Does anyone know of a cell phone that has an "old school" walkie talkie feature?

I am not talking about the technology that is used for Nextel push to talk but just plain old peer to peer walkie talkie. My phone has a camera and mp3 player and I could see a need to be able to communicate via walkie talkie to other cars during road trips or to my wife while in different parts of a store without using cell minutes.Does anyone know of a cell phone that has an "old school" walkie talkie feature?
Most of Nextel's rate plans include unlimited walkie-talkie minutes, so you really don't need to worry about using walkie-talkie minutes. And, most plans also include free mobile-to-mobile cellular calls (between any Sprint and/or Nextel phone) for an additional $5 for Nextel phones. For Sprint phones, mobile-to-mobile is free, but you don't have the walkie-talkie feature (except on hybrid ic502 phone, which uses Sprint cellular and Nextel walkie-talkie).



But, to answer your question - some of the newer Nextel phones have a feature called "Direct Talk". Direct Talk is just like a regular off-the-shelf walkie-talkie - it doesn't use minutes. But, you have to switch to Direct Talk mode to use it, and you cannot receive cellular or Nextel Nationwide Walkie-Talkie calls while you are in Direct Talk mode. However, your phone calls will go to voicemail.



Nextel's web site states that Direct Talk only works with the i315, i325 or i325 IS, but it is also available on the i560, i580, i355, i670, i760, i850, i870 and i880.



And, the effective range is usually 1-2 miles in town, and 5-6 out in the country - as long as you aren't in the mountains. Direct Talks works really well.



See the link for more information - here is the Nextel explanation about Direct Talk.



Direct Talk is an all-digital off-network walkie-talkie service that works between compatible phones within a range of up to 6 miles. Terrain, weather, foliage and man-made structures (such as buildings), among other things, may impact range availability. Direct Talk operates on the 900 MHz ISM public frequency and provides group and private walkie-talkie capability. This valuable service is ideal for use in remote locations, as a back up for emergency situations, or when network coverage may not be available.Does anyone know of a cell phone that has an "old school" walkie talkie feature?
The closest thing to that is an FRS Radio which is basically a high tech walkie talkie. At best buy theres a pair that runs 19.99 but they run on 4 AA batteries each ones with chargers are around 49.99

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