Last week, as I gave the Kindle a very close look – the wireless connectivity indicator at the top caught my eye, immediately raising the questions: Who is the carrier? Is it free? and the sort..
After some digging, it turned out that the answers were: Sprint PCS, and yes – it’s free.
As a Sprint user and (in the interest of full disclosure) stock-holder, Amazon’s choice of Sprint’s EVDO service for the Kindle WhisperNet subscription-delivery service; is certainly cause celebre. However, I wonder about:
- AT&T makes some very tall claims about their coverage. Why didn’t Amazon go with AT&T?
- The choice of a CDMA telecommunications chip effectively throws a huge wrench into the works from an international use perspective. Going the GSM route could’ve allowed Kindle users to insert location-specific SIM cards and continue getting their subscriptions even outside the US.
- CDMA was developed with telecommunications security in mind. While the security guy in me appreciates the use of CDMA in the Kindle, it also makes me wonder if there’s any sensitive information being exchanged over the air that I don’t know of..yet.
- Sprint’s foray into WiMax is certainly promising, and CDMA’s progress into the 4G space has been tremendously encouraging. Considering that a Kindle is possibly a purchase that people will hold on to for a (long) while, should we look at Amazon’s choice as a indicator of things to come?
- There’s no co-branding. The Kindle does not say “Powered by Sprint” anywhere along it’s external casing. Sprint’s not usually one to be a silent partner. Why the exception?
The Gadgets Lab over at Wired has an article about this that sheds a bit more light (and credibility) on the information about Sprint PCS. I’ve included their WhisperNet coverage map below for all y’all who want to know how well Sprint PCS EVDO treats Kindle subscriptions..
