Walkie Talkie Cell phones

At the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes in February, Nokia, Ericsson and Siemens announced that they are working on a standard for adding walkie-talkie features in mobile phones.

Instead of dialling a number, users will be able to highlight a name on their cell phone screen and press a button to talk to them instantly. No ringing, no waiting.

Similar to Instant Messaging, «Push To Talk» technology will allow users to create a liste of friends (who must first give their OK), enabling them to see who has their mobile turned on. cf The Guardian.

Walkie Talkie features already exist in Nextel phones, and through their Direct Connect service, Nextel phone users get right through.

Both Verizon and Sprint PCS are racing to see who can add "push-to-talk" to their phones first. cf News.com

emily | 5:57 PM | PTT (Push-to-Talk) |
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