We already know 4G data is going to be good in getting massloads of data to your laptops on the go, but how good is it for phones? For example, is Sprint’s upcoming HTC WiMax phone going to be useful? More

Perhaps spurred on by yesterday’s flurry of Google phone activity , Sprint confirmed that the Nexus One will be coming to its network, though the price and date are yet to be announced. More

If you buy a 3G iPad, you’ll be able to purchase data, month by month , from AT&T. Neat! But you already pay for unlimited data access on your iPhone, also from AT&T. So why not have one plan, for everything ? More

Usually when we hear the phrase “contract-free developer phone” the words “unlocked” and “GSM” follow shortly thereafter, but apparently Palm didn’t get the memo — it just announced discounted hardware prices for its devices, but they’re carrier-locked to Verizon and Sprint. Yeah, that’s a big sad face out of us — it’s not like Verizon’s going to give you a cheaper plan if you show up with a contract-free device. In fact, you might be better off picking up a $79 Pre on a Sprint contract from Amazon and just canceling after a year or so — the ETF will have been prorated to $120 by then, putting you way ahead of Palm’s $439 price tag. So much for that dream — at least we still have our fantasy of driving to Mexico for an illicit Telcel Pre smuggling run.

Usually when we hear the phrase “contract-free developer phone” the words “unlocked” and “GSM” follow shortly thereafter, but apparently Palm didn’t get the memo — it just announced discounted hardware prices for its devices, but they’re carrier-locked to Verizon and Sprint. Yeah, that’s a big sad face out of us — it’s not like Verizon’s going to give you a cheaper plan if you show up with a contract-free device. In fact, you might be better off picking up a $79 Pre on a Sprint contract from Amazon and just canceling after a year or so — the ETF will have been prorated to $120 by then, putting you way ahead of Palm’s $439 price tag. So much for that dream — at least we still have our fantasy of driving to Mexico for an illicit Telcel Pre smuggling run. Palm offering discounted contract-free phones to developers — too bad they’re carrier locked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:45:00 EST.

You know how you pay a fixed monthly fee for your phone, and can check email and Twitter, surf the web and the Yelp app anytime you like without counting minutes or megabytes? Yeah, well that’s all gonna end. More

After a disappointing initial effort , Palm has unleashed version 1.1.0 of its webOS Facebook app. Currently only available via the update function but not the standard App Catalog, users will find new and improved access to their inbox, all their friends’ photo albums, profiles, direct photo uploading, friend search and a list view for upcoming events and birthdays. The first thing we noticed was the initial news feed now matches the notification preferences set on the standard webpage stopping the inevitable flood of Farmville updates we blocked so long ago. Features still missing include chat, video and the ability to respond to friend requests but with a distinctly faster and tighter experience, it’s certainly surpassed the mobile webpage as the best way to access Facebook on the Pre. Can’t reach the update button right now?

Here’s a funny story! Some time ago, Virgin Mobile snatched up a little wireless company called Helio, with hopes of using it to start a postpaid (on contract) cell service to complement its prepaid business. Then, Sprint, one of the largest postpaid carriers in the country, bought Virgin Mobile, effectively rendering Helio (subsumed into Virgin) pointless. And now, according to Virgin, Helio has an execution date: May 25th. Customers will be offered special incentives to join Sprint, but otherwise service will just… end

Champagne corks stopped popping in Rubinstein’s office long ago, but speculation suggesting Palm might be working on a WiMax phone with Sprint could see the CEO buying in a few crates of Veuve. Palm embarked on a massive bender with Sprint last year, launching its first webOS products with them, so it’s not the craziest rumor we’ve heard. It’d certainly be a big launch for Palm to get behind, though HTC was thought to be working with Sprint on something similar. [ Computerworld via BGR ]

Hooray for capitalism! Sprint was cool offering Palm Pixi for $100, until Verizon’s Palm Pixi Plus slid underneath them at $79. Sprint’s having none of that, slashing the original Palm Pixi’s price to a mere $50 for new customers, after all of the rebates and contracts and what have you. Remember , the candybar Pixi doesn’t have Wi-Fi and has a slightly smaller screen than the Pre, but if you or someone you know isn’t quite ready for a big boy phone, a $50 Pixi could be hard to resist. [ Sprint ]