While Sprint formally acknowledges some complaints, they refuse to admit that there is a problem.

I am a new customer to Sprint, preordered the iPhone 4S on launch day, and love the device – but not the service. I have been following many blogs on this subject and have to add my own experiences to the situation. Many users complain that they have extremely slow download speeds, or none at all, so slow in fact that simply checking email or using Siri (Apple’s Assistant) is just not possible. I have documented my own issues, on average I too see data speeds too slow to do anything. Often my MMS messages fail, Siri complains that it does not have access to the network, cannot check my emails, etc.

I checked the data speeds on both my new iPhone 4S on the Sprint network, as well as my old iPhone 4 that is on the T-Mobile network. I used the same version of the SpeedTest.net app available as a free download on the Apple App Store. The T-Mobile connection uses only EDGE (as the 3G radio is not compatible with their network on the old iPhone 4) yet the download speeds were higher than Sprint’s 3G! That was embarrassing! The fact that it is even comparable is a pretty good sign that there is a problem here.

In this screenshot you can see the speeds on the iPhone 4 using T-Mobile.

In this screenshot you can see the data speeds on my iPhone 4S using the Sprint Network. Interestingly the higher speeds were where I turned off location services. I have some more information about that after the break.

There are a few tips floating around that might help, though they haven’t shown any improvements to me. One thing you could try is to open the Phone app, go to the dialer and dial ##UPDATE# (##873283# for those that need it) and hit call. I am not sure what this does but the common consensus is that it updates the towers that you are using and refreshes your Cell Data IP address. Again, I am not sure that this is true but I did see this on a Sprint support thread and some are claiming that this works. You can also try opening the Settings App and go to General>Reset>Reset Network Settings. I have heard that there is an issue with the Network Settings that come with the phone out of the box, and that this will fix it. Again, this did not improve my situation but others are claiming success.

One theory that is out there is that the iPhone has software in it that recognizes your location and whether you routinely connect to a Wi-Fi access point there. If so, supposedly the phone would then disable the 3g radio, limiting access to either the 1xrtt network (denoted by a small circle next to the Sprint logo) and/or reducing the speeds of the 3g connection. Theoretically this is to force users to access the Wi-Fi networks they regularly use so that they don’t congest the cell data networks. One way to test this would be to go somewhere that you normally do not use Wi-Fi, access the network by loading a webpage with Safari, then go to Settings and turn off Location Services. Then try a new speed test. In my experience, I have seen an increase in speed, especially after waiting about 30 minutes or so between turning off the Location Services and the Speed Test, though this increase is very marginal. In the screenshot above, I did just this.

Apple is also working on a software update that supposedly will help with the decreased battery life that some users are facing. I am hopeful that a solution to the data speed issue will be hidden in there somewhere.

You can follow the discussion at the Sprint blog here. I urge you to comment on this page, this will allow you to follow this discussion as it continues.

I have also found a Petition that was formed against Sprint in an effort to get them to waive the “Premium Data Services” charges for the accounts that are experiencing this issue. If you would like to sign this Petition, simply click here. Also, feel free to comment below on your own experiences, I would love to hear from you!

Don’t forget to follow @Slyppry on Twitter for iPhone related news and reviews!

-Slyppry

******UPDATE******

I just noticed an Apple Update within the Settings app of the iPhone 4s. I installed this 55mb update just moments ago and I have some good news…

I tested the connection speed, both before and after the update, and found that my iPhone is now getting the data 2x as fast!! If you are interested in applying this update, simply open the Settings app on your iPhone, go to General>Software Update and follow the prompts. Be sure to plug in to an AC power source prior to doing so. I would also suggest that you run a speed test before and after… you know, just for grins! You can also update using the old standby and plugging your iPhone directly into iTunes for those that are nostalgic!

Today is iPhone 4S launch day! The phone is now available on Verizon. AT&T, and Sprint. Many people waited out all night to get the iPhone first! In fact, we got a chance to catch up with Steve Wozniak (The Woz), cofounder of Apple, who was first in line at the Los Gatos Apple store.

We have been monitoring stock and it seems that many of the Apple stores are still in stock with most models. If you want to grab a iPhone 4S, hit your local store and you may have a chance to still grab it on launch day.

But the day was not plague free, we’ve heard intermittent issues activating on AT&T’s servers.

Did you all get your iPhone 4S?

We know that the BlackBerry PlayBook will eventually be coming to Sprint. There will be a 4G-compatible PlayBook coming out this summer, but if you dont need the connectivity you can go for the Wi-Fi version beginning on June 5. This information comes thanks for Sprint’s Market Director, Gerald Evans. Evans posted this on his person blog:

The much anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet with Wi-Fi® connectivity and 16 GB of storage will go on sale in all Sprint direct ship sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Business Sales, www.sprint.com and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) on Sunday, June 5, for $499.99 (plus tax).

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The Nexus S 4G, is just a minor upgrade to the already released Nexus S. It is the successor to the first device, the Nexus One. For those of you who do not know the meaning of the word Nexus, it means “to connect,” which in today’s world is pretty much all we do on an everyday basis. With social media being an extreme powerhouse in today’s world, why not have a device that will do what we do from time to time, “Connect.” The Nexus S 4G does just that. Its like almost every phone that is coming out every other week. With all these devices on the hot seat trying to compete against each other for sales numbers, what makes the Nexus S 4G stand out from all the others? Hit the jump to find out what those answers are.

Hardware:

The Nexus S 4G was designed with a new design that has never been seen before in cell phones. Google and Samsung claim that the Nexus S is the first device to have such a display, and they’re right: think back to any phone you’ve ever owned and you’ll recall that the touchscreen was flat. This technology is called “Contour” display and it allows for better viewing angles on bright displays; I’ll talk about the display later on in the review. The Nexus S 4G is built off the guidelines of the Galaxy S smartphones that Samsung recently released a few months prior. Full specifications are as listed:

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor
• 1xEV-DO CDMA and WiMAX 4G radio
• 4 inch 480×800 pixels Super AMOLED display
• Integrated 16GB flash drive with no expansion card slot
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
• VGA front facing camera
• Dedicated, touch-sensitive Back, Menu, Search, and Home keys
• Proximity sensor, light sensor and digital compass
• Integrated A-GPS
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 3.5 mm headset jack
• 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery
• Dimensions: 123.9 x 63 x 11.2 mm and 129 grams

The Nexus S 4G also has an oleophobic front panel so fingerprints aren’t bad on the front while there are quite a few on the back. Although those specs look very tempting, the actual hardware is a bit of disappointment. The phone was made with the same plastic that haunts the Verizon Fascinate and T-Mobile Vibrant. It has a glossy black finish to it and is very comfortable to fit in your pockets. The front of the device houses the 4 inch Super AMOLED screen and its front facing camera. The left side has the volume rocker keys that are solid and don’t show signs of weariness after being used for a while. The right side of the phone has the power off/standby button. The bottom houses both the microUSB/charging station and 3.5 mm headphone jack. The back of it houses the 5MP camera with flash and the speaker grill. From a distance the phone looks as if it’s almost naked, but once up close you see that it does have buttons.

Software:

The Nexus S 4G is powered by Android 2.3, Gingerbread, Google’s latest version of their OS. It’s clean, polished and has a touch of green (honestly I don’t know where the green came from but I think it’s to compliment Andy). The most obvious changes from 2.2 (Froyo) to 2.3 (Gingerbread) are the UI enhancements, icons, and a number of speed improvements. Probably the most striking UI change is how much black there is everywhere, starting with the notifications bar. The background of the notifications bar is completely black from its earlier white stage and the cellular connectivity and WiFi connectivity icons change to green to notify you that data is going through and being processed. The AM/PM suffix is gone from the current time, and the icons are simplified to be just grey on black. Overall, it’s a vastly more attractive, high contrast look which potentially improves battery life on AMOLED devices.

The dialer, launcher, and browser soft buttons at the bottom of the launcher also get some green. Green, orange, and black seem to be Google’s favorite colors for Gingerbread at this point. The other major UI change is what happens when you reach the end of a list and tried to overscroll. Previously, when you scrolled to the end, scrolling just stopped. Now, when you hit the top or bottom of some list and overscroll, you get a glow animation at the top or bottom appropriately. The dialer also receives a facelift, getting the high-contrast black treatment the same as most of the 2.3 UI. The buttons are more subtle and glow green when touched instead of orange. Notice how everything that used to be rounded is now square – that’s the other subtle UI change throughout Gingerbread.

Screen:

To make a long story short, the screen is the exact same Super AMOLED screen from the Galaxy line. It is very, very bright and has nice deep blacks. Watching a couple of videos on your Nexus S wouldn’t be a waste of time because the colors appear nice and pop right at you for a very exceptional viewing. The only difference the screen has is like I said earlier. Google and Samsung have developed the first “Contour” display on a mobile device. If you look at the device, you notice that the screen is curved right in the middle, allowing for an accurate face to phone ratio for while you’re talking on the phone. Viewing angles on the Nexus S are very good, again the curvature is small enough that it doesn’t adversely impact vertical viewing angles.

Service and Connectivity:

At first when I received the Nexus S, the service here in New York City wasn’t as good as I expected. One day in midtown Manhattan, I literally had one bar of 1X showing on the screen. I thought to myself, “This can’t be true!” and immediately began looking for the nearest Sprint store to help me out. Now I’m a Verizon customer and I dial #227 to reconfigure the PRL and update the cell phone’s antenna to the nearest tower around me. Not knowingly trying this on a Sprint phone, I had no luck. It was a good thing I was around a Sprint store to help me out and a simple move down to Settings>About Phone>Sprint System Updates>Update PRL did the fix. Once the profile was updated, I was good to go. Full 3G and 4G service was at my disposal. Leaving the store I turned off the 4G WiMax to conserve batter power since it drains more because of the higher data output. Making calls after this was no problem and although I didn’t have the full four bars the whole time, I was still able to make and receive calls with very little hassle. Sometimes I would have to wait for the phone to try and grab a signal if there were no bars, but it did it in less than five seconds so there really shouldn’t be a worry. Now when trying to connect to 4G, there were some issues. Few times it took me a couple of minutes to find the service and then connect. At first I thought it was me and where I was located. I don’t have enough recognition to call them up and say, “Hey, you have a bug in your device.” So I left it alone. The other night I’m browsing the web and what do I find?, this, Engadget Investigates: Samsung Nexus S 4G WiMax performance issues. I knew I was right, so I decided to read it. You can get a full glimpse of the article here and see for yourself. Engadget has done all of the dirty work for all of us and both Google and Sprint confirmed the issue and are investigating the problem. But when it did work, I did receive typical speeds in a range of 2Mbps – 3.5Mbps. Nothing out of the ordinary, but pretty fair for having some issues. Besides the little mishap with the 4G, reception and making calls on the device were on par with what I expected from the Now Network. When making calls, the people I spoke to said I sounded loud and clear, which is always a good thing.  Overall even though reception isn’t always shown on the device, don’t let that fool you. There shouldn’t be any worry and if you do have one, just know that the reception issue won’t be as big as this.

Camera:

The camera on the Nexus S is 5MP of shooting goodness. 5MP is the standard now for most smartphones, with the latter upping it up to 8 or more. The camera on the Nexus S is overall much improved from it’s older sibling, the Nexus One, but its still not perfect. With the lights off and the flash set to auto, the Nexus S is much improved. The reason is that the stock camera now correctly illuminates the object while running the autofocus routine – the result is that in the dark shots are now focused properly. Further, you get an idea for whether the flash reaches far enough to actually do any good. High five to Google for fixing this.

Battery:

The battery life on the Nexus S 4G is really good. With little usage, we’ve managed to squeeze just two days on a full charge with just WiFi and emails pushing through the device. With normal usage, it lasted us well over a day and a half. Power users, well, you’d manage about eight hours of usage before it tells you that there is 15% of battery left so you can charge your phone. The 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery holds up well enough throughout the day for anyone to use the phone and not be a complete power hog like that other 4G device…

Conclusion:

Here it is. Every new Android phone that comes out, we decide that it’s the best one to date. In all honesty, if you’re on Sprint and want a powerful phone that’ll get you through the day with no stops in the road, pick this one up over the HTC EVO 4G. The battery is great, it comes pre-installed with 2.3 Gingerbread Vanilla flavored, and also has 4G connectivity. You get a nice, sleek killer of a device and for $200, you can’t go wrong. Now you still have to pay Sprint’s Premium Data add-on for $10 extra a month, but if the 4G bug gets fixed and you know for a fact you receive full 4G service in your area, why not pick one up?

Sprint has invited select press to an “Exclusive Luncheon Event” in New York City on June 9. The event will feature hands-on demonstrations of Sprint and Motorola’s latest collaborations. The hosts will be Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, and Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola. We will bring you updates about the event on June 9.

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Sprint has updated its website showing the HTC EVO 4G as now having Android 2.3. There has been a leaked build floating around the internet for a while now, but it seems as if new HTC EVO 4G phones will be shipping with the update. Now the question is when current EVO owners will get the update.

[Sprint via AndroidCentral]

A leaked advertisement from Radio Shack suggests that the upcoming HTC EVO 3D will cost $199.99 on contract and $499.99 outright. Radio Shack is also offering an additional $100 off the device when you trade in your EVO 4G or EVO Shift 4G.

We also learned today from this leak that the EVO 3D will be preloaded with The Green Hornet 3D movie that can be watched without glasses.

Be sure to check out hands-on with the device at CTIA.

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Sprint has made the HTC EVO 3D and HTC EVO View 4G available for pre-order from Sprint-owned retail stores. While these devices still have not been officially priced, $50 for a gift card. We were lucky to be able to play with both of the devices at CTIA back in April. Check out our hands-on with both the HTC EVO 3D and the HTC EVO View 4G.

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Apple has posted a new job up on its website that suggests a Sprint iPhone may be on the way. The company is looking for a team of Carrier Engineers that supports taking products through technical approval at the carriers. In addition to this, the Carrier Engineers will assist the carrier with testing. Now this not be surprising until you look at the location, Kansas City, MO. It just so happens that Sprint is based in Kansas City. Is a Sprint iPhone on the way? What do you think?

[Apple via Stop It, AT&T]

Sprint has added new mobile broadband data plans to its website. Three of the plans are available for both 3G/4G and one for only 4G devices. You can choose from the following plans:

• 3GB of 3G data & unlimited 4G – $44.99
• 5GB of 3G data & unlimited 4G – $59.99
• 10GB of 3G data & unlimited 4G – $89.99
• Unlimited 4G (no 3G data) – $49.99

Not only that, if you already have unlimited data on your smartphone, the 3G/4G plans will be discounted by $10 a month.

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