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Stalking simplified: Loopt's Mobile Friend Finder for Boost
It seems there will likely come a day when everyone knows the latitude and longitude of everyone else in real time, we were just secretly hoping that we wouldn't see that day in our lifetime. Alas, Loopt's gone ahead and found a customer -- Boost Mobile -- for its friend-tracking system, which maps the location of buddies on a Google Local-like display. Happily, users must opt in before they can be tracked; once they do, the system will show current location, a settable status, and messages sent from other, uh, trackees. Of course, unless all your friends are on Boost, the system is of limited value, but we're pleased to know someone's out there keeping the Big Brother dream alive.[Via Phone Scoop]Update: Loopt would like us to let you know that their service is entirely opt-in, and that only approved users can track your whereabouts.
Motorola i835 gets fancy, purple for Boost
Where we come from, you can add colors, pinstripes, and all manner of designs to a boring phone -- at the end of the day, it's still the same boring phone. On the other hand, if we were to allow our eyes to gloss over the spec sheet, the dismal internal and external displays, and the fact that this still isn't an iDEN / CDMA hybrid, we can understand how we might manage to get excited about Boost dressing up its workhorse model. Besides the obvious alterations to its appearance, the i835g variant features a redesigned speakerphone mesh (of all things) and matching wallpapers and screensavers. It's available immediately for the same price as the basic i835 on which it's based.[Via SlashGear]
'07 plans for Boost: don't worry, Sprint still loves you
After Sprint's threat to dial back Boost in favor of its more lucrative Nextel brand, the question begs asking: what's next for equipment? Anything? Yeah, we've got the i885 to look forward to (hopefully), but beyond that, we hadn't heard much to keep Boost customers excited through the end of the year and into 2007. Fear not, folks. Hot off the tip line, we have a scoop that should restore some of the hope dashed by now-departed COO Len Lauer in his vitriolic comments regarding the young, prepaid iDEN division. First off, we've heard that Boost will be adding postpaid options next year, which will interestingly threaten to put it in almost direct competition with sibling Nextel. Second, hybrid iDEN / CDMA devices will launch on Boost in Q1 of 2007, and at least some of them will offer EV-DO. Lastly -- drum roll, please -- our tipster has seen prototype devices with a distinct "Sidekick appeal," full QWERTY and all. If this is Sprint's way of killing a brand, then we've gotta say, there are worse fates.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Sprint to give Boost less boost
Where we come from, common sense dictates that you push the products that are doing well for you and dial back the ones that aren't. Perhaps that's what separates us from the fancy-pants businessfolk within Sprint's corporate offices who've decided to "slow Boost down quite a bit." Boost's been doing extraordinarily well for Sprint, accounting now for some 8% of Sprint Nextel's customer base -- largely because it's an inexpensive way to get in on Nextel's iDEN PTT goodness -- and therein lies the problem, it seems. With the radio interference iDEN's had with public safety frequencies, Sprint's been forced to dial back its total iDEN capacity in some markets, and at the end of the day they'd rather give that limited capacity to their more lucrative Nextel customers than the prepaid Boost crowd. How Sprint ultimately intends to "slow Boost down" remains to be seen, but if you've been jonesin' for an i885, we might suggest you keep your eyes peeled and get it while the gettin's good.[Via Phone Scoop]Update: Never mind giving Boost less boost; Sprint's giving execs the boot. COO Len Lauer, to be specific -- the very man responsible for the comments suggesting Sprint was ready to kick dust in Boost's eye. Whether those comments had anything to do with Lauer's departure is unclear, as is the current status of said plans, but we'll obviously have our ear to the ground on this story as it develops.
