So far Sprint ID (review) has been available on only a trio of Android phones, but CEO Dan Hesse announced at a Sprint developer conference early this week that Sprint ID is spreading to two more high profile devices, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Samsung Epic 4G.
In addition, Notre Dame University is a launch partner for the Galaxy Tab with Sprint ID, and will give the Samsung-made, Android-running tablet to students so they can access the university's Sprint ID Pack, according to Sprint's Hesse.
Sprint ID isn't ready to go on the duo of Samsung devices, and Hesse stressed that Sprint and Samsung are working together to make the Epic 4G smartphone and Galaxy Tab tablet Sprint ID-ready. CEO Hesse didn't specify if existing owners of the Galaxy Tab and Epic 4G will also have access to Sprint ID, or if the feature will only come preloaded on new units.
Either way, the spread of Sprint ID to two new devices, along with Hesse's announcement of more Sprint ID partners, is proof that Sprint's betting big on Sprint ID as a bid to differentiate the carrier's Android offerings from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile's Android handsets.
CEO Hesse said it himself in his keynote, "Sprint ID is very important to us."
Of course, Sprint frames the importance of Sprint ID to the customer in terms of discovering essential applications from among the Android Market's 100,000 apps. Sprint's other message is that using an ID Pack--a bundle of apps, shortcuts, wallpaper, and so on, organized around a particular brand or theme--will help smartphone owners streamline the setup process for a new phone by easily loading multiple apps in one package.
We have our reservations about Sprint ID's implementation so far, so it will be interesting to see if the feature catches on once it's available to more smartphone owners.
Watch Sprint CEO Dan Hesse's keynote at the Sprint Open Developers Conference.