Motorola i296 rugged style iDEN phone for Boost Mobile is now available for $59.99

Most recently we've seen how Boost Mobile has dabbled in offering some smartphones of late, but their core set of handsets are naturally akin to the rugged types – which generally are your typical flip or candybar form factors. Going back to their roots, Boost Mobile announced the availability of the rugged candybar styled Motorola i296 iDEN phone that follows closely to the carrier's usual line of handsets. It may not be pretty for most people, but its rugged styling will naturally protect it more from the elements and daily accidents when most phones would not. The Motorola i296 features GPS, speaker phone, voice activated dialing, Bluetooth, and some common PIM tools such as an alarm, calendar, calculator, and recorder. Priced at a modest $59.99 through Boost Mobile's web site, it should provide a decent offering seeing that no contracts are needed for its purchase. Later down the road, the handset should become available in most popular retail stores like Target, Sprint, and Best Buy.

Motorola i296 Specifications

source: Boost Mobile via Mobileburn