Sprint introduced a new messaging offering that extends e-mail and instant messaging services to mobile phones and other devices, news that could help Sprint’s wireless business Sprint PCS.
Sprint Messenger provides two new services: E-mail on the Go, which enables customers to receive their e-mail messages on any phone; and One to Many Messaging, which sends a single voice or e-mail message to a group of recipients.
With E-mail on the Go, customers can have e-mail messages from multiple e-mail accounts forwarded to any phone. When an e-mail message is forwarded to a wireless phone, customers can read the first 160 characters as text, then press a button to save, delete or have it read to them in its entirety using a text-to-speech engine. At the end of the message, the user has the option to save, reply to the sender or forward to someone else.
“Sprint Messenger is an Internet-based messaging service that complements Sprint’s portfolio of integrated products and services,” said Steve Carter, vice president of marketing for Sprint’s Consumer Markets Group. “Customers can import address books from existing e-mail applications and databases so it’s easy to get started, and it enables mobile customers to stay connected.”
The company is offering a one-month free trial of the services, after which each will cost $5 per month.
