Motorola updates recently released iDEN i335
By Will Park on Monday, February 4th, 2008 at 6:58 PM PST In Announcements, Devices, Motorola
With CABO making a strong case for iDEN sticking around for a bit longer (probably to Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s relief – they’re something of a big-dog in the iDEN world), it looks like troubled Motorola has already refreshed their recently released Motorola i335.
We’ve peeped a couple spy shots of the updated/refreshed Motorola i335 and it’s
looking a lot sleeker than we remember. The keypad seems to have been revised with a flush, less bumpy design and the feature-set has been kicked-up a notch to include a VGA camera, updated Bluetooth, and improved music capabilities.
We’re hearing that Q4 2008 is the targeted launch window for this revised Motorola i335, so iDEN fans contemplating a new entry-level handset might do well to wait it out for this sleeker i335 to hit the market.
Side thought: Is Motorola trying to gussy up their mobile phone division to appear more appetizing to potential buyers? Or are they keeping their ducks in line in case they decide to stick it out in the handset manufacturing business?
[Via: Engadget Mobile]
Not only is Motorola a “Big Dog in the iDEN world”, they are the only dog. Motorola created and developed iDEN; it is their proprietary technology.
Sprint/Nextel is now apparently realizing their mistake in trying to abandon iDEN technology for CDMA (one key executive at Sprint involved in that decision a few years ago had called iDEN a “boutique” technology). Now it looks like the Nextel side will actually grow again in its iDEN-ness (good news for those who like the iDEN experience).
The iDEN handsets manufactured by Motorola are a separate animal from the rest of their handset business. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the iDEN handsets stayed within Moto while the rest of Mobile Devices left (assuming that decision is made).