Recently in push-to-x Category
Verizon is pushing its push-to-talk services with the new push-to-talk phone the Verizon Wireless clam shell CDM8975. The phone, developed by Personal Communications Devices, provides customers with fast two-way communication and will be available online by March 9.
The Verizon Wireless CDM8975 uses Verizon Wireless' Push to Talk service through the company's Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network.The Verizon Wireless CDM8975 also supports VZ Navigato fro audible turn-by-turn maps, directions and millions of data points that can help business customers locate their offsite meeting locations quickly and even share their maps with colleagues.
It also has Bluetooth technology, a 1.3 megapixel digital camera with video recording capabilities, voice commands, voice activated dialing, and a stereo speaker. Customers can stay entertained on a long commute or a business trip with Verizon Wireless' V CAST Music with Rhapsody and V CAST Video services.
The Verizon Wireless CDM8975 is available for $99.99 after a $50 rebate and a new two-year customer agreement. Corporate discount pricing is available. Verizon Wireless customers can add Unlimited Push to Talk for $5 per month, per line to any Nationwide voice plan.
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Sprint is offering a new group of flat-rate plans for Nextel Direct Connect. The new plans include unlimited Direct Connect, Group Connect,
Mobile-to-Mobile, Text Messaging and Picture Mail, starting at $29.99
per month. These plans are supposed to save businesses money because the offer unlimited connections within the employee workgroups saving more costly pay per minute phone use.Their news release notes that with other mobile providers, a business is asked to choose a plan
based on monthly anytime voice minutes required per user and then pay
incrementally for features such as push-to-talk, text messaging and
picture mail. While this approach makes sense for consumers, businesses
use mobile communications tools differently and need plans to address
the fact that most communication occurs between workgroup members.
With Nextel Direct Connect Custom Plans, the focus is on key services used most by workgroups, which are bundled with unlimited usage, at a low flat monthly rate. A business can then attach a bucket of anytime voice minutes to be shared with the entire workgroup.
HipVoice is a service for enterprise smartphone users that allows Push-To-Talk (PTT) over any carrier and over multiple devices and networks. They have just released software for BlackBerry smartphones. Previously it has been available for Windows Mobile smartphhones. HipVoice also has a client for Symbian Nokia smartphones and is planing a client for iPhone in the future.We talked to their spokesman who explained that it is not VoIP but can use the carriers data networks Typically it is hard to transmit voice over the data network because the carriers' data networks have latency and jitter built-in to prevent their data networks being used for voice. The HipVoice software works more like a walkie-talkie, where those communicating have to push a button and wait for a response. Therefore, the data delay is no problem.
Sprint, has been selected to provide critical communications
support for Pope Benedict XVI’s historic visit
to New York City. Sprint’s Emergency Response
Team (ERT) is providing - upon request of the
Archdiocese of New York (ADNY) - 600 Sprint
phones, all of which include Nextel Direct Connect, Sprint’s
premier push-to-talk service, which allows staff to communicate
instantly during all activities related to the Papal visit.”Robust communications are integral to the success of the Pope’s visit, and we decided to work with Sprint because of their industry-leading Nextel Direct Connect product and the instant connectivity that it will provide to our staff during all activities over the next few days,” said Joseph Zwilling, director of communications at the Archdiocese of New York. “The Sprint team has been very forthcoming with their technology and personnel, and we highly commend their participation.”
- Sprint’s ERT will deploy 600 phones with Nextel Direct Connect.
- 40 phones will be used by the Elite Fleet, including the Pope’s Caravan, all Cardinals and the Vatican VIP personnel.
- Key capabilities within the Nextel Direct Connect portfolio that the team will utilize include Group Connect, a unique capability that allows users to communicate with up to 20 other Nextel Direct Connect users at one time; Next Mail, which allows Nextel Direct Connect users to send a voice message to any email address and Blast Email via PTN Messaging.
- The Pope’s caravan will be tracked through Actsoft’s Comet Tracker GPS solution loaded on Sprint phones; transmitting data over a secured network in near real-time for optimum security and accuracy.
Sprint Nextel Direct Connect customers will have “push-to-x” capabilities. Push-to-x features bring the convenience of “the button” to multiple Nextel Direct Connect applications, including push-to-send voice messages to any email address, with NextMail(, and push-to-send pictures or contact info with Direct Send(SM).
“Part of our 15 years of experience offering industry-leading Nextel Direct Connect has been offering innovative uses for ‘the button’ with push-to-x features,” said John Garcia, chief marketing officer for Sprint. “Whether it’s reviewing a picture while on a call or quickly sending full contact information, Nextel Direct Connect offers users even more ways to get things done instantly with the button.”
“Instant communication is critical to customers who need to maximize their productivity in our fast-paced world, and Nextel Direct Connect has been providing that capability for years,” said Nate Dyer, senior analyst at Yankee Group. “Sprint has taken that same ‘instant’ customer requirement and extended the simplicity and speed beyond voice calls to a range of other push-to-x capabilities.”
