Motorola and Microsoft Strike a Deal
Motorola Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have struck a deal that gives users of Hotmail and the MSN Messenger instant-messaging system access to the services via a two-way pager called Talkabout T900.The companies said that it will cost users about $100 a month for the device and an extra $20 or so a month for unlimited service.
Talkabout T900 is expected to be available by the second half of this year and will use Westborough, MA-based Arch Wireless' nationwide network, according to Bob Visse, group product manager for Microsoft's MSN services.
The Motorola Talkabout T900 device already provides paging and e-mailing capabilities and retails from $99 to $170, said Josephine Posti, a spokeswoman for the Schaumburg, IL-based company.
Both companies stressed that the advantage this service offers will be that it allows users to access their Hotmail accounts and instant messaging accounts on Talkabout. Until now, users have had to send messages from a numbered e-mail account linked to a pager.
