Samsung UpStage announced by Sprint

CTIA 2007 -- The Samsung UpStage is Sprint Nextel's latest effort in the expanding music phone niche. We first saw this handset at CES when it was called the Samsung Ultra Music F300, but since that was a GSM device there have been a few changes. The UpStage keeps the unique 2-face styling in an iPod nano-esque shape. Executives for Sprint joked that the name UpStage comes from Sprint's desire to steal Apple's iPhone thunder. Though the spec sheet shows the UpStage is not made to compete with a high-end product like the iPhone.

Features of the Samsung UpStage include:
EV-DO 3G data
Stereo Bluetooth 2.0 with spoken caller ID
1.3 megapixel camera
45MB built-in memory plus microSD card slot, 64MB card included
Petite size, 4.07" × 1.73" × 0.37"
Sprint Music Store for OTA downloads, new lower priced $.99 downloads
Sprint Music Manager application to load music onto device

Sprint expects to begin selling the Upstage in the first week of April. It will be priced at $149.99 with a new 2-year contract. Sprint looks to be betting big on the Upstage and will be aggressively marketing it.

Sprint lowers price of music downloads to 99 cents

CTIA 2007 -- Sprint Nextel has taken a page out of Apple's playbook and lowered the price of music downloads on its wireless Sprint Music Store to 99 cents (matching the price set by digital music leader Apple). Downloads were previously priced at $2.50. This move comes in tandem with Sprint's announcement of the Samsung UpStage. It also happened the same day as AT&T's announcement of free Napster To Go on select handsets. Like before, the price is consistent across the entire catalog of 1.4 million songs and includes another copy of the song to download to a Windows PC. Customers should expect to see the new pricing kick in during the first week of April.

To date Sprint customers have downloaded over 15 million songs.

Palm Treo 700wx launches on Sprint

The Palm Treo 700wx has officially launched on Sprint. While this was the first time it has been officially talked about, like most past Treos there wasn't much about the 700wx that didn't leak. The handset is almost identical to the Treo 700w that Verizon has exclusively carried since early this year. The only difference is an increase in RAM (well, and Sprint branding).

Features of the Treo 700wx:
Windows Mobile 5.0
EV-DO data
Bluetooth and IR
1.3 megapixel camera
128MB NVRAM (60MB for the user) plus SDIO slot
240×240 touch-sensitive screen with 65k colors
Speakerphone

Sprint is selling the 700wx for $499.99 after a 2-year service agreement and $150 in instant savings. In contrast, Verizon is selling the 700w for $399 after promotional savings.