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It's well known that Sprint had to commit at least $15 billion to Apple to become the third major U.S. carrier to carry the iPhone. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse told a group of reporters that taking the risk was the "right decision".

“You really don’t want to be on the outside. The No. 1 thing was getting the call from Apple that they were interested in at least having the opportunity, Hesse said at Sprint’s Kansas headquarters. "We committed to $15.5 billion over four years in purchases. That’s a large commitment. We saw no reason to bet against Apple. Today, looking back, I think it was the right decision.”

Hesse also said he would be interested in adding the iPad to Sprint's roster in the future.

It looks like Google Maps isn't the only Google-based app that will disappear when iOS 6 is released in the fall. Engadget readers noticed that the latest iOS 6 beta, which was sent out to developers today, removes the YouTube app from the iOS homescreen when installed.

Both Apple and Google responded to Engadget's inquiry about the app. Apple said the licensing deal it had with Google ended, but "users can still use YouTube via the Safari web app." Apple also said the app would remain on devices running iOS 5 or older, and that Google "is working" on another version.

AT&T has announced that its new Mobile Share plans will be available starting Thursday, Aug. 23. The carrier has also launched a Mobile Share planner to help families prepare for the upcoming changes if they choose to switch.

The new plans are designed to help new and existing subscribers share data on up to 10 devices. Users who sign up for the Mobile Share plan will also enjoy unlimited voice minutes, text messages and free mobile hotspot capabilities. Existing members are not required to switch to a new plan, but they can do so without a contract extension. At least one smartphone is required to be part of each AT&T Mobile Share group.

Nuance Communications' technology is what powers Apple's mobile voice assistant Siri. The company's voice recognition engine can also be found in dictation software like Dragon Dictation and even in devices like Smart TVs. Nina is the company's response to the growing popularity of intelligent personal assistants that are popping up on all Android and iOS devices

Nuance Communications describes Nina as "the first virtual assistant customer service app to incorporate both speech recognition and voice biometrics into a single integrated solution." Nina uses a combination of Nuance technologies like speech recognition and voice biometrics to understand what a speaker is saying and to identify who is speaking. This allows Nina the potential to perform such tasks as paying bills, or the ability to use other personal services without the need to enter a password.

Recent rumors about a September iPhone 5 release have caused a 70 percent increase to eBay's smartphone trade-in program. eBay said (via CNET) the number of trade-ins started to increase around the same time several well known sources purportedly confirmed Apple will hold a special event to announce the new iPhone on September 12. The company said "nearly" 100,000 smartphones were traded-in during a three day period following the announcements.

The 16GB model of the iPhone 4S topped the trade-ins, followed by the 8GB iPhone 4 and 32GB iPhone 4S. Last year eBay received 375,000 trade-in offers for smartphones when the iPhone 4S was officially announced. 89 percent of those smartphones were iPhones.