It seems that Sprint will offer a few nice phones in the third quarter of 2011. The folks at This is my next have obtained some information on the phones that may be launched by the carrier from July to September.

A "trusted source" has revealed that Sprint plans to launch the Samsung Epic 2, BlackBerry Bold Touch, BlackBerry Monaco, and a “full touch 4G” device from Samsung in the next few months. Check out the details for this upcoming Sprint cell phones after the break.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless are busy touting their upcoming handsets but Sprint has been relatively quiet with new smartphone annuoncements since the HTC EVO 4G. However, it appears that Sprint may be preparing to launch a couple of new handsets.

An Engadget tipster have unearth logos and code names of upcoming Sprint cell phones called the HTC Arrive and Kyocera Echo.

A new rugged handset has been added to the Sprint feature phone line-up. The Sanyo Taho is a flip phone with a mil-spec rating of 810G. Its clamshell shaped body can withstand the punishment from shock, vibration, dust, and moisture. The Sanyo Taho can even survive being submerged in water for thirty minutes.

The popularity of smartphones have encouraged prepaid carriers to add these powerful handsets to their line-up. Consumers can now purchase a smartphone without a monthly, postpaid plan through the likes of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile. Prepaid carriers like Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, and MetroPCS are selling smartphones without contracts, early termination fees and credit checks.

Let's look at the best prepaid smartphones in the market.

 Motorola i1

Prepaid Carrier: Boost Mobile

Price: $349.99

OS: Android 1.5

Key Features: 3.1 inch TFT display 320x480 HVGA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2, 2.0 micro USB, Over the Air Sync, 5MP auto-focus camera with LED flash and 4X digital zoom, removable 2GB memory card included, up to 32GB supported, 1400mAh battery.

Sprint has announced a trio of new Android smartphones at CTIA as previously rumored. The Samsung Transform, LG Optimus S, and Sanyo Zio for Sprint will add more variety to a formidable line-up that already includes the HTC EVO 4G and the Samsung Epic 4G.

More details on these upcoming Sprint cell phones after the break:

It appears that the CTIA event in San Francisco will be an exciting show for Sprint subscribers. According to the folks at BGR have received word that Sprint will introduce the Samsung Transform, the Sanyo/Kyocera Zio, and the LG Optimus S at CTIA. These handsets will support Sprint’s mobile hotspot feature for up to five devices.

It appears that at least two more Android smartphones are destined for the Sprint smartphone line-up this year. The folks at Engadget have obtained an image that reveals the impending arrival of the Kyocera Sanyo Zio and the Samsung Transform to Sprint's Android line-up.

Sprint has started to sell a new messaging mobile phone from its website. The newly released Kyocera Sanyo Innuendo features a sideways clamshell design with a 2.8-inch internal display, a touch-based external dial-pad with haptic feedback and a full QWERTY keyboard. This top texting cell phone is now available for $49.99 after rebates with a new contract.

[Image from fonefrenzy.com]

One of my good friends told me a story a few weeks ago: his sister just got an iPhone 4 as a replacement for her Samsung Blackjack. She was pumped. Her and her dad walked out of the Apple store with iPhone in tow, and they both parted ways once they returned home. Within a half hour, the father gets a call from the daughter. "I need a new phone," she says.

Thinking he has just been caught within a wrinkle in time, he politely reminds his daughter that she just got a new iPhone 4 (as he clutched his totem).

"No," she says, "the screen shattered."

This was launch day, mind you, so they--sorry, the father, not the daughter--had to wait in line for over an hour to get a replacement model. It turns out that the helicopter-windshield-grade-glass Apple used on the facade of the phone is strong enough to repel machine gun fire, but weak enough to be shattered by extreme tension and torsion. See, the windshield works because the glass isn't held in much tension. It's free to wiggle and wobble enough to dampen the force of the bullet. Apple glued the screen on so hard that the tension in the glass will cause it to shatter if dropped from more than a few feet.

And there lies the fallacy: to encase, or not to encase?