Orlando, Fla. – Sprint unveiled
its first smartphone with 3D display and its first 4G tablet.
Both HTC-made devices are 3G/4G Android-based
models that will expand Sprint’s selection of 4G devices to 22 devices, said
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse here at the CTIA show. Both products are due in the summer at
unannounced prices.
The phone, which uses glasses-free
3D technology, is the HTC Evo 3D, said to be the world’s first phone announced
to date with 1.2GHz dual-core processor and asynchronous processing. “It is the
most powerful smartphone announced to date,” said Sprint product development
head Fared Adib.
Asynchronous processing delivers
power savings, faster app response and faster app launching, Adib said.
The Evo 3D is also promoted as
the world’s first phone with 4.3-inch QHD (quarter high-definition) display and
world’s first 3D phone with 4G cellular, in contrast to what Sprint CEO Dan
Hesse called the “faux G” of rival carriers using HSPA+ technology.
Here at CTIA, AT&T announced
an LG-made Android phone with glasses-free 3D display and HSPA+ technology.
The Evo 3D features dual
5-megapixel rear-facing cameras that capture video in 720p 3D and 1080p 2D. User-captured
videos as well as movies, games and maps can be displayed in glasses-free 3D on
the phone’s screen. Via HDMI output or DLNA/Wi-Fi, the 3D video can also be
displayed on a 3D TV.
Movies in 2D and 3D can be
downloaded via the Blockbuster On Demand app for rent or purchase.
The 6-ounce Evo 3D ships with
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, improves battery life and features include 1730mAh
battery, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, and mobile Wi-Fi hot spot capability, which
links up to eight Wi-Fi devices at a time to the Internet via Sprint’s wireless
network.
The Evo 3D also has 1GB RAM, 4GB
of embedded memory and included 8GB MicroSD card. The slot accepts 32GB cards,
too.
In launching its first 4G tablet,
Sprint chose HTC’s first 4G U.S. tablet, the Evo View 4G, which will ship initially with Android
2.3 OS but will be upgraded to the tablet-optimized Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS.
The Evo View, a variation of the
HSPA+ Flyer unveiled at the recent Mobile World Congress, features a 1,024 by 600
7-inch touchscreen with pinch-to zoom capability, 1.5GHz processor, 32GB
embedded memory, 1GB RAM, MicroSD slot supporting up to 32GB cards, DLNA
certification, HDMI output, Flash 10 and HTML 5 for web browsing, and fingertip
and pen interaction with the screen.
Other key features of the
14.88-ounce tablet include 5-megapixel camera/camcorder with 720p HD video
capture and autofocus, front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chatting, Blockbuster
On Demand app, 32MB memory, GPS, MicroUSB port, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, stereo
Bluetooth 3.0 and 4,000mAh battery.
Its mobile Wi-Fi hot spot
capability links up to eight Wi-Fi devices at a time to the Internet via
Sprint’s wireless network.
The tablet uses HTC’s Sense
smartphone user interface on top of the new Android 2.3 OS. The UI features a
3D homescreen and a carousel of widgets to put the user’s most important
content and information front-and-center.
The tablet also features new HTC
Scribe technology, a digital-ink technology that lets consumers use a stylus to
handwrite notes in script, sign contracts, draw pictures, or write on a web
page or photo. A related feature called Timemark lets users integrate notes
taken at a meeting with audio of a recorded meeting. When a user taps on a word
in the written notes, the audio of that portion of the meeting is replayed.
Notes are also integrated with
the calendar.
