@ddhboy: That’s not a camera, it’s a power button.

telepheedian

@iTofu 3GS has no reception problems: God, yes. If this is what I’m hoping it will be, I’ll drop my data and texting plan from my Evo and just pay the data for this bad boy, using my Evo only for voice. Then with the huge array of apps available, I could text for free, plus be on, IMO, the best network in my entire town, with the MOST coverage of any company in my town.

Don’t F this up, Sprint. Give us $30 data with no silly strings and you’ve got a REAL killer on your hands. For once I’m happy I’m stuck with a company for 2 years.

Now here’s to hoping they will make this for the updated iPod Touch this fall!

Vanilla-Terror

They should just integrate a microphone and ear-speaker piece to really annoy AT&T.

tekdemon

“Apparently the Peel doesn’t physically connect to the device it’s slipped around, which has the folks at PhoneScoop surmising that it could be designed to connect to the iPod Touch over Wi-Fi, allowing it to make calls on Sprint’s 3G network”

About that in the photos that i have seen including the ones in Engadget i can’t see why a connector can’t be there, i think that`s a good reason for not to have a hole in there

Juan Carlos

Me want sooooooooo bad!

Juan Carlos

“would the additional bulk be worth the freedom from the AT&T ball and chain?” what kind of question is that really. damn of course it is. why wouldnt it.

pfernando27

@Lupus_Yonderboy: based on the article wording, it sounded like the idea would be to use the sprint network, so there would be a sprint app to make calls for free since the minutes come with the data plan you are already using and paying for. this, instead of paying minutes and data with skype, and a sprint hotspot.

quicksilver8478

@rimplestultskin: Sprint Relay = $30/month unlimited data. If they allow this device to be used with that plan that could be incredibly cost effective…

Lupus_Yonderboy

@quicksilver8478: Just wondering – why would it need an App? It seems to be a WiFi hotspot (and perhaps charging station for the iPod Touch, though that remains to be seen). There’s already a Skype app available in the App Store and Jailbreaking (to get Google Voice) is perfectly fine with the Law nowadays, so it could function as a third party unit with no supplemental pieces necessary (at least as far as I can see).

Lupus_Yonderboy

Wow, this is a really interesting idea. I think it could have done really well a few years ago when most smartphones lacked tethering capabilities. Today, it has a bit more of an uphill climb.

mjt308

I’ve always said that if I could do it over again, I would have gotten an iPod Touch and a Sprint mifi instead of my iPhone. I’d just use Google Voice or Skype. There are so many advantages: 5-device hotspot, lower replacement costs, less brain cancer, lower monthly fee, etc. Lack of GPS aside, I suppose the next most apparent disadvantage is the inability to send proper text messages; yet that can easily be circumvented (as can the GPS issue with a TomTom dash mount).

Also, I’ve always loved that word, “hegemony”.

[Redacted]

@Trez: Based on the executive scuttlebutt around their world headquarters ~9mo ago, they thought they’d have the iPhone by now…

IN THE FACE!

bollocks

Spaz6to8

@narcolepticdoc: Sprint must really want the iphonee.

Trez

@pen.suhl: Yah, that’s kind of what I figured. VOIP. So, it wouldn’t be a Sprint phone, but would be on the Sprint network.

Interesting, ZTE is a Chinese company, btw.

Kai Chen

@Kai Chen: google talk

pen.suhl

This is really cool.

A Magician Named Gob

@comrade_leviathan: Ooops.. Meant “buy iPod touch”

hurbieta

@Kai Chen: Skype

pdditty

@hurbieta: But yeah, they’re totally humping.

comrade_leviathan

I’ve been thinking about it , and the absolute non life changing work around solution to get into the iPod, iPhone touch thing, is to get an iPad 3G. It can run all the same applications (sans camera hook-up, I don’t really know) and it’s mighty portable too. If I could only have an iPad, I’d carry it around with me everywhere.

It doesn’t look weird to fiddle with an iPad in public either, come to think of it, it looks like you’re actually doing something as opposed to staring painfully into a tiny smart phone while stalled in the street.

Mekklesack

How can this be made into a phone? I can see it turning a touch into a 3G enabled browser, but not a phone. You would think there would need to be a dialing interface to use it as a phone on Sprint’s phone network, but no way does Apple allow Sprint to sell a phone app on the App Store. Or do they….???

Kai Chen

I think the best way of doing this would be instead of broadcasting the signal over wifi, plug it into the port on the bottom of the iPod, and send data/voice over that to special jailbroken software on it. Then you could include something called a Camera aswell, and even a bigger battery.

Silverguy

Awwww, Sprint, you’ve got my attention.

mnerd

I’ve been sort of wondering for a while now why no one had attempted this since the iPod Touch is just a slightly watered down iPhone…

robo

@Ethan Crispo: Yes, but a standard mifi doesn’t hook on to the back of your iPod touch, providing a case and putting it all into one device.

Channan

@golferal: here here. Sprint proved their service is top notch in their quarterly today. I’ve been a long time customer, and always will be

goldandguns

@Ioan McAvoy: I second this SOOO MUCH.

MIKERIOSISAWHORE.COM

@semipro1337: Start here & I’ll see what I can do. I can’t guarantee anything but if I see stars you can have one. Other than that there is a list of names in the side bar.

parachoid

Throw a charging dock connector into it and price it at $15 more than a mifi. At that price point, I’d almost consider jumping ship from AT&T.

SamtheGeek

In other news, Sprint just received a letter from Apple about sewing them for over 3 Mil. That’s all for now. Stone Jones, signing off, Some place, USA.

StoneJones

@RuBBa_cHiKiN: North Gizmodo is Best Gizmodo: [gizmodo.com]

Liam

“I must admit, this Rigg has a certain–how do you say–aPeel?..”

Stem_Sell

@blackbelt: Why? So you can pay double the amount for the same service except with a capped data plan?

golferal

@semipro1337: Why do you think I call it that?

Time Pilot AKA

@Brownski: That’s what I thought at first, then I read the line, Apparently the Peel doesn’t physically connect to the device, but neglected to read the last two words in that thought: it’s slipped around.

Reader fail.

Time Pilot AKA

wish it was for verizon.

blackbelt

Interesting, I wish it had a WiMax radio too but it looks like it will only be EV-DO which is a lot slower but has a bigger footprint. Does the app store have an app where you can make calls on an iPod though?

benthe1

@techynottreky: Oh just you wait until this September for the iPod refresh. Steve did say millions of ‘iDevices’ would use face time. We’ll see!

darkslide

@donlphi: Don’t dash my dreams with your trivial details!

I suppose now that jailbreaking is legal, Sprint could provide a custom firmware that uses its own towers for all calls, utilizing the radio in the ZTE case.

Probable? No. Possible? Yes. Dare to dream!

iTofu 3GS has no reception problems

A couple of downsides I see. If you decided you wanted to add this to your iPhone (minus contract), you would be stuck without camera use. The other issue I see is when the next generation iPod is released, people are anticipating a camera. Once again… no hole… no camera. Why not just buy a Sprint Overdrive? You don’t have to attach it to anything.

donlphi

wouldn’t this require an app to be running on the iPod Touch itself? if so, why would Apple let it through the app review process?

TonyRockyHorror

@snarky30: Only difference is not having to cart around two items.

Canoehead

The time has come to end how cellphone companies hold us to ransom and continue to charge us as if we’re still running voice down a telephone wire. As Gizmodo has said before, voice and texts are just DATA; tiny, tiny packets of data!

Ioan McAvoy

I’d be fine with it. All the features of the iPhone are really not needed.. Why do I need a camera on my phone, why do I need a super clear screen, why do I need it to be made of glass, why do I need it to be super thin? I have phone thats like an inch thick, and it doesn’t bother me. Only thing about that is it’s built cheaply. This is a great idea for the people that don’t want to buy into the whole “have to have an iPhone” thing.

hvrock13

So really it is just a wifi-to-3G hotspot that you carry around with you? And the phone would be in constant radio contact with the case – holy RF Energy batman.

Remind me not to put this in the front pocket of my jeans!

Canoehead

I’d love this.

Liam

Holy shit. We are saved.

angstman

So I just have a question, unrelated to this thread, except for the fact that I posted a comment.

I understand someone has to approve of my comments until I hold the magical star under my name, but my question is… Who do I have to blow to get that star added there?

semipro1337

It’s a cool idea but I think it would’ve worked better a couple years earlier when the soft/hardware disparities between the iPhone and iPod Touch were smaller.

See the only difference between the two used to be phone capabilities and still camera. Nowadays the iPhone is like a completely separate device with Hi-Def video recording, front facing camera…

This just would not bridge the gap well enough.

techynottreky

@dogcow: *alleged new iPod Touches

iTofu 3GS has no reception problems

What an ingenious way to get iPhone and iPod Touch users onto Sprint’s network!

If this is for real, you win Sprint!

iTofu 3GS has no reception problems

@whatne1wuddo: I hate to be one of those people that just says “lol”, but LOL!

Channan

@Time Pilot AKA: I think that’s exactly what they’re suggesting it is: a case for your iPod.

Brownski

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. That is so ugly.

Fascinating, but ugly.

msweston

Hope it has a hole for the back facing camera for the new iPod Touches.

dogcow

@cynep: lol

cynegetic

This is intriguing. Probably not enough to get me to pay data fees, but I love the end run.

talkingstove

I guess that’s one way Apple can get around their contract with AT&T. All they’d have to do is make certain the appropriate voice call apps to run these shenanigans get approved.

Although, I’d be more interested if this Peel device was a harness or case for the iTouch. Carrying two devices around is a bummer.

Time Pilot AKA

That would be quite interesting.

whatne1wuddo

All I see is what appears to be something black and 12 inches.

cynegetic

Naw, they real meaning behind the name is that it’ll fix your calling issues, but (because of needing an extra battery) the effect doesn’t last very long.

Peelz here!

pixelsnader

Once again Sprint keeps proving to me that they should be the next iPhone distributor not Verizon. Verizon wants to limit data and Sprint is trying to entice people to use their unlimited data. I love Sprint. I have a Pre and a EVO and i have a Gen 1 iTouch, but this is interesting. May have to buy a new iTouch or wait to see if Sprint gets the Apple contract.

saxgod

There’s a similar GSM one.

This Sprint one seems to be a MiFi type device so it’s likely to be sold only with a mobile broadband plan. You know, those 5 GB limit ones.

posts

@farcedude: Since its a MIFI like device, the iPod Touch should not need jailbreaking, since the Internet functionaltiy will come over WiFi for the iPod

lens3141

I’d shoot my grandma for this. An iPhone without the useless voice plan but that still has delicious data? SIGN ME UP.

mullingitover

I am actually tempted by this. I just got an iPod Touch a couple months ago, and can see the benefits of an iphone, but don’t want to shell out however much for a new iphone and a plan (or even an old iphone). I just hope you don’t have to jailbreak to use it (though I doubt that AT&T will be happy about it).

farcedude