Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile is the no-contract wireless company offering services on dependable nationwide network with straightforward pricing and a full suite of high-quality phones. Boost-branded wireless phones are available nationwide at nearly 20,000 major retail and independent wireless dealer locations.
Boost Mobile is a subsidiary of Sprint Nextel, providing prepaid service for the youth market, using the same iDEN technology as Nextel, and using Sprint Nextel's iDEN network. Boost also offers unlimited service using CDMA phones and Sprint Nextel's CDMA network.
Boost Mobile was one of the first few pay-as-you-go MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) to specifically target the youth market in the past year. Aimed specifically at an urban, hip-hop audience, the carrier's main claim to fame is its nationwide push-to-talk (PTT) service built on Nextel's network, plus lots of multimedia support for streaming video, audio, and the wireless Web. For its part, the Motorola i885 certainly delivers on those promises and adds a bit more. The Motorola i885 is available for $349. Boost Mobile's prepaid plan will cost you 20 cents per minute weekdays, with 10 cents per minute on nights and weekends (a.k.a. Boost Time) and when calling Sprint, Nextel, and other Boost customers. Read more about Boost Mobile's services in our quick guide to prepaid plans.

In stark contrast to the Razrs and the Pebls, the i885 is one of the clunkiest phones in Motorola's lineup. Overall we weren't impressed with its dull gray color and blocky design. Sure its measurements aren't terribly bulky (3.5 by 1.9 by 0.7 inches, 4.0 ounces), but its overall shape and size give it a decidedly bricklike feel. We admit that it feels comfortable in the hand and when held next to the ear, but it has a rather sticky hinge that makes it difficult to open and close the phone.