makes it quite unique within the BlackBerry lineup,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Customers will appreciate that the flip form factor is extremely easy to use for calls, and with a full QWERTY keyboard, it provides the same attractive features enthusiasts have come to expect from their smartphone. Also, with the enhancements available through BlackBerry 6, Sprint customers will love the new user interface and the enhanced Web browsing experience.”

The attractive new smartphone includes an optical trackpad for fluid navigation and boasts two large displays, an external screen for quickly viewing notifications and messages, and a high-resolution internal display that makes Web browsing or watching videos a pleasure. The BlackBerry Style smartphone will also be available in two fashionable colors – Steel Grey and Royal Purple.

“The flip form factor appeals to a very distinct but sizable set of consumers in the U.S., and we’re pleased to work with Sprint to bring this unique new BlackBerry smartphone to their customers,” said David J. Smith, vice president of Product Management, Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Style smartphone is a feature rich, premium BlackBerry smartphone that makes the perfect choice for Sprint customers who love the flip form factor but want advanced smartphone features and a full QWERTY keyboard.”

First Sprint Smartphone with BlackBerry 6

BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that retains the familiar and trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand, while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that’s powerful and easy to use. It includes expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds (Social Feeds) and provides integrated access to BBM, Facebook^®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications that are preinstalled on the BlackBerry Style smartphone.

BlackBerry 6 also integrates a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML Web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, mouse-like navigation with the optical trackpad and a zoom feature that intelligently auto-wraps text in a column, while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements for easy viewing and navigation.

Universal search allows users to search through email, messages, contacts, music, videos and more on the smartphone, as well as extend searches to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™. The BlackBerry Style also includes a preinstalled YouTube app and Podcasts app.

Worry-Free Pricing

The BlackBerry Style smartphone will be available nationally on Oct. 31 for $99.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement with activation on a Sprint^® Business Advantage Messaging and Data plan or Everything plan with data. Sprint’s industry-leading Everything Data or Business Advantage Messaging and Data plans include unlimited Web, texting and calling on the Nationwide Sprint Network to every mobile in America with Any Mobile, Anytime^SM. Everything Data plans start at $69.99 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges).

With the Sprint Free Guarantee, customers can take advantage of the BlackBerry Style smartphone for 30 days. If not completely satisfied, customers may return the device within 30 days to get reimbursed for the device purchase and activation fee, get both the early termination and restocking fees waived, and receive a full refund for the monthly service plan charges.¹

Sprint is also offering customers an opportunity to reserve the Steel Grey BlackBerry Style smartphone for purchase beginning Tuesday, Oct. 19, while supplies last. The Royal Purple BlackBerry Style smartphone will be available in November.

Customers can reserve their smartphone for purchase at www.sprint.com/bbstyle.  Customers who reserve the BlackBerry Style smartphone will be able to complete their purchase beginning Sunday, Oct. 31, and must complete their purchase no later than 6 p.m. local time on Monday, Nov. 1. Through the reservation process, customers will be able to reserve their new BlackBerry Style smartphone online, pick it up in a Sprint Store and receive the full retail experience, including Sprint’s Ready Now service.

Application developers will have a chance to learn more about BlackBerry 6 at Sprint’s 10th annual developer conference. The Sprint Open Developer Conference, Oct. 26-28 in Santa Clara, Calif., is open to all attendees and will feature information on developing applications for a range of platforms, including BlackBerry 6. Developers can register for the conference at http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2010.

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CNN and other media outlets are reporting that U.S. wireless carrier Sprint has plans to launch its 4G, WiMax network in New York City on November 1 and in Los Angeles and San Francisco in early December. Sprint has been testing its next generation data network in both New York and L.A. for the last several months. Sprint currently has 54 U.S. cities covered in 4G and has publicly stated that they plan to cover 120 million Americans by the end of 2010. Evo and Epic owners in NYC, LA, and SF… rejoice!

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Typically, the word “shrinkage” isn’t a good thing, however… if you’re a wireless provider it could actually be a selling point. Today, Sprint announced a new program known as “Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage” for its Boost Mobile prepaid customers. As Boost’s website explains:

Boost will lower your monthly payment by $5 for every 6 on-time payments. Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage customers can shrink their monthly payments from $50 to as low as $35/month. BlackBerry Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage customers can lower their monthly payments from $60 to as low as $45/month.

The idea seems pretty ingenious, trying to retain budget conscious consumers using value-based incentives. The offering is available for both new and existing customers and all that is required is an on-time payment. Hit the read link to check out the potential savings.

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If you’re one of those people always looking for a bargain, whenever available, Sprint has a new offering that may entice you. Today, the nation’s third largest carrier officially launched a new “certified pre-owned” handset program that targets the aforementioned personality type. As the press release explains: “Sprint Certified Pre-owned devices offer customers exceptional, feature-rich refurbished devices at lower prices. Customers who purchase a pre-owned device from Sprint not only get one of today’s devices at a great value, but also simultaneously help Sprint to achieve its aggressive reuse and recycling goals by giving these pre-owned devices a ‘second life.’” Some of the devices being touted in the announcement are the BlackBerry Tour — priced at $80 — as well as the Samsung Reclaim and Sanyo 2700 — both priced at $50. All CPO devices are “thoroughly inspected, tested and, if necessary, remanufactured according to original equipment manufacturer new unit specifications” and come with the same 30-day return policy as new devices. A similar pre-owned program is also being offered by CDMA rival Verizon Wireless.

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We just had some hands-on time with the HTC 7 Pro; which is due to hit Sprint sometime in the first half of 2011. The device sports a full QWERTY keyboard, 1 GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash — complete with horizontal sliding mechanism — and a 3.6-inch display. Sadly, the unit wasn’t functioning, so we took a handful of images for you to have a look at.

Click on over to our Sprint HTC 7 Pro Gallery!

UPDATE: Added additional phone specifications.

One of our solid Sprint guys just shot us over this slide on the upcoming BlackBerry Oxford, the device we first showed the world, and the big news? A release date and price! Here is the breakdown: the BlackBerry Oxford (maybe “Style” wasn’t stylish enough?) is indeed a Sprint exclusive, and is set to launch on October 31st in the color Seattle grey. There will be a purple model being released in the near future, or as Sprint likes to put it, it’s “coming soon”. The BlackBerry 6-powered flip device will run you only $99.99 with a two year agreement after $100 mail-in-rebate. Not a bad price for a 5 megapixel-toting, full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi and GPS capable EV-DO Rev. A device, right? So let’s hear it — yay or nay on the Oxford, guys?