Sprint mandating WiFi on future smartphones, WLAN-lovin' BlackBerry Tour coming next year

by Ross Miller posted Jul 9th 2009 at 8:29PM

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]

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Sprint, Verizon Wireless

Tags: black berry, blackberry, cdma, research in motion, ResearchInMotion, rim, sprint, verizon, verizon wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw, wi-fi, wifi

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Doax @ Jul 9th 2009 8:34PM

I gotta say, I really like Sprint, but they dont have enough good phones. I woulda jumped ship(to find a better phone) to another carrier but all the other ones are so expensive per month so I stayed with Sprint.

Neutral

Galen20K @ Jul 9th 2009 8:34PM

Nice! I wish all carriers followed Suit.

Neutral

andonemorething @ Jul 9th 2009 8:50PM

Maybe you conveniently overlooked that minor part of the WLAN-enabled Tour not coming until 2010. These Sprint apologists always make themselves -so- obvious.

Neutral

Galen20K @ Jul 9th 2009 8:53PM

Just so you know, I don't have Sprint Hot SHot.

Neutral

andonemorething @ Jul 9th 2009 10:25PM

In that case, your original statement makes absolutely no sense.

Neutral

teknikkle @ Jul 10th 2009 1:06AM

@ andonemore Do you posses any amount of reading comprehension?? Why would one have to do business with sprint to say "Nice! I wish all carriers followed Suit." If you actually read the statement it seems evident that the poster doesn't have Sprint because he is asking for a different company to adopt a consumer friendly policy that Sprint has. Honestly are you just having a bad day or do you normally not make any sense??

And the statement "I gotta say, I really like Sprint, but they dont have enough good phones. I woulda jumped ship(to find a better phone) to another carrier but all the other ones are so expensive per month so I stayed with Sprint." is not a positive statement towards Sprint. How are these people "Sprint Apologists"?? And did you hear the part of the article that said early 2010?? And why do you think wifi is a bad idea; you do realize that wifi enabled phones have an off switch for the radio, dont you??

Why would you make up silly statements to discredit a corporation on blog.. Sprint isnt the best carrier for everyone but they sure work great for alot of people..

Highest Ranked

andonemorething @ Jul 10th 2009 10:12AM

@celz/gaffinet/teknikkle/Witherspoon, et al:Why would one recommend to follow suit of a company, ANY company, who introduces WiFi into a handset, ANY handset, more than 6 months after its initial release? Why, SPECIFICALLY, should other carriers follow this gilded path to handset suicide?

Once again, you're a joke without a punchline. But, a joke nonetheless.

Neutral

VZW @ Jul 9th 2009 10:29PM

And this is something VERIZON has ALREADY said they were doing about a month ago... Sprint is always behind.

Neutral

skemme @ Jul 10th 2009 9:05AM

Really?

*checks VZWs lineup for the Palm Pre*

Way behind there...

Open content or walled garden there at VZW? Yeah, walled garden.

Also overpriced (VZW's "everything" plans are anywhere from $20 to $40 more/month than Sprint's). You're welcome to pay up to $480 more a year for comparable service, but I've got beer to buy and I likes my interwebs open...

Verizon - Pay more, do less...

Neutral

VZW @ Jul 10th 2009 11:26AM

@ skemme

You are 110% FAIL.
We can do MORE because we HAVE Americas Largest 3G network.

Tell me, why did Sprint lock down the Snap?
No WiFi, no GSM roaming, and its 100.00 more...

pay less for less, or for this phone, pay more for less... lol

Neutral

stiltskin @ Jul 11th 2009 9:42PM

Haha, verizon fanboy who cares who said it first no ones storm has WIFI.

And duh verizon doesn't fucking have the pre sprint fanboy they have the tour.

Neutral

stiltskin @ Jul 11th 2009 9:43PM

not the tour they have the Storm***

Neutral

stiltskin @ Jul 11th 2009 9:44PM

Haha, verizon fanboy who cares who said it first no ones tour has WIFI.

And duh verizon doesn't fucking have the pre sprint fanboy they have the Storm.

*********************

Neutral

VZW @ Jul 9th 2009 10:31PM

And they say this after the Snap came out, which on Verizon is 100.00 lower in price, has WiFi, AND has GSM for overseas...

Neutral

Joe @ Jul 9th 2009 10:38PM

please for the sake of accuracy stop writing articles that say "CDMA vs GSM"

all 3G uses CDMA technology.. do some research. GSM Air interface technology died with EDGE.

Overseas uses CDMA technology.... everywhere..... there is no country in the world with 3G that does not use CDMA technology.

Neutral

brokensticks @ Jul 10th 2009 12:04AM

EVDO Rev A. != HSDPA

Low Ranked

zephxiii @ Jul 10th 2009 8:50AM

CDMA != WCDMA

3gpp2 (CDMA2000/EVDO) != 3gpp (GSM/UMTS/HSPA/LTE)

Neutral

Ashley @ Jul 10th 2009 12:22AM

why was i under the impression that sprint was getting the tour this year?! i guess with all this hype about vzw getting it soon i just figured they would. hmph..oh well.

Neutral

Howard @ Jul 10th 2009 1:45AM

Spring is getting the WLAN-less model this Sunday. The version WITH WLAN will come out next year.

Neutral

allannguyen @ Jul 10th 2009 11:39AM

i heard there are two new models coming out...

http://vaburbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/NewRimPhones.jpg

Neutral

Demi @ Jul 10th 2009 1:19PM

Since the Tour is supposed to be replacing the BB 8800...does that mean the new curve 8900 will be replacing the 8330 on Sprint somewhere down the line? Does anyone know? I like the look of the 8900 much better than this...even though right now...the specs on this phone are better.