Motorola i570 Nextel phone released today

Nextel, Sprint’s homely-yet-dependable half-brother, has decided that it’s time to party like it’s 1999 with the Motorola i570.

It’s got Direct Connect, Group Connect, Direct Talk, Direct Send, GPS, a 64k color internal display, monochrome external display, rugged design, speakerphone, and a bunch of other stuff that you’d expect from a phone that works first and foremost as a phone, leaving little time for gallivanting around like its flamboyant brothers and sisters on the Sprint network.

It costs a penny shy of a hundred bucks with a two year contract, which includes $150 in instant savings and a $50 mail-in rebate. Available today.

The Motorola i335 was also recently introduced. It’s $29.99 for new subscribers and features Bluetooth and a slim, candy bar style housing.

Sprint Nextel homepage [Sprint.com]

T-Mobile Bound Samsung Blast Is Not a Normal Slider Phone

On the surface, the Samsung Blast -- destined for T-Mobile stores with a mere $99 asking price -- looks like any other thin Samsung slider phone.

Look a little further and you'll find something quite different altogether.

That's because when you slide out the keypad, it's not of the conventional numerical variety. Instead, it's got a SureType keyboard designed for text message aficionados and email enthusiasts. It's not quite as exciting as the sliding QWERTY on the Samsung i570 smartphone, but the Blast is much more consumer friendly, both in terms of functionality and price.

Other than the unique SureType keyboard, the Samsung Blast comes equipped with a 176x220 LCD display, microSD expansion, Bluetooth, and a music player. And let's not forget that the $99 bargain price is more than a little appealing.