Sprint, Motorola release Windows-based iDEN phone, plus other mobile news

There is a lot of stuff happening this week, and here's a quick look at three news items: one new device, one new application and a new trend in the world of mobile computing:

The device: Sprint and Motorola announced the i930, a clamshell device that includes the Windows Mobile Smartphone platform. The iDEN-based phone will run on the Nextel Nationwide Network and is aimed at mobile professionals, the companies say. It will be available this month for $499.99 through Sprint's business channels, Sprint stores and online.

Features of the i930 include support for the Nextel Walkie-Talkie Services (nationwide and international), support for the 800/900 iDEN network and the 900/1800 GSM network, wireless synchronization with Microsoft Outlook (calendar, contacts and e-mail), as well as other e-mail and text messaging support. The pre-loaded Windows Mobile ClearVue Suite will let users open and view Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets and Word documents, as well as PDFs and other image files. The i930 includes a built-in camera and camcorder, as well as Windows Media Player for playing audio and video files on the device. A Secure Digital slot will also let users add memory and store files.

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There is a lot of stuff happening this week, and here's a quick look at three news items: one new device, one new application and a new trend in the world of mobile computing:

The device: Sprint and Motorola announced the i930, a clamshell device that includes the Windows Mobile Smartphone platform. The iDEN-based phone will run on the Nextel Nationwide Network and is aimed at mobile professionals, the companies say. It will be available this month for $499.99 through Sprint's business channels, Sprint stores and online.

Features of the i930 include support for the Nextel Walkie-Talkie Services (nationwide and international), support for the 800/900 iDEN network and the 900/1800 GSM network, wireless synchronization with Microsoft Outlook (calendar, contacts and e-mail), as well as other e-mail and text messaging support. The pre-loaded Windows Mobile ClearVue Suite will let users open and view Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets and Word documents, as well as PDFs and other image files. The i930 includes a built-in camera and camcorder, as well as Windows Media Player for playing audio and video files on the device. A Secure Digital slot will also let users add memory and store files.

The application: Handango recently launched Version 2.0 of its InHand application for BlackBerry and Palm OS devices. The InHand application lets mobile operators deliver a content discovery and purchasing experience across a variety of different devices. The new version includes features such as one-click purchasing, a larger database of mobile content, a promotions engine (gives operators tools to deliver promotions directly to a subscriber's device), and automatic updates (delivers content without subscriber intervention). More details on the application is available at the Handango InHand Web site.

The trend: An In-Stat report suggests that mobile music services, either in the form of downloadable music files, or broadcast digital radio, is more interesting to U.S. mobile customers than gaming. The research firm also says that the "ecosystem that will permit widespread uptake of music applications" has yet to mature, and may not explode until issues such as pricing, revenue sharing and digital rights management (big surprise) are worked out.

David Chamberlain, an analyst at In-Stat, says "the window to catch a group of wireless users we call 'Mobile Music Intenders' ... may be closing soon."

Chamberlain says that users are ready to buy new handsets and are willing to pay extra for handsets that play music, but without available music services or handsets, carriers may miss the opportunity. The report also says that more than one-fourth of this group spent more than $150 for their current handset and that more than two-thirds are expected to buy new phones before year-end.

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.