Boost Mobile intros pay-as-you-go MP3 phone

Irvine (CA) - As an alternative to other famous music phones that require service contracts, like Sprint’s Fusic and Verizon’s Chocolate, Boost Mobile today announced its latest handset from Motorola, the i885. It contains several of the features seen in the mid-end range from the major carriers, but without the need to commit to a multi-year service agreement.

The Motorola i885 is a clamshell phone, with a 2.0 megapixel digital camera, built-in MP3 player, and microSD card slot. Other features include picture caller ID, support for real music ringtones, and a full slate of text/multimedia messaging features.

Pay-as-you-go phones have historically been behind the curve in relation to full service cell phones, in terms of multimedia features. However, with the rise in popularity of both teenage-and-under mobile consumers and music/video features in phones, there has been an incline in features for non-contract handsets.

Boost Mobile offers $0.20/minute calls during peak hours, and $0.10/minute for other times, as well as unlimited mobile-to-mobile calls between Boost, Nextel, and Sprint phones for $1 a day. Instead of signing up for a contract, customers purchase Re-Boost Cards, which are applied to the phone to pay for calls in advance.

Boost says the i885 is available now from wireless dealers across the country, at a suggested retail price of $350.