Sprint and HTC are offering a software update to their Mogul smartphone that enables it to tap into Sprint’s EV-DO Rev A network, which has previously only been accessible via add-on cards for notebook computers. Other Sprint (and Verizon) smartphones use EV-DO Rev 0, which offers downstream bandwidth from 400 to 700 kbps and upload speeds off 50 to 70 kbps (the latter being barely better than a traditional modem). EV-DO Rev A roughly doubles downstream bandwidth to 600 to 1,400 kbps, and offers greatly improved upstream bandwidth of 350 to 500 kbps: not enough to make users give up their wired broadband, but enough to make sending images and documents more practical.
The Sprint Mogul is a Windows Mobile 6-based smartphone designed by Taiwan’s HTC. Among other things, it can be used as a modem for notebook computers, so the update enables notebook users to get EV-DO Rev A connectivity without buying a separate EV-DO card.
The software update also includes GPS capabilities to support navigation services and applications.
