14 DAY TRIAL // In January, Sprint introduced Overdrive, a portable hot-spot by Sierra Wireless, which can connect an iPhone to the Sprint 4G network to give it the advantages of 4G without switching carriers. The company cites speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G, making the $99 device quite attractive. A commercial promoting the gadget is now airing. Read on to get the full scoop, and scroll down to the end of this piece for the catchy ad.
Sprint offers a range of wireless and wireline communications services and is recognized for developing, engineering and deploying wireless technologies, including two networks serving more than 48 million customers at the end of Q4 2009. It is also known to have introduced the first 4G service from a national carrier in the United States.
“This device delivers the connected lifestyle to our customers in overdrive,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO, talking about the Overdrive 3G/4G mobile hotspot by Sierra Wireless. “The fact that it connects up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices is especially meaningful because at 4G speeds, customers can download and upload more data - gigabytes, not megabytes - in a matter of seconds. The Overdrive on the 4G network is made for the multitude of bandwidth-hungry applications customers want to access wirelessly, like video streaming. 4G beats 3G for speed and for value.”
As far as Sierra Wireless’ Overdrive mobile hotspot is concerned, it allows owners to connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously, which means you can have both your MacBook and your iPhone working on it through a single connection (via Wi-Fi).
“There’s no need to wait for 4G devices to enjoy the benefits of 4G: Overdrive creates a connection between the Sprint 4G network and virtually all of the hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi-enabled electronics devices owned by or available to customers today,” Sprint stated in a report back in January. “Whether you’re on a long trip or running a busy day of errands, use Overdrive to keep passengers entertained in the car. Stream your favorite TV show from Hulu to your Netbook; use a PSP gaming device to access multiple games and content; download music to your Zune HD; and turn your 3G iPhone into a 4G device. It’s all very simple with Overdrive,” the same report added.