Smart phones have been growing smarter for some time, blurring the lines between PDAs and handsets. However, even the brainiest of phones have been closed-box devices—with the exception of a few, more infuriating ring tones, users havent been able to change the application makeup of their phones.
Motorolas i85s cellular phone changes this. Its the first phone available in North America to feature support for applications written with Suns Java 2 Micro Edition.
Out of the box, the phone that I looked at came with a calculator and expense pad applications, as well as a game from Sega. Nextel, one of the service providers marketing the i85s, provides an area on its Web site from which users can download additional applications. Transferring applications to the phone requires a $29.95 data cable, which is available separately.
Nextel sells the i85s for $199 with a service contract. Check out www.nextel.com for more information.