On June 20, 2010 Boost Mobile will be adding and Android to their line-up. But there’s a catch, it’s iDen….
Boost’s new iDen device will be the Motorola i1. This will be the first iDen device to have Android, and the first Android to use a walkie-talkie service.
So why the iDen network? No, really, why the iDen network? Don’t get me wrong, the combination of Android and walkie-talkie is pretty cool, but how do they expect people to enjoy the benefits of the device on a network that is less than half the speed of 3G and light years behind devices like the Evo with 4G. Ah, yes, the device will have WiFi.
I had a chance to demo the device at this past CTIA, and I have to say, I’m impressed with it. Motorola has made a done a great job with the touch interface, the look and feel of the device. As a former user of the Nextel service, I can say, I would buy it. The walkie-talkie interface is very simple to use and looks just like the phone interface. Everything else is classic Android.
My only recommendation to Boost and Sprint, which will also have this device, would have been to make this a Hybrid device. Meaning that it uses voice and data on CDMA and PTT on iDen, just like they did with the older Motorola ic902, ic602, ic502.
For more information visit www.boostmobile.com
