Overland Park, Kan. — Sprint expanded its selection of “ruggedized” cellphones incorporating Nextel Direct Connect push-to-talk (PTT) service with the launch of two Motorola phones that meet military specs for shock, vibration, dust and blowing rain.
The handsets include the $129 Motorola Renegade V950, which is Sprint’s first CDMA 1x EV-DO Rev. A Direct Connect handset to support the carrier’s full slate of multimedia data services, including Sprint TV and the Sprint Music Store music-download service. The Renegade launch brings to five the number of Rev. A phones incorporating Qualcomm’s QChat PTT feature, which accelerates PTT call-setup times to less than a second in CDMA 1x EV-DO Rev. A networks.
The other Direct Connect phone is the $89 800/900MHz iDEN-network $89 Motorola i365, whose speakerphone is twice as loud as standard speakerphone volume to allow for speakerphone conference calls in loud environments, the carrier said.
Sprint stresses that its CDMA-network QChat phones establish PTT communications with its iDEN-network PTT phones.
All QChat phones are available through Sprint-owned retail stores, direct sales and telesales in all markets equipped with QChat service.
Features of the 850/1900MHz Renegade clamshell phone include stereo Bluetooth, 2-megapixel camera, live audio broadcasts of all NFL regular-season games, streaming of the NFL Network, mobile email, instant messaging and live video streams of eight NFL games beginning in November.
