Sprint and Samsung Release M520 Slider Phone

Sprint and Samsung (News - Alert) Mobile have unveiled a new phone: the M520 by Samsung. It is described as the first slider Power Vision phone, and is packed with communication and entertainment features including Web access, live TV, location services, song downloads, texting and GPS.

The M520 comes in a slim, slider form factor. It’s designed for multi-tasking so, for example, users can play music in background mode while sending text messages, playing games or browsing the Web.

The Samsung M520 will be supported by the Sprint Mobile Broadband network. The phone will offer access to exclusive services and multimedia content from Sprint. These include:

Sprint Navigation - a Telenav-powered GPS service that offers audio and visual driving directions, one-click traffic rerouting and over 10 million local listings.

Live Search for Sprint - A Microsoft (News - Alert) service that offers voice-enabled access to directory information while on the move, GPS-enabled directions, interactive maps and one-touch click to call access.

Sprint Music Store – A virtual store where users can browse and download songs wirelessly to their phone. Users can select from over 1.8 million songs for just 99 cents each

Sprint TV – offers over 50 channels of live and on-demand video and audio

Sprint Exclusive Entertainment (SEE) - the industry’s only made-for-mobile sports and entertainment video programming network.

For all downloads, standard data charges apply.

In addition to the above, the device also offers a wide array of other features, such as Web access, SMS voice and text messaging, Phone as Modem, picture caller ID, Wireless Backup, a MicroSD slot that supports 4GB of memory (64MB card enclosed), stereoBluetooth with audio caller ID that helps users to identify callers with a spoken voice while listening to music, and a 1.3 megapixel camera that offers 2x digital zoom and camcorder functionality.

The device is now available in all Sprint retail channels and through its Web site. It is priced at $49.99, with a $50 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract. The phone measures 4.01” x 2.04” x 0.5” when closed, and weighs less than 2.8 ounces.

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Sprint (S) To Give Away Cell Phone Calls For Free

Now that its rivals (AT&T NYSE: T) and Verizon Wireless have gone to $99.99 a month unlimited calling plans, Sprint (NYSE: S) needs to get it in gear. It has had trouble adding new wireless subscribers for the last two years while the two larger companies have put on more customers every quarter over the same period.

Sprint's merger with NexTel killed its subscriber service reputation which has done damage to the company's revenue and operating income. A recent study by the University of Michigan showed it in last place for customer satisfaction among US wireless providers The company sacked its CEO and has added an activist investor, Ralph Whitworth, to its board, an action it probably would have liked to avoid.

According to Reuters "Sprint has yet to respond (to its competition), but analysts say it could be considering an unlimited calling plan for as low as $60 a month in a bid to stem customer defections."

With its stock down from over $25 less than two years ago to just over $8 now, it may have to give its service away to get new customers.

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