Boost Mobile will be releasing Motorolas new Stature i9 mobile device at the end of February. Boost, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprint Nextel, will be bringing the device to the pre-paid market before it’s available to post-paid customers. Who’s bringing it to post-paid? Sprint Nextel!
Motorola Stature i9 specs:
- Only 15mm thick, with a touch-sensitive exterior flip
- 3.1 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus
- External keys for quick access to content, including a music player and integrated GPS3
- 8GB of storage for images, videos and music with optional removable memory
- Motorola’s ModeShift technology allows the exterior keys to change and illuminate based on the user’s current application, such as camera operation or the media player
- Haptic feedback providing gentle vibration acknowledging the user’s touch
- Hands-free reliability with stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology.2
- Comes with range of Nextel Direct Connect options including short range push-to-talk option
From the release:
“With its advanced feature set and a style that requires a double take, Motorola Stature i9 represents a significant milestone in our iDEN history,” said Rick Gadd, vice president, Motorola Mobile Devices. “In addition, offering this device to consumers in both a post-paid option with Sprint and pre-paid option with Boost Mobile shows the continued consumer demand for iDEN products and our ongoing commitment to the technology.”
“Motorola Stature i9 is the latest example of our continuing commitment to our Nextel Direct Connect customers giving them best-in-class push-to-talk services on an incredibly attractive device,” said Danny Bowman, president of Sprint’s iDEN business unit. “Sprint has invested billions of dollars in the iDEN network, adding thousands of cell sites to bolster capacity and coverage. As a result, the network is performing at best-ever levels enabling customers using Stature or any of our iDEN devices to experience the speed of the fastest national push-to-talk network.”
“A first of its kind for Boost, the addition of Motorola Stature i9 to our diverse handset line-up further exemplifies Boost’s commitment to meeting the needs of every consumer,” said Matt Carter, president of Boost Mobile. “Boost Mobile offers a full suite of solutions for every customer with a range of handsets to choose from and budget-friendly, dependable services such as our new $50 Monthly Unlimited plan. From entry-level to high-end, simply put – Boost has something for everyone.”
What we think?
I think Sprint have done a good job of wrapping this one up. Boost announced an almost-too-good-to-be-true price package earlier this year, for 50 dollars a month. To buy the handset from Boost will cost you $299.99 with no contract, credit check or activation fees. If you wait a little while and get it from Sprint (no final word on release date yet), the phone costs $199.99 on top of your existing bill, with a 2-year service agreement.
How about the handset itself? From the specs, it looks like a nice phone. Nothing special but if covers all the bases really well, and I do like the idea of context-sensitive external keys.
