qchat

Sprint to phase out QChat

It was back in April 2008 that we saw Sprint Nextel come out with a bevy of new QChat phones like the Sanyo Pro-700 and the LG LX400, which were designed to offer push-to-talk interoperability between CDMA and iDEN networks.

Now, however, it seems that Sprint is doing away with its QChat offerings altogether, in favor of just iDEN alone. This is quite a turn-around from the rumors last year that indicated the company was planning on doing away with iDEN altogether. Now it seems Sprint is keeping iDEN alive, which is good for Nextel, as well as Boost Mobile.… Read more

Sprint unleashes Motorola Renegade V950, Motorola i365

On Tuesday, Sprint released two, new ruggedized cell phones to satisfy the appetites of its Nextel Direct Connect and iDEN customers: the Motorola Renegade V950 and the Motorola i365.

Both handsets are available in select markets starting Tuesday for $129.99 and $89.99, respectively (with two-year contracts and after rebates and discounts, of course). The Moto Renegade is the more exciting of the two but the i365 has its own merits too. Here's a breakdown of each handset.

Motorola Renegade V950: Aside from being a QChat-capable phone, which allows for push-to-talk interoperability between CDMA and iDEN networks, the … Read more

Sprint releases four QChat phones

Starting June 15, Sprint's new Chat will be off and running in more than 40 markets nationwide. For those not in the know, QChat offers push-to-talk (PTT) interoperability between CDMA and iDEN networks for the first time. That means that customers using the new QChat phones will be able to make PTT calls to both Sprint CDMA phones and Nextel iDEN handsets.

Sprint unveiled six QChat handsets at the CTIA show two months ago Four models, the Sanyo Pro 200, Sanyo Pro 700, the LG LX400, and the Samsung Z400, will go on sale Sunday with the remaining two … Read more

A gallery of Sprint QChat phones

Sprint's Samsung Instinct has taken center stage as CTIA, but the carrier has more to offer in Las Vegas. Monday it also unveiled its first series of QChat phones (see our Sprint QChat slide show for the eye candy), which for the first time offer push-to-talk interoperability between CDMA and iDEN networks. There's no mishmash of competing technologies here. The QChat phones make and receive PTT calls through Nextel's Direct Connect service. Oh, and incidentally, QChat marks the final nail in the coffin of Sprints previous ReadyLink PTT service.

The first two QChat handsets to hit stores … Read more