Much has been made recently over the Motorola i1, it being the first push-to-talk Android device of course. Today sees an announcement for the phone that I feel has even bigger implications. The i1 is set to become the first Android phone offered without a contract. Starting June 20th, customers can get the ruggedized smart phone on a pay-as-you-go $50 plan that includes unlimited talk, text,email, and web.Â
The Motorola i1 features a 3.1-inch HVGA touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, Android 1.6, and support for WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS. No pricing has been made public yet but we expect that any day now. We are, after all, only a matter of weeks away from the launch. Granted this is not a super phone by any stretch of the imagination. However, it does signal the beginning of yet another opportunity for potential Android customers. While the big four carriers battle it out over whatever the hot topic of the moment is, I imagine providers like Boost Mobile quietly going about their business and adding to their credibility.
If the rumors hold up, the i1 will be joined by the Kyocera Zio M6000 before too long. Would any of you guys out there consider switching to a no-contract plan with either of these phones?
But doesn't T-mobile already offer android with no contract on the Even More Plus plan?
Yes but not for $50 unlimited t,t&w. I have Google Voice so I might concider adding a Boost number to my GV line and see how it works.
You have been able to get any Android (or any other phone) with no contract on T-Mobile with the Even More Plus plans for months.
Yeah um, ever been to Google.com/Phone? Some contract eh?
So my Nexus 1 doesn't have Android?? That's odd. What was that 2.2 I just loaded? It's kinda funny that a company can make obviously false claims and get positive publicism for it. Meh
I1 is not the first prepaid android phone, it is the first IDEN android, first ruggedized android with walkie-talky, real walkie talky, not over the phone like t-mobiles, this works up to 4 miles out of coverage, the police department where I'm from dropped t-mobile from it's undependability with the walkie talkie for nextel phones just for that reason, all 75 lines. and you can't even come close to boostmobiles plan with t-mobile, you get unlimited everything, talk, text, walkie-talky, web, all for an EVEN 50 bucks, no late fees, no government fees, no surcharges, ect. even 50 bucks…awesome. although it might be on a 60 dollar plan, I'm not sure on that, but either way it would be a even 60 which still is awesome! Even better though is Virgin Mobile changed there planes last month and now have a 25 dollar plan which is an even 25 bucks a month and they are getting an android phone also, how awesome is that, you get unlimited web, text, email, picture messages, and 300 min a month. As far as I know that is the cheapest smartphone plan out there.
it's the 50 dollar plan, and it's the first pre-paid as far as I know t-mobile is postpaid
This phone is made specifically to be able to take rough handling. I think it is a different segment of potential customers, the iPhone is not the food. So it is good. Android may enter a niche market that the iPhone can not.
I cant wait until the zio comes out. I just hope it runs faster than the unoptimized prototype.
While the option is a great one for those who are thinking going prepaid, its just another nail in the coffin in terms of the contract customers like me. While I don't have this particularly verison of the Droid phone, I am on the same network and paying $50 more and with a contract the fees associated. It really makes Sprint customers unsettled since these money saving options are only aimed at new customers, rather than keeping current ones. Sprint customers seem to have banded together to let Sprint's president know how unfair these practices are to customers on the same network – sites.google.com/site/sprintcustomersunite
thanks for sharing. nice info :p