Actually I just read in another post that a new PTT option may be available come the 3rd Quarter of 2011. Which is what I was thinking would have to happen. Too many businesses rely on PTT for iDEN to just disappear.
Yes I'm sure it is quickly on its way out. Sprint is doing everything it can to migrate people over to the CDMA side so they can re-use the old 800 Mhz frequencies for enhancing their other services. I'm actually shocked that they are even selling iDEN handsets anymore. It is just too costly to maintain two completely different technologies, and to continue to pour money into one that is losing customers daily.
That being said I enjoy reading these threads related to the future of iDEN. Up until 2 years ago, I was a die-hard iDEN fan. I was a Nextel customer back in the mid 90's, and my first handset was the i600. The 600 was considered the first "slim" Nextel phone, and it was still twice the size of today's handsets! Plus it had no vibrate option, and the screen offered very little other than the caller ID, and PTT ID and the signal strength. But we all thought it was the "cat's meow."
(By they way, for a good laugh, look at this website. It is a CURRENT webpage, and they are advertising the i600 for $349.99. The phone hasn't been made in over 15 years, and surely wouldn't work on the current iDEN system due to upgrades over the years, but apparently no one has told these guys that. http://www.vycom.com/motorolaidennex...eiveronly.aspx)
Anyway I stayed on iDEN (later changing from Nextel to Boost for the better value) even as all my friends were leaving for greener (or should I say, "faster" pastures). Then it happened. In 2010 I had ONE person left I talked to regularly on the Direct Connect. I decided it was time to "cross the line," and bought my first Boost CDMA phone. I was excited about all the new "cool" features I would have, but somehow I felt like I had betrayed, and yes, even "lost" an old friend.
I've been using an HTC EVO 4G for quite some time now and I really love the phone, but even today, I miss PTT terribly. I've a got a few substitute programs on my EVO, "TIKL" and "Loudtalks," both of which are CDMA/PTT applications that will work with most Android phones, and some Blackberry or iPhones, but they are nothing like the raw power of the original Direct Connect, because as it was already pointed out, iDEN is actually a trunking two-radio first, and a cell phone second. Not to mention that the speaker/audio quality on the CDMA phones pales in comparison to an honest-to-goodness Motorola iDEN phone.
But guys it is time to come to grips with reality. Sprint it working hard to get rid of iDEN. They have been experimenting with other ways to offer PTT for the past 5 years, and they are only doing it for one reason - to keep their commercial customer base, while getting rid of iDEN.
Their first foray was Qualcomm's "Q-Chat," which I tried. It worked okay, but it wasn't a Nextel, I can assure you of that. They have since scratched that idea, and have a new type of POC feature (Push-to-talk over Cellular) that (I think) uses the "Brew" platform. They already have some Kyocera "Dura-Max" phones for sale on their website, and they conjure up visions of earlier "ruggedized" Nextel phones - very basic, and built for harsh environments. They just added the "Motorola Admiral," which is an Android Smart Phone with their new PTT (which they are also calling "Direct Connect") built in, but that's about it so far for PTT offerings.
But as you can see, they are ramping up to replace iDEN with their new Direct Connect, so you might just as well accept it. I hate to see it go too, but just like 386 Mhz computers, their usefulness just isn't cost effective in today's day and age. Even if some smaller entity were to buy the infrastructure, unless Motorola were to agree to keep building handsets, the system would still begin to fall apart, as phones became unuseable and no replacements were available. Plus, I believe Sprint wants to keep those 800 Mhz Nextel frequencies for their own use, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
However it pans out, they day they turn off the Nextel network, I will take the few iDEN handsets I have laying around the house (including a nice Blackberry), hold a nice memorial service for them, and bury them in my backyard with a headstone that reads; "Here lies a great idea. What a shame the cancer of money and greet caused its eventual death."
It has been a couple of years since I disconnected my iDEN line. I really don't miss it. Even if I had wanted to use PTT, all of my iDEN contacts have disappeared to other carriers.
It was a great technology for its day, but it stagnated around a decade ago.
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