Boost Mobile to add Android-powered Motorola i1?
March 9, 2010/
I was just a guest on a podcast, and one major topic of discussion was prepaid mobile data. We’ve seen a number of companies add WAP browsing, but few have robust data options. Earlier this year, though, we saw Boost Mobile add a a CDMA BlackBerry device. Was that just the start? It appears that could be the case. We learned late last week that Motorola plans to release an iDEN Android handset, and of course Boost is a possible carrier. The handset features a 3.1 inch, 320×480 capacitive touch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 3 megapixel camera, and plenty more. It also features MOTOBLUR, which is just awesome.
No word on availability, but speculative word is that the announcement could come at CTIA later this month.]]>
Posted in Boost Mobile
Hello Joe thanks for the great news
You are correct about the android phone however it will be realsed for the CDMA side of boost. (meaning the blackberry and the incognito run on the CDMA NOT IDEN.. IDEN is very slow. The CDMA side utilizes the same network at Spring 3G/4G and is much faster. there are people who already have their windows mobile phones running on Boost Mobile CDMA. I highly doubt anyone would release an Android phone for the IDEN side its too slow and Android tends to utilize alot of data.
Where are you getting that it won’t be released for iDEN? Motorola i1 with direct connect = nextel. What does nextel run on? That’s right….iDEN. Last time I checked, no CDMA walkie-talkie on Nextel.
Lynch2800
Do some research the motorola i1 is for iden side meaning Boost and Nextel a Android phone for the iden fans
@lynch2800
This phone has been in the works for awhile and if I am not mistaken awhile back somebody stole a prototype of this phone from a Motorola employee and was using it and posting videos of it on Youtube. He confirmed that it ran on the iDEN network. At this point it could very well be for iDEN or CDMA. The fact that iDEN has slow net isn’t a issue. It has to do with Boost/Nextel wanting to get on the Android bandwagon and steal some popularity since Android handsets are the big thing right now. Personally if it came to iDEN things like social apps and other widgets would work fine on iDENs slow network since they update every so often and don’t require alot of bandwidth to begin with. Web surfing would suck bad though. I hope it comes to the CDMA side. But if it does why would anyone want to go with Sprint Post Paid if there would be a cheaper/just as good alternative Android on Boost? Guess we will have to wait and see. I haven’t heard anything about this phone in my department so only time will tell.
So let me get this straight, you can use any unlocked CDMA on boost now? And @Shat Bricks: people wouldn’t leave sprint for boost just because they have one little ugly looking android phone(android is highly overrated btw) especially since it’ll be running on android 1.5
@Fox222: Yeah they would. First off if this “ugly” android phone was successful then more android phones would follow. Secondly yes people would leave Sprint for Boost if it means saving up to $50 a month for the exact same service.
This thing is coming to iden. It will use wifi and Opera to partially offset iden’s slow 2G web/data performance.
Boost cdma will gain a lot of new users but will probably bring 1) A lot of iden users who are sick of a)ugly phones b)slow web c)crummy texting.
And a lot of Sprint users who a)want to use their postpaid phones on the Boost cdma network. b)want to pay $50 instead of more for unlimited everything.
Sprint always has great ideas but can never integrate them together without causing some kind of intrasystematic failure point.
When they took over Nextel, they should have let Nextel be Nextel and integrated it differently. Instead they lost 30 out of 35 billion dollars worth of value and ended up dumping all the frequency overhead as Boost unlimited because NOBODY wanted to buy the iden network after the October 2008 crash.
They got lucky and iden got a second life. But there’s only so much you can take a 2G technology.
When Sprint put the nearly dead Boost cdma back into high gear (with the ex Virgin Mobile CEO in charge), it changed the game again.
But Tracfone has Straight Talk, Net10 and Straight Talk and they aren’t going to give up the prepaid crown without a bloody fight.
the phone maybe a split system the wt phone is on the iden system and web & aps is on the cdma system
I bought the Boost Mobile Blackberry Curve 8330 back on March 3rd 2010.
Love it! Smart move by Boost, I have been with Boost for almost 3 years and would never go back to the iDEN network. The CDMA rocks, web surfing on a phone has never been better, the iDEN web is a joke! I think we are going to see better phones coming from Boost on the CDMA side. Looks like Boost is going to change the “pre-paid” phone. I think the other “pre-paid” dvisions had beeter start to watch & learn from Boost.
It would seem everyone is going fancy now days. I have a nice samsung R451C from Net10 an i found that 300 minutes for $30 was more than enough and I can use the web. Im not surprised Net10 is holding on, I think Prepaid it fantastic so I hope they stick around.
Ha i remember this phone when that dude “found it,” yeh this phone definately runs on iden, they announced it at i think CTIA, if this phone comes to boost mobile i will without a doubt be buying this phone, boost needs to make an android model on cdma, not iden!!! everybody hates iden, it is so slow, i have an i856 with opera mini 5 and it is still extremely slow, similar to dial-up speeds haha, but i will be upgrading to a better boost mobile phone, i been a loyal customer to boost for almost 5 years, tried other carriers like verizon and net10 but once boost came out with the $50 all you can eat plan, i looked forward and never looked back, c’mon boost the blackberry is a nice touch but we need android on CDMA!!!
the reason people are holding on to the iden side is simple the PTT. There is no PTT on CDMA side of Boost which is why the IDEN technology will not go away anytime soon. There is a ton of people who only use their Nextel and Boost IDEN phones simply for PTT. Now if they came out with this phone on CDMA but still kept the IDEN for the PTT that would be the best move they could ever do. So your choices are CDMA and fast web and no PTT or PTT and slow web its up to the consumer and their cell phone needs. The droid already is made in CDMA for Verizon just flash it over to Sprint.
Verizon phones can’t be put on Sprint or Boost cdma whether flashed or not. Their esn control system won’t allow it.
the i1 will do wonders for Boost iden. I think they should have merged Virgin Mobile and Boost cdma and broke them off from Boost iden to cut down on the confusion.
Boost cdma only had 300,000 users after Sprint let it decline from a peak of a million users or more. Boost iden has over five million users. 2 million came aboard last year because of the iden unilmited plan.
PTT is one of the TWO advantages that iden has over cdma . The other is the fact that it has a sim card and allows easy swapping between Boost and Nextel handsets. Boost cdma /Sprint phones have a similar level of compatibility but the lack of a sim increases the hassle factor.
when the motorola i1 come to boostmobile and can it be unlocked
It’s coming out within 2 weeks and will be available on Boost Mobile, confirmed! $50/month plan and let me tell you I already played with one and it’s really nice.
so how much is the Motorola i1
I heard boost is looking at $400 retail price. However, I’m sure small retailers will be cutting deals for a cheaper price. Can’t wait for it!!!!
the motorola i1 is available at best buy for $349.99