First Android powered iDEN phone

The Motorola i1 is the first ever Google Android powered smartphone to run on iDEN. This rugged smartphone comes packed with special features such as a 5 megapixel camera with flash and auto focus which also records video, what Boost Mobile is calling a "tough touch screen", assuming it's a touch screen that can withstand scratches to a certain extent. Since this phone's operating system is Android that means the user is opened up to the complete Android market of mobile apps which currently spans over 20,000 apps to choose from. Along with email, bluetooth, and access to popular instant messengers like AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, and of course Google Talk (being an Android phone), the i1 also comes packed with the strong, reliable, durability of nationwide Boost walkie-talkie which let's users connect in less than a second to anyone with an iDEN phone, anywhere in the U.S. from anywhere in the U.S. But where this phone does well, it lacks in other areas. Because it's on iDEN this means no access to Boost Mobile's nationwide 3G network (essentially Sprint's nationwide 3G network), so that means no watching videos on YouTube or sending text messages while being on the phone with a friend. It also means the internet speeds will be noticeably slower compared to the fleet of 3G phones Boost has recently released. If you ask me, it's gonna be pretty hard to run all these data-heavy apps on a network that isn't 3G so it'll be interesting to see how the Motorola i1 turns out. Now, here's the question everyone has been asking me, will I be getting the i1, or would I recommend it to others? No, and not exactly. I won't be getting the Motorola i1 because I am pretty satisfied with my Sanyo Incognito, it does everything I need it to. I wouldn't exactly recommend the i1 to anyone, but I'll tell you why and what to look for when considering getting yourself one. Being on iDEN, the main feature is the walkie-talkie. If you absolutely must have access to Boost's nationwide walkie-talkie because lets say your parents or family or close friends (or even co-workers) have it and you use it a lot, and you're also looking to get a great smartphone, then get the Motorola i1. If you don't already use the walkie-talkie, and you don't know anyone with Boost or Nextel walkie-talkie, but you still want a smartphone, then I'd recommend you save $100 and go with the Blackberry Curve 8330. A smartphone really needs to be on a fast, dependable network, and while iDEN gets coverage everywhere and you can easily make voice and walkie-talkie calls, as well as text messages, it lacks the speed required to run data-heavy apps that usually come with having a smartphone. To wrap things up, the Motorola i1 delivers in some core ways, but lacks in other important ones and is really only recommended if you must have access to Boost's nationwide walkie-talkie service and you also want a great smartphone. I hope this helps in your search for the right phone :) Good luck!