Over the pond in the USA, Sprint have made the news by coming out with a wireless modem that they claim allows the technology to hop between the old CDMA network and the new 4G WiMax network.

Sprint is obviously proud of its new development, which it claims is a change in direction for any technology in the same field.� “Sprint intends to be the leader in 4G and bring the wireless Internet to life,” says Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint.

“First-of-its-kind device allows our customers to take the Internet with them essentially wherever they go by gaining enhanced speed and capability in 4G markets and the nationwide coverage of our 3G network across the rest of the country,” continued Hesse.

The news comes after Sprint has felt a tough time recently in the market.� The modem, that will be available throughout Baltimore on Sunday 21st December, will be priced at the understandable $150 mark.� However, the real sting in the price comes as users of the new modem will have to sign up for a two year deal.

Hesse went on to say, “It will take a while for the new (4G) network to be built ubiquitously.� And we will have new multimode devices that will use 4G where it’s available, and when it’s not, it will downshift to 3G to provide that ubiquitous data coverage.”

Vice President of Sprint 4G, Todd Rowley, said, “The availability of this first dual-mode mobile broadband device further demonstrates Sprint’s leadership in 3G and 4G services.� Our future device portfolio of single-mode 4G devices, embedded 4G laptops and dual-mode 3G/4G devices will continue to demonstrate our commitment to WiMax.”

Sprint has also made the news recently by launching a new Blackberry on their network, a launch that seems to have pleased both Hesse and Sprint users alike.

Fierce Wireless are hailing the phone as a major triumph for Hesse who promised to breathe new life in the Nextel iDEN network.

“The phone, which uses the iDEN network and has WiFi connectivity, was rumored to be coming out earlier in the fall, but Sprint never gave any official word on a release date. The phone also has built-in GPS and a 2 megapixel camera,” commented Fierce Wireless.

“The Curve 8350i is an affirmation of Sprint CEO Dan Hesse’s commitment to the iDEN network. When he emphasized the carrier’s commitment to Nextel in October, he specifically mentioned the Curve 8350i as one of the premier devices that would be available on the network.”

However, Sprint have taken some criticism for the new device which has been dubbed by Al Sacco of CIO as being as “new as my 1995 Toyota Corolla”.

“While the device is impressive, it’s no Storm, Bold or, some may argue, even a Pearl 8220 Flip,” Sacco wrote. “So with Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile all getting first dibs on RIM’s newest product lines, why is Sprint only just now getting a new version of the old Curve?” said Sacco, sounding disappointed at the launch.