OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 12, 2009– The first slider
phone offering push-to-talk service, Motorola Debut™ i856, is now
available from Sprint (NYSE: S), combining Nextel Direct Connect®,
best-in-class push-to-talk services, with a stylish multimedia device
for both business and consumer applications.
Motorola Debut’s compact slider form factor offers a smooth gliding
action for easy one-handed operation, keeps the keypad secure when not
in use and offers easy access when needed for instant communication
between two people or a group of people, next door or in the next
state. It is also the first device to offer the upgraded ability to
switch from an active push-to-talk call to an interconnect voice call
at the touch of a button.
Motorola Debut can be purchased with Nextel Direct Connect® calling
plans in all Sprint sales channels, including Sprint retail stores,
Business Direct Sales, Telesales (1-800-Nextel-9) and Web sales for
just $99.99 with a two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate
(excluding taxes).
Nextel Direct Connect is the only national push-to-talk product in the
industry that offers industry-leading performance with sub-one second
call set-up, connection to the world’s largest push-to-talk community
and integrated business solutions, including one of the largest
selections of GPS-solutions.
“Motorola Debut introduces an attractive and convenient form factor
unlike any Nextel Direct Connect users have seen before,” said Danny
Bowman, president of Sprint’s Integrated Solutions Group. “Debut is
even more interesting when you combine Sprint’s industry-leading
push-to-talk capabilities of the Nextel National Network and our
affordable rate plans, with a rich array of multimedia and texting
capabilities that help users communicate faster and more flexibly both
at work and at play.”
When connected to the Nextel National Network – the fastest national
push-to-talk network – Motorola Debut lets users manage their
conversations, musical tastes and visual creativity with ease. Nextel
Direct Connect users can also bring friends and business associates
into a conversation on the fly with Group Connect® – a powerful
productivity tool on the job and a convenient way to coordinate family
and social activities.
Nextel Direct Connect enables our customers to get things done faster,
at the push of a button. When instant communication is needed between
two people or a group of people, next door or in the next state,
Sprint provides a solution to get the job done – in less than a
second. The Nextel National Network reaches more than 274 million
people and more than 17,500 cities, and nationally, the Nextel
National Network continues to operate at best-ever performance levels
for dropped calls and near best-ever for block calls, based on
internal metrics as of June 2009.
Motorola Debut allows busy people to work at a fast and uninterrupted pace:
send and receive messages, calendar events, pictures, location
information and more, all without interrupting a Direct Connect call
Play music while you text or talk
threaded texting messaging to view entire conversations all on one screen
High-Quality Multimedia Experience
With its built-in MP3 player and external music controls, Motorola
Debut offers a high-quality stereo music experience through wired
headphones or Bluetooth® wireless technology. The sound takes on
additional dimensions for users who use the built-in 3D Audio
equalizer to create special musical effects.
For users with a photographic bent, Motorola Debut’s 1.3 megapixel
camera features up to 4X digital zoom and video capture. Pictures can
also be enhanced with advanced imaging features to create a variety of
image styles – from full color on the vivid 176X220 color display to
sepia tones to black & white. Users can also use GPS Tag Images to
document exactly where a picture was taken and a variety of other
applications to edit photos and manage video content.
In support of these capabilities Motorola Debut features include:
Nationwide Walkie Talkie capability
Music player with 3.5 mm standard audio jack
1.3 MP Camera with Video
GPS & Wireless Web Enabled
Stereo Bluetooth® capabilities
Text Messaging
Expandable memory, supporting up to 8 GB MicroSD card4
Speakerphone with Voice-Activated Dialing
Large Direct Connect button that backlights when a push-to-talk call is received
Multimedia Messaging Service for sending audio, images, text, or all
three in the same message to or from email addresses and other capable
users with the ability to wirelessly store multimedia on the Sprint
Web site
Pre-loaded applications, including Sprint Mobile Email & SME-W,
TeleNav Navigation, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile and NFL Mobile Live
Downloadable Games, Wallpapers and Real Music Ringtones
Affordable Push-to-Talk Calling Plans
Nextel Direct Connect Custom Plans focus on the services used most by
workgroups, which are bundled with unlimited usage, at a low flat
monthly rate. Specifically, businesses can choose from the following
Nextel Direct Connect Custom Plans:
Unlimited Workgroup Communications – with unlimited Direct Connect and
Group Connect® plus unlimited text messaging, mobile-to-mobile minutes
and night and weekend minutes starting at 9 p.m.
$29.99 per month per line (excluding taxes and Sprint surcharges)
Web & Navigation – includes the above features, plus unlimited data,
Web browsing and GPS navigation
$39.99 per month per line for Nextel phones (excluding taxes and
Sprint surcharges)
$49.99 per month per line for PowerSource and Nextel Direct Connect
capable Sprint phones (excluding taxes and Sprint surcharges)
Pooled voice minutes can be added to either plan for the group to share
500 minutes for $30 per month per line (excluding taxes and Sprint surcharges)
Or 2,000 minutes for $100 per month per line (excluding taxes and
Sprint surcharges)