Similarly to its Australian representative, Boost US is one of the cheapest mobile providers on the market, offering unlimited texts, calls, and data for only US$50 per month. The major problem for the company so far has been a small selection of subsidised phones along with the lack of high quality phones. This is about to change with the addition of the Motorola i1. This is definitely a high quality smartphone. It comes with a 5 mp camera, a 3.1 inch HVGA display, Android 1.5 with the pre-installed Opera 5 Mini Web Browser. The camera has an autofocus, flash, and is capable of taking small videos – all of the features of many of the top-of-the-range phones. The phone has Wi-Fi capabilities along with SWYPE integration for even faster texting than ever before. This new smartphone also comes with a 2 GB microSD card, but supports up to a 32 GB card if required.
The Android powered Motorola i1 will be available at Best Buy on launch for $349. It will also still come with the walkie-talkie feature, which has become the norm for all phones across the Boost Mobile network. Not sure whether this feature will be offered by Boost Australia. The main drawback is that the phone ships with Android OS version 1.5, which of course, is quite old. This means it might not be as secure, or user friendly as other devices with the latest version of the operating system. There are not that many differences between the new version and the old 1.5 version, so it might not be that big of a deal, but it is definitely worth noting in case you might notice some differences between other new Android phones and the i1. Other than that, the phone comes fully featured on a reliable network that is more affordable than the rest, so when (and of course if) the phone comes to Australia, and you don’t mind trying a new mobile operator, the Motorola i1 might not be a bad choice to at least give a try.
Overall, the design is quite average; not the ugliest thing ever seen, but certainly not the best one either. The features are pretty vast due to the Android OS. SWYPE technology makes this phone different from other similar devices, at least for now. So, the verdict on the Motorola i1 is still very much in the air. We might take a closer look at this phone if it ever comes to Australia.
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