Next Mobile to unveil new brand

There are Smart and Globe, and recently Sun Cellular. Then there are a lot of technologies and services available – GSM, GPRS, SMS, Movie Mail, etc.

On Wednesday, Next Mobile-Nextel will make things even more complicated.

As Nextel transforms into Next Mobile, it has chosen a brand name represented by three of the most powerful letters in the alphabet, that when combined, would give mobile workers the most exciting ride that the best of the information age could offer – IMX or Incredible Mobile Experience.

IMX’s distinctive identity lies on customer experience that can only be provided by the uniqueness of Next Mobile’s technology.

"We made a bet on a compelling customer experience then we leveraged on the killer attributes of multiple technologies. The combination of four killer attributes into one device that operates on a wireless and mobile fashion is so powerful and no technology today can be incredibly sexier than that," Mel Velarde, Next Mobile-Nextel’s president and chief executive officer, said.

He is referring to the Next Mobile phone that fully integrates the following:

• A digital multi-way radio that functions like an instant intercom;

• A mobile phone;

• A computer with a small screen for Internet browsing and e-mail; and

• An intelligent information appliance that runs enterprise-based applications.

But Velarde said IMX "is not everything for everybody. It is designed for teams involved in mission-critical operations, which require split-second coordination and multiple tasks being done simultaneously. Any failure to respond in a matter of seconds could spell disaster to these operations. There is no room for the normal delay caused even by the best GSM phone."