Rumor Mill: Sprint to unwrap Nexus S 4G, other devices at CTIA

Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) appears poised to dominate the CTIA Wireless trade show in Orlando, Fla. later this month. The carrier reportedly plans to unveil at least two smartphones and a tablet at the trade show, which begins March 22, according to the blog Engadget.

The blog, citing an unnamed source, said the carrier will announce a version of the Nexus S, called the Nexus S 4G, that will run on Clearwire's (NASDAQ:CLWR) mobile WiMAX network. The Nexus S, made by Samsung, was the first smartphone to run version 2.3, or Gingerbread, of Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform. Additionally, the blog reported that Sprint will launch two new products under the Evo brand, including the Evo 3D, a 3D smartphone, and the Evo View, which may be a CDMA version of HTC's Flyer tablet. Additionally, the blog found that a Sprint web address related to the Nexus product name revealed a "coming soon" message.

A Sprint spokesman declined to comment.

Even ahead of the fresh batch of rumors Sprint was expected to have a strong showing at CTIA. The carrier had a relatively light presence at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, and its biggest handset launch so far this year has been the dual-screen Kyocera Echo.

Rob Mesirow, vice president of operations at CTIA, told PC Magazine last week that there will be a "significant" new tablet launch at the show. Additionally, Sprint did little to quiet expectations in advance of the trade show, which kicks off in Orlando, Fla., March 22.

"We have a strong lineup of tablets this year," Steve Elfman, Sprint's president of network operations and wholesale, said last week at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom conference. "We have the PlayBook from RIM (NASDAQ:RIMM) and we have a few others coming out as well from different manufacturers. Look for something from CTIA."

For more:
- see these two separate Engadget posts

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