Discussions in online forums by Sprint employees who have attended advanced training suggest a total revamping of Sprint plans is in the works. According to the messages most old plans (SERO and SimplyEverything STAY) will disappear, past perks will be grandfathered. If the chatter is valid, the new plans will mirror SimplyEverything and all PDA devices sold will require a data plan. Sprint’s eventual iDen/Walkie Talkie technology replacement (QChat) is rumored to finally launch nationwide on June 15th as well. This doesn’t mean that existing Sprint customers lose their plans, but that a wider variety may be coming. New plan changes no longer require contract extensions, so if you’re thinking Sprint there’s no reason to delay buying - but keep your eyes open around June 15th to see if better plans appear.

Link: Sprint’s video demo of QChat
Link: Sprint SERO - Maybe The Best Cellular Plan Ever - Includes Voice, EVDO, SMS, MMS

Those of you eager for the nationwide release of the Sanyo Pro-700 featuring Sprint’s Push-to-Talk QChat technology can satisfy your curiosity a little. There’s a hands-on review (including several pictures) at the SprintUsers forum. The phone garners high praise from the reviewer for including a way to update the PRL (preferred roaming list) directly from the menu as well as a micro usb charging port. No feedback yet on the phone’s ability to Direct Connect Nextel subscribers (a key function of the phone).

Sprint’s Sanyo Pro-200 and Sanyo Pro-700 are currently in limited distribution in the states of Kansas and Colorado with more extensive distribution hoped for in early June. The Sanyo Pro-700 is noteworthy because it is Sprint’s long awaited effort to provide their customers with CDMA handsets that can connect with Nextel’s iDen based handsets. The Sanyo Pro-700 also appears to be Sprint’s first EVDO Rev A non-smartphone.

Link: Sprintusers.com Forum Review

If you’re a Nextel Direct Connect user hoping for a slimmer phone - while still retaining the trademark walkie talkie feature of Nextel- here’s a new video from Sprint showing their new Sanyo 200 and 700 Direct Connect phones in action. These Sanyo phones are important to Sprint because they’re the first to utilize QChat - aka EVDO Rev A data - to connect Sprint to the aged Nextel iDen Direct Connect - something that’s been promised by Sprint since day one of their merger. The Sanyo 200 and 700 are identical in features with the 700 meeting military specs and being encased in a rugged housing. This phone rollout is important to Sprint because it fulfills the promise of connecting the networks of the two merged companies. If the new QChat technology falters, the remaining Nextel subscribers may head for another carrier

Link: All Sprint Videos on YouTube
Link: QChat vs Nextel Direct Connect Live Demo

The much awaited initial shipment of QChat enabled phones (that’s Sprint’s long promised Direct Connect replacement) have popped up online at the Sprint site following this April 10 press release announcing availability for Kansas and Colorado subscribers. So far their debut is limited to a help section of the site and apparently all ordering has to be done via Sprint direct sales. Interestingly the Sprint site make no mention of QChat - instead referring to it as Direct Connect as show on the following screen shots. PS - Yes, these phones do connect to old style Nextel’s - check the video demo on the next page for proof.

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