Nextel's classic walkie-talkie (Direct Connect) on the iDEN network is gone, but modern push-to-talk survives via carrier PTT services and internet apps. Coverage, group sizes and billing now vary - read providers' terms before you sign up.
A modern update on five Sanyo feature phones (MM-8300, SCP-3100, MM-7500, SCP-200, RL-7300): their original strengths, why they mattered, and why they're now legacy devices.
A mid-2000s collaboration between Baby Phat and Nextel produced limited-edition Motorola handsets marketed as fashion accessories with jeweled trim and Nextel's Push-to-Talk. The phones are now collectible after Nextel's iDEN network was retired in 2013.
Push-to-talk (walkie-talkie) phones moved from specialized use to mainstream awareness thanks to Nextel and later evolved into carrier services, apps, and 3GPP-standardized mission-critical solutions.
You can keep your phone number when switching wireless carriers. Local number portability lets you move numbers between providers - including landline-to-mobile and many prepaid numbers - as long as you follow the carrier's porting process and verify account details.