Nextel has offered phones with walkie-talkie-like functions for some time but never on an Android-based phone. That’s changing with the rollout of Motorola’s i1 phone at the CTIA show in Las Vegas, where Motorola is showing off the smartphone, complete with ruggedized features. So how will the i1 compare to other Android phones? EnterpriseMobilePlanet will find out.
Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Sprint (NYSE: S) today released details of a new push-to-talk, Android-powered smartphone, the Motorola i1, combining the popular ruggedized form of the iDen device family with the features typically found in smartphones.
The curtain was raised on the i1 at CTIA 2010, being held this week in Las Vegas, and is expected to be available this summer. While pricing details were not disclosed, the two companies had plenty to share in terms of features and specifications.
Motorola i1 is the first iDEN device to sport specifications generally found on modern smartphones, including a 3.1-inch touch screen, Wi-Fi, optimized browsing with the Opera Mini 5 browser and the ability run mobile apps, in this case, built for the Android mobile OS, according to Motorola.
Sprint’s new offering also enhances the push-to-talk experience with the ability to view who is calling regardless of what application is running and whether or not the user is managing e-mails, checking the calendar, composing messages or viewing media, according to the companies.