Redmond, Wash. – MSN teamed up with Motorola and carrier Arch Wireless to offer a co-branded wireless-messaging device that shares a user’s MSN Hotmail e-mail address.
The device is called the ‘Motorola Talkabout T900 featuring MSN Hotmail,’ and it’s targeted to teenagers and families, particularly those in the 18-35 year-old age group, who want to stay connected to their Hotmail accounts when away from a PC.
It’s the first wireless-messaging device to bear the MSN name, and it’s the first Arch-network device to support Hotmail.
MSN’s brand appears on the LCD screen when the device is turned on. In December, the screen will light up with both the Arch and MSN names. Motorola’s name appears on the device itself.
AOL, Earthlink, and Yahoo also lend their brandnames to a variety of two-way messaging devices, mainly more expensive Research In Motion devices. A T900 operating on the Skytell network, however, also bears the Earthlink name. All of the devices feature mini-QWERTY keyboard for composing messages.
The MSN co-branded T900 is available for as low as $59.99 with mail-in rebate and with monthly service priced from $14.95 to $29.95, depending on the number of characters sent and received.
The rebate requires an Arch service plan priced at least $19.95/month, a one-year service contract, and payment by credit card with automatic monthly charge or a single annual payment.
