Motorola i1 is going to be exclusive with Best Buy & will require $50 unlimited plan?

Even though SouthernLINC beat out Boost Mobile to the punch by making available the Android powered Motorola i1, it looks like the big time prepaid wireless carrier is on the verge of launching the first rugged Android smartphone with iDEN push-to-talk. One of MobileCrunch's tipsters was able to take a snapshot of the handset which looks like it'll be launched exclusively with big box retailer Best Buy. There's no arguing that you can find additional Boost Mobile offerings in stores nationwide, but what makes the Motorola i1 so unique is that it'll be offered with their usual $50 unlimited data/web/text plan. Now what makes it surprising is that the BlackBerry Curve 8330 is currently available, but it requires a higher $60 unlimited monthly plan to work. Nonetheless, it's going to be a nice thing if they do plan on keeping it steady at $50 per month. However, there is still no word on how  much the handset will be sold for – seeing that it requires no contract, we could potentially see it somewhere around the pricing of the Curve 8330 or more.

Motorola i1 Specifications | Hands-on

source: MobileCrunch