Sprint today announced Nextel Direct Connect with "push-to-x" capabilities, bringing NextMail's push-to-send voice messages to email addresses, and Direct Send's push-to-send pictures or contact info.

Users can push-to-send voice messages to any email address using NextMail. Select a contact from the address book, push the Direct Connect button, speak to record the message and release the button to send the message to an email address. The recipient will receive an email in their Inbox with a link they can click to listen to the message and respond back to the sender via text. NextMail is available for $7.50 per month.

Consumers can also use the Direct Connect button to send a picture to compatible phones using Direct Send. They can send pictures while on a Direct Connect call, and it appears on both the sender's and recipient's phones simultaneously, so they can view and discuss in real time. Direct Send Picture is available on compatible phones for $0.25 per picture.

Direct Send also allows customers to send contact information at the push of a button. They can send their own contact information or anyone from the address book.

New capabilities are expected later this year with a new line of Nextel Direct Connect-capable phones. The expansion is expected to deliver new 'push-to-x' features including push-to-text, push-to-locate, push-to-information and other enhanced features.

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1. Posted by locust43	Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:03 pm
I have had this feature with my Nextel's for over 6 years. lol
2. Posted by JaviBUSA08	Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:35 am
If they are getting rid of IDEN why would they add new features to Direct Connect? If they get rid of IDEN that would eleminate Direct Connect correct?
3. Posted by IOWA	Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:44 am
If they are getting rid of IDEN why would they add new features to Direct Connect? If they get rid of IDEN that would eleminate Direct Connect correct? No. Next month sprint is debuting qchat. the cdma replacement for direct connect. it works cross platform, allowing it to connect to not only other qchat phone's, but nextel iden phones as well.
4. Posted by McGirk	Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:31 am
I don't think they are going to make a big announcement about that though, I think they are going to get as many of these into peoples hands as they can before they say to much about the technology change.
5. Posted by IOWA	Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:38 pm
I don't think they are going to make a big announcement about that though, I think they are going to get as many of these into peoples hands as they can before they say to much about the technology change. Your probably right.
6. Posted by McGirk	Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:17 am
We'll see shortly. Oh, we should see an EVDO capable Rumor by the third quarter, but it will have a slightly different form factor. The Rumor actually get's the best radio frequency response of any of the LG's. Probably due to the fact that it is not a flip.
7. Posted by IOWA	Sat Mar 22, 2008 3:14 am
We'll see shortly. Oh, we should see an EVDO capable Rumor by the third quarter, but it will have a slightly different form factor. The Rumor actually get's the best radio frequency response of any of the LG's. Probably due to the fact that it is not a flip. If they make an evdo rumor with qchat and similiar features to my Sanyo You Better Believe I'm Pickin One Up
8. Posted by McGirk	Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:51 am
I really do not think that it will have qchat, not yet.
9. Posted by IOWA	Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:36 pm
I Don't See Whynot. with it's late release i would believe they would implement it.
10. Posted by McGirk	Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:16 am
The Rumor is a successful phone without high speed data, the first model I would expect to see capable of EVDO, but not QChat. Beginning with next years models, they may drop the 1x model and carry an EVDO as the lead model followed with the EVDO/QChat model. This will give them time to work out bugs in the software before implementing it on one of the phones they are likely releasing as their flagship model.

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