i856
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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).
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.
Motorola i856 iDEN slider in the wild
Okay, now that Motorola has a genuinely decent-looking iDEN flip in the wild -- the i9 -- what's the next step? A decent-looking slider, naturally! This here is the i856 from Moto, featuring a 2.2-inch display, 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD expansion, and... well, of course, push-to-talk. By GSM or CDMA standards, it's not much of a phone, but you're going to be hard-pressed to find another slider (particularly one that puts half an effort into looking good) on iDEN airwaves -- and on a carrier like Boost, we can see this playing pretty well (whether this is the rumored "Banfi" for Boost, we're not sure, but it looks like it could be). Look for it to hit sundry carriers around the world toward the end of the third quarter for a bit less dough than the i9.
