Does 2 Handsets Equal A Trend? Motorola ic402 From Nextel
With a lineup of some 20 different handsets Nextel offers, we’re not sure that 2 out of 20 equals a trend.
But a few eyebrows were raised last month when Nextel introduced its first combination iDen/CDMA phone, the Motorola ic502. Now Nextel is out with its second combo handset, the ic402.
The new handset is just a minor variation on the ic502 - leaving off the 502’s snazzy external screen, tweaking the phone’s appearance and finishes, and cutting the price by $20 (to $39.99 with 2 year deal instead of $59.99).
As we noted before, these combo handsets use Sprint’s more robust (better coverage) CDMA network for dialup voice calls, and Nextel’s iDen network for walkie talkie and GPS functionality.
We think these combo handsets are a new weapon for Nextel to prevent its customers who are unhappy with the coverage area from going to some other carrier. These handsets are cheap enough that Nextel’s retentions department (the department in charge of retaining unhappy customers) can offer them practically free to keep these disgruntled clients from switching.
Nextel is still offering these handsets in limited areas, and there’s no indication yet that customers from their sister outfit Sprint will be allowed to buy and use these handsets too. But for clients that love Nextel’s walkie talkie and GPS capabilities, and hate their problems with coverage, these phones provide a quick fix.
Sprint, Nextel, ic402, ic502, walkie talkie, iDen, CDMA
[via Nextel, Phone Arena]
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