Sprint Nextel debuts Motorola i576

The Motorola i576 shows all the usual Nextel hallmarks.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features

Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).

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Kent German

Oct. 20, 2008 5:29 p.m. PT

Have no fear, iDEN fans, Sprint remains committed to your beloved network. On Wednesday as the CTIA Fall 2008 show opened in San Francisco, Sprint announced a new iDEN-only phone with the Motorola i576. It should be the first of four new iDEN-only phones promised before the end of the year.

Positioned as an i570 replacement, the i576 sports a flip phone design with all the rugged packaging Nextel loyalists have come to love. That means it will stand up to the usual military specifications for rain, dust, solar radiation...and shooting it out of a cannon.

Inside you'll find a respectable set of features including Bluetooth, Direct Connect push-to-talk service, text and multimedia messaging, Nextel's second line service, a speakerphone, a vibrate mode, and GPS navigation.

The i576 will be available Oct. 19 for $69 for business accounts with a two-year contract. We'll review it just as soon as we can get a review model.

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