Verizon may have been
bangin' on Sprint's iDEN network, but that's not stopping the yellow-faced carrier from introducing the "first ever" (wait, really?) push-to-talk BlackBerry on those very waves. Sprint is hailing the Curve 8350i as the "most advanced push-to-talk BlackBerry smartphone ever," and given the options in the past, it's hard to disagree. Thankfully, there's also integrated WiFi / GPS as well as support for Group Connect, international direct connect and Talkgroup; you'll also spot a 2-megapixel camera, multimedia player, speakerphone, video recorder, a microSDHC card slot, Bluetooth 2.0, a stereo headset jack and a removable 1,400mAh battery. It's available now in a rather stocky 4.4- x 2.4- x 0.7-inch frame for as low as $149.99 (after all applicable rebates) on a two-year plan.
posted Dec 15th 2008 9:45AM
I thought the 8310 on AT&T has push to talk.
It does. AT&T has had PTT on most Blackberries for over a year now.
Push-to-Talk and "Direct Connect" are two different technologies. PTT was Sprint's (rather crappy) solution to non-Nextel phones.
The author has it wrong either way, because the Blackberry 7520 had Direct Connect.
I had a Blackberry 7250 on Nextel years ago:
http://www.epinions.com/review/pr-RIM_BlackBerry_7520/content_293375544964
Sprint killed NExtel. For them to still release phones is silly.
yeah, Sprint killed Nextel. funny thing is, 3 years later, they reallized Nextel was the one actually making money. bringing DC now is kinda... late. dumb.
Did Darren get in a time machine and then make this post? Nextel needs some more modern looking devices
It looks fragile. Push-to-break?
added fire alarm feature
This is not the 1st Sprint/Nextel Blackberry, the Blackberry 7100i was also a push to talk Blackberry.
Yep, Nick is right. I still have my old 7100i somewhere.... It was the best phone I ever had when I was with Nextel.
The guys in my building just got this for their business. So far they like it. But it is much bigger (thicker) than it looks in the image.
What about the 7100i
uhm.................. a few years ago I had the 7520 with nextel ... which had direct connect and so did the 7100i .. so whats with the first first first business?
The 7100i and 7520 have had push to talk since Nextel was a separate company.
As an owner of a push to talk BlackBerry 7100i, I can tell you it is not the first. Please correct your post.
Looks like our friend Darren here is getting called out...
My old 7520 had push to talk.. Quit lying!
Maybe they mean first PPT under Sprint acquisition?
Not the first push-to-talk BlackBerry by a long shot. Sprint/Nextel has had several. The 7510, 6510, 7520, and 7100 just to name a few.
At least it doesn't have the gut-stabbing antenna like the 7520 (oh wait, this is the first PTT Blackberry ever).
I guess what they meant by first phone, they meant the first Nextel Blackberry that's actually on par with all the others in the cellular industry... (save for the Storm and Bold)
This is too funny! It appears that yet another poster on Engadget has posted erroneous information! LMAO!!! I wonder if they actually use posters who KNOW the industry or just people who just like to blog crap! This is almost as bad as what Dan Rather did to get fired off of CBS.
Is it PTT over iden or cdma? cuz its def. not the first over iden. Over CDMA DC which isn't really PTT probably. But it is branded Nextel.
it's iDEN.
ditto to the other comments, check your facts before publishing.
As for the BB itself, who cares? I choose BB's because they are reliable, a word the does not often collide in the same sentence with "iDEN".
SBinVA, while the voice portion iDen is shoddy at best, the PTT is by and far way better than anything else out there. I have tried Alltels' PTT, I have tried VZW's PTT and just recently AT7T's PTT. None of them can compare to Nextel's PTT. It's fast, it works 99% of the time, and you can actually use it. I am an Bold owner, so no more PTT for me.
cseabrooks - I will give you that, I was a Nextel user for years and agree the Direct Connect is far superior to any of the other PTT solutions. The voice service, as you said, is beyond the definition of horrid.
Sorry, I just got off-line chatting to Sprint and this phone DOES use CDMA EVDO -Rev A for data and iDen ONLY for PTT.
I am sorry to be "troll-ish", but
ABOUT F-ing time Sprint........ The 7100i was only like 3 years old. I have been using an old i95, because the 7100i kept crapping out on me. I wonder when the stores will get them.
No highest rankings?
Now he puts "first ever" in quotes as if that's what the source said. Really? I don't see "first ever" anywhere in the release. It DOES say it's the first with WIFI and Group Connect. If you screw up, the least you can do is own it.
Hmm.. when click the read link, it states:
"First push-to-talk BlackBerry smartphone with built-in Wi-Fi and Group Connect demonstrates Sprint’s firm commitment to the Nextel National Network".
Perhaps the author of this post should re-read the article and change it accordingly. First push-to-talk Blackberry with built-in Wi-fi and Group Connect.
"First push-to-talk BlackBerry smartphone with built-in Wi-Fi and Group Connect demonstrates Sprint’s firm commitment to the Nextel National Network".
That's misleading as well. I don't know about 6510/7510/7100, but I used to run Group Connect on a 7520. Of course, come to think of it.. They changed the old network based Group Connect to some different name (can't recall what) and introduced a new phone-based group connect feature a couple years back. Maybe that's what they mean.
Lets just say it's the first iDEN push-to-talk BlackBerry with Wi-Fi.
Oh great a bb curve on idens wopping 30kbps network whitch will only be good for a other 2 years.
I guess that's why it has the WIFI. Some people need the PTT and want a Blackberry as well. This phone is for that user. It's certainly not meant for the mainstream.
This won't use the iDen network for data like the 7100i, it will use the EVDO Rev-A network for data.
cseabrooks: that is incorrect. The "i" in the model number is for iDEN. This is definitely not a qchat PTT device.
sndmn23, I replied to a previous comment, but I wanted to make sure it was in the right spot.
"Sorry, I just got off-line chatting to Sprint and this phone DOES use CDMA EVDO -Rev A for data and iDen ONLY for PTT."
cseabrooks: I stand corrected. That's pretty interesting. So it's a CDMA phone with iDEN for the PTT and EVDO for data with WIFI as well? Sounds like they have all the bases covered if that's the case.
They (Sprint Nextel), promised this phone when they merged. They came out with Moto units that do iDen PTT and CDMA voice/data, but they are VERY late with a BlackBerry that could do the same. I can honestly say that if this BlackBerry had come out sooner, our company would still have a majority of Sprint BlackBerry's, instead we are down to just one 7100i and the rest AT&T BlackBerry's. I'm sure I'm not the only one here with the same response. I just hope for Sprint it isn't a "too little, too late" deal.
Spoke to a Sprint rep who swears this phone is in fact iDEN only. No CDMA support whatsoever. I found two sites that support this, but oddly enough, I found another spec list that said this device supports CDMA, iDEN AND GSM for overseas, plus WIFI. Gotta say that I'm leaning toward believing this is an iDEN only handset. IMO, there's no possible way it has all those radios in there.
I'm digging the yellow trim.
Yawn! I was getting excited at the prospect that Nextel would die!!! I hate that damn 'beep beep'!
=)
So....what everyone is saying....multiple times.....is that the 7520 and the 7100i had it first? I'm just making sure because well, I wasn't sure...
Man I wish folks would learn how to read. The statement says "First push-to-talk BlackBerry smartphone with built-in Wi-Fi and Group Connect". The emphasis is on the Wi-Fi and Group Connect, not that it is the first BlackBerry. They were still selling a PTT BB from 2005 until this guy launched, so as you guys bash Sprint (because they are so much worse than AT&T and Verizon) lets try to read what the first line in the statement says.
When this story first broke on Engadget this morning, it was all about how this is the first iDEN Blackberry. It has been heavily edited since, so many of the comments have to be looked at in that context.
I can't believe NO ONE here picked up on the sarcastic nature of Darren's post.
The thing is, the way it was originally written by Darren, it wasn't at all sarcastic. He was definitely stating that this was the first iDEN Blackberry. Then he changes it after a bunch of posters called him out. He should have left the orignal article and then put an update.
that being the case, i stand corrected. lol.
I believe when you guys are saying it is CDMA w/ EVDO for voice/data and the PTT is iDEN is incorrect. This is strictly an iDEN device, using all of Nextels network, not Sprints. I would love to proven wrong, though.