Irvine, Calif. –
Boost Mobile, one of Sprint’s prepaid brands, launched its first touchscreen
phone equipped with slide-out QWERTY keypad.
The $149
Samsung-made Seek is a feature phone that lacks a smartphone operating system
such as Android or Windows Mobile but offers multiple messaging options, access
to social-networking sites, MP3 player and downloadable content. It
incorporates clients for such email services as Gmail, MSN and Yahoo!, as well
as IM clients for Yahoo!, AIM and Windows Live Messenger.
The phone is
available through Boost Mobile retail stores and select independent wireless
dealers. By the end of August, the Seek will be available at Best Buy and
RadioShack, and in September it will be in Sprint stores, followed by Target
stores in October. On Aug. 25, it becomes available at
.
The device features 2.6-inch QVGA touchscreen
display, 1.3-megapixel camera, wireless web access, stereo Bluetooth, music
player, MicroSD card slot supporting 32GB cards, GPS, speakerphone, voice
recognition, and downloadable content such as games and ringtones.
The company
promotes the Seek for use with its Boost Mobile Monthly Unlimited offer, which
includes nationwide voice, text messaging, web, email and IM for $50 per month.
