** Breaking Sprint WP7 news **

[Jazmac]

** Breaking Sprint WP7 Leak**

I stopped in a Sprint store here in Vegas with my son today and walked over to the HTC Arrive they had on display.

The first thing you notice when you slip through the tiles is a group called "Family". We looked at each other and said "FAMILY??"
The only place groups are available is in Mango. So a quick scroll through the settings and sure enough, its running MANGO!!
But that's not the only gem we discovered. It also supports tethering. I don't know what other goodies are there but those were the most obvious. No announcement yet from Sprint about a roll-out but if it is on display, maybe it'll drop the same time AT&T and Verizon drops.

I'm pimped.
Edit: Photos!

George Ponder published the images sent in by my son.

 

[caliborn]

pimped???

Surely you meant PUMPED, correct??

I have no doubt in my mind Sprint will be rolling out Mango as soon as MS says go for it.....so what they haven't officially announced it.......the power of positive thinking....

 

[Jazmac]

Nope. Pimped. Well, might be too old school a term for you young guns. What I haven't heard is a release date. I feel its close.

 

[GekkoAce]

No pictures? Please go back and take some secret spy photos.

 

[cckgz4]

Oh my

 

[foosball]

Can you shed some light on the tethering abilities? So was it baked in without need of extra Sprint service fees?

 

[Jazmac]

Can you shed some light on the tethering abilities? So was it baked in without need of extra Sprint service fees?

At this point WPDiddy, I cannot. It is a setting under the WIFI setting for it. Now as greedy as Sprint is, I suspect it will be a premium feature, controlled by Hesse and Co. But that's purely a guess and speculation on my part.

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

I dont believe it will happen soon. I give it a month until we see it on Sprint. I came from Android,and although the update process is handled better, it still involves carriers (which always means trouble). Tmobile said that the HD7 won't get upgraded until a month (approx.) so even though there is less fragmentation, there is still some of it in there when it comes to carriers.

And to the OP...how are you sure that this isnt the RTM Beta? I've seen a Sprint store Arrive with Mango beta (I believe 7712 at the time because I didn't know what Mango was and this was like 2 months ago). A month later, when I received my Arrive off eBay, I wondered why it didn't have a battery meter and battery save mode like the one I saw in the store lol.

 

[Duvi]

Not sure if it's a sign as I know the rep that was in my area doing the updates for my store and other stores in the area. She did Verizon the day before she did my stores and she didn't say anything about exact release dates.

Didn't MS say, it's all up to the carriers to release to the masses. MS just updated the store models... I believe it's so when customers use the phone, they'll have used it with the updated OS vs. pre-Mango.

 

[Jazmac]

I dont believe it will happen soon. I give it a month until we see it on Sprint. I came from Android,and although the update process is handled better, it still involves carriers (which always means trouble). Tmobile said that the HD7 won't get upgraded until a month (approx.) so even though there is less fragmentation, there is still some of it in there when it comes to carriers.

And to the OP...how are you sure that this isnt the RTM Beta? I've seen a Sprint store Arrive with Mango beta (I believe 7712 at the time because I didn't know what Mango was and this was like 2 months ago). A month later, when I received my Arrive off eBay, I wondered why it didn't have a battery meter and battery save mode like the one I saw in the store lol.

First things first. No such thing as an RTM beta. Its Beta or RTM but it won't be both. Secondly, I'm running RTM Mango and it doesn't have the tethering settings that one does. Could Sprint have a Sprint based RTM and install it on the display out in public? Of course its possible but in my opinion, unlikely. We are talking about Sprint after all. They only care if it's android.

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

First things first. No such thing as an RTM beta. Its Beta or RTM but it won't be both. Secondly, I'm running RTM Mango and it doesn't have the tethering settings that one does. Could Sprint have a Sprint based RTM and install it on the display out in public? Of course its possible but in my opinion, unlikely. We are talking about Sprint after all. They only care if it's android.

Point well taken. I just wish Microsoft didn't b**** out when it came to the updates and carriers being involved. That was the primary thing that drew me to Windows Phone was NO MORE FRAGMENTATION when I had read that Microsoft would handle updates like iOS. I understand there is only ONE iPhone so that makes updates seamless for that platform ( although there are different radio versions so technically there ISN'T just one device but yea....) and Microsoft did a good job IMO of offering variety in form factors but making strong minimum hardware requirements and standards so it's almost the same seamless. But to me they still could have made updates to where carriers weren't involved like how they are.

 

[Jazmac]

Point well taken. I just wish Microsoft didn't b**** out when it came to the updates and carriers being involved. That was the primary thing that drew me to Windows Phone was NO MORE FRAGMENTATION when I had read that Microsoft would handle updates like iOS. I understand there is only ONE iPhone so that makes updates seamless for that platform ( although there are different radio versions so technically there ISN'T just one device but yea....) and Microsoft did a good job IMO of offering variety in form factors but making strong minimum hardware requirements and standards so it's almost the same seamless. But to me they still could have made updates to where carriers weren't involved like how they are.

Same here. I didn't expect the carriers to care enough to want to be involved.

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

Same here. I didn't expect the carriers to care enough to want to be involved.

Well I think they have a legal obligation to provide at least one update....don't they?

 

[Jazmac]

Well I think they have a legal obligation to provide at least one update....don't they?

I guess I mean to say is the update will still come via Zune from Microsoft but the carrier part of the update has to come from them. Much the same way AT&T handles the Iphone.

 

[MadGaffler]

how about visual voicemail.....see anything about that?

 

[tiny]

This is good to hear that Sprint Mango will be getting tethering and such - but the title got me excited about news over a new phone - so you can imagine my disappointment upon reading the OP. :-( Thanks none the less!

 

[Dave Blake]

WoW! Just wow... nice find and good eye Tech... I stopped in at my local Sprint store this week they dont even charge the Arrive in that store. Sad really the sales reps in that store have no idea what WP7 is all about. There is only one person in the store who has even used a WP. Yes it is a corporate store I am in there once a month getting my speaker replaced but that's a whole different thread opportunity.

 

[Jazmac]

how about visual voicemail.....see anything about that?

I believe we saw that it too is supported. I'll double check and update this post. But I do remember something about Visual voicemail.

 

[Jazmac]

This is good to hear that Sprint Mango will be getting tethering and such - but the title got me excited about news over a new phone - so you can imagine my disappointment upon reading the OP. :-( Thanks none the less!

You lost me there. Disappointed about what?

 

[Jazmac]

WoW! Just wow... nice find and good eye Tech... I stopped in at my local Sprint store this week they dont even charge the Arrive in that store. Sad really the sales reps in that store have no idea what WP7 is all about. There is only one person in the store who has even used a WP. Yes it is a corporate store I am in there once a month getting my speaker replaced but that's a whole different thread opportunity.

They don't Big D5? At least the stores I've visited in the Las Vegas valley had them charged up even though most gave short shrift to the platform. Even worse at those mall kiosks.A T-Mobile store had one needing charge and they kept it in a drawer behind the counter. It didn't even have the NoDO update.

If the Sprint and the rest would only install a few apps on the device, like Food spotting, ESPN, USAToday, people would be able to get a sense of how beautiful apps layout on the platform. It was what turned my head.