Nextel Communications Inc.’s dated handset selection is set to receive a jolt next month as the carrier is expected to begin launching new handsets based on the “Falcon” platform, which Motorola Inc. developed and will manufacture. The launch eventually should include seven consumer-oriented devices and four handsets geared toward Nextel’s substantial public-safety customer base.
According to internal Nextel documents obtained by RCR Wireless News, all the new handsets will include global positioning system capabilities; Nextel’s 6:1 vocoder, which the carrier said will increase both battery life and network capacity; and will support the carrier’s Direct Connect service. Higher-end models will include color screens, cameras, multimedia capabilities, and by the end of next year, the ability to operate on both iDEN and GSM networks.
Nextel refused to comment on the specifics of the new handsets or any timeframe for the launch of the new devices, but late last year showed prototypes of Falcon-based handsets.
The initial commercialized Falcon handset is expected to be the i205, which will replace the current i30sx as an entry-level handset targeted at the business and consumer market. The candy-bar style i205 is expected to be launched next month and will include a monochromatic screen and offer exchangeable face plates and downloadable ring tones.
The i205 launch is scheduled to be followed by the i730 flip phone in November, and will include a 65,000-color screen and replace Nextel’s current i90c and i95cl models. The rounded i730 will be Java-enabled and include an airplane mode that shuts off the handset’s cellular capabilities and allows users to access applications while traveling on commercial airlines.
The ruggedized i305 candy-bar style handset is expected to round out the 2003 Falcon launch in December and will include a full rubber housing designed to meet a variety of impact standards and replace Nextel’s current i35s ruggedized handset.
The i305 will be joined by a slightly less rugged i530 flip phone early next year that will include a partial rubber cover and replace the current i60c handset in Nextel’s line-up. Nextel expects to target the i530 at field-service professionals, construction supervisors and white-collar managers.
Late next spring, Nextel is scheduled to launch the i830 flip phone, which company documents said would be the smallest handset the carrier has ever offered. The i830 includes a 65,000-color screen, call notification and user-selectable pictures or ring tones as well as multimedia-messaging-service capabilities.
The i830 is expected to be joined next summer by the i860 flip phone, which uses the same form factor as the i830 but adds a 262,000-color internal screen, a 4,000-color external screen and Nextel’s first embedded camera with flash.
Nextel’s Falcon platform is scheduled to be topped late next year by the i930 flip phone, which will use Microsoft Corp.’s Smartphone platform and include access to both iDEN and GSM technology in the same handset for international roaming. The i930 is expected to include an expansion slot for additional memory or applications, dual-color screens including a 65,000-color internal screen, a camera with flash and full MMS capabilities.
