Sprint PCS Introduces First U.S. 2-Megapixel Camera Phone

Kansas City, Mo. — Sprint PCS is expanding its selection of phones with 15 frames per second (fps) Multimedia Service streaming video, removable SD or TransFlash memory, push-to-talk (PTT) service and 1.3-megapixel cameras. The CDMA 1X carrier is also adding the U.S. market's first 2-megapixel camera phone.

The selection will also include a 15 fps streaming-video phone priced for mass adoption at about $50 with two-year contract. Other new phones include the carrier's first entry-level models with interchangeable color faceplates.

All new models are being launched in phases through midyear, and by June or July Sprint will offer seven phones with 15 fps streaming video, four with removable memory and seven to eight with ReadyLink PTT service if no other phones are retired by then, said a spokeswoman.

The company's first EV-DO phone will probably be available when EV-DO service launches in a handful of markets in late summer or early fall, she said. All markets will offer EV-DO by mid-2006.

Among the first half's new phones, one of the first out of the chute will be a new Media Service phone due in May from LG. The LG 535 slider will be Sprint's first phone with 3D gaming, and it will feature a 1.3-megapixel camera, miniSD slot, stereo speakers and the ability to play MP3 files stored on removable memory. Talktime is up to 2.5 hours. It will retail for about $150 with two-year contract or $200 with one-year contract.

Another phone supporting Sprint's streaming Multimedia Service is the Samsung A800 slider, due in late April at about $200 with two-year contract. It will be the carrier's and the country's first 2-megapixel camera phone and the carrier's first camera phone with a camera-like form factor. When closed, the phone can be held horizontally to take a picture. It features a dedicated camera button. Talk time is up to three hours.

In June or July, the carrier's lowest price Multimedia Service phone will be the Sanyo 8300, expected to retail for about $50 with a two-year contract. "It will be out first Multimedia phone targeted for mass adoption," the spokeswoman said. It will feature VGA camera, PTT and two included interchangeable color faceplates. Additional faceplates will be available in packs of three at about $20 to $30. The device, however, will lack removable memory and 3D games. It will also feature a smaller screen compared to other Multimedia Service phones.

Two other phones will be the company's first opening-price phones with interchangeable faceplates. The Sanyo 200, due in April, will retail for about $10 with two-year contract. The voice-centric phone with speakerphone offers only SMS as an enhanced service. The Sanyo 2300, expected to retail for less than $49 with two-year contract, adds Internet access and PTT. It's due late May or early June.