According to a report by Forbes, Sprint is preparing to launch the United States’ first 4G cell phone well ahead of expected schedule.
Now expected to launch in the first half of 2010, Sprint’s first 4G phone will use the company’s WiMax network, which it has been building in conjunction with Clearwire. Now serving more than 30 million people in 27 markets, the network is expected to grow to 130 million by year’s end as coverage deploys in Boston, New York, Washington and San Francisco.
As to the phone being tapped to take the honor, many sources believe the HTC Supersonic (shown right) a likely candidate. The latest leaked images indicate a sleek, tablet-style handset with a large display set above the standard Android buttons done up in touch-sensitive dress.
Other images of the Supersonic include the fascia of a working unit (seen here), the rear of the handset (seen here), as well as an image of the device running HTC’s lauded Sense UI (seen here).
Though known specifications are slim, the HTC Supersonic would join the HTC Desire and HTC Nexus One as the market’s third device to feature a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, a large (800×480) display and Android 2.1.
Sprint will be counting on its new 4G devices and network to keep it ahead of rival firms Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, all of which have pledged support for a rival technology known as LTE. Nevertheless, CEO Dan Hesse called 2010 the year of 4G, and told investors that the company was working closely to bring WiMax technology to dozens of devices
