Sprint may not have any 'magical' devices (like anything made by Apple) but that's not going to stop them from having a real magic show. The company announced today that magician/illusionist David Blane will join CEO Dan Hesse in New York on February 7, to unveil “yet another industry first” and "will show you that the impossible is possible."

What, like managing to remain in business when your two biggest competors have the iPhone and you don't?

via The Kansas City Business Journal

Somewhere deep in the heart of the AT&T headquarters, their executives are huddled around holding a vigil to mourn the loss of the exclusive US contract. Likewise, Google execs are probably throwing chairs at the wall screaming "I thought we had something special!" No longer a mythical unicorn, the much anticipated Verizon iPhone is now a reality. Available February 3 for existing Verizon customers (props to them for that) and then February 10 for everyone else. The new device is almost exactly like the old one except for some small differences:

• CDMA radio instead of GSM, this also means a slightly altered external antenna design
• Support for Verizon Mobile Hotspot, allowing 5 devices to connect to the iPhone and use Verizon's data service

There are a few of differences with Verizon and AT&T that should be pointed out:

1. Verizon's data network is larger, meaning more bars in more places.
2. AT&T's data network is faster, meaning when you get service you're going to cruise faster.
3. CDMA technology doesn't allow for simultaneous voice and data usage. If you're on a call and want to look up on Google Maps where to meet your friend for lunch? Too bad. Gotta wait for your call to end.

The biggest disappointment, but not unexpected, is that the Verizon iPhone will not support LTE technology, which would have allowed for faster data transfers and simultaneous voice and data. However, given that Verizon's LTE network just started rolling out a few months ago, this isn't surprising that Apple chose not to support it. It would have also required further alterations to the iPhone. The unknown right now is what version of iOS this new CDMA iPhone will run. Will the iOS 4.2.1 guts support it? Will it require a 4.2.2 update? Will we get 4.3? Will the GSM and CDMA phones run the same iOS version? Or will it all be some sort of carrier update that doesn't involve the a new version of iOS? Last, Apple COO Tim Cook left the door wide open to future networks when he said this contract with Verizon is multi-year but non-exclusive. Let the Sprint iPhone discussion commence. (Or T-Mobile, if anyone still cares about them.)

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRfCM1BbmBM Sprint customers in the Big Apple with the HTC EVO, Samsung Epic or an Overdrive card got a much welcomed surprise today. 4G service came online today. Get ready to blow through batteries like never before! Hartford, New Haven, New Brunswick, Trenton and Tampa also got added to the ever expanding coverage list for Sprint's next generation service. Customers can currently get 4G service in 61 cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and Houston, and by the end of this year Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Denver and Washington DC. Sprint has some great videos up on the challenges of managing and expanding a network in an area like New York City. The first one is posted above, the other two are after the break.

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Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, speaking to FierceWireless, explained that Sprint will eventually shut down the iDEN network that they inherited in the 2004 acquisition of Nextel. But don't expect your push to talk to quit working tomorrow. Hesse gave no firm date on its demise.

"Over time, we'll have fewer and fewer customers on the iDEN network," he said. "That allows us to use some of that capacity on the network that is freed up and use it for CDMA. It's a gradual process. There will be an end date for all 2G, just like there was an end date for 1G."

He also touched on their plans to implement 4G through LTE on their network, just as the other major carriers have committed to doing, but did not announce what network vendor they would partner with. As it is now, Sprint has their 4G network through Clearwire's WiMax technology, which some have questioned its ability to hold up to LTE, once it becomes the standard protocol in the United States.

Sprint announced today that the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be coming November 14, for $399 with a 2-year agreement. Sprint customers will have two rate plans to choose from: a 2GB data plan for $29.99 per month or a 5GB data plan with $59.99 per month. Interested customers can also pre-order at any Sprint store, with the purchase of a $50 gift card (which you can later use to help pay for the Galaxy Tab). The tab posts some impressive specs including a 7-inch Enhanced TFT touchscreen display, Android 2.2, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, and dual cameras (3-megapixel back with flash and zoon and a 1.3-megapixel front for video chat). It also includes the SWYPE on-screen keyboard. It also offers mobile hotspot capability. via Android Central

From the good people at Engadget:

So, here's what we know: a Windows Phone from HTC just earned its FCC wings, it's production (meaning non-prototype) hardware... and it's a CDMA device. ... Anyhow, if we had to guess, this is probably the tilt-sliding HTC 7 Pro, seeing how that's the only CDMA Windows Phone 7 device to bow so far, equipped with 802.11b / g / n alongside Bluetooth + EDR. Sprint, let's make this happen.

Microsoft had originally said that Windows Phone 7 would be GSM only at first. Hopefully this will mean a change of heart and that our Sprint and Verizon friends will get their hands on Windows Phone 7 sooner then expected.