Unlike other smartphones, the Motorola i1 doesn't set itself apart by being better or faster than any of its counterparts. Instead, it differentiates itself by bringing push-to-talk capabilities and a rugged design, as well as being available as a prepaid phone.
Physically, it looks like a regular touchscreen device. A closer inspection, however, will reveal notable touches, such as a hard plastic casing and rubber edges, that makes it more suitable for rugged use. Despite the sturdier build, it isn't all that much heavier, retaining the sleek styling common in today's smartphone options. It sports a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen (320x240 resolution), providing good image display and excellent touch responsiveness.
As a phone, the Motorola i1 made for great call quality over Boost Mobile, with natural-sounding voices and very clear conversations. Those on the other end reported the same, although they did notice a slight background noise. Speakerphone worked similarly, having loud volume and generally decent sound. Battery is rated at only 3.5 hours of talk time, so expect to charge this nightly if you use your phone at a moderately heavy pace.
It runs on Nextel's iDEN network for data, which isn't the fastest. Surprisingly, the experience was serviceable, with full HTML pages loading fast on the default Opera Mini 5 (which processes pages on the server-side). Speed does suffer, however, with Android's Webkit browser and the YouTube app (plenty of buffering). The handset only runs Android 1.5 (read: ala-G1), so that could be a deal-killer for a lot of people (it's not like there's a deluge of Android phones with PTT, though).
All the typical phone features are here, including PIM tools, aGPS and Bluetooth. You get older versions of Google's suite of apps, plus solid messaging, which has been Android's strength from the start. Other notables include WiFi and a separate contacts list for the PTT service. It comes with a 5.0 megapixel camera that, unfortunately, takes mediocre photos for its level of resolution.
Overall, the rugged frame and unique functionalities of the Motorola i1 makes it a good choice for those whose needs it looks to serve. It's pretty affordable too: $349.99 with no contract from Boost Mobile.
