In a deal that symbolizes the incorporation of new Web-based services on mobile phones, Sprint (Quote) said Thursday that it is working with Google (Quote) to bring WiMAX mobile Internet customers search, collaboration and social-networking tools through a new mobile portal.
Specifically, Sprint's network bandwidth, location detection and presence capabilities will be paired with Google's Apps communications suite, which includes the Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk services and are offered to customers over a Web portal. 数据挖掘实验室
The goal is to "untether" Internet services for all Sprint customers, giving them speedy access to faster Web browsing, GPS services (such as the "find-a-friend" service from Sprint's deal with loopt) and multimedia such as music and video from their mobile phones.
To facilitate its mobile Web services for WiMAX, Sprint said it will provide open APIs (define) to go-to-market partners such as Google and the Internet developer community so they may customize products for Web-enabled devices. 数据挖掘研究院
These services will be available in connection cards, stand-alone modems, laptop computers, personal media players, mobile Internet devices, gaming devices and phones. 数据挖掘研究院
The collaboration comes a week after Sprint partnered with Clearwire to facilitate a WiMAX network for 300 million consumers. The company plans to test WiMAX service in the Chicago, Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas by the end of 2007.
WiMAX (define), which operates more than five times faster than today's wireless networks, can allow workers to conduct live video conferences from remote locations, or let consumers play whole movies via laptops, mobile phones and other handheld devices. 数据挖掘研究院
The deal with Google speaks to Sprint's desire to best AT&T and Verizon Wireless (Quote) by providing speedy new collaboration tools from the most highly used application vendors to its millions of customers.
