CTIA is happening today and it’s quite the mobile show for the US Mobile Geek crowd, aka me.’a0 🙂
The United States might be home to a lot of innovations in the technology world, but I would say in many areas we’ve been lacking in mobile technology.’a0 However, some announcements and innovations today restored a bit of faith in the mobile ecosystem here in the States.
Sprint Pushing WiMax With a 4G Phone
Sprint is the United States’ number 3 mobile network.’a0 However, they have a trick up their sleeve: with their partnership with Clear, Sprint is advertising North America’s first 4G WiMax network.’a0 So far, 4G has meant super fast data connections over USB dongles.
However, today Sprint announced the Sprint Evo, a fantastic hardware platform that features an 8MP camera, 4.3 inch display, monster CPU and Android 2.1’a0 Also, the Evo can support up to 8 devices connected via Wi-Fi to use the 4G data connection.
Skype Comes To Verizon Wireless Smartphones
Verizon Wireless will soon equip most of their smartphones with Skype Mobile.’a0 That is, Verizon customers are going to be able to conduct Skype calls with anyone logged into the Skype system, send Skype IMs, and use Skype to make cheap phone calls to international numbers by utilizing the Internet telephony provider’s great rates.
Verizon is equipping most of their BlackBerry line along with Android phones including the Droid, Eris, and Devour with Skype capabilities.
T-Mobile USA Flexes Their 3G Muscle
T-Mobile may have been the last major US carrier to implement a 3G technology, but they are not just sitting around now that their HSPA network is mostly deployed.’a0 T-Mobile is reportedly rolling out an HSPA+ network that will effectively triple their download speed for their customers.
More good news for T-Mobile customers, most of the devices they carrier has been selling for the last year are HSPA 7.2 capable.’a0 Even though this may be fast enough, T-Mobile is pushing the envelope with HSPA+, which will essentially send download speeds to 21+ Mbps.
A Big First Day
As you can see there were some pretty big news today at CTIA.’a0 For American customers, the theme is faster mobile networks and, if you’re a Verizon customer, a great Skype calling experience on your smartphone.