Audiences have long been awed by James Bond and his sexy... gadgets. Bond has always had the state-of-the-art techie designs, courtesy of Q labs, gizmos that were totally out of the consumer's reach. Even recently, with the introduction of phone models actually available to the public, the altered function of the item was the gimmick, not the phone itself.
Where was the sexy superspy that actually used devices that the buying public could get their hands on?
It may seem like an odd question, but it looks like Sprint has been thinking that exact same thing. In May of 1999, Sprint introduced "The Sprint PCS Guy," a mysterious X-Files-esque secret agent type, who came to save the day with PCS technology whenever bad connections reared their ugly heads.
Played by actor Brian Baker, the Sprint PCS Guy was able to make cell phone use in itself fun, and even intriguing in that sexy spy way. In fact, Baker played the character so well that he went on to make the 2001 edition of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" list, and continues to hold the part in Sprint's nationwide marketing campaign strategy.
I find it doubtful, somehow, that Verizon's "Can you hear me now? Good!" guy will ever be considered sexy.
It turned out, however, that Sprint didn't think they had gone far enough. Sure, the Sprint PCS guy was sexy and mysterious like a secret agent, but he wasn't really a secret agent. But Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland on Fox's critically-acclaimed series 24, is.
Bauer is never without his GPS unit, his gun and his Sprint cell phone. In 24, access to a cell phone (or the lack thereof) has been an oft-repeated plot device. Cell phones have saved lives. Scratch that... Sprint phones have saved lives.
This is the sexy, supercool publicity that Sprint had been trying to achieve with Baker, finally pushed to the James Bond gadget level.
Phones are being used for their intended purpose, just in a more mysterious way.
Making its debut to the public as the communication link between double agent Jamey (played by Karina Arroyave) and assassination conspirator Gaines (Michael Massee) was the new Samsung SPH-I 300.
This $500 phone, available in the U.S. exclusively on the Sprint PCS service, is the first really promising PDA-cell phone combo.
It runs on Palm OS, features an 8-bit, 256-color screen, 8 MB of memory, 10 minutes of recording time and the ability to clandestinely send secret messages back and forth to a presidential nominee's potential assassin, allowing you to report the goings on of the government agency you work for with ease.
