Motorola recently launched its first ‘push-to-talk’ Android operating system-based smartphone – the Motorola i1, which will be launched this summer on Nextel and SouthernLINC's iDEN networks.

With Motorola being the only phone provider for the blue-collar iDEN network – which is currently being used by over 24 million people, mostly construction workers and those involved in outdoor industries, in 24 countries worldwide -, the Motorola iDEN device will virtually take the network into the future.

With its rugged body and super-loud speakers, the specifications and features of the forthcoming Motorola i1 smartphone are similar to a mid-range smartphone - a bright 3.1-inch touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera, and four touch-responsive buttons with a 5-way navigation wheel.

Running the Android OS 1.5, the Motorola i1 boasts a fine integration of the Andorid user interface with push-to-talk technology – which can be turned ‘on’ by either pressing a hardware button on the handset’s back or by tapping an on-screen icon. In addition, Blutooth and Wi-Fi on/off switches, made particularly for the i1, will also be shipped with the device.

With the Opera Mini 5 browser to be the built-in default browser of the Motorola i1, the pages rendered on the browser are compacted by nearly 90 percent. Since the browser uses comparatively fewer resources of the handset, the i1 boasts a fast mobile web surfing experience.