Home  ›  Carriers  ›

Nextel

Info & Phones News Forum  

all discussions

show all 20 replies

"Direct Connect" name has returned

jrfdsf

Sep 30, 2007, 10:30 PM
So what prompted this? Did Sprint finally figure out that nobody liked "walkie-talkie", or is it because Ready Link is now completely gone?
...
nextel18

Oct 1, 2007, 2:43 PM
It is a better name and since they are bringing back PTT to the marketplace overall they figure DC is better than the offers that they have. People do like that feature.
...
jrfdsf

Oct 1, 2007, 3:14 PM
One thing I noticed on the sprint.com website before, as opposed to now, that when you clicked on "walkie-talkie phones", it showed ALL of the walkie-talkie phones, including the Ready Link. Now, ONLY the Nextel phones are shown.

Is Sprint still activating RL accounts? What will happen to those folks who already have it? Will they be given any incentives to move off, or will the new Nextel CDMA-based Direct Connect phones be backward compatible with both. Lately, I've been hearing it both ways.
...
nextel18

Oct 1, 2007, 3:17 PM
Yea, they are trying to revamp the completely direct connect/PTT solution and product from the previous RL solution. I have not heard anything with their RL in quite some time when they were discontinuing it. I also do not know people who have it. But yea I would assume they would give incentives.
...
jrfdsf

Oct 1, 2007, 3:34 PM
I compare Ready Link to Nextel 2-way text messaging. It is slow, inconvenient, and tedious to use. At least though, you can continue using say, an old i90, to text message someone else (even though it would be inconvenient to use).

Ready Link folks, however, will just be left out in the cold. Either needing to switch to Nextel, or just simply cutting the service off completely, and using it as a regular phone. ☹️
...
nextel18

Oct 1, 2007, 3:42 PM
Actually, the two-way text is more reliable than Sprint’s RL.
...
jrfdsf

Oct 1, 2007, 3:46 PM
nextel18 said:
Actually, the two-way text is more reliable than Sprint’s RL.


Wow! 😳 That's a shocking statement! 😲

Just about everyone on the phone forums have trashed Nextel's 2-way browser messaging, but I've actually seen very little about Sprint's RL service (other than it was slow and inconvenient).
...
nextel18

Oct 1, 2007, 3:48 PM
I meant on a transferring situation. their two way is horrible but it is more efficient than Sprint’s RL.
...
jrfdsf

Oct 1, 2007, 3:50 PM
I've never tried RL. How does it even work? Can you just key up somebody's name and hit the button, or does the service have to be turned on first?
...
nextel18

Oct 1, 2007, 5:58 PM
I have not tried it either but I had some friends who did and they said it was awful. Both services have to be turned on the phone in order it to work. obviously if you were just RLing randomly it can be done but yea. I remember at one point they only had a few hundred thousand users. RL uses VOIP. Therefore, if there is no internet you are not able to RL the other person. AT&T’s PTT uses voice channels so if the network is down you cannot PTT. With Nextel, if the network is down you can still DC.
...
bkw212007

Oct 19, 2007, 6:53 PM
You can?
...
jrfdsf

Oct 20, 2007, 9:45 AM
I think nextel18 means if the telephone network is down, the DC still works. I've personally found this to be true. I was recently in an area where nobody's cellular service was working due to circuit overload on the phone system, yet my DC still worked. When I say "nobody", even landlines were temporarily down.

Another reason I like DC!
...
jrfdsf

Oct 20, 2007, 9:47 AM
Plus, if the entire Sprint network is down (iDEN & PCS), you can use the "Directalk" feature on newer Nextel phones, which allows short range communications between other compatible phones, much like traditional walkie-talkies.
...
bkw212007

Oct 22, 2007, 6:47 PM
I guess I do remember hearing about that, as it happened during Hurricane Katrina. Very cool indeed!
...
cellphonesaretools

Oct 28, 2007, 9:38 AM
If Nextel cellular system is overloaded, or if even the landlline telephone system is overloaded, it is possible for Nextel DC to work. But if the TOWERS go down, then DC will not work.

iDEN DC is a separate system running in parallel with the iDEN cellular voice system, and it does not rely on linking into the POTS (plain old telephone system) like cellular does, but if does require that the towers have electricity. As great a system as it is, not even Nextel DC runs without electricity to the towers.

Nextel DC is an awesome system that is truly robust and has a huge amount of value for not only Nextel customers but for the US as a nation. People who got excited about Cingular/ATT's PTT and who are now excited about the upcoming Q-Cha...
(continues)
...
tc1uscg

Oct 1, 2007, 5:19 PM
Wrong. Qchat will replace both and it will (still works) on current RL and PTT phones. I don't find RL hard to use at all. Just like PTT, you have to learn how to use it.
...
nextel18

Oct 1, 2007, 5:46 PM
Qchat will not replace Direct Connect, but it will with RL.
...
tc1uscg

Oct 1, 2007, 5:13 PM
Gone? No it's not gone. You seem to be making false assumptions or your confused. I used my RL at Ceder Point park all weekend with the family. It worked fine and along with Nextels life ring, "walkie talkie", will move over into the Qchat world soon enough. DC is just assuming the name of what both WT and RL use to be. Stay tuned.. Chirp Chirp 👀
...
jrfdsf

Oct 1, 2007, 6:54 PM
tc1uscg said:
Gone? No it's not gone. You seem to be making false assumptions or your confused. I used my RL at Ceder Point park all weekend with the family. It worked fine and along with Nextels life ring, "walkie talkie", will move over into the Qchat world soon enough. DC is just assuming the name of what both WT and RL use to be. Stay tuned.. Chirp Chirp 👀


I didn't say that Ready Link is gone, I was asking if was being phased out.

BTW, I don't think RL should just be discontinued, but at least should be compatible with QChat phones.
...
cellphonesaretools

Oct 1, 2007, 8:22 PM
I have heard that ATT/Cingular's PTT service, while not as good as Nextel's, had improved to the point where most of their users consider it reasonable. A local school district (longtime Nextel customer) booted Nextel this year in favor of ATT's PTT; I haven't heard how it's gone for them since they switched. I have never actually witnessed with my own eyes & ears anyone using ATT/Cingular PTT. Anybody know how ATT's PTT stacks up against Nextel today?
...
Yean

Oct 2, 2007, 9:48 AM
There is no comparision. The PTT with at&t cuts in and out in and calls are not as clear as Sprint's iDEN PTT. at&t's PTT phones are delicate compared to Sprint's iDEN phones. How's Sprint's coverage compared to at&t's? That may have been their deciding factor.
...

You must log in to reply.

Please log in to report a message to the moderator.


all discussions

Subscribe to Phone Scoop News with RSS Follow @phonescoop on Threads Follow @phonescoop on Mastodon Phone Scoop on Facebook Follow on Instagram

 

Playwire

All content Copyright 2001-2024 Phone Factor, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Content on this site may not be copied or republished without formal permission.