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This slide identifies the types of "slots" Sprint might consider when planning its product portfolio. LTE is only the slide as an example; Sprint has not announced any LTE plans.(Credit:Kent German/CNET)
When carriers announce exciting new phones, rarely do they also reveal exactly when that new handset will go on sale. We usually hear promises like "summer" or "second half of the year" and then we wait for the actual release date to drop. More often than not, it can take a while and as time goes by cell phone fans and tech journalists begin to get impatient. "Just what's taking so long?," we wonder. Or even worse, "Could there be something wrong with the phone?"
Of course, you can't really blame us for always wanting the next best thing. yet, this week I learned that perhaps I could be just a bit more patient. And I owe that realization to a two-day visit to Sprint's headquarters and testing labs in Overland Park, Kans. Though I had visited Sprint's "campus" before--and trust me that it really does like like a college--this was the first time I saw something outside of a conference room. CNET News Senior Writer Roger Cheng and I joined a small group of journalists for briefings with company executives and a behind-the-scenes your of the painstakingly thorough process that Sprint uses to evaluate new devices and ready them for use on its network.
Filling a slot
It all begins as Sprint as Sprint reviews its product portfolio and identifies a "slot' for a certain type of device that it needs filled. This slot could be just about anything, from a messaging handset with a slide-out keyboard to a feature-rich smartphone. The carrier then identifies the need to manufacturers, who will in turn offer candidate devices to fill the it (occasionally, Sprint also will choose unique devices like the Kyocera Echo that may not have a defined slot). Meetings with manufacturer devices can take place throughout the year, but always happen at big technology trade show likeCES orCTIA.
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Once it selects a device for the portfolio, Sprint then will work with the manufacturer for design and testing. As the device is just a prototype at these early stages, it will undergo many external and internal changes before it's unveiled to the world and sent to stores. Heck, at this point it may not even turn on. The entire design and testing process can take anywhere from one year to 18 months, during which thousands of tests are run both by both parties. The manufacturer typically focus on durability of the hardware and the reliability of the software, while Sprint tests network compatibility, audio quality, battery life, and the performance of features like GPS, streaming video, and multimedia.
Running the tests
As the above slideshow will demonstrate, there's a lot to do and it can take as little as a few weeks or as long as a few months. As Ben Bellinder, Sprint's handset director, reminded us, a typical smartphone has millions of lines of code, 1,000 components, and 150 suppliers. Ensuring that all of those parts work efficiently and properly on Sprint's network is what the testing process is all about. So, yes, it's a bit complicated and keep in mind that even after a device is announced, Bellinder's team may not be finished with their job. So, by all means continue to be impatient, but at least know you now know why it takes so long.
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