In a Shift from Nextel's Network, Sprint Releasing Rugged CDMA Phones

Although Sprint has already announced their plans to phase out their iDen network acquired by Nextel, they haven't given customers on the aging network a real reason to switch over to CDMA. In a first move to change this situation, Sprint has released the Sanyo Taho, a rugged flip phone that runs on the CDMA network. Although the phone isn't totally waterproof, it can withstand total submersion in up to one meter of water for thirty minutes, along with other military-grade specs. The phone doesn't have any type of push-to-talk service that doesn't use iDen, however, so this is only a phone for Nextel customers that like the rugged style of some of the phones. Sprint also has the Motorola ES400S smartphone, which is also a rugged phone. The ES400S has a full QWERTY keyboard on a candybar design and is running Windows Mobile 6.5.3. (Sprint)

Cross Platform Smartphone Chat with Cnectd

If you have ever had a Blackberry, you will know that Blackberry Messenger (BBM) is one of the best features of the phone. From being able to talk to people around the world, to groups, and the delivered and read message notifications, the program is really only limited by the fact that you can only use it to and from other Blackberry smartphones. Other programs for instant messaging like AIM are nice, but they are very connected to the device and still don't deliver some of the features of Blackberry Messenger.

Well, now there is a solution for chatting across multiple platforms, Cnectd. The program is available for Symbian (many people overseas), Android, Blackberry, and even iPhone. The program lets you create a username for your account, and you can carry the account over to other smartphone platforms if you get a new device (no more PIN switching for Blackberry users). The program even offers the delivered and read notifications from BBM which are something taken for granted by most BlackBerry users.

Although I didn't get a chance to try out the program with many others users, I installed it on both my Sprint Blackberry and iPod touch, and the program worked great. It delivered the messages fast, using push notifications on the iPod too, and the delivered and read symbols changed fast. You can even send pictures and your current location to other users with the program.

If you have friends with different devices and want something to chat with (in case they don't have a data plan), or you switch between platforms and devices a lot, Cnectd is a great program for keeping in touch, especially with the robust feature set that hasn't been seen since Blackberry Messenger. (Cnectd)

Foneshow Delivers Podcasts By Phone Call

For all those Sprint customers out there without a data plan, or don't feel like using their precious data for downloading or streaming podcasts, there is a great service called Foneshow. I have been using Foneshow for about two weeks now, and feel that the service is great, especially for customers that don't have smartphones with data plans to get their podcasts.

After signing up for an account on foneshow.com, you can select any shows that they have on the site and subscribe to them. They have a variety of shows from many different sources, and I am currently subscribed to some from Cnet and Engadget. Once you do this, you should get a text message with the latest episode and a phone number that is wants you to call. Here is what one of my text messages from the service looked like:
Buzz Out Loud from CNet: Buzz Out Loud 1254: Google has an honesty prob 29:41 call ---------- to hear this Foneshow!
The number goes where I put the dashes. I just call the number there and it delivers the Foneshow through the phone on a voice call. It is very simple to use and whenever a new episode is released it is usually quick to alert you by text message and let you listen to it through the phone.

Some will be turned off by the fact that it uses your normal minutes on the phone call, which wasn't a big deal for me since I have tons of leftover minutes from Any Mobile Any Time. Just make sure you watch your minutes and how long your podcasts are, and if you are short on minutes you can listen when you get night or weekend minutes. If you are a Sprint/CDMA user (you most likely are if your reading this), you will also not be able to get data on your phone when using the service, unless you are connected to a Wifi (or WiMax) network when on the call.

The service is also very useful by resuming the podcast where you left off if you hang up or it gets dropped, which makes it better than streaming because you don't have to find the place the video was. The feature also has pause, fast forward, start from the beginning, and other functions right from the call.

If you like to listen to your favorite podcasts without having to remember when they come on, Foneshow is a great service that is helpful to keep up on your latest podcasts. It is also nice for users without good data reception at their house or work, without smartphones, or who need to watch their usage of data. Although some people can just get the podcasts right on their phone, I find Foneshow easier to use and it doesn't take up space on your memory card or internal memory. (Foneshow)

New Smartphone Low Prices

Starting this week, multiple smartphones from Sprint have dropped in price. Here are a few of the dropped phones:

Palm Pixi: $49 (was $99)
HTC Hero: $149 (was $179)
Samsung Moment: $99 (was $179)
Blackberry Tour: $99 (was $149)

Maybe the most notable of these smartphones is the Palm Pixi, which is only a couple of months old. If this is anything like the Pre, the price has dropped so soon because of weak sales. The launch of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus on Verizon might have a hand in that, though. The Moment is now a great deal if you are looking for an Android phone, especially with the full keyboard and Android 2.1 coming soon. If you are in the market for any new Sprint smartphone, though, now would be the time to buy for low prices. But if you are looking to get the latest and greatest, these price drops might just mean we are going to be getting some new smartphones soon, such as the Bold. (Sprint)