By Stephen Schenck | May 8, 2012 12:23 PM
A cursory look at the state of cellular technologies in the US would give one the impression that WiMAX is on its way out. After all, Sprint has finally caught LTE fever and has already transitioned from releasing new WiMAX-enabled handsets to those with LTE radios, even in advance of its own network’s availability. That’s not to say that the sun has set on WiMAX entirely, and as Sprint backs away from it, Virgin Mobile is more than ready to step forward and embrace the 4G system. Virgin will kick things off with WiMAX on May 31, as it begins sales of its first 4G smartphone, the HTC EVO V 4G.
You likely know the EVO V 4G by its more recognizable name from its time at Sprint, the EVO 3D. We first learned of the carrier’s intentions for the phone about a month ago, but at the time had no sense for when Virgin might actually carrying the 3D handset. With today’s announcement, Virgin has revealed not only the phone’s May 31 launch date, but also its nearly $300 price tag. That will make it the carrier’s priciest phone available, beating-out the $280 Motorola Triumph.
It’s interesting to note that while Virgin mentions the phone’s 3D camera capabilities in its announcement, nowhere there, nor anywhere on the carrier’s website, does it seem to mention the EVO V 4G’s autostereoscopic 3D display; has the novelty of 3D screens officially worn off?
Update: Virgin’s not alone with this WiMAX excursion, as Boost Mobile has similarly announced its first foray into 4G with the release of HTC’s EVO Design 4G, also arriving on May 31.
