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Sprint follows Boost, gets Motorola Clutch i465 this summer

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 29th 2009 @ 6:31PM

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.

Sprint lays out process for selling some iDEN assets, making iPCS happy

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 14th 2009 @ 3:19AM

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.

Sprint's BlackBerry 8350i, now with less camera

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 13th 2009 @ 11:46PM

We knew it was coming, but the last time we checked, we had a big fat "TBD" in the launch date column -- now, the wait has finally ended and throngs of camera-free phone fanboys and girls can get their BlackBerry on (come on, you know who you are). The iDEN-only 8350i has been stripped of its cam, but not its dignity -- a good match for businessfolk working in higher-security facilities where covert imagery is still a concern. Unfortunately, the removed technology won't save you any dough; you'll pay the same $149.99 on contract after rebate as the "normal" 8350i buyers, but at least you won't get thrown out of a secret laboratory by ripped guards wielding AR-15s for bending the rules.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

iWOW's i976 to make a non-Motorola splash with iDEN and GSM

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 19th 2009 @ 9:29AM

Quick: how many non-Motorola iDEN devices can you name? Besides the odd BlackBerry here and there, the list is indeed very short -- and that's where iWOW comes into play. It seems the Singaporean firm is responding to the IiOF's request (that's the International iDEN Operator's Forum, by the bye) for a dual-mode iDEN / GSM handset, and early versions of the fruit of their labor -- the i976 candybar -- are starting to circulate. The device will feature a 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, and a hard switch for manually cycling between GSM and iDEN networks. If you were somehow thinking you might nab this on Sprint Nextel in the US on account of that logo up top, though, think again -- as of now, only Nextel's international operations have an eye on it. Just a little better looking than that dual-mode i930 Moto was selling a while back, eh?

Gallery: iWoW's i976 to make a non-Motorola splash with iDEN

Sprint puts the Motorola Stature i9 on sale, too

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 17th 2009 @ 6:52AM

Following its earlier launch on subsidiary Boost, Sprint Nextel proper has now seen fit -- as expected -- to launch the hottest iDEN phone ever created, Motorola's Stature i9. $199.99 on contract after rebate will buy you a 3.1 megapixel cam, GPS, Bluetooth, microSD expansion, and all the iDEN-powered Direct Connect action you can handle; why these guys opted to push this thing down to Boost first is totally unclear to us, but hey, it's available to the traditional Nextel cats now too, so no hard feelings.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Motorola i9, others coming to Sprint this week?

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 9th 2009 @ 3:52PM

We've seen a number of launch date leaks for Sprint courtesy of partner Brightpoint in the past; generally, they tend to be pretty accurate, so we're going to go ahead and put some weight to this latest one. Looks like we can expect Nextel to pick up the Motorola i9 on Wednesday -- Boost got it a little over a month ago, you might recall -- along with the ancient i580 in yellow. Brightpoint also reels in the Palm Treo Pro a few days earlier than Sprint's official date, while the LG Rumor 2 launches a few days later on the 15th or the 29th; Brightpoint's wording is a little odd here, so it's hard to tell exactly how it'll shake out. Finally, we have a camera-free version of the BlackBerry 8350i in the works, a logical product for RIM to be taking on considering the phone's all-business roots.

[Via phoneArena]

Motorola's iDEN i465 passes muster with the FCC

by Sean Cooper, posted Feb 28th 2009 @ 3:11AM

Well Motorola's first iDEN QWERTY effort has sailed through the FCC's proving grounds and will apparently, or at least potentially, grace our push-to-talk pockets one day. We chattered about this wee red phone a bit on a recent podcast because from the looks of the pics we've seen, that keyboard will saw through fingers, and for a messaging handset, that's just not good planning. If Boost Mobile literature is to be believed, then we can potentially expect this around June 15th this year, though, don't hold us to that. Thanks FCC for testing and ensuring that this handset met 47 CFR 2.1093 (c) for RF exposure and found to be compliant with the limits specified in 47 CFR 2.1093(d)(2). Top job, love your graphs.

Sprint's BlackBerry 8350i firmware update fixes boatload of issues

by Chris Ziegler, posted Feb 13th 2009 @ 6:33PM

Sprint has released a shiny new build of BlackBerry OS 4.6 for its 8350i on Nextel -- 4.6.1.128, to be exact -- and let's just put it this way: if you have this phone, you want this update. By all accounts, it appears to directly address a bunch of major issues that have been affecting early adopters, including blank screens, missing songs, and MMSes that end up getting delayed into oblivion. Good things to get fixed, yeah? Follow the break for the full changelog straight from Sprint.

Continue reading Sprint's BlackBerry 8350i firmware update fixes boatload of issues

Motorola's i365IS is intrinsically safe, intrinsically ugly

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 8th 2009 @ 3:01PM

Oh, brother. If you're worried that Motorola's already brawny i365 just isn't robust enough to withstand the pressures of your daily life, there's the newfangled i365IS. If you're curious as to what the "IS" means, here goes: "intrinsically safe." Seriously. The handset, which would obviously play well in a recreated episode of Saved By The Bell, is a GPS-enabled push-to-talk device that is "safe to use in hazardous areas that may contain flammable gasses, vapors or dust." Obviously, the mobile will tap into the Nextel Direct Connect network in order to keep up with comrades, and its rugged chassis is certified for "military specification requirements including humidity, blowing rain, dust, shock and vibration." Further specs include a paltry 130 x 130 resolution display, Bluetooth and a talk time of around 300 minutes. There's no mention of a price or release date, but real men can wait, anyway.

[Via Mobiledia]

Sprint has a year to sell Nextel spectrum in iPCS regions

by Chris Ziegler, posted Feb 5th 2009 @ 6:09PM

Okay, so it's not just that Sprint can't offer service on iPCS' turf -- it's that they have to offload all that airspace, too. Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois has decided that Sprint needs to sell off its Nextel service areas that overlap with iPCS within 360 days, which marks another big win for the affiliate that's been all up in Sprint's business ever since the Sprint-Nextel merger several years ago. What's more, iPCS has more pending litigation claiming Sprint is withholding "advanced technologies" in favor of iPCS' competitors, so there's still all sorts of bad blood between these two. As for potential suitors for Nextel's obligatory spinoffs, Sprint's not talking -- yet -- but with iDEN's seeming second wind, snatching up that network might not be the worst decision a company could make.

Motorola i9 "Stature" gets real on Boost Mobile

by Sean Cooper, posted Feb 2nd 2009 @ 11:07AM

We caught sight of the iDEN Motorola i9 Stature a week or so ago, but it was sitting comfortably in limbo until today. The Motorola i9 Stature will be arriving for your walking / talking pleasure at Boost Mobile by the end of February and sliding into Sprint shops shortly after that. Touted as the thinnest phone in the Direct Connect line (a tiny 15mm) it comes equipped with a 3.1 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus, GPS, up to 8GB of memory, haptics, and Bluetooth. Pricing on Boost will be $299 and $199 on Sprint if a two-year carrier commitment is more your thing.

[Via phonescoop]

Nextel's BlackBerry Curve 8350i gets reviewed

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jan 22nd 2009 @ 7:54PM

iDEN devices aren't typically the slimmest or the sexiest phones you can buy, but all things considered, the BlackBerry 8350i does a decent job of sucking in its gut and looking presentable. It's chubbier than its GSM and CDMA cousins -- and it trades the 3.5mm audio jack for a less-useful 2.5mm one -- but in exchange, phoneArena observes that you get the best keyboard and trackball ever found on a Curve. What's more, the load of BlackBerry OS 4.6 found here is said to be smooth as silk and crash-free -- a far cry from the experiences of some Bold and Storm owners dealing with builds of similar vintages. Ultimately, the review wraps up with a conclusion we'd expect: it's great for an iDEN phone and Nextel folks are guaranteed to be stoked, but should anyone without an incessant need for push-to-talk fly into a jealous rage? Probably not.

Sprint and Sierra Wireless give you the 598U data card

by Sean Cooper, posted Jan 20th 2009 @ 4:47PM

Data cards, while not as completely thrilling as new handsets -- or as pretty -- are quickly becoming true workhorses for the mobile-connected masses. Sierra's 598U on Sprint's is no exception -- or slouch -- with EV-DO connectivity, an SD Slot to add up to 32GB of storage, GPS, and even the ability to install the drivers for both Windows and Macintosh without having to carry a CD. Top shelf bit of kit and the pricing is as good starting at $free on a 2-year deal after "instant savings" of -$199.99 and a "web special" -$50 discount.

[Via Slashphone]

Motorola i9 gets detailed in official shots

by Chris Ziegler, posted Dec 16th 2008 @ 4:16AM

If this were anything but an iDEN phone, we'd be laying into it for looking like a circa-2007 RAZR 2 clone (which it essentially is), but for a Nextel Direct Connect piece, this is as good as it's ever gotten. Official pictures of the i9 are now available from Motorola, some of which clearly show Nextel branding -- not to say that we'd expect iDEN's single biggest customer to bypass Motorola's single awesomest iDEN phone, but it's a reassuring confirmation for potential buyers nonetheless. We don't have a release date handy yet, so let's hope we can get some hands-on time at CES, especially since it's been just about a year since we first saw this thing.

[Via Unwired View]

Gallery: Motorola i9 gets detailed in official shots

BlackBerry 8350i hitting Sprint on December 1?

by Chris Ziegler, posted Nov 17th 2008 @ 10:51AM

We've had a hard time nailing down a date for RIM's latest (last?) iDEN-powered BlackBerry, the 8350i, outside a general belief that we'd see it before the year was out. For push-to-talkers sick and tired of staring at the truly prehistoric 7100i in Sprint's current lineup, we're sure that the new release couldn't come soon enough -- and while December 1 might not qualify as "soon enough" for some of y'all, it could be worse. The latest intel we're getting suggests that the Curve-alike will be ready to order as we enter the final month of 2008, so get your plastic ready (or, more realistically, let your company's purchasing department know what's up).

[Thanks, Brian]