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The combat-ready Motorola i615 for Nextel
Nextel's always seemed to be a solid choice for those whose lot in life involves inflicting brutal damage to their phones. The trend continues with the military-spec i615, a candybar (though the term doesn't really seem to do this thing justice) that makes up in ruggedness what it lacks in appearance. It comes packing Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and what appears to be a pretty healthy-sized display, but lacks Direct Talk for off-network walkie talkie action. The i615 can be had immediately (before you go and break another handset) for $250 on contract after discounts.[Thanks, Reemusk]
Add a letter, call it good: Samsung A900M for Sprint
In the realm of low-key product updates, the Samsung SPH-A900M may just take the cake; it's essentially an A900 Blade with different software (the external music control buttons appear to have changed color, too, but that doesn't meet our stringent criteria for a "product update"). Previously rumored across the Internets as the A900P, the re-upped model supports Qualcomm's uiOne interface customization, supposedly enabling fantastical themes that A900 users could only dream of. Otherwise, the specs seem identical -- on the whole, we encourage owners of the original to keep their envy to a minimum.[Thanks, John]
'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.
Court rules in favor of Midwestern Nextel spinoff
The endless barrage of legal fallout resulting from Sprint Nextel's merger continues, the latest onslaught coming from iPCS, a Sprint affiliate operating throughout much of the Midwest. According to Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois, the merger violated Sprint's agreement with iPCS to not infringe on their territory (a common theme in affiliates' lawsuits) and is demanding that Sprint file a plan for divesting itself of its Nextel operations in Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Nebraska by September 6. Naturally, Sprint intends to appeal "vigorously," though as in so many other cases, an acquisition ultimately seems possible -- if not probable.
Motorola's "Harmony" project to support iDEN, WiMAX
In a move aimed squarely at Sprint Nextel, Motorola has announced that it's working on solutions capable of supporting iDEN plus WiMAX as a stop-gap 4G solution. The big picture (back end, devices, chipsets) is known as "Harmony," and though the announcement itself is of little interest to most consumers -- especially with iDEN ultimately moving into the government's hands -- this should at least catch Sprint's attention as their hopes and aspirations have lately been wandering from WiMAX toward other 4G initiatives. As PCS Intel points out, with iDEN / CDMA handsets around the corner, it's a pretty short hop from iDEN / WiMAX to the iDEN / WiMAX / CDMA trifecta, leaving Sprint with the total package for supporting CDMA in the consumer sector, high security (read: next-gen) iDEN for government services, and WiMAX for 4G. Of course, Harmony is still a one-trick pony and if Sprint politely declines, it's almost certainly dead in the water. We're pulling for ya, Moto.
Motorola i885 to join i880 on iDEN high end
If the i880 wasn't really doing anything for you when it surfaced in the wild, perhaps this here i885 will. Motorola's upcoming halo iDEN devices will see service on both Nextel and Boost, sporting pleather and faux snakeskin exteriors -- pick your poison -- and a trick button-operated flip mechanism. (If they're going to get creative with case designs on us, we can only hope they deep-sixed the standard Nextel "beep beep" while they were letting those creative juices flow.) Besides minor cosmetic differences, the phones' guts are presumably identical; both should be rocking 2-megapixel shooters, music players, and dual color displays. We're getting mixed reports on whether these are CDMA hybrids, but even if they aren't, the pair gives Nextel much-needed love in a market segment they aren't typically accustomed to servicing.[Via Mobile Magazine]
Motorola launches i670 for Nextel
Moto sure is giving its iDEN-only product line a healthy sendoff before CDMA hybrid handsets start to drop later this year. Besides the upcoming high-end i880 and the virtually indestructible (we'll eat those words, we're sure) i580, Nextel looks to shore up their low end by adding the i670, a basic clamshell whose main selling point appears to be its "color display." Of course, no-frills is a big selling point among some Nextel clientele, so the phone should find its niche. Other features include Direct Talk (off-network walkie talkie) support, speakerphone, and a reasonable $49.99 price tag on two-year contract.[Via phoneArena]
Sprint Nextel swallows affiliate UbiquiTel
In a move that surprises absolutely no one keeping up on the aftermath of Sprint Nextel's merger, the acquisition of Sprint affiliate UbiquiTel has closed this week in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.3 billion. In exchange for taking on UbiquiTel's $300-odd million of net debt, Sprint Nextel adds an additional 452,000 direct subscribers and gains territory in 9 states for a total of roughly 8.3 million in population. Even better, they avoid the wrath of yet another affiliate miffed by the non-compete clause busting merger, which added Nextel territory to many areas serviced by Sprint affiliates and vice versa. With the billions Sprint has now shed on affiliate buyouts, mergin' ain't as cheap as it used to be, it seems.[Via The Wireless Report]
FCC lets ic502 out of the bag, first iDEN / CDMA phone
Nextelites saving your pennies for the i880, hold up just a minute. Deets are emerging on the ic502, and while it's not the highest-end phone around, you could be the first kid on your block packin' hybrid iDEN / CDMA heat. As usual, the FCC has done the honors, releasing the user's manual where we see that the ruggedized flip will support CDMA on the 1900 band only, iDEN on 800, and old-skool walkie-talkie on ISM 900; handoff between networks is not supported. Otherwise, not much to talk about -- no Bluetooth, no camera. On second thought, that i880 is looking pretty sweet, ain't it?[Via phoneArena]
Shots emerge of upcoming i880 for Nextel
It's not every day that we get to do an old fashioned feel-good story about new iDEN hardware in the pipeline, so pardon us if we're relishing in the moment a bit. An intrepid Howard Forums member has posted shots of a claimed Motorola i880, a rather svelte (by iDEN standards) clamshell with dual color displays, camera, external music controls, and stereo speakers to enjoy your music in glorious low fidelity while maximally aggravating those around you. If this all checks out, the i880 would likely slot in as Nextel's top non-smartphone -- although that's not saying much -- and possibly Nextel's last purely iDEN hurrah before iDEN / CDMA hybrid handsets start to drop in the coming months.[Via phoneArena]
RIM goes big when others go small
This is what our friends north of the border get for using some second-rate market research firm. Yes, this is a giant, fully-functional BlackBerry 7520 in Nextel's store on the Vegas Strip; we're told the device is a bit uncomfortable in the pocket, but offers over 40 days of talk time and 1.5TB of internal flash to store contact information for everyone in the civilized world. If you're tall enough to reach the PTT button and establish a conversation, we imagine the speakerphone could be heard from Mandalay Bay.[Thanks, Dave M]
T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless not supplying data to NSA
If you make most of your calls via cellphone, there's a good chance your call records aren't being provided to the National Security Agency -- if, that is, you're using Verizon Wireless or T-Mobile and most of your calls are between you and other cellphone users. Both companies say they haven't supplied data to the government, with T-Mob specifically stating that it was not involved "in any NSA program for warrant-less surveillance and acquisition of call records, and T-Mobile has not provided any such access to communications or customer records." If you're a Cingular or Sprint Nextel customer, well, it looks like you're in the same boat as the vast majority of landline users: those companies refused to deny participation in the NSA program.
First pics of dual-network iDEN/CDMA handsets surface
We have to admit that we're not big fans of the whole push-to-talk thing -- something about that annoying "chirp chirp" followed by both parties repeatedly querying "where you at?" -- so we were naturally a bit disappointed to learn that Sprint-Nextel will begin releasing dual-network phones that only incorporate iDEN functionality to feed people's nasty PTT habit. As we'd heard last month, Sprint-Nextel will start rolling out a series of these iDEN/CDMA with EV-DO Rev. A handsets near the end of the year, and now the first pictures of two models from Motorola have surfaced. Besides their ability to jump on iDEN for walkie-talkie action, nothing really stands out about these devices; they both incorporate the same function-over-fashion design that we've come to know, if not love, from the Nextel-Moto alliance. PCS Intel reports that these two unnamed handsets could go on sale as early as November, for an unknown price, with more feature-filled (read: multimedia-centric) models popping up in the second quarter of next year.[Thanks, John R.]
Nextel's Cat Trax phones getting sexual predator location data
Nextel's Cat Trax line of child-tracking phones are about to get an interesting new feature that keeps them updated with addresses of local sexual predators and alerts parents by text, email, or page if the phone enters one of the virtual danger zones, or "geofences." The system, which is part of a $20 monthly subscription service from CATS Communications ($10 for each additional phone), is updated in more-or-less real time thanks to a link with the Family Watchdog national database of registered offenders. This new component of the service was championed by Joe Dawson, a resident of 11-year old murder victim Jessica Lunsford's hometown, and the driving force behind the legislation which bears her name.
Disney Mobile reveals more deets, adds LG DM-L200
They're still keeping Mickey's lips zipped on pricing plans, but Disney has dropped a few more details about the Disney Mobile service, including initial handset pricing starting at $59.99 with a contract. And even though they have yet to say which handset they'll actually be offering for that price, LG has announced its first Disney Mobile phone, the DM-L200 (pictured), which joins Pantech's previously announced DM-P100. Nothing too exciting about this clam; trimode CDMA, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel cam, and, presumably, that GPS service Disney's boasting of to spy on your kids (though that's not listed in LG's specs). Speaking of which, Disney has added some more info about that as well. The service is going to be called the Family Center, and will include the GPS tracker, parental controls for minutes allowed, text messaging and multimedia features, restricted numbers, and the ability for parents to remotely shut down their kids' phones during prohibited hours. Looks like this will be be the perfect service for parents who want to make sure their kids aren't yapping on the phone when they should be doing their homework -- or watching Lilo & Stitch on the Disney Channel. Read - Disney MobileRead - DM-L200
Disney to (finally) launch Disney Mobile MVNO
We're not sure how many people wished upon a star for this one, but Disney is finally taking the wraps off of the company's long-planned second MVNO (after Mobile ESPN), some two years after first announcing it. As expected, the service will target parents and teens, and will provide controls to allow parents to limit their kids' phone usage. (Which means, of course, that the service will bomb with teens -- who don't exactly dig Disney to begin with -- and will end up being the service of choice for grade-schoolers who want a Pooh or Stitch-emblazoned phone and can live with the parental controls.) The service, due to launch in June, will include web-based tools for parents, along with GPS tracking technology, to allow them to keep an eye on the young 'uns. The initial phones will be LG models, with service provided by Sprint. Pricing has yet to be announced, though Disney said it wold be "competitive" with other family plans offered by leading service providers.
Motorola's new ruggedized i580 iDEN clamshell
If push-to-talk isn't too sissy for you now that those Cingular kids can do it, Motorola is prepping a rugged version of their i870 iDEN phone, the i580. The phone has the same WiDEN connectivity, PTT (of course), Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera, and dual displays of the i870, though the external display on the i580 is a smaller grayscale one. The phone does lose the external MP3 controls, though it can still play your tunes off of the internal microSD slot. Of course, the main addition is the rubberized shell and military grade resistance to rain, dust, shock, and vibration that the new handset includes. The i580 should be available in Q2 of this year for an undetermined price.[Thanks, Allen]
