Sprint unveils its first 4G phone
Source: By Kent German, CNET
March 24, 2010 -- Updated 1414 GMT (2214 HKT)

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- To no one's surprise, Sprint kicked off CTIA 2010 here by announcing its first 4G phone.

The HTC Evo 4G is not only the carrier's first WiMax cell phone--previously the carrier only has offered 4G laptop cards and the Samsung Mondi -- but also the first commercially available 4G handset with a major U.S. carrier.

The Evo runs Google Android OS 2.1; finally, a new Android phone meets the world with the latest Android OS available.

From the outset, the Evo is an attractive touch-screen device that closely resembles the HTC HD2. We got a taste of the Evo's candy bar design when photos of the HTC Supersonic leaked in late January. And in the end, the final product doesn't stray far from those initial impressions.

The massive 4.3-inch display is quite a looker. Its rich resolution and color support make for a pleasant browsing experience.


The touch screen also appeared to be accurate and responsive in our brief hands-on. Below the display are four touch controls for the home screen, main menu, search, and backing out of a page. There's physical navigation control, but that's fine since we rely on the touch screen for most navigation anyway.

Other physical controls include a 3.5mm headset hack, a micro-USB port (yay for both), a power control, and a volume rocker.

The protruding camera lens for the 8.3-megapixel shooter sits in the rear face next to the flash and a VGA lens sits above the display for video calls. We also love the included kickstand.

Other features include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 1GB of internal memory, Assisted-GPS with Sprint Navigation, seven home screens, a personal organizer, a microSD card slot that accommodates cards up to 32GB, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, an HDMI out port, the usual access to Google apps, Sprint TV, messaging, and Outlook Exchange support for contacts and e-mail.

Outlook calendar syncing is not a feature yet, but the usual Gmail syncing is onboard. The Evo also can function as a hot spot for up to eight devices.

Sprint is the only carrier to choose WiMax as its 4G technology, but at least for now it's far ahead of its rivals in 4G availability.

Its network is live in 27 cities, but it will expand the service with partner Clearwire to Miami, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, New York City, Houston, Boston, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Denver, Minneapolis, and the San Francisco Bay Area by the end of this year.

At that point Sprint says its 4G network will cover 120 million people.

The Evo 4G will be available this summer, but Sprint did not announce pricing details for the handset or its WiMax plans.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This would be nice if we can avail this technology soon...

Read more »

Buying a New Notebook Computer

Are you spending most of your computer time on your desktop computer? If that is so, then it’s time to breathe some outside air and still be able to work on your computer. If you are sick of going back to the dark, damp workspace of your desktop, maybe it’s time for you to get a notebook computer.

Getting a new laptop could be your window to the world, as you can bring your laptop wherever you go. Work on anything you want at anyplace. It can also increase your productivity. But how can you find that new notebook that will do all the things you need it to do? Do you need a lot of disk space? Do you really need that high-end graphics processor? There are many places where you can find cheap laptops. There are some things you should look into before buying your first laptop computer.



When looking for a notebook, size would be one of the major factors. Other features you will want to look into are CPU, RAM, hard drive storage, DVD/CD drives, graphic cards and other peripherals. The larger size laptops will usually be faster, more powerful, and have more built in extras.

Many of the notebooks currently on the market comes with Dual core central processors that are a lot faster than single core processors (like the Sempron or the Celeron M) and will allow you to do things faster. If you want an even faster notebook, then you can get a notebook with a Core 2 Duo or even a Quad core CPU, which are more expensive.

Another thing to look for is how much RAM or memory the computer comes with. The more RAM you have, the more things you can do. The average laptop today comes with about 2 or 3 gigabytes of memory. These can be cheaply upgraded if you know where to find a good deal and you know how to install it by yourself.

The other thing you will want to consider is the hard drive storage. You will need plenty of this if you want to store videos or music on your laptop. DVD/CD RW are also needed if you plan on burning CDs or DVDs on the go. Some of the more expensive laptops even come with a Blu-ray player so you can watch high definition movies. If you are planning to use your laptop for heavy gaming, look for a notebook that has a separate, instead of an integrated graphics processor.

Nowadays, it is quite easy to find cheap desktop computers. However, laptop computers are quickly becoming an essential tool in today’s life. If you search in the right places for a good place for discount shopping, you can easily get a laptop that can do most of the things you want for a great price.

Read more »