Wireless provider Sprint on Monday began shipping its first slider phone that supports its Nextel Direct Connect push-to-talk service, the Motorola Debut i856. The Debut lets users switch from an active push-to-talk call to an interconnect voice call with a dedicated button. The handset also has a built-in MP3 player with dedicated external music controls and a 3D Audio equalizer.
Wireless provider Sprint announced on Friday that it has added the Motorola r765IS rugged handset to its lineup. The iDEN push-to-talk device is MIL Spec 810F rated, making it heavily resistant to submersion in water as well as exposure to dust, shock, solar radiation and temperature extremes. NextMail compatibility allows it to send voicemail as e-mail attachments, and it has built-in navigation capabilities thanks to integrated GPS. Emergency calling modes ensure callers can get through from nearly anywhere and at any time.
Wireless provider Sprint on Monday announced it will offer the Motorola Clutch i465 later this summer. First offered by Sprint subsidiary Boost Mobile, the Clutch is a rugged device that meets the US military's 810F specifcations and is rated to withstand temperature and altitude extremes, as well as exposure to dust, shock, vibration and solar radiation. The device is also the first device with a full QWERTY keyboard to run on Sprint's iDEN push-to-talk network.
iPCS, an affiliate of Sprint, announced on Friday that the Cook County Circuit Court has denied Sprint's motion to dismiss parts of iPCS's lawsuit against Sprint for violating its exclusivity agreement with iPCS. Back in May of 2008, Sprint and Clearwire formed a partnership that would see the joint company provide access to the next-generation 4G WiMAX network to its customers. iPCS' lawsuit aims to block Sprint from receiving benefits from its Clearwire deal unless it shares these benefits with its affiliates.
A leaked image that seems to have a list of future handsets coming to Brightpoint and Sprint has been leaked on Thursday. The validity of the image is helped by its listing the same ship date of the Palm Treo Pro as the recent official announcement, although Brightpoint itself will get the handset a few days earlier, on March 11th. The image also reveals a $550 unsubsidized price providers. It also shows a variant of the BlackBerry Curve 8350i without a camera that will come to Sprint's iDEN network at an unspecified date, but will cost $480 without a contract.
Yesterday's report of T-Mobile offering its existing customers in San Francisco a $50 unlimited national calling plan has been confirmed today from a more reliable source. The wireless provider is also trying to lure customers away from competitors by offering them a $135 credit if they come over to T-Mobile. The move is believed to be in response to Boost Mobile, a unit of Sprint Nextel, launching a $50 all-inclusive cellphone plan in January.
Motorola has made an early start to its Mobile World Congress unveilings by launching the Stature i9 for both Sprint and its sub-brand Boost Mobile. The clamshell is said the thinnest to use iDEN push-to-talk networks at 0.59 inches thick and is also the most advanced media phone of the kind. A 3.1-megaxpixel camera is the sharpest available on Sprint's PTT network, while a ring of touch-sensitive buttons around the external display provide access both to music but also to GPS, video capture and other functions that normally need an open phone; they dynamically illuminate to indicate contextual choices.
Sprint today began shipping its promised BlackBerry Curve 8350i. The smartphone is the first modern BlackBerry for the carrier's Nextel iDEN push-to-talk (PTT) network and also brings Wi-Fi, which lets users tap the cellular network for calls while still accessing Internet features. It also brings a group talk feature that lets PTT work with as many as 20 people in the same conversation.
Wireless voice and data network provider Sprint on Thursday announced it will extend its long-standing partnership with Motorola and enhance its unique iDEN network. Upgrades will include a greater network and infrastructure support along with software upgrades. In addition to Nextel Direct Connect's push-to-talk (PTT) service that relies on the iDEN network, Sprint will continue to offer its Sprint Mobile Broadband PTT service that uses the newer, faster EVDO Rev. A network to connect users instantly and without associated billable minutes.
An FCC filing spotted on Wednesday reveals a new Motorola flip phone is coming to wireless provider Sprint-Nextel. The handset, which may also possibly launch under the Cabo name, will operate on iDEN and CDMA networks from Sprint. It features a 3.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and 8X digital zoom, a useful update over other iDEN handsets' 1.3-megapixel shooters.
Sprint has discovered several interested parties who wish to purchase its Nextel business unit, but the wireless provider is facing several obstacles before the sale can be finalized. The Wall Street Journal reports that Sprint's $35 billion 2005 purchase would likely see a deal in the area of $5.4 billion at least, due to the amount of debt that would come with the acquisition. Interested bidders have expressed some resistance to this expense, unless the equity included in the deal were insubstantial in comparison.
Sprint this afternoon slipped a seventh phone unveiling into its CTIA expo plans and launched the promised BlackBerry 8350i. The device is the first Curve to support the provider's Nextel iDEN network and sets up a push-to-talk call with as many 20 total users in the space of a second, making it ideal for outdoor travelers or workers who want a BlackBerry's "push" mail but with instant voice as well. It moreover stands as the most feature-laden Curve with both GPS and Wi-Fi, either of which is normally available only by itself on other carriers.
Sprint today bolstered its push-to-talk lineup with the Moto V950 Renegade. The flip-phone is hardened to US military-grade specifications for resistance to dust, water and shocks but is as thin as many of Motorola's thinner cellphones and supports the Nextel push-to-talk network through QChat, which uses the phone's faster EVDO Revision A Internet access for its instant-on calls. The device is also a true media phone with a two-megapixel camera, media player software, and access to Sprint's streaming media add-ons.
The next BlackBerry for Sprint's iDEN push-to-talk network will be a Curve phone, called the 8350, a report claims. Although Sprint announced in February that it would receive a new iDEN BlackBerry, it has otherwise kept quiet on the issue, leaving most information to media leaks and speculation. The new device is expected to help revive Sprint's struggling iDEN network, whose most recent BlackBerry is the outdated 7100i.
The US Federal Communications Commission today said it has reached an agreement with Sprint that will give the cellular company extra time to give up using some of the channels it relies upon for its Nextel-born iDEN network. The company had previously been required to clear out some frequencies by June 26th to prevent interference for new public safety services but has now been given an indefinite but conditional grant to continue using some of its push-to-talk network channels until they become necessary.
Sprint on Thursday announced it will soon add four phones with Nextel Direct Connect support in more than 40 US cities. Each new phone will support the Nextel push-to-talk (PTT) network that connects subscribers in less than one second. Some of the handsets' features include call alerts and a Group Connect function over the PTT network that allows communication with up to 20 users at once. The phones can either use one phone number for both traditional calling and PTT functionality, or have a dedicated number for each.
Sprint is currently facing a heavy decision on what to do with the Nextel network, whether it should continue to invest in it, turn it into a standalone company, or simply cease operating the Nextel brand altogether. MocoNews writes that Sprint CEO Dan Hesse recently gave a bit of insight to shareholders, saying that he does not see the iDEN network (which currently is only in use by Sprint) disappearing in the near future, and insists it is the best primary choice for network service. Hesse expects that Motorola would continue to support the technology, even with the company's current wireless problems.
Sprint is strongly considering selling off its Nextel division after just three years folded into the company, the Wall Street Journal says while crediting anonymous sources. One of Nextel's founders, Morgan O'Brien, is purportedly creating a group of investors that would buy out the push-to-talk group and restore its place as a separate company. Other private companies are also an option, as is a spin-off similar to the landline Internet provider Embarq.
The CEO of Sprint, Dan Hesse, has announced a new BlackBerry phone for the company's iDEN network, reports say. Sprint inherited the network when it acquired Nextel, but has long been accused of neglecting it, despite it having once had widespread popularity with taxi and construction companies, thanks to push-to-talk support. According to Hesse, the new iDEN BlackBerry is expected "later this year," and will have Wi-Fi -- a feature effectively absent from other iDEN options.
Sprint will not only continue to support its iDEN network, it will attempt to breathe more life into it, the company's CEO says. Rumors have persisted that the company would shut down its push-to-talk technology, which was inherited through the purchase of Nextel and was once in widespread use with the likes of construction firms and taxi companies. Although iDEN devices are still used by millions of Sprint/Nextel subscribers, the Associated Press notes that business and technical issues -- namely dropped, blocked or garbled calls -- have led thousands of people to cancel their accounts.
Sprint/Nextel has adopted a new Motorola phone, meant for use on its Direct Connect iDEN network. Direct Connect lets users treat phones as a walkie-talkie, with the added benefit of being able to send pictures and contact information. Linking into Group Connect, users can talk to a host of people scattered across the US. The phone is the i570, a clamshell with both internal and external screens, mainly designed to be extremely rugged -- it meets the MIL-SPEC 810F standard, certifying a base amount of protection against dust, shocks and vibration.
