Sprint To Add Audiovox Smartphone

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mpx200.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2161' target='_blank'>http://www.mpx200.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2161</a><br /><br /></div>Sean from Mobile Gadget News is hanging out at the HP Mobility Roadshow, and he managed to corner a Sprint rep. Here's the scoop:<br /><br /><i>"Sprint confirmed that they would be adding a Windows Mobile SmartPhone to their line up later this year. It is to be the HTC device and will be branded under the Audiovox Name"</i><br /><br />We already know that Sprint is working on releasing a version of the Samsung i600 which is not HTC based. I'm guessing they are talking about the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/spt/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6196">Audiovox SMT5600</a> that Kris posted about a couple weeks back. This phone is also known as the Orange C500, iMate 3, Dopod 565, and Qtek 8010.<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> Kris has just informed me that Sprint is CDMA. Which means they can't use a GSM based phone. I guess I should have known better, but then again, Sprint isn't available in Canada. :wink: So it looks like they'll be using the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/spt/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6162">HTC Vivida phone</a>. Which was expected to be Verizon, or something altogether new.

[Kris Kumar]

Going back to the HTC Vivida FCC documents, the model name was stated as ST10B. And the GSM Audiovox Smartphone has the model SMT5600. Is it just me or do the model names for the two sound similar (S & T in the model)? ;-)

So it could be that HTC Vivida is going to be branded as an Audiovox and released by Sprint instead of Verizon or maybe both.

[Perry Reed]

As a long-time Sprint customer, I REALLY hope they finally offer a phone with Bluetooth! And if it's a Smartphone, all the better.

Let's just hope they don't do something dumb, like disable or limit the Bluetooth functionality...