Sprint BYOD Management Now Available for Businesses

Simplifying management and security for companies handling a diverse mix of multicarrier mobile devices; incorporates elements required to manage employee-owned devices used in the workplace

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Aug. 27, 2012 –With the consumerization of mobile devices and services, more businesses are adopting bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs and they need a simple approach to manage the security, administration and shared costs associated with this complex challenge.

Sprint (NYSE: S) recently launched a solution, BYOD Management, to address these key challenges of IT organizations and deliver cost savings while allowing employees to use their preferred device for work purposes to be more productive.

My review of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint

For the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to test the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on the Sprint network. As I've been using this device, a question that kept coming up was this: Will Apple's patent lawsuit against Samsung block U.S. sales of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus? I'm not sure that we have a definitive answer here. Currently, the Galaxy Nexus is being sold on most major wireless networks and these networks are also selling the newest member of the Galaxy family: the Samsung Galaxy S III. 


The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has a beautiful screen and the phone is remarkably thin. Previously, I mainly used an HTC Thunderbolt and I recently switched to the iPhone 4S. The Galaxy Nexus was a refreshing change from the iPhone because of the large screen (4.65" vs. 3.5" on the iPhone). Plus, Android 4 (also known as ICS or Ice Cream Sandwich) is much more refined than previous Android versions. There's an updated version of Android called Jelly Bean (it's 4.1).


When it came to using a variety of medical apps on the Galaxy Nexus, they ran beautifully and I found that I was much more productive typing on a larger screen. Multimedia content was delivered richly on the AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) display and the dual-core processor demonstrated snappy performance as I switched between intensive apps that load a lot of data. When you're browsing the web and searching for medical information, you'll feel like you have a small tablet in your hand because of the large screen that facilitates on-screen navigation. 


Also, the built-in camera has no shutter lag, so you can snap photos very quickly and sharing is easy. Do you share medical photos with colleagues using a secure, encrypted service? You'll appreciate the photo and video quality on this phone. 


I missed the fact that the Galaxy Nexus does not have a microSD card slot. Many other Android smartphones include a microSD slot. Then again, the HTC One X also doesn't have a microSD card slot.


Also, battery life on the Galaxy Nexus was adequate, but it wasn't great. This is probably why Samsung beefed up the battery from an 1850 mAh battery on the Galaxy Nexus to a 2100 mAh battery on the Galaxy S III. The Galaxy Nexus is very light (5.1 oz) and rivals the smaller iPhone 4S here (4.9 oz). The Galaxy S III beats both by only weighing 4.7 oz and still having a larger screen and battery. 

Some of the key features of the Galaxy Nexus include:

• Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich
• 4.65" HD Super AMOLED Contoured Display
• Dual-Core 1.2GHz Processor & 1GB Ram
• HTML Web Browser
• Camera 5.0 Megapixel
• 1.3MP front-facing Camera

The Galaxy Nexus won the CNET "Editor's Choice" back in Dec 2011. The most recent CNET winner is the Galaxy S III, so you're still in the same family here. 

Finally, don't get confused with the names "Galaxy" and "Nexus." Both of these terms have been applied to a wide range of smartphones (like the Samsung Galaxy family and the Google Nexus) and tablets (like the Google Nexus 7). In other words, it's easy to mistake the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for another device.

I would highly recommend this phone for anyone interested in a great smartphone with a large display running the latest version of Android but who is also budget-conscious. You can find this phone for $99 to $150 whereas most of the newest smartphones generally start at $200. If you're the type who needs the latest and greatest and you're willing to pay the price, then go with the Galaxy S III because you'll get a phone that mainly has a bigger display (4.8" vs. 4.65"), a better camera (8 MP vs. 5 MP), and longer battery life (2100 mAh vs. 1850 mAh). Beyond these differences, the Galaxy Nexus is very similar to the Galaxy S III.

I'm testing the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has been available on the Sprint network for a few months and I now have my hands on one (to test). I'll be providing more opinions over the next week, so stay tuned. In the meanwhile, if you're thinking about upgrading to an Android smartphone running Android 4.0 (also known as Ice Cream Sandwich), then you'll be happy with the changes that you'll find on the new OS. Compared to Android 2.x, Android 4.0 includes a number of welcome improvements. I actually still have an HTC ThunderBolt running Android 2.3.4 that was the first 4G smartphone on the Verizon network. This phone is supposed to get the Ice Cream Sandwich update sometime this month, so I'm waiting to see how it performs after I've updated the OS.

Back to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus - it's a really nice, thin smartphone with a large 4.65-inch, 1280-by-720 Super AMOLED screen. Ever since I started using an iPhone 4S, I've missed the larger screens found on Android smartphones. The dual-core 1.2GHz processor is snappy and the battery life has been impressive so far.

The newest Android smartphone from Samsung is the Galaxy S III and it's going to be available on most of the major wireless networks. Being the newest, it's also the most expensive. The Galaxy Nexus (also from Samsung) is a bit more affordable ($149.99).

Sprint Complete Collaboration

The following is a press release about Sprint Complete Collaboration:

Businesses Can Be More Agile and Productive with Sprint Complete Collaboration

Teaming with Cisco, Sprint launches hosted and fully managed unified communications solution bundle over an all IP network for businesses; enhanced mobility and SIP Trunking integrated into every package

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – March 26, 2012 – Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced the availability of Sprint Complete Collaboration, the most comprehensive hosted and fully managed unified communications (UC) bundle available today for businesses. Mid-sized and large businesses can quickly and easily deploy UC over an all-IP network across the enterprise and to virtually anywhere, enjoying a seamless collaboration experience for employees working in or out of the office, an overall lower total cost of ownership, and a single point of contact for their entire solution.

IDEAL LIFE and Sprint Introduce New Home Health Wellness Communication Gateway

Pod uses M2M communication to enable health monitoring via the Nationwide Sprint Network

TORONTO – Jan. 5, 2012 – IDEAL LIFE and Sprint (NYSE:S) today unveiled a new cellular pod that will make it easier than ever for users to manage wellness and monitor chronic conditions remotely. The pod, which will make its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show Jan. 10-13 in Las Vegas, uses wireless Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication to share information over the Nationwide Sprint Network, which reaches more than 312 million people in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (inclusive of roaming).

Sprint Accelerates Deployment of Network Vision and Announces National Rollout of 4G LTE

LTE deployment expected to reach 250 million people by 2013

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Oct. 7, 2011 – At its 4G Strategy/Network Vision Update event today in New York, Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) updated the financial community on its plans to accelerate deployment of Network Vision and its plans to roll out 4G LTE on its licensed spectrum. Network Vision, originally announced in December 2010, is Sprint’s plan to consolidate multiple network technologies into one seamless network with the goal of increasing efficiency and enhancing network coverage, call quality and data speeds for customers across the United States.

Impressed by the 3D photos on the Sprint HTC EVO 3D

Over the weekend, I had the chance to spend some time with an HTC EVO 3D from Sprint. This phone has a special camera that allows you to take photos in 3D. I was very impressed by the 3D camera. Once this phone comes to Verizon (assuming that it will), I may need to sell my ThunderBolt and get this one so that I can play around with taking 3D photos and videos. Here's how Sprint describes this phone:

Big black glasses are for hipsters, not watching movies. Ditch the frames and go glasses-free with the HTC EVO 3D, America's first 4G smartphone with a 4.3-inch 3D qHD display. Create and stream HD video, view it in 3D and share it easily. Quickly download movies and enjoy a Flash-enabled web browsing experience that takes advantage of the speed of the Sprint 3G/4G network and the power of a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon® processor. With the latest version of the HTC Sense user experience including Friend Stream to integrate Facebook, Twitter and more into a single flow of updates and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), the HTC EVO 3D is ideal for users who want to update their social network in a flash. The HTC EVO 3D makes the most of the power of 4G and lets you share it, offering Mobile Hotspot capability for up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously.

Right now, the HTC EVO 3D is only available on Sprint.

Custom Network Solutions from Sprint

Expand your hospital's wireless capabilities with Sprint Custom Network Solutions.

Every second counts. No industry feels this sense of urgency more than healthcare. Now you can modernize your hospital with a customized wireless infrastructure, powered by the Sprint 3G and 4G networks. With the latest smartphones, tablets, apps and more, physicians can monitor patients' treatment from virtually anywhere — inside or outside the hospital.

Download a free whitepaper to learn how mobile devices and tablets can transform healthcare – and how to ensure coverage throughout your entire organization. Go to http://wireless.mysprinthealthcare.com.

With Custom Network Solutions from Sprint, you can:

• Expand coverage and improve signal strength within the hospital to help eliminate dead zones.
• Unify new and existing systems so they can run on a single network.
• Support seamless wireless access to electronic medical records, minimizing time spent searching through files.
• Increase network capacity to handle higher-volume traffic from employees, visitors and contractors with ease.
• Keep patient data confidential with security features incorporated into wireless and wireline networks.

Sprint Launches 4G Enterprise WAN for Businesses

Industry’s first solution to offer bundled 4G and 3G wireless WAN connectivity, with secure and reliable access to Sprint Global MPLS; Explorer Pipeline experiences significant cost savings and improved productivity

Overland Park, Kan. – June 27, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE: S) now offers businesses Sprint 4G Enterprise WAN (wide area network), a fixed wireless access solution that provides speed, reliability and secure wireless connectivity to the Sprint Global MPLS network. Not only can wireless connectivity open a world of possibilities by allowing people to work virtually anywhere, now Sprint 4G can enable businesses to replace or improve on traditional "wired" options with a solution that is cost-effective, fast and flexible to deploy without compromising bandwidth and network reliability, available within all Sprint 4G markets.

Open Networks Drive Innovation in Telemedicine

Sprint’s open approach, network flexibility and proven execution reduces costs, extends accessibility and enhances overall effectiveness of health care

Overland Park, Kan. – June 8, 2011 – How does a wireless carrier make health care delivery more cost efficient and patient friendly? By enabling mobile applications and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, Sprint (NYSE: S) is on the forefront of telemedicine. The driver of Sprint’s innovation is its “open” strategy, providing opportunities for developers to create innovative applications and solutions for the medical community. It also encourages third-party development, streamlines the process of certifying a product on the network and increases the speed a company can get its product to market.

Two screens on a smartphone: Kyocera Echo

http://uncrate.com/p/2011/01/kyocera-echo.jpgThe Kyocera Echo is a smartphone that will turn heads. This Android smartphone has a novel design that incorporates two screens. Kyocera's new Echo phone has dual touch screens, multitasking capabilities, & superior dts technology making it the first Kyocera android of its kind.

Highlights

• Dual 3.5” WVGA touchscreen displays combine to form a 4.7” display
• 5 MP camera with flash, autofocus and 720p HD camcorder
• Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports cards up to 32GB
• Android 2.2 with access to more than 10,000 apps

You'll find this smartphone on the Sprint network.

Sprint taking a hit at the Exchange after the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

I wanted to write this quick post as a follow-up to Dr. Kim's post the other day about the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, here. I thought it was fitting being he ended his post with "So, what's going to happen to Sprint?" Well, the reaction on Wall St. today is all negative--Sprint took a 14% loss just today and has propelled options trading on the company. Many felt that it's price before the merger is now overvalued as so many were expecting a Sprint/T-Mobile merger to come to fruition in the next year. 

I think most analysts were predicting Sprint to do everything it could to be the one to merge with T-Mobile so that it could more effectively compete with the much larger (and now even larger) AT&T and Verizon. With AT&T taking T-Mobile, Sprint is now a distant second to Verizon in AT&T in size and user base. Considering Sprint and T-Mobile seem to be the ones adding much of the mobile plan pricing competition to the market, one has to think that it's in the consumer's benefit for the struggling Sprint to push on...and keep added necessary competition to a still young mobile marketplace. 

Sprint expands 4G network

Sprint is expanding its 4G network to Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. Sprint 4G is now available in 68 markets2 across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and New York City.

The Future of Wireless in Healthcare

Healthcare IT News, on behalf of Sprint, has published the report The Future of Wireless in Healthcare: Powering the Applications for 21st Century Care. This thought-leadership report includes detailed results from a Healthcare IT News survey, which was conducted in June 2010 to determine the current status of wireless data technology usage in healthcare and attitudes about future solutions and strategies. In addition, case studies from visionary healthcare organizations also offer an in-depth look as they are leveraging Sprint's wireless technology to deliver patient-centric, high quality, efficient care. For forward-thinking healthcare organizations highlighted in this report, wireless is a vital technology that will position them as leaders in their markets.

Get the free report here (free registration required)

AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile Open Mobile Health Expo with Keynote

AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile Open Mobile Health Expo with Keynote on the Impact of Cellular on Mobile Healthcare

Mobile health in the military expert Dr. Ward Casscells will deliver closing keynote

AUSTIN, Tex. – September 22, 2010 – Mobile Health Expo, the only event focusing on the convergence of mobile technology and healthcare across the entire mobile health ecosystem, today announced details on two of the event keynotes. In the opening keynote on Tuesday, October 19th, speakers from AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile will be discussing M2M in healthcare and how the cellular telecommunications industry is assisting in the development of mobile healthcare.

Dr. Ward Casscells will close the event with a keynote address on mobile health in the military. Dr. Casscells is the John E. Tyson Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Public Health, and Vice President for External Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. From 2007-2009, he was the former Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) where he was credited with turning around a struggling $45 billion health and education system with 137,000 employees, 10 million patients in 900 clinics and hospitals in 100 countries.

Samsung Epic 4G now available on Sprint

The Samsung Epic 4G launched today on Sprint and it demonstrated one of the best first-day sales for any Sprint device. The Samsung Epic™ 4G is the only Galaxy S™ smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and front-facing camera. The Epic 4G runs Google Android and TouchWiz.

If you want a 4G smartphone, you now have two choices: you can get the HTC Evo 4G, or the Sprint Epic 4G. If you want a hardware QWERTY keyboard, then the Epic 4G is your choice.

Is that a smartphone or a tablet?

The line between the smartphone and slate tablet is getting blurry these days. The latest smartphone on the Verizon network is the Motorola Droid X and this huge smartphone resembles a small Android tablet. The Droid X has a 4.3" screen.

The Sprint Evo 4G by HTC is also a large slate-smartphone that looks like a mini tablet that could be perfect for the mobile web browser. This device is the first 4G smartphone in North America (and I'm sure it won't be the last). Like the Droid X, the Evo 4G has a 4.3" screen and it runs Google Android.

Dell recently started showing off its Streak, an Android tablet that has a 5" screen. The Streak is a tablet and it's also a phone. This is one of the largest devices so far that combines the capabilities of a touch-screen tablet and a phone, but we know that Samsung and several other manufacturers will soon be releasing similar devices.

How do we classify these relatively "large" devices? Should they be considered smartphones or slate tablets that are capable of making phone calls?

HTC Droid Incredible vs. Apple iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo 4G

The other day, someone asked me to compare the HTC Droid Incredible to the new Apple iPhone 4. Then, another person said, "what about the Sprint Evo 4G?" So, let's take a brief look at these top 3 smartphones:

First, they all have super-fast internal processors. Whether you've got the A4 or the Snapdragon, you're going to have a very fast smartphone.

• Droid Incredible: Very fast, still using the 3G Verizon Wireless network, allows tethering (including Wi-Fi hotspot), great camera, and runs Android. Expandable memory (up to 32GB microSD) and you can remove the battery.
• Apple iPhone 4: Still using a 3G network, great design, only on AT&T, video conferencing appears to be limited to Wi-Fi for now so that front-facing camera may not be that useful, and AT&T to offer tethering sometime in the future (when?). Can't expand the memory or change the battery yourself. How will AT&T's network improve? Will we continue to see all those dropped calls?
• HTC Evo 4G: First (and currently the only) smartphone on a 4G network. Limited to the Sprint network (which is currently the only 4G network). Very large screen and running the Android OS.  Expandable memory (up to 32GB microSD) and you can remove the battery.
  

So, is there a verdict? If you can't switch networks, then I think it's easy to say that you should have an easy time choosing your next smartphone. If you're open to switching, then it gets much more complicated.

If you want the fastest smartphone with 4G data speeds, then the Evo 4G is your clear answer. However, if you want to stay current on the Apple iPhone OS which currently offers the widest selection of medical apps, then go with the new iPhone 4. The Droid Incredible is a great phone for Verizon customers and the Verizon Wireless network has been rated as one of the best wireless networks in America. My family has been with Verizon for over 10 years and we've been happy with their coverage. If coverage is important, then go with Verizon.

What's going to be the best smartphone in 2010?

This year, we're going to see many new smartphones. I'm particularly excited about the new Apple iPhone that will probably get announced in a few weeks. This device will allow you to multi-task on the iPhone.

Those on Sprint are probably lining up and getting ready for the HTC Evo 4G. This HTC smartphone will run Android and it will be the first 4G smartphone in the United States.

Verizon users may be happy with the Droid, but we'll probably see a newer version of the Droid later this year. Some dedicated Palm users love the Palm Pre Plus, but what's going to happen with webOS with HP?

T-Mobile customers are probably glad that they have more Android options that go beyond the old G1.

We've heard rumors of a BlackBerry slider. Will this device offer the best of both worlds? A touch-screen plus a hardware QWERTY keyboard?

So, which smartphone will be hailed as the "best" smartphone in 2010?

HTC Incredible coming to Verizon

The HTC Incredible is coming to Verizon. We don't know when this smartphone will arrive, but it should be a nice Android smartphone for users looking for a really large screen. Actually, some rumors are circulating that the HTC Incredible will only have a 3.7" screen instead of the 4.3" screen found on devices like the Sprint Evo 4G (Supersonic). In any case, it's great to see another Android powered smartphone arriving on the Verizon network. Meanwhile, everyone else is wondering when the iPhone will arrive on Verizon's network.