For all you folks living in the Bay Area, take heed: Sprint has officially flipped the switch on its 4G Wimax data in San Francisco. That means if you have an HTC Evo 4G, Samsung Epic 4G or one of them newfangled Overdrive devices, it's time to turn on your 4G radio and get to high-speed downloadin'. And we're not just talking downtown -- you've also got signal in San Jose, Palo Alto and Oakland. So fire up that smartphone, look your frustrated iPhone friends in the eye and show 'em how it's done. Full presser's after the break. [Sprint]
Tech Lovers Rejoice! The San Francisco Bay Area is Wired with Sprint 4G
The Power and Speed of Sprint 4G is Now Available in 71 Markets Nationwide
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), December 28, 2010 - Today, Sprint (NYSE:S) officially unleashed the power of 4G in one of the world’s largest hotbeds of technological creativity and advancement - the San Francisco Bay Area. The new mobile broadband service from Sprint enables fast mobile downloads, wireless video chat and turbo-charged mobile Web browsing up to 10 times faster than 3G service1. The service will initially be available in San Francisco, San Jose, Palo Alto and Oakland. Nationwide, tech enthusiasts are enjoying the power and speed of the Sprint 4G network, in 71 markets2 across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City.
The Sprint 4G Network can be accessed with a wide range of 3G/4G capable devices. For example, tourists can snap a photo of a San Francisco landmark with their Samsung Epic™ 4G and use Google Goggles to pull up facts about it by using visual search technology. Customers can video chat on their HTC EVO™ 4G, and families traveling for the holidays can power up the Overdrive™ 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot to share 4G speeds with up to five WiFi-enabled devices – such as an iPad™, laptop, iPod Touch™ or game console – making downloads, streaming video and Web browsing fast and easy. For students, consumers and small businesses that rely on Internet access, Web browsing and social networking to stay connected, Sprint also offers Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 (1012) netbook designed to deliver maximum connectivity in a compact size.
“The Bay Area is responsible for creating so much new technology and today we are bringing the power of 4G to our customers in that region who are hungry for fast mobile broadband,” said Matt Carter, president-Sprint 4G. “The introduction of Sprint 4G will be a great asset for this area, and we encourage customers to try it by using one of our well-regarded 4G mobile devices.”
The Bay Area’s own Raj Singh of San Jose was one of five winners of the Sprint 4G App Challenge. Singh developed an innovative application to help food lovers be more productive in the kitchen. His application, Recipe Search, is a reverse recipe finder app. The user simply speaks the ingredients they have in their refrigerator or pantry and will then see a display of meals with directions for creating something with those ingredients.
Sprint first launched 4G in Baltimore in September 2008 and since then has delivered a robust portfolio of 4G devices, including smartphones, USB aircards, notebook/netbook products, mobile hotspots and routers, that are currently being used by consumers and businesses across the country.
For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.
Reader comments
Sprint lights up high-speed 4G Wimax in San Francisco
First
So what happens when you live right in between two very large cities like Sacramento and San Fran? when would I get it for the East Bay? Anyone know? cause sprint sure doesn't.
One word: Sensorly.
As far as the east bay goes the 680 and 24 corridors are pretty well lit up. I get a good signal in walnut creek, Concord, and pleasant hill. They don't have the whole cities blanketed yet but all te main roads are. Looking on a sensorly map Berkeley looks pretty covered. They're getting there. Where are you located?
I still can't get it consistently in L.A. county. I hate paying for something I can't use.
Now that the EVO has the 4g Scan 'widget' in the notification bar, does this mean that you're not burning battery life if you leave 4g on, since presumably you're not continually seeking 4g?
Can't wait till I can get on it... on a side note I vote that anyone who does the "first" crap in the comments gets banned for a week.
Seriously hoping this also means Berkeley...I'm not in town cause of Xmas break and now I'm all excited to return and play with 4G. I've been waiting too long for them to tease me like this and then let me down! ...though I do have to say, Sprint's 3G is pretty damn fast and I'd be totally content just having 3G if 4G didn't exist...damn my insatiable need for the newest techy things!
Poor to weak signal in Castro Valley near Eden Hospital.
Evo 4G just says "Disconnected" as status when I try to turn on 4G. I'm near Mission Dolores in San Francisco, and nunca nada.
No signal Outer Mission SF.
@iknownothing..right on. After looking on the 4g coverage map, it looks like i am closer to the sacramento market. I live in vacaville (considered east bay still) but I think I would be jumping onto sacs signal first. 3g is still cool, just frustrated knowing I'm so close lol.
It's about time. I'm averaging 1 to 2 bars (out of 3) on my Evo in San Jose.
Decent signal in the Castro and Bernal Heights.
I can run a PS3 with only 3G and wireless tether with my EVO so I can't wait until 4g is in my area. Its slow but a great help to update my dads system. U could probably game online w 4G!
Um, there's NO SUCH THING AS 4G. It's just a marketing term/idea. Look it up. Google is your friend (use ANY search engine).
"Sprint/Nextel claims it’s got the only 4G network in town – and it’s true, for one pretty good reason: there’s no such thing as 4G. The “G” in 1G, 2G, 3G or 4G refers to “generation” and for the first three, there is a clear definition of what means what, as laid out by the International Telecommunications Union. 4G, for now, is nothing but a marketing term and an idea..."
Um, the ITU recently reversed themselves on this (non)issue and declared that current WiMAX and LTE could indeed be considered 4G. Google should be your friend.
Hope its not like NY. 4G goes on and off constantly in NY. I go to my grandparents house in DE and I get 4G all day long. I use wifi most of the time I would like to use the $10 extra my job is paying for at home sometime.
Mine works perfectly in NYC with a constant lock and all three 4g bars. I currently live in Hawaii and i'm visiting my family in NYC and I can't get 4g there even though Hawaii had it before NYC.
No 4G signal for me, my office is in North Beach.
Nothing here in Martinez, but on Sunday I was getting a 1 bar 4g connection in Walnut Creek and it was awesome.
Good day, anybody have any idea or information on when the 4G network for sprint will be in the Brentwood, Ca (94513) area?...I am in far east bay, but the outlying towns have it...Tracy, stockton, modesto, and I am between them and San francisco, you would think that the repeaters or equipment could be in place to make it possible for all the areas above would be connected together????
Any info would help.
Thanks
I work in Martinez and can't get it as of this morning.
Napa/American Canyon (north bay) nothing here yet...
And to be completely honest, I don't really care either. 3G is plenty fast for what I do with this device, and I don't mind paying the extra $10 fee on my plan because I love this device THAT MUCH.
No 4G signal here. I live in the Half Moon Bay area, on the coast, closer to SF than San Jose. Have always gotten decent 3G, but guess we are left out where 4G is concerned. :(
No signal at 18th and Guerrero in San Francisco. Bummer. I was hoping to cancel my internet provider and do some online gaming too.