Cingular's push-to-talk is a go for mid October

If you're a HoFo regular you're probably not going to be floored by what we got, but multiple sources inside Cingular have hooked us up pretty extensively with the plans on their new push-to-talk service. Basically it should be scheduled for announcement on October 13th, and will cost users an additional $9.99 per month for unlimited PTT minutes (or family-plan users $19.99). As expected, their PTT launch devices will be the LG F7200, and the Samsung D357, which itself will feature MP3 ringtones, Bluetooth, and, if we understand correctly, EDGE data. Hope you're not as sick of those push-to-talk ringers going off as we are, because soon you're gonna be hearing a whole lot more of 'em.

[John @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I had a nextel i860, and i had the code plug modded to allow me to send pictures with the PTT, it is super speedy, and i now have te i930 and i love it...but i havent touched the code plug yet

[Betes @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Well it didn't release. But that's ok because it has been pushed back to about the 11th of November. I have seen several pages on Cingular's intranet confirming that the employee training will go on in-store in the next week or two. Also Cingular has used this push back date so they can deem themselves "The largest PTT carrier in the U.S." That will be nice on their part. But we will see.

[Keith @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I think Cingular is being greedy by requiring customers to pay additional fees to use the PTT feature. Also, I agree with several other commenters above in that I am sick of hearing that stupid beep and gees, if you want to use PTT to contact another Cingular customer, why not just make the call to the person? It's "free"!

[tryckspyder @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

when will we be able to ptt other carriers? if we can make a cell call to other carriers why not ptt?

[CINGULARSALES @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Ok this is to all the people who dont want to come of age and obviously still want operators and switch boards. PTT is here to stay and the new cingular phones will have a feature that will allow a PTT conversation to be switched to a normal call. As far as the FREE MOBILE TO MOBILE if you remember this only happened to compete with Nextels PTT. So even if you hate PTT you people should be glad it is around or you would still be using minutes talking to each other on the same network. I am super excited to see it and i am not a kid or a construction worker. So stop living in the past and moaning about every new change and guess what the internet is here to stay too not just a fad. STOP LIVING IN THE PAST.....

[Steve @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

For quite a while if you wanted a 2 way, you had to have nextel. That's how they got a lot of their business. Cingular has plenty of business, and people are going to jump all over this. It may not happen as sson as everybody thinks, but it will be big.

[Daniel Tinkle @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I think it will be nice. But i don't like either one of the phones. They need better phones Quick

[Maurice @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Yeah the phone selection does no step up to the plate but there are at least 4 phones cingular can use if need be that are PTT. Nokia 6102, sonyericsson z500, the LG (which i would not buy due to they do not work well on cingular now and the samsung which is the only one with bluetooth.
Is the release still set for Nov 11?

[Betes @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

OK tommorow is the for sure release date. I went in the store today and asked to see the phones they had three manager had one and the guy on the floor showed me both the samsung and the LG. I'm am very excited both phones have a normal style to them. The LG reminds me of the slider than was released a year or two ago that was pretty big. Then the Samsung is just a normal flip. Funny thing though the LG, I tested it, and it has the nextel chirp sound its kinda funny I think. But these phones will do well in my opinion.

[martin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Rumor has it on 11/30 cingular ptt to have soft release with only LG slider coming out and samsung to follow due to flash problem. Official release dec 8 or 12th.

[flip nasty @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

so whats up with this, how did the release date go, i called Cingular to buy a phone through them, and the salesman tried to sell me the PTT, but i want the bluetooth stuff !!! so whats the rave on the samnsung

[Dale @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Name: Clumsy
Phone: Clumsy
Interface: Clumsy

Sheesh.

[aleandro @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

why?

[aleandro @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

no seriously why push2talk instead of normal communication?

[gaboi83 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

that made me throw up in my mouth a little.

[Scoobydoo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Finally PTT for users that don't drive a pickup or work in construction.

[iPod Case @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

ya what is wrong with free phone to phone minutes. i dont want the world hearing my phone call anyways.

[chris @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

ask the cingular insider when they are going to release the slvr l7. thats what i want to know.

[Gidge @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I thought the Sony Ericsson Z500a had the PTT feature. Hmmm....so much for my firmware update.

[Jason3fc @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I honestly dont understand what people's obsession with 1 way communication. We have come all this way with phone communication, and people still want it to be like a CB. You have a PHONE, just freakin call the person. But then again.. I feel the same way about SMS too.

these things are a public nusance. I don't want to hear other people's conversations.

[morgan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Yeah, i wish i could download some rolaids. It's bad enough i have to listen to someone on a cell phone, i don't want to hear the whole conversation. Makes sense for security and contractor types, but man, these idiots who use it in the bathroom, in restaurants, they should be strung up.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I don't fully understand the attraction, but lots of people use it. I think I saw in our systems at work that there's also going to be a promo for $15 on the shared plans. Since we can't add it anyway, I'm not sure if it'll be there at launch, but it was there yesterday.

[danny @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

As written, why with no fee mobile to mobile? Unless the PTT from Cingular to Nextel is free? Yeah right.

Unless CIngular plans on eliminating free mobile to mobile. Why pay for PTT when m2m in free.

[ODB @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Looks like more gangtas are gonna hookup with cingular. Yo Yo waddup with that new razr bling. Nothin' makes you look more like a pimp then jawin with your ho while sitton on the bus...

[jake @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

PTT is a joke, there's no benefit to using it else than amusing the adolecent customer for a split second because it's so old-school cool to be using a walkie-talkie with it's speaker and beeping sounds (and it'll get old fast).

[Rombus @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

PTT Was convienient oncampus with my IT job because Nextel had great coverage all over where the radio coverage to the repeater was a bit spotty. Also my department was grouped in with all resident services radio traffic, so using nextel phones we could keep our conversations a bit more private. But it was a special case, i really dont see the need for this in day to day life.

[ian @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

seriously, PTT is the most god awful annoying thing that the cell phone industry invented. The engineer who came up with it deserves a swift kick in the face.

[Bogey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Ouch! My teeef hurt :-)

[Brent @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

It might actually be worthwhile if it didn't use the cell network to do it. My boss and I both work in several buildings where there is no cell service, but we are well within range of FRS radios or some such. What would be nice is if they could put the two together so that if you are in range something like PTT is just a direct connection. Thus we would still be able to communicate even with no signal.

As it is now, just make the damn call. What is the beneift of this?

[TheEminent1 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

What people don't seem to realize or don't pay attention to is that there is a feature on the ptt phones that allows private convo. In many cases, people allow others to hear their ptt convo because they think its cool...which is a huge annoyance. I used to work for Nextel and loved the ptt feature for my wife to contact me instantly...and no one knew I was using the ptt.

[GadgetGav @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

PTT is the worst invention in communications ever. The worst marketing decision was to move it from the construction site, first to business now to the consumers. Most phones have a speakerphone function and yet in public places, most people don't use it and certainly not with the volume cranked to 11, so why is it that in a PTT phone it seems acceptable to have your mundane conversations blasted out from a crappy little speaker for all to hear. I may have to cancel my Cingular account now (the ROKR wasn't worth waiting for either!)

[Brad @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Last thing I want form Cingular. I'm happy with my free M2M and free N&W. With those free aspects alone, I never use my minutes. My family's plan has 1500 minutes each month, we only used 100 the first month, so 1400 rolled over. So even if I tried, I couldn't use my minutes up.

And PTT is the lamest thing in the world. I hate the constant beeps from the phones and I hate hearing people talk out loud like fumbling idiots.

[Andres Monroy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Scenario 1. Person P with a voice level L is on the bus talking on the phone. Most people around P seem annoyed.

Scenario 2. Person P and person Q are having a conversation while riding the bus, their voice level is L. Most people don't care.

Why is that?

My theory is that in Scenario 1 our brains are trying to complete the missing part of the conversation. This extra processing causes discomfort.

What do you think?

[Will C @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

this type of stuff I hate...if you dont like it dont use it...the nice thing about this is the capability to turn a PTT call into a cell call with the push of a button...not to mention the ability to see if someone is available just by looking at the phone...believe me this is gonna kill...

[bartholemey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

PTT is like voice text messaging, or like a chat room. PTT is very useful for groups and is a very efficient mode of communication. There are situations where making a full on cell call is very impractical. Of course most of you who are on this site don't have any jobs or friends so of course you can't find a use for it. All of you people who can't seem to find a use for it can go stick it up your ass while you play your freaking PSP.

[Dan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I agree the PTT creators should be strung up. People I know have told awful stories about going to movies and having the show interrupted by people using PTT in the theater! If you want a walkie-talkie, go buy one, I say. Every time I see someone with a PTT phone using it loudly in a public place, I have the urge to go over and offer a critique of their conversation when they're done. You know, since I was privileged to hear it all, very clearly and loudly. I wonder if they would act indignant, as though I was somehow invading their privacy.

[LargeLeon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

What makes PTT worse, is that people who have it when you do actually think you want to talk to them. PTT is the rudest invention in the world. Why not make a call and give the person on the other end the right to ignore your call?

[Trevor Miller @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

The reason PTT is apealing is that when your talking the other person needs to shut up and listen - they have no choice.

[Jonathan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I'm pleased to hear so many people find PTT as annoying as I do. I can't express in words how I sick am I of hearing Nextel conversations at high volume in public. So unbelievably rude. I really don't get it -why not just make an actual call?

[Michael @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

It is truly amazing to me that all of the gadget freaks that frequent this site and have an appreciation for new technologies and services can be so narrow-minded and not be able to recognize the usefulness of PTT. It doesn't have to be an annoying feature. When someone alerts you, just like a phone call, that alert can be a ring tone or a vibrating alert. Likewise, PTT conversations can be done through a headset or through the earpiece. It is not a requirement to be through the speakerphone. That sums up all of the complaints about PTT. Lets look at the benefits. Instant, quick, to-the-point conversations. To put that in more adolescent terms, which seams to be the audience here, take this example. Suppose your friend is lucky enough to get his father's car for the night and he is on his way to go pick your lame ass up. He honks the horn but you don't hear it. It's much more efficient to alert you and say, "Hey dude, I'm outside with my dad's ride". If he had called you, waited for the phone to ring, waited for you to say, "Yo", then explain that he was outside, you would have already been sitting next to him in his fathers Grand Marquis if he had used PTT. Trust me, if each of your friends (classmates) had PTT, you would hate to call someone. It just takes too long. Now, expand that scenario to when your mother calls and tells you to get home. It�s a quick to the point communication, there�s no extended dialogue, which normally takes place in a regular phone conversation. Expanding this even further, the business use of this technology is limitless.

[bartholemey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

you are forgetting that the people on this site dont have any friends...that is why they have no use for PTT.

[TomK @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I have to agree w/ Michael (#30) ... I always hated PTT until my company switched to Nextel. Absolutely love it. I compare it to when instant messaging first came out for businesses. Many critics were of the thinking: if you need to write to someone, send an email, otherwise just call them... no need for IM. PTT critics complain, "why not just call". There is a different manner in which PTT conversations take place that is completely different from a phone call. A phone call requires your complete attention through the course of the call. A PTT conversation is more like IM ... short messages sent back and forth, to the point, at your convenience... and you only pay for the time you speak, not for the timespan of the start and end of the conversation. If this technology was crap, tiny NEXTEL w/ their bulky phones would have gone out of business a loooong time ago. Instead, Sprint, with their own PTT picked them up, Motorola has no plans to stop making PTT-featured phones, Verison has their own PTT, and now Cingular ...
... come on in people, the water's warm. :-)

[DL @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I agree completely with 32...In the time it takes your conventional phone call to connect, you could have alerted somebody, had your convo, and jumped off. The people who annoy you with their PTT calls choose to do so because they activate their speakers. This is a case of 'don't hate the game, hate the player'.

all that being said, i wonder how it's going to stack up against nextel's service....

[Peter Markus @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

If you do not see a value in PTT do not buy the PTT handset or subscribe to the service. No need to knock it. Nextel, Sprint, and Verizon all offer PTT services and have for some time now. Cingular is just catching up to the field for competetive purposes.

[Will C @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

to 31...

it works incredibly well...much better than PtToC that were trialed over a year ago...

~wC

[blueorangeman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

PTT is the s$#t!!! For those of us who work for aliving selling this stuff will go from 80K a year to 100K thank you dumb loud people we who work thank you!!!! and like they say if you dont like it dont buy it, but for those of you who do thank you my next new car is on you...

[ProLackey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

More features = Better. Nobody is forcing anyone else to use PTT, the internet or anything else... It's availible to people who wish to use it.

#36:

If you're making 80k a year selling phones I need to transfer there. Retail sucks.

[Lovin PTT @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Personally, I love the push to talk feature. And I've found more regular cell phone people annoying than the ptt customers. I once as in a public restroom when a woman came in and started peeing while talking on her cell. I can name how many customers I've had continue to talk on their phones while I was trying to get information from them. What ever happened to "Let me take care of something, and I'll call you back?" The majority of cell users are rude and inconsiderate in general. I honestly doubt the PTT feature will make that big a difference. My husband and I travel a lot and thnk it will be great for those dead zones. Will be at cingular on Oct. 13 to get my new phone and service. :)

[Cingular Guy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I am a Cingular employee, and I have been using PTT for a week now, and its great, beats any other PTT I have used, takes about 2-3 seconds to connect after that its instant. The away feature is awesome also, you can either leave your PTT on or off, so if you dont wanna be bothered, turn it off and they can just call you, they are also aware if your away message is up, there are icons besides your contacts name, letting you know of their status, just like instant message the phones lets you know, I dont know any other provider that does that, also if you conversations get lengthy you can make it into a phone conversation right away, they also have bluetooth, and MMS AND SMS, which nextel does not, the samsung also has EDGE, for fast GPRS connection, when this is released to the public, EVERYBODY is gonna have one!!
so who thinks PTT sucks now????

[David Grayson @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Hey Cingular Guy,

I work with a group of people who have NEXTEL blackberry phone and use the walkie talkie feature, will Cingular have a blackberry with walkie talkie system that will work with Nextel's ???

THANKS..........