There’s a rumor today that Sprint, which heralded Palm’s Pre smartphone as an iPhone rival, will get swallowed up by T-Mobile. The deal is only rumored today, and there’s ample reason to be skeptical. But with all the complaints about ATT service to iPhones, this near-swallow of Sprint sparks a closer look.
The smartphone business is run on the backbone of cellular carriers. Make the most wonderful phone you want, but it still relies on the broad shoulders of broadband connections via cell towers and wi-fi. ATT has troubles in NYC and San Francisco serving iPhones. That’s what’s kept the rumors of an extra iPhone carrier for 2010 alive.
Meanwhile, the third largest carrier wants to buy the fourth largest, and T-Mobile will give you a Blackberry Curve 8900 if you just switch over to them. Well, a 1-cent deal at Amazon, but $99.98 less than that iPhone rival Pre sold by Sprint.
People who dislike a carrier often are operating on second-hand testing. I’m in my first month of iPhone use and find it to be no worse than ATT service while I used an ancient Nokia 3120. Far better, when I was traveling the streets of Vegas recently on a visit to my elderly mom (honest!). Google Maps worked great, sort of a pseudo-GPS that didn’t speak aloud. Sprint customers will be speaking loud if T-Mobile succeeds in its quest to own Sprint’s customers. That matters to iPhone users, because the Pre needs a bigger carrier than Sprint to make Apple improve the iPhone.
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