Sprint announced the Motorola Admiral for October 23rd at $99.99 with a new two-year agreement and after a $50 mail-in rebate. The first Android-powered smartphone with Sprint Direct Connect, it featured a 1.2GHz processor, a 3.1-inch VGA touchscreen, a portrait QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video, 4GB internal storage with microSD expansion, 3G Mobile Hotspot for up to five devices, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and Corning Gorilla Glass. Built to Military Standard 810G for dust, shock, vibration, solar radiation, and temperature extremes, it was designed for field-based professionals who needed both rugged hardware and push-to-talk speed.
Sprint Direct Connect services included one-to-one push-to-talk nationwide, Group Connect for up to 20 subscribers, TeamDC for up to 200, Call Alert with Text, NextMail voice messages, and Guaranteed Talk Permit confirmation. Business features included Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, device encryption, and remote wipe. Available initially through Sprint’s direct sales channels starting October 23rd, with full retail availability from November 13th.
