push-to-talk
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Sprint to preserve Nextel Direct Connect branding for PTT
Though Nextel may be long since assimilated as a company, parts of its branding look to live on thanks to an official announcement from Sprint today. As prior reports suggested, the carrier is reporting that push-to-talk services will continue to carry the treasured "Nextel Direct Connect" branding that has largely represented enterprise PTT service in the US for ages (14 years, to be exact). Furthermore, Nextel Direct Connect will be used "regardless of network platform," indicating that the name will be used even as Sprint works to transition the bulk of its PTT services from iDEN to CDMA. Speaking of CDMA, Sprint is using the same press release to tout a plethora of new Direct Connect devices in the pipe for 2008, spanning the range from "rugged phones that meet the rigors of military specifications to sleek new flip phones" -- and get this, they'll come from "Sprint's leading manufacturers," suggesting that Motorola is going to lose its stranglehold on the service. The more, the merrier, we say!
Verizon's PTT plans get unlimited messaging, too
The unlimited text, picture, and video messaging that Verizon customers on plain-vanilla plans have enjoyed for a few weeks now is moving on to spread its love to other segments of the market. Push-to-talk plans are next, with unlimited messaging running $20 above and beyond the standard plan cost -- a tad steep, yes, although it includes messaging on any network. With the new feature, individual PTT plans start at $70.
Embarq to offer PTT on Sanyo 2400
Sprint-Nextel landline spinoff Embarq is starting to look more and more like its ol' corporate parent; first, it promptly gets right back into the wireless business, and now it's going all Nextel on us by offering push-to-talk. The service, dubbed "Wireless Press & Talk" (how creative), is initially being offered on the Sanyo 2400 clamshell -- a phone that goes out the door on the cheap at $30 with a two-year agreement. With the meager one megabyte of internal memory, we think we're understanding the value pricing, but (for the time being) it's the only game in town for PTT on the MVNO. The Sanyo 2400 and Wireless Press & Talk are both available immediately.
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]
Sony Ericsson Z525a now available from Cingular
If you're a Cingular customer and you've been jonesin' for a Z520a with push-to-talk, your phone has arrived. Sony Ericsson's Z525a is about an incremental upgrade as an incremental upgrade can get, offering the addition of PTT and that's about it. As we mentioned before, EDGE would've been welcome, but for 20 bucks on contract with a mail-in rebate, we guess we don't have much room to grouse about it.[Via phoneArena]
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.]
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]
Sony Ericsson's Z525a adds PTT to the Z520a
It's not exactly revolutionary update, but if push-to-talk functionality was all that was holding you back from Sony Ericsson's semi-low-end Z520a, the Z525a should fit the bill exactly. The new model adds a PTT button -- well, more like, repurposes the camera button for PTT -- and nothing else. We're sure this will keep the Z520a purists happy, but we could've done with a bit of EDGE data or an improvement upon the VGA camera and 160 x 128 pixel display. Oh well, at least now we'll be able to complain in short annoying bursts.[Via MobileBurn]
