iDEN
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Motorola Brute now available for Sprint Direct Connect
If you were hoping for a helping of Android with your iDEN, we're afraid your wait isn't quite over yet -- but folks just looking for a standard issue tough clamshell for Direct Connect might want to take a gander at this one. The aptly-named Motorola Brute isn't likely to win any beauty contests, but it comes equipped with CrystalTalk-style noise reduction, a 2 megapixel camera, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, real-time switchover between push-to-talk and a standard call, and -- of course -- mil-spec 810F compliance for protection from dirt, moisture, vibration, and the like. It's available now for $119.99 on contract after rebate.
Motorola Opus One caught on video, dawg
It's pretty rare that a tech demo starts with the phrase "you know what I'm gonna do?" But, this one certainly does, a dark, shaky, but thoroughly comprehensive exploration of the recently rumored Motorola Opus One smartphone. Jive- or profanity-averse readers (or anyone who hates zebra cake) will probably want to skip the four videos embedded below, but we'll give you the highlights: iDen is confirmed, Android 1.5 Cupcake is currently installed with Motoblur frosting, there's a five megapixel camera on the back, and with its push-to-talk this one looks to be going to Nextel or Boost Mobile. Those are the deets, but click on through if you want to do that video, dawg. [Via iNicc0lo]
Sprint wraps up iPCS acquisition, Nextel merger drama may finally be over
It's been eons since Sprint bought Nextel, but regional affiliate iPCS had managed to keep the fallout from the deal tied up in courts for years -- a side-effect of its claim that the merger violated Sprint's agreement to stay off iPCS' turf. After a few court losses, Sprint ultimately decided to bite the bullet and buy iPCS outright, and now, that deal's finalized to the tune of $831 million including Sprint's assumption of $405 million in debt. Though iPCS customers now become Sprint customers as a result of the acquisition, they'll effectively notice no difference -- the regional was already offering Sprint service exclusively under the Sprint brand, so this whole deal is little more than an escape hatch for the head office to tie off these legal wranglings once and for all.
Motorola's Opus One leaks out, whispers of 'iDEN' and 'Android' overheard
There's an excruciatingly small amount of detail to go on right now, but the Boy Genius has managed to snag a few tasty shots of what could be the world's first iDEN Android handset. The Opus One (as it's currently codenamed) certainly smacks of the myTouch 3G in terms of design, though the bottom-mounted ball is obviously replaced with what appears to be an intensely large home button. Hit the source link for a couple more images, and drop your wildest estimations of a specs list in comments below.
Sprint bails on QChat, goes back to iDEN for all its PTT needs
We saw the writing on the wall here for a while, but Sprint's now gone ahead and made it official that it'll be phasing out its push-to-talk offerings based on Qualcomm's QChat technology in favor of -- what else? -- good ol' iDEN. For Sprint, the move makes sense; when the EV-DO Rev. A-powered QChat system was introduced last year, a Sprint / Nextel schism was a very real possibility -- but since, the company has ended up pouring money into its Direct Connect network, sprucing it up, and placing a renewed emphasis on its prepaid Boost Mobile brand which shares Nextel's airwaves. There really isn't much use for two incompatible PTT systems on any network, so one had to go -- and yes, QChat is getting the boot. Existing customers will continue to be supported, but Sprint says that it won't be offering new models; good thing iDEN phones just got pretty for the first time.
Motorola i410 comes to Boost, catchy name doesn't
You know how you can tell Moto's new i410 for iDEN isn't really supposed to be hip, stylish, or ultra-functional? Neither Moto nor launch partner Boost bothered to give it a fresh, funky name, bucking the trend set by the Clutch and Debut. Of course, with an utterly basic black rectangular shell, tiny monochrome secondary display, and lack of even a VGA cam, it's clear that they're going for the bottom-most reaches of the market here -- which means that customers should be able to scoop it up for a song on any of Boost's prepaid plans, happily. It's not up on the carrier's site just yet, but it'll be available before the year's up -- and Motorola says that this officially "completes Boost Mobile's 2009 device roadmap," so we hope you weren't holding out for some mythical Android device in the next couple weeks.
Motorola i680 gets FCC clearance
If there's one thing we can promise when a Moto starts with "i" it's that it'll be an iDEN phone, so when you hear that there's an i680 in the FCC, you can pretty much gather what's going on here. Taking a look at the documentation, the newest push-to-talk clamshell out of Schaumburg looks way different than what we're used to -- but then again, so did the i9, so we can't say we're surprised to see 'em push the boundaries of iDEN design yet again. It's got a camera of unknown resolution and appears to be pretty well ruggedized (we'd expect no less from your average iDEN set) on account of that beefy thumbscrew holding the battery cover on around back, but it's hard to say when it's launching, so we're trying to keep our excitement level to a dull roar at this point. More as soon as we get it. [Via Phone Scoop]
Sprint proves money can solve problems, buys iPCS to settle litigation
Considering Sprint's financial position and the overall credit market, we're not exactly sure where the carrier managed to pick up $831 million, which it promptly used to acquire affiliate iPCS and take on $405 million of net debt. If you'll recall, the aforesaid youngin' was worrying papa way back in May of 2008, and it seems that Sprint has finally had enough of this whole "litigation" thing. The acquisition puts all of the court battling to rest (or at least it's expected to), enabling the operator to stop divesting its iDEN network in select iPCS markets. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure buys a good muzzle.[Via Reuters]
Motorola i856 Debut now available on Nextel
Perhaps recognizing that the average Boost customer is more interested in the latest, greatest trendy handsets than the average Nextel customer (read: construction worker with a penchant for putting mil-spec certifications to the test), Sprint has launched a couple recent groundbreaking models -- the Clutch, Moto's first QWERTY iDEN device and the Debut, its first slider -- on Boost first before bringing them over to the big daddy. Don't fret, though, Nextel subscribers, because the i856 Debut is now available to you, bringing that crazy red / black color combo, integrated music player, and network-first slider form factor to a more grown-up audience. It's available now in all sales channels for $99.99 with a $50 rebate on contract.
Motorola and Boost bow the i856 Debut slider
Quick: name an iDEN slider. Having trouble? Really wracking your brain over there? Well, allow us to help you out by introducing you to the i856 Debut, a just-announced model that's been rumored for Boost for the better part of 2009. The phone pushes iDEN even deeper into consumer territory and away from its traditionally business-oriented roots, featuring a funky (well, funky for iDEN, anyhow) design, stereo Bluetooth, microSD expansion to 8GB, GPS, a 1.3 megapixel cam, and that slider form factor that plays far better among Boost's youthful demo than among Nextel's decidedly heavier-duty clientele. It's available today for $169.99 (and for the record, we think we deserve a little credit for not cracking a "Motorola debuts the Debut" pun).
Sprint acquires Virgin Mobile USA for a cool $483m
Remember Virgin Mobile? Sure you do -- not long ago the last-man-standing MVNO snapped up Helio, and seemed ready to take its place as one of the few boutique prepaid operations still... er, operating. Well that appears to be all but done and done, as Sprint has just announced a "definitive agreement" to purchase the company for $483 million worth of sweet, succulent stock (which looks to be right about what it was valued at to begin with). It looks like Sprint will pair the acquisition with its Boost Mobile brand, which till now was in direct competition with VM. It's not quite rival city, however, Virgin Mobile USA was launched as a joint venture with Sprint, and the MVNO glides on Dan Hesse's network as it is. Still, it does seem to be another indicator that the days of the MVNO are certainly on the wane, though Sprint now looks to own the space -- what little there is.
Boost's Motorola i465 Clutch getting redone in graphite, available next Tuesday
If you're feeling the need to text your face off on Boost Mobile but the original i465 Clutch's maroon shade wasn't your cup of tea, fret not -- there's a new shade in town. "Graphite," which is really just a fancy way of saying "black," is going to end up being the second color option for Motorola's first QWERTY iDEN set when it launches next Tuesday for $129.99. Sounds expensive, but when you consider that Boost is commitment-free, it's not that bad.
Sprint getting orange BlackBerry Curve 8330, red 8350i
All eyes are on the Tour right now as far as the BlackBerry ecosystem on Sprint goes, but we might remind you that there are still several other RIM-supplied models in the company's lineup, including the 8330 and the iDEN-capable 8350i. If anything can divert even a scant few eyeballs away from that Tour, it might be some truly insane colors -- and that appears to be what Sprint has in the works. Launch documents over on BerryReview have an "Inferno Orange" 8330 soft launching today with a red 8350i following on at the end of the month. We don't know what shade of red to expect out of that 8350i -- which is typically a straight-up business phone, by the bye -- but we wouldn't be surprised if the 8330 took a page out of T-Mobile's Sunset playbook. Whether that's a good thing or not... well, that remains to be seen.[Via PhoneDog]
Sprint follows Boost, gets Motorola Clutch i465 this summer
Sprint subsidiary Boost Mobile got first dibs, but now it's the parent's turn -- which means Sprint proper will be taking delivery of the Motorola Clutch i465 for its Direct Connect iDEN network this summer. No exact release date was given, but interest parties are welcome to sign up now to be informed when they can drop the cash -- $39.99 on contract, to be exact, after the application of a total of $70 in rebates on a new two-year agreement. The little beast gives you full QWERTY (a Motorola first for iDEN), mil-spec 810F compliance for withstanding the worst you can throw at it, Bluetooth, GPS, and a VGA camera that isn't likely to win you any photography awards. Of course, if you want it that badly, you could just make the leap to Boost today -- but otherwise, stay tuned.
Motorola's i856 iDEN slider takes a mind-bending journey through the FCC
Remember that Motorola i856 we told you about way back in March? It's now lost its FCC innocence, garnering external photos and a user's manual for our excited perusal. As phones go, it's nothing much to look at -- but this is iDEN we're talking about, where sliders and multimedia features are still awfully hard to come by . Indeed, the i856 has a dedicated music button right on its face, a far cry from the ultra-rugged workabout Nextels of yore. Probably not a fit for construction site types, but for your average Boost Mobile customer, this'll definitely be a win. No word on a release date or a full list of carrier partners just yet.
Sprint lays out process for selling some iDEN assets, making iPCS happy
Sprint's fight with iPCS continues to wage on multiple fronts, all of which have been ongoing for eons -- especially the whole iDEN tussle in the wake of Sprint's merger with Nextel. Most recently, that little soap opera had seen an Illinois court rule that Sprint's got to divest some iPCS-controlled iDEN markets to bring it back into contractual compliance and restore Mother Nature's balance, and now Sprint's gotten around to announcing how that process is going to work. In short, it seems like a free-for-all -- the company has apparently put out a few feelers for buyers, but anyone it hasn't contacted is invited to hook up with Citi, who's managing the ordeal on Sprint's behalf. The carrier says that it expects everything to be squared away by January 25 of next year, which is when the court-imposed deadline falls; in the meantime, subscribers, stay cool, because Sprint says that service will continue uninterrupted and expects any transition to be seamless.
Boost Mobile repaints Motorola Stature i9 in red
Boost Mobile's i9 stands head and shoulders above the rest of the carrier's line as its clear-cut hero device, but there's a problem -- the launch color, kind of a dark bronze, was a little bland. That's not cool for an iDEN flip this far up into the rare air, is it? Of course not, so we're glad to see that they've partnered up with Moto to bring out the so-called Stature in a second (more fitting) color, red. It's available now for exactly the same price as the original that's been available since February, $299.99.
Motorola Clutch now on sale at Boost
It's not the prettiest handset in the world -- nor the fanciest -- but it's not designed to be. Instead, Moto's i465 Clutch has but one purpose in life, and that's to bring QWERTY power to the iDEN masses (that is, those who can't be bothered to lug around a BlackBerry). We opined that it'd be cheap when Motorola announced it, and indeed, it's running just $129.99 now on Boost Mobile -- expensive by contractual standards, but like all Boost offerings, this price is agreement-free. The phone's available immediately -- so assuming all those messaging issues are ironed out, we should be good to go.[Via Phone Scoop]
Motorola's i465 Clutch coming to Mike in Canada
Boost Mobile won't be the only iDEN network to launch Motorola's first QWERTY iDEN set -- according to a leaked screenshot, it looks like Telus Mobility's Mike wants in on the action north of the border, too. The i465 Clutch is a low-end device that concentrates on messaging capabilities -- a common theme across carriers and network technologies these days -- and we're not terribly surprised to see Mike make a play for it. Of course, here's the million-dollar question for you, Mike users: how's texting for you? Fast? Slow? Unbearable? Intermittent?
Boost Mobile says SMS bottleneck to clear up by May 7th
So Boost Mobile's $50 per month free for all hasn't gone exactly as planned, with a surge in the carrier's customer base exacerbating excessive text message delays that have been known to plague Boost and Nextel in the past. The house of "Where You At" has acknowledged the issue, with spokesperson John Votava telling the Wall Street Journal there'll be a fix in place specifically by May 7th. He said the number of new customers that have signed up has overwhelmed the company, and with SMS a still growing trend, that iDEN network's gonna have to either get in better shape or wait for enough frustrated customers to leave and reach a more stable equilibrium.
