Sprint Launches Direct Send Picture through PTT

Today Sprint announced the Nextel Direct Send Picture, a innovative and unique service that allows subscribers with capable Nextel phones the ability to send and view pictures quickly and easily, all while on a Nextel Walkie-Talkie call. The picture appears on both the user’s and recipient’s phones during the call giving the them the ability to both view and discuss it without changing between voice and data services.

Building upon last year’s Direct Send service that utilizes the Nextel Walkie-Talkie button to send contact information and transfer the data into another subscriber’s contact list, Nextel Direct Send Picture is ideal for those who communicate frequently about site observations and events taking place in real time.

“With the launch of Nextel Direct Send Picture, Sprint further expands the benefits of the Nextel Walkie-Talkie portfolio by offering enhanced services that move beyond traditional capabilities,” said Rena Bhattacharyya, IDC. “Sprint continues to maintain its leadership and build upon its expertise in the push to communicate arena, leveraging an innovative portfolio with an understanding of business telecommunication requirements.”

The introductory offer allows customers to use the Direct Send Picture service free of charge until February 28, 2006. But after this period, users will be charged a per-image fee of $0.25 for images sent and received.

Direct Send Picture is now available on the recently announced Motorola i870, and will be included on all future Nextel phones. Software upgrades to enable Direct Send Picture will also be rolled out over the coming weeks for select Nextel phone models already in the market including the Motorola i850, i760, i560, i355 and i275.