By We just found out that the rugged Motorola i1 is available on SouthernLINC Wireless, and we are now learning of what will potentially be the next carrier to host the first iDEN ‘Droid. MobileCrunch has gotten their hands on a little promotional image that shows Boost Mobile getting the handset, which will be sold exclusively through Best Buy Mobile.
This makes the i1 not only Boost’s first Android phone, but the first pre-paid Android phone in the US, and it will be available with their $50 unlimited data/web/text plan. Does it really matter what other phones Boost has? This one — for as lowly as it may seem in the Android world — easily trumps the rest of their lineup. And really, the idea of Android coming to the pay-as-you-go market is great.
If pricing on SouthernLINC is any indication, this one should probably be going for around $275. Maybe more, maybe less.
[via MobileCrunch]
This is HUGE. This will allow low-income individuals that want a slick touchscreen device with lots of apps, to finally get one.
.
This is opening a whole new market up to Android, and one that desperately wants it.
Yeah it good if someone with less money wants a cool android device.
Awesome… This is where Android can make a real-difference and grow like crazy!
Can we get units like these for virgin mobile (the other sprint pre-paid). AT&T and T-mobile need to also start aggressively selling Android phones with their pre-paid plans… or they are going to lose out on the next-wave of the cell-phone expansion!
Great, now every poor person will have an Android. Why not sell new BMWs for $10,000. Android will no longer be an exclusive tech status symbol like iPhone was. That is how Apple became successful, they created an Apple environment that was exclusive and that you wanted to be a part of.
i talked to a boost rep on the 23rd and he told me it would be available on june 1st
“Get the first android phone without a contract”
Seems like they forgot about the nexus one already O_o
I just checked out Best Buy webpage, they want $350 for this phone. Not for the low-income individuals.
a phone shouldn’t be an exclusive status symbol…geez…that is at the heart of everything that we are fighting against
Joe, your one stupid faulker. Android is paving many roads of the future,apple is paving one road for close minded faulkers like you. Joe don’t post your comments on anything android related. Ill dos your ip and capture your email and spam you with nigerian emails stating you have money waiting for you.
Slit your wrist and comment on the results.
First of all I dont see why all the major carries i.e. Verizon, Tmobile, Sprint, & ATT dont get with the times and just have a service with an open phone line & data with a stable price. If a small company can do it and be reliable that goes to show how much consumers think overpaying is ok. Personally I had Cricket service with a not so great phone. Not because I had bad credit or wanted a cheap plan but because they are so darn reliable! I actually miss payin a lower price with unlimited data,voice,text. Reason I switched is because I wanted to get with the times and have a nice Android phone. Now they’re (Cricket) are getting the Kyocera Zio and I can see that this phone on Boost Mobile (Crickets direct competition)is gonna make waves where the market segment is HUGE! If I wasnt on a 2 year contract I’d be all over one of these carriers plans with a phone that definitely is worth every penny. Just my 2 cents. ;)
Just a thought – just because the phone doesn’t have a contract, doesn’t mean it’s made for the bottom-of-the-barrel low-income people.
Keep in mind the prepaid is no longer just for “sub-prime” customers or people who can’t afford contracts. With this economy, there’s A LOT of people who are switching to no-contract because there are now smartphones on true Tier 1 nationwide networks with no hassles or worries about a contract.
Boost is doing this with their $50 a month plan – that’s as no-hassle as you can get. And Boost is owned by SPRINT. So you’re basically getting post paid service at a better rate.
And with the price of handsets like these high – it definitely shows that people that carry them are not going to be completely out of cash.
joe are you seriously so shallow that you need an android to define you as successful and you don’t want others to join in. yeah, maybe there should be android members only jackets required as well and special clubs we can all go to where poor folks aren’t allowed to come.
are you going to be pissed if google comes out with a voip phone as well where you only have to pay for a data plan? are you gonna be pissed if it helps you save money because more regular people are trying to join your club that you thought was supposed to be exclusive>
dude, i’m sorry your self worth comes from your phone.
i’m sure the ladies are very impressed and can’t tell that you are compensating…really, it’s not obvious. don’t worry about it.
wow. i hope you’re embarrassed but you don’t even know to be. sad.
Who said technology was supposed to be exclusive? T-mobile has been pushing a line of prepaid smartphones for years. And the people who like iphones are the same steve jobs loving freaks who use their rest of the sealed, non upgradeable, ultimately disposable garbage products. Android is finally a fully scalable system. All the android phones (Besides the phone form) have almost all the same features. So not only are they scalable, serviceable (You can do things like TAKE THE BATTERY OUT), but they’re nearly standardized, including features like a magnetometer, proximity sensor, hot swappable SD slots. Androids the future of smart phones, a larger prepaid venue was inevitable.
Unless the Motorola i1 phone specs are different for Boost, there’s no 3G data speed on the Nextel iDEN network. Also, i1 has older version of Android OS, that may be upgradable. Not a big negative to me, however, no 3G is a deal breaker if I’m going to spend $350 for Android phone. And I thought $300 was a lot for the BlackBerry Curve 8530 offered by Virgin Mobile. At least their Curve is 3G capable and has wi-fi for the price. Going to continue my quest for smartphone, its not the Motorola i1 :D
I don’t see why this isn’t offered under the Nextel branding. That opens up a huge number of corporate and government accounts that already exist under the name. I have a Nextel phone from my employer…I hate the coverage, but my employer gets a really good deal when they lump together all 50 handsets under a shared minute plan.
Well this isn’t a great phone if its on the iden network. Prepare for sucking speeds and losts of texts. So you’re basically not wanting this android at all, right now the best prepaid smartphone is the samsung code and it runs on the windows mobile.
Metro PCS Newtork is better than nextel but it does lag.
I wonder why Sprint didnt choose this android to run on its network like The Sanyo Incognito and blackberry 8330.
This phone was made specifically to be able to take rough handling. I think it’s for a different segment of potential customers, certainly one that the iPhone cannot cater to. So that’s good. Android can reach into niches that iPhone cannot.
they might not be getting the latest android but they’ll have internet and all this information at their fingertips anywhere they go. That’s a major step up from a regular cell.
This is not the first pre-paid Android phone in the US. T-Mobile has had them available on pre-paid plans since the very beginning.
been waiting for this for a couple months now.
yes, it has no 3G data, kinda the con here.
but compare to the rest of the line up boost offers, I’ll take this over anything else.
personally even I hate apple, the iphone is still truely a nice device that offers many capabilities.
In my business building the only signal strong enough is boost, which is why I gotta stick with boost. the current line up are bunch of garbage. I really hope it’s not gonna be $350 altho BB website already posted $350, cause a phone with no 3G over $300 is kinda a deal breaker for me.(crossing my fingers, lol)
Looks like best buy has got a listing for it already @ $349.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Motorola+-+i1+Mobile+Phone+-+Black/Silver+(Boost+Mobile)/9935936.p?skuId=9935936&id=1218198443380
This is a giant step forward. If I can get my kids android phones rather then some dumb phone I won’t feel like I’m wasting money. We just need a pre-paid price war to bring the monthly down and we’ll be one step closer to android domination.
If you look at the Best Buy specifictions, the i1 can use iDEN,CDMA
Some of y’all are sooooooooooooooooooooooooo stupid!!! And at $350 not too many poor people buying it!
Also @Will… Best Buy’s specs are then wrong:
http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/ci.MOTOROLA-i1-US-EN.alt
Most Sprint/Nextel devices that are both iDEN and CDMA devices are named with the “ic” in front… like the ic902
And I think what they mean by 1st prepaid Android phone; is Boost Mobile as a brand is the 1st prepaid carrier selling one. T-Mobile offers the phone (or any phone) with or without contract…but they are not just a prepaid carrier.
This is very cool, but I must admit I still prefer Net10 prepaid because of its wide range of phones and the fact that when you purchase one of thier phones you get 2 months service and 300 minutes free. Net10 is also alot cheaper.
This is not going to be good for low income people….
50$ deposit on sprint and 50$ for the phone itself is 100$
it would be cheaper upfront to get an htc hero.. Odds are a low income person isn’t going to want to spend nearly 300$ on a phone up front… Sure sprint is more expensive over 2 years on a 69$ contract.. but, your average person isn’t going to think about that.. plus you could build some even if not much credit with a contract.
WTF??? you do not build credit with a contract, you get a ding for them running your credit but you dont gain anything.
YEEEEEHAWWWWW
I’ma gonna get me one’a dem dare new fangled teleyphone walkie talkies. Is’a just po folk, ya’ll the the kind, dem low incomes peoplez.
Just maybe people who pay $50 a month for unlimited service have something some of you snobs don’t have..an F’ing BRAIN!!
I’m poor and low income because I won’t spend $150 a month to use the newest phone to impress people with? Some of you sound like shallow little c***s who determine other peoples worth by the phone they use.
So keep paying out the nose to impress people who probably can’t stand you in the first place.
Well, well, I now realize there are cell phone snobs out there, Joe. So we should all be shnookered into paying big bucks for a status symbol? Really? Is that what you think? I use a cell phone for business, and can easily afford (and did) a cell phone bill of $500-$1,000 a month… when I HAD to to get my business done (back several years ago, when there were no “plans” only a flat per-minute charge). Today, why should I give more or pay more to companies that run cell phone networks for practically zip, if I don’t have to? The fact that BOOST (Sprint) is out there, should only tell you that they are still making a profit on unlimited service — which means that cell phone service cost a fraction of a penny per minute. To make this about elitism is ridiculous. You want a stratified society based on a cell phone? That’s unbelieable. Frankly, the more productive everyone becomes, the better society at large is. AND BESIDES, a BMW costs a heck of a lot more to make than a Hundai, and IS a status symbol for those who think that is important. Apples and Oranges, Joe. Apples and Oranges.
Well first and foremost, Joe you are a complete putts. Second, I own the i1 from boost and let me tell you, this phone is awsome!! I don’t know about the whole 3g thing, but i can tell you that i have full internet and wifi, that i use daily. hundreds upon hundreds of free apps that allow my phone to do just about anything you can think of. Last but not least, $50.00 a month you cant beat it, all my friends with iphone are p**sed!!
hey joe! yea the fuckin bitch up there, you can go fuck yourself ya fag! hell thats all you probably do cuz i know you aint gettin no pussy! jackin that lil dick of yours off right now huh. while you were busy talkin shit bout poor people i was fuckin your mom!
to people saying this phone is great, its a pile of shit. Of course they are making money off unlimited for the 50 bucks a month. Whether you think the service is the same or not doesnt matter. The fact is the service from boost and even Virgin mobile is not identical to that given to sprint costumers. Including data speeds etc whether it says 3g or not the actual speed the prepaid customer recieves by design is less. Of course they remain profitable with this crap, they sell you a junk phone for 350 you have no contract with them so though you have no obligation to them remember they have none to you either. I could go on, but why bother some of you just ont get it. Most screaming the hell yea go prepaid android mantra are morons. To the moron above me, I am highly doubting he care what your useless hunk of shit ass says about fucking his mother. The only reason you would respond to someone with that type of innane useless pile of shit type of post is if it hit a nerve. I would most likely say that your just letting the world know a bit about yourself in that pile of crap words you call a response or post or whatever you want to call it. Those are just my views and opinions on the phone, prepaid is great and not just for the poor. It has many uses including those who travel to dif coverage areas monthly and jus switch between prepaids so alwayas to have service. I also believe contracts are better suited for certain cases as well.
POOP.
to all those whom have contract sorry for you my 50 plan does so good to me cause I, have my wireless with open range and stay on my car and for 78 a month I have unlimited phone and internet.. half of what At&t was charging me so you all can say bad thing s about boost but the truth is…. it hurts when you are getting screw with your money and mean while I’m just a happy Camper thanks boost!! ;-) F U All “SLAVES UNDER CONTRACT” lol
Prepaid is the future of mobile services, it’s good for both parts,
Carriers that wont provide service before the bill is paid will never lose money on unpaid bills.
Customers with these services have more options and can switch anytime without losing money on contract fees and usually pay way less a month for the same type of services.
So why not?
I personally love Boost Mobile, and for 50 dollars a month this is the least I have paid for any contract or non-contract service to date, And when the calls are dropped its dropped by the other networks. I havent yet had a dropped call on my end since march of last year when I purchased Boost mobile service. I havent decided which phone Im getting next through boost but I will never go through another phone company again. My service is amazing, and people who go through contract services are idiots because your paying upwards of several hundred dollars a month on service for one or more lines by going over your mins and web and data charges, unless you only use your phone limited amounts of time during the month.