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Video Tour: QChat DirectConnect

Intro QChat Sanyo PROs Video Comments 14

Jun 24, 2008, 2:06 PM by Eric M. Zeman

We take two QChat-enabled walkie-talkie phones for a spin to see how well the new DirectConnect technology really works. Does it hold a candle to iDEN? Yes, yes it does.

Sprint recently rolled out a brand-new walkie-talkie service based on different technology compared to what it has used in the past. Previous Sprint Nextel phones used the Nextel iDEN network to pass walkie-talkie signals back and forth. This service was fast and reliable, and has become a way of life for literally millions of users.

The problem is Sprint's iDEN network is old, and has no clear migration path to 4G. This means Sprint is faced with the challenge of providing a comparable walkie-talkie service over its existing CDMA network. Sprint and technology partner Qualcomm have cooked up a new way for walkie-talkie signals to pass back and forth over the CDMA network with performance equivalent to that of the old iDEN network. It is called QChat. QChat needs some serious 3G action to work. It needs EVDO Rev. A (which has shorter latency periods) to match the speeds seen on the iDEN network.

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About the author, Eric M. Zeman:

Eric has been covering the mobile telecommunications industry for 17 years at various print and online publications. He studied at Rutgers Newark and University of Kentucky, and has a degree in writing. He likes playing guitar, attending concerts, listening to music, and driving sports cars.

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Sanyo PRO-700

Display: 240 x 320 pixels
1,050 mAh battery

Sanyo PRO-200

Display: 240 x 320 pixels
1,050 mAh battery

Comments

This forum is closed.

This forum is closed.

ArmySF

Jun 24, 2008, 3:41 PM

I wouldn't be caught dead with these phones!!

As a Nextel subscriber I think these phone flat out suck! I'm not talking about the qchat service, that seems to work well...but the construction of the Sanyo PRO 700 is a total pos. It's to light weight, to small, and lacks the appeal of a real Nextel phone.

I hope in the future Sprint rethinks their approach....the obvious goal is to get Nextel subscribers over to the qchat side, how is this little crappy Sanyo going to do that? I'm more impressed with the ic502/902 then these bogus phones. Maybe I'm wrong and ppl will find appeals with them, but I give them a failing grade.

Good review but throwing it in the grass, C'mon 😉

Infinity_8

I beg to differ fellow soldier. I have the Pro 700 and it's a great phone. Sanyo's approach was to make a tough phone that does what a phone should and not all bells and whistles. The screens are great, the phone has a great feel. I have great call qu...
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yeahright

try the Boulder on Verizon when it comes out 😁

donkey_sauce

I guess this phone will be hard to accept for existing Nextel customers. I mean its a sanyo, so it won't do something like power off all the time (i850) or just show the screen upside down for no good reason (i880) or just have really sucky coverage ...
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scorpio