Skip to main content

Clearwire won’t be making WiMax smartphones

Sony Ericsson and Clearwire logos
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Back in January, phone maker Sony Ericsson filed a trademark infringement case against WiMax operator Clearwire, claiming Clearwire’s logo has gradually been getting closer and closer to Sony Ericsson’s own. Although a judge denied Sony Ericsson’s request that Clearwire immediately be barred from using its logo, Sony Ericsson now says the matter is resolved and it won’t be pursuing the trademark case against Clearwire. Why? According to Sony Ericsson, it’s because Clearwire told the court it has no plans to make Clearwire-branded smartphones.

Since launching WiMax service in 2008 and offering 4G mobile broadband services—most notably to Sprint—Clearwire has repeatedly indicated it intended to bring out its own Clearwire-branded handsets: a year ago, the company was claiming they would be out during 2010. However, since then the company has gone through layoffs and substantial restructuring, including the departure of former CEO William Morrow two months ago. Former VoiceStream and Western Wireless head John Stanton has been running the company while the firm looks for a new chief—and in the meantime Clearwire has reached a $1 billion settlement with Sprint over wholesale pricing that helps stabilize the company’s financial situation.

By telling the court the company has no plans to market Clearwire branded phones, Clearwire not only sidesteps the trademark infringement suit from Sony Ericsson, but also avoids another confrontation with Sprint, which had historically wanted to be the sole company offering WiMax-enabled devices to consumers in the United States. Although Clearwire continues to offer hotspots and WiMax cards for notebook computers, deciding to stay out of the smartphone market means the company won’t have to go head-to-head with Sprint—again.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
How to master your equalizer settings for the perfect sound
An equalizer from eqMac.

While most people will simply flip on the radio or load up Spotify to listen to music, audiophiles like to dig a bit deeper and customize their experience. This often comes in the form of adjustments to the equalizer, which offers the freedom to tweak every aspect of the sound booming out of headphones or speakers. Even some streaming services now have built-in EQs, giving you more ways than ever to play with your music and find something that best fits your ears.

Tinkering with the equalizer can be daunting to newcomers, as there are tons of cryptic settings you can manipulate. And if you mess with the wrong one, your sound quality might take a nasty hit. Thankfully, learning the basics isn't too difficult.

Read more
How to change your iPhone’s notification sound in iOS 17
how to change iphone default notification sound ios 17 sounds screenshot

Apple made a change to the default notification sound when it launched iOS 17, replacing “Tri-tone” with “Rebound.”Users have been unable to switch back to the original sound or select a different one as the default, and not everyone is a fan of the new tune. As you'd imagine, that's left some folks rather annoyed.

Read more
5 things I want to see in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and S Pen stylus on its screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is definitely one of the best smartphones on the market right now, no doubt about that. You get incredible performance with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, plenty of RAM and storage, a whopping 200MP camera, two telephoto lenses for 3x and 5x optical zoom, S Pen integration, and more. It’s certainly an impressive package.

But it’s not perfect. In fact, some weaknesses could be improved in the next version, the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Here’s what I hope to see next year.
A new design
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (left) and Galaxy S23 Ultra Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more