Sprint recently announced the entry-level Motorola i886 rugged phone. It is the first handset with a side-sliding full QWERTY keyboard and Nextel Direct Connect. It allows you to talk with any Nextel Direct Connect subscriber nationwide. Direct Talk offers a reliable push-to-talk service that works anywhere, anytime between compatible phones for short-range communications. The rugged design protects this handset from dust, shock, vibration, low and high temperature, low pressure and solar radiation.

Motorola i886 features a 2.2 inch TFT display with 240 x 320 pixels resolution, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera with digital zoom and camcorder, built-in MP3 player, GPS Navigation, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, 32 GB expandable storage, MicroSD card slot, 2 GB card included, up to 4 hours of talk time and 1380 mAh Lithium-ion battery.

This handset measures 116.3 mm x 51.1 mm x 18.5 mm and weighs 141.2 grams. Motorola i886 will be exclusively available on the airwaves of Sprint in the US. This handset comes with a price tag of $79.99 after $50 rebate and two-year service agreement.