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Nextel Launches First Camera Phone With Nation's Most Popular Walkie-talkie Service

The i860's color external display shows the time, date and caller ID without the need to open the flip phone. Photo: Business Wire.
Reston VA (SPX) Oct 15, 2004
Nextel Communications Thursday announced the availability of the Motorola i860, the first phone with a built-in camera to offer Direct Connect, Nationwide Direct Connect and International Direct Connect walkie-talkie services.

With the Motorola i860, Nextel is the first national cellular service provider to offer two exclusive features that make communicating more integrated, convenient and intuitive.

The Nextel Direct Send contacts feature allows a user to send contact information, including names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, to another user's Motorola i860 phone with the simple press of the Push To Talk walkie-talkie button.

Additionally, a user can create messages in seconds directly from the i860's contact list by highlighting a name.

Nextel Multimedia Messaging service, available first on the Motorola i860 handset, is designed for overall ease of use.

It allows for a high level of expression and personalization by allowing messages to include text, images and audio altogether.

The i860 allows these messages to be sent from several locations on the handset - eliminating needless extra steps - including the Message Center where voicemail and multimedia messages can be managed in one central location. Additionally, the i860 can capture photos and record up to ten seconds of video with audio.

Multimedia Messaging can be exchanged in three simple ways:

- between one i860 phone and another i860 phone,

- between an i860 phone and any e-mail address or

- between an i860 phone and a user's personal account on Nextel.com.

Multimedia Messaging can also be sent from an i860 phone to other two-way-messaging capable Nextel phones, and the recipient can read the text portion of the message and even forward it to an e-mail account to hear the audio and see images.

Additionally, users can send multiple attachments (up to 100 kilobytes) in a single multimedia message.

"Nextel was the first U.S. wireless carrier to launch a walkie-talkie service eleven years ago, and we continue to pioneer other related functions. The Nextel Direct Send contacts feature on the new Motorola i860 is the most recent example of the power and potential of the Push To Talk walkie-talkie button," said Blair Kutrow, vice president, voice services and subscriber devices, Nextel Communications.

"It follows other exclusive PTT innovations such as sending voice messages from the handset to an e-mail inbox with NextMail and connecting instantly across country borders with International Direct Connect."

"With the triple advantage of a camera, Multimedia Messaging and Direct Connect walkie-talkie service, the Motorola i860 handset allows users to increase their productivity and response time through the convenience and immediacy of one integrated compact device," added Kutrow.

With benefits such as reliable documentation and secure encryption, Multimedia Messaging on the Motorola i860 is ideal for business users in several industries, including:

- Real Estate (a realtor can send an image of a house immediately to a prospect)

- Construction (a contactor can instantly show a finished project to the client)

- Field Services (a field worker can provide proof of work to the office within seconds)

- Financial Services (an insurance inspector can send accident photos to quickly begin claims)

- Transportation (a delivery driver can file an audio and written signature in real time)

Some of the many other features of the Motorola i860 handset are:

  • Large internal screen - with a 2.2 inch diagonal measurement, it is Nextel's largest ever
  • Color external display - shows the time, date and caller ID without the need to open the flip phone
  • Photo caller ID - a picture of the caller can appear on the external and internal screen during an incoming call
  • Media Center - store hundreds of photos Audio caller ID - user-assignable ring tones allow users to instantly identify important calls without having to look at the phone MP3 ringtone capable - users can download ringtones of full songs with complete vocals and instrumentals
  • Quick-flip opening mechanism - the phone flips open with the simple push of a button
  • Airplane mode - turn off the network connection and use programs, games, voice recorder and datebook while in flight
  • Speakerphone - for convenient hands-free conversations
  • Voice recorder - captures memos or incoming phone conversations for future playback
  • 600-contact phone book - store up to eight numbers for a single name
  • JAVA technology-enabled - allows the downloading of hundreds of advanced games and applications
  • Voice-activated dialing - speak to dial numbers
  • GPS technology-enabled - capable of location-based applications and services
  • Profiles - personalize settings for up to twelve environments; for example, when the self-titled "meeting" mode is selected, the phonecould be set to only vibrate
  • VibraCall Alert - be alerted of incoming calls and messages without an audible disruption

    The Motorola i860 handset weighs 4.77 ounces and measures 1.96 x 3.45 x 1.01 inches. It has 25,000 kilobytes of memory for storing multimedia messages, and it is available through all Nextel distribution channels, including retail stores, at a price of $299.99 with a two-year service agreement, new activation and credit approval.

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    Wireless World: WiFi Transforms Transport
    Chicago (UPI) Oct 8, 2004
    An ambulance leaves a hospital driveway in central London, and before it passes Paddington Station, a dispatcher sends instructions to the paramedic and driver, directing them to a traffic accident just a few blocks a way. But unlike the millions of ambulance-routing assignments in the past - made over the radio - this one is completed over the Internet, via Wireless Fidelity technology.



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