With just a few months to go before the launch of its next-generation wireless network, Sprint Nextel Corp. has a distinctly modest lineup of compatible devices.

At the universal Consumer Electronics Show here that week, Sprint showed only two computer modems that will definitely be available in April, when its WiMax network becomes available outside current trials in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington.

One of the promises of WiMax, a service Sprint will be providing under the Xohm make, is that

receivers for it can be built into a variety of devices like cameras and Web tablets that usually don’t have a built-in Net connection or rely on Wi-Fi, a short-range technology.

“We fully expect an explosion of consumer devices,” said Antone Porter, a product manager at Sprint.

The relative dearth of early WiMax gadgets isn’t necessarily a sign of trouble for Sprint. Gemma Tedesco, an analyst at In-Stat, said the coverage area […]

Orginal post by Top Tech News