As rumored, Sprint has now announced that it's signed a blockbuster deal to outsource maintenance of its network to Ericsson. Spanning seven years and some $4.5 to $5 billion, the deal's actually so big that Sprint has come up with a catchy name to describe it -- "Network Advantage" -- with about 6,000 Sprint employees being transferred to a new Ericsson subsidiary headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas (conveniently close to Sprint's campus). In theory, the move won't have any noticeable effect on customers because everyone involved with the customer experience on Sprint's end (read: CS reps) will be retained by Sprint proper; Ericsson will simply be responsible for maintaining and provisioning the carrier's CDMA and iDEN infrastructure. The deal kicks off this quarter and will be renewable after the seven-year contract's up, so if you're on Sprint, you can definitely expect to feel progressively more Swedish as time goes on, probably ultimately culminating in the impulse purchase of a Saab.

If you were hoping for more system sound configurability, better notification control, or an equalizer in the music player (heck, we'll settle for bass and treble), your wait might be nowhere close to over -- but the good news is that it appears there's some sort of update on the way for Pres in the field that's significant enough to justify a 0.1 bump in webOS' version number to 1.1. Corporate types will get all fired up over better managed Exchange policy integration with support for device wipe after failed PIN attempts, auto PIN lock, minimum password complexity, and a bunch of other things that your average Pre owner isn't going to give a flying iPhone about. Perhaps more interesting to everyone else is the claim that additional built-in apps are a possibility for 1.1, though there's no detail there -- it could be best-of-breed stuff culled from the App Catalog, new first-party apps, or a combination. PreCentral's hearing "within 30 days" for the release, so go ahead and get your firmware upgrade pants on now just in case.

By the time Sprint gets around to releasing the 9630 Tour with WiFi, due out sometime early next year, we think most everyone'll have moved on to any one of the numerous BlackBerry devices likely to hit in the interim. What's more important in this FierceWireless report is that Sprint's requiring WiFi "in all its major devices going forward" -- which should mean pretty much every smartphone that lands in its CDMA-loving mitts. Verizon Wireless, who along with Sprint is also launching the WLAN-less Tour this Sunday, said that the company's working with RIM to get WiFi into future BlackBerry, but didn't oblige us with any hopeful descriptors that'd help us understand just how strong of a push was being made. Frankly, smartphones without WiFi at this point is downright criminal, and with CDMA phones trailing behind their GSM counterparts in this category, kudos to Sprint for taking the initiative.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Investment firm Allen & Co's Sun Valley, Idaho media summit is a place for the world's wealthiest and most influential decision-makers to chill out, enjoy a couple double Macallans on the rocks, and talk shop. It might even be a rare opportunity to escape to the comfort of a competitor's product -- a guilty pleasure you wouldn't dream of indulging in more buttoned-up environments. Google CEO Eric Schmidt was caught snapping a candid shot from a BlackBerry (we're pretty sure it's a Curve 8900) at the event -- and yes, granted, Google makes apps for BlackBerrys, but when there's a phone that bears your company's own name, it feels just a little bit like cheating, doesn't it? We guess the big, ratty Google sticker adds back a sliver of street cred, but it's not like this thing's packing some furiously awesome camera that a Magic, Dream, or Hero doesn't. How's Gmail treatin' you there, Eric? You're using that, at least, right?

[Via CNN]

It's not going to turn as many heads as the recently-launched N97 update, but Nokia's other S60 5th Edition handset got its own firmware boost earlier this week. Version 21.2.025 for the NAM 5800 XpressMusic doesn't seem to do much in the way of new features, so odds are this is going out strictly as a stability release -- which, in itself, is a testament to the fact that Nokia seems to care more about the North American market right now than it ever has before. Keep it coming, guys.

[Via Symbian-Guru]

All eyes are on the Tour right now as far as the BlackBerry ecosystem on Sprint goes, but we might remind you that there are still several other RIM-supplied models in the company's lineup, including the 8330 and the iDEN-capable 8350i. If anything can divert even a scant few eyeballs away from that Tour, it might be some truly insane colors -- and that appears to be what Sprint has in the works. Launch documents over on BerryReview have an "Inferno Orange" 8330 soft launching today with a red 8350i following on at the end of the month. We don't know what shade of red to expect out of that 8350i -- which is typically a straight-up business phone, by the bye -- but we wouldn't be surprised if the 8330 took a page out of T-Mobile's Sunset playbook. Whether that's a good thing or not... well, that remains to be seen.

[Via PhoneDog]

Seriously Apple, what's up with the patent application bender? Over the past week, we've seen a whole gaggle of new apps, though the latest few just might be the most intriguing. In essence, Apple engineers have outlined plans to integrate object recognition, face detection / recognition, a text message filter (for the parents, you know) and a new, smarter messaging interface that could remind you of unread messages before allowing you to make a call and spout off unnecessarily. Moreover, we're told of a new voice output selection that could enable Oprah or Cookie Monster to read your turn-by-turn directions, bedtime stories or recipes. Suddenly, iPhone OS 3.0 feels so... antediluvian.

[Via Unwired View]

Read - Unread messages application
Read - New messaging interface application
Read - Face detection application

Nokia's not exactly known for its beefy, ultra-survivable gear, but unless the human race plans on getting a whole lot less clumsy, rugged phones will always be a good idea -- and Espoo's 3720 certainly seems to fill the bill. The Series 40-based candybar features a 2 megapixel cam with LED flash, triband EDGE (sorry, North Americans), FM radio, microSD expansion, and the latest and greatest Bluetooth 2.1, but the real news here is that the phone is built to meet IP54 standards. A quick check with our handy-dandy IP code reference tells us that means that "ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact" -- in other words, your phone might get nasty dirty, but it'll keep chugging -- and it can withstand "splashing" water. Scuba divers, the search for your perfect phone probably continues. Refreshingly, the 3720 will run just €125 (about $175) unlocked when it ships later this summer.

Hey, Apple -- you know that inspiration you've been looking for in order to concoct a proper iPhone nano? We just found it. Over in some seedy warehouse in the depths of Shenzhen, the aptly titled iphone nano has emerged. As you could likely surmise, this completely improper knockoff gentle combines the best features from Apple's iPhone and the iPod nano to create a singular, if not awkward device. Heck, there's even a 5 megapixel camera, which easily trumps the 3.2 megapixel shooter on the iPhone 3GS. It's all yours for just 90 bones, and you don't even have to sign your cellular soul away to AT&T. Look out Apple, we get the feeling this thing's going to be huge.

[Thanks, facelessloser]

If you've been yearning to get your desktop computer better acquainted with your Pre's quirky personality, look no further than Mark/Space's The Missing Sync for Palm Pre, which has now gone final following a brief beta period. As is usually the case with Missing Sync versions, the software seems to be capable of syncing just about anything you could possibly want to sync down to your handset including ringtones, Office documents, video, podcasts, music, and photos -- plus contacts and calendars over WiFi. Mac's out now for $39.95, while a Windows version is expected "soon."

[Via Palm Infocenter]

Orange has come out this morning, in advance of the official UK unveiling of the phone, to confirm it will be the exclusive UK carrier of the TG01. We can confirm availability from July 10 (i.e. tomorrow), and the phone can be had for free on a 2-year contract costing £39.15 per month. To figure out if that sort of investment is worth it, we'll have an intrepid reporter stationed at this afternoon's event, who'll be bringing you up-to-the-minute details and imagery of the first Snapdragon handset to hit British shores. You'll find the full PR at the read link, or continue reading for an unshaven Orange rep walking you through the phone's specs.

[Via CoolSmartPhone]

Continue reading Video: Toshiba TG01 officially exclusive to Orange UK

Admit it, your 1150mAh stock Palm Pre battery is far less than stellar -- it's okay, we won't tell anyone. In fact, you can pick up an even larger, 1350mAh battery from Seidio that manages to keep the same physical proportions as its predecessor, meaning no dead giveaway / gaudy bulge the back of the phone. Ideally, that'd get ya an almost twenty percent bump in usage, but we doubt it pans out so nicely in field testing. Feel free to find out for yourself, it's on sale now for a cool $45.

[Via jkOnTheRun]