Cell Phone Models

Most people in states such as California, New York and New Jersey are aware by now that holding a cell phone to your ear while driving can get them into legal trouble. Drivers in states with limited cell-phone driving restrictions — such as prohibiting teen drivers from using cell phones — may be somewhat aware of the restrictions and accompanying penalties. (If you’re unsure about your state’s laws, view this list of current state-by-state regulations.)

But, if you don’t live in one of the states or cities that have enacted hands-free cell phone driving laws, you probably haven’t given it much thought.

You still drive around care-free chatting away on your cell phone, daring the gods of traffic to send a tree branch in the middle of the road your way. But, if you plan any kind of road travel this summer, you better perk up your ears, put that cell phone down and listen up. (more…)

This morning, Sprint added a new top-tier, all inclusive calling plan to its lineup - the ‘Simply Everything’ plan. This new option covers voice, data, text, email, Web-surfing, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS Navigation, Direct Connect and Group Connect for $99.99 a month. Quite literally, everything you’ll need for full wireless communication.

This move comes a few weeks after initial word of Sprint’s plan leaked, and is indicative of the increased competition across carriers for the growing number of consumers who demand more than “just” voice services. By wrapping the full spectrum of services into one plan, Sprint hopes they’ve simplified the process for these “all-in” customers.

One additional detail of note - existing Sprint customers may upgrade to a ‘Simply Everything’ plan without extending their contract, a condition that is, for now, unique to Sprint.

As a result of this news, Wirefly currently offers unlimited plans for four of the nation’s major carriers - AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and, now, Sprint.

Back in July, we reported on Sprint’s plans to provide national WiMax access by combining its own network with that of Clearwire – a deal that Wall Street called “a win-win transaction.�

Well, apparently someone lost. This morning, the two companies called off the budding partnership; according to a statement from Sprint, they “could not resolve complexities� necessary to finalize the agreement. The announcement does lead some in the industry to question Sprint’s commitment to its WiMax project – although the carrier says it still plans to spend up to $5 billion on deploying WiMax technology over the next three years.

Sprint’s WiMax network – known as XOHM – was expected to begin serving the Washington-Baltimore and Chicago markets by this fall, expanding to reach as many as 100 million customers by the end of 2008. Instead, the two companies’ networks will remain independent, with Clearwire continuing work on its regional services (limited to a handful of Western states) while Sprint “reviews its WiMax business plans and outlook.� The cell phone carrier does still plan on limited roll-out in the test markets mentioned above.

For now, it’s safe to consider Sprint’s nationwide WiMax efforts on hold – however, we’re expecting more definitive word from the carrier early next year.

With the new television season underway, Sprint TV has added the ability to watch new network shows including Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI: NY and Numbers on Sprint TV. Always curious, the Wirefly team decided to test the service out and see how it worked.

Since I have a Motorola Red RAZR, one of the Sprint phones compatible with the service, and a data plan, I decided to watch the first episode of Numbers. The show is broken up into six segments – I assume what is normally between commercial breaks. Each segment buffers and begins playing. The sound quality was good – both through the speaker phone and my headphones. The screen refresh was occasionally a little rough and the image pixilated or split the screen. I wasn’t a big fan of loading each segment individually, although I realize that it’s necessary in order to optimize load times. I guess it’s better than sitting through a two-minute commercial break, in any case.

I also tested the continuous streaming content from CNN Mobile and the Weather Channel available from Sprint TV. The quality was fine and I didn’t have the same buffering issues that occurred during Numbers.

I thought the text in that type of content was too small to read on the RAZR screen, but on a bigger screen – like those found on the Palm Treo 755p and the HTC Mogul 6800 – I can’t imagine that being a problem.

This morning, Sprint announced a new service that brings the full online shopping experience directly to your cell phone.

Sprint’s Mobile Shopper allows customers to easily browse through a wide range of products, and even compare prices across different vendors, before placing an order using a credit card. The entire process – essentially, anything commerce-related you can do from your PC – is now mobile.

One interesting aspect of the new service is that Sprint won’t see any revenue. The carrier formed a partnership with the ecommerce specialists at mShopper, with 7 million available products from retailers as large as Wal-Mart all the way down to niche items from companies like Dreamtime Baby and GolfTravelBags.com. mShopper will take a commission and the majority of the profit, of course, will go the individual retailer. Sprint, on the other hand, doesn’t earn revenue directly from Mobile Shopper, offering it only as an enticement to its users to spend more time on the phone.

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In what several Wall Street analysts hailed as a “win-win transaction for both companies” on today’s conference call, Sprint and Clearwire announced a new partnership to deploy a nationwide mobile broadband network using WiMAX Technology. WiMAX is wireless broadband access designed as alternative to cable and DSL. WiMAX differs from WiFi in that it’s a long range system that uses a scheduling algorithm to make the bandwidth use more efficient. WiFi networks are generally confined to small areas – a building or neighborhood and network access is random and not scheduled. WiFi is, however, cheaper to deploy which is why it’s popping up in your local coffee shop.

I dialed into the conference call today, to hear Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff sum up the benefits of the new network: “The ability to have mobile end user devices always on, and always with the person - and that have the benefit of true broadband speed - will enable a whole new generation of internet based services, content and applications.”

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With the meteoric rise in popularity of social networking websites like mySpace, and especially Facebook, it seems like the move Sprint announced this week – plans to partner with ANTHEM and move into the social networking realm – was a smart one.

ANTHEM will allow Sprint’s cell phone customers mobile access to LiveJournal, Rabble, Vox and Xanga, where they will be able to view photos, send and receive messages, post comments and search profiles. The new service rolls out next week on select Sprint cell phones. We imagine a FaceBook app can’t be far behind.

Coupled with the revelation that Sprint and loopt are about to start working together, this kind of functionality points to the carrier’s commitment to social media. With the myriad of Internet-based options now available for your cell phone, it may be time for that data plan.