Nextel's iDEN technologies are not being wasted by Sprint, as the company has expanded the Push-to-Talk (PTT) service to include many new features.

Sprint has expanded its Nextel Direct Connect to allow customers that have a compatible device to engage in new features mapped to the direct connect button.

The future of Sprint's Nextel division looked uncertain just a few months ago, with speculation that the company was opting to shift focus off of Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN)-related features. Today's news of expanded direct connect options shows that Sprint is driving Nextel and iDEN ahead.

The new "Push-to-X" features include: Push-to-Email for $7.50 a month, Push-to-Picture for $.25 per picture, and the free Push-to-Send Contact Info service.

Push-to-Email, or NextMail, lets the user select a contact, push the Direct Connect button, record a message, and send to the recipient's e-mail address, where the audio file is sent as a link.

Direct Send, the "push-to-picture" feature, allows users to exchange photos while linked in a direct connection, much like IM file transfers. Like instant messages, the sent picture appears on both the sender and recipient's screen simultaneously.

The same can be said of contact information, also included in the Direct Send function. Users can send any information from their contact list while engaged in direct connection for no extra charge.

Sprint expects even more Push-to-X features to be rolled out this year, including push-to-text, push-to-locate, push-to-information, and more.

Alltel, AT&T, and Verizon all offer PTT services in the US, but Sprint/Nextel is the first so far to offer upgraded services such as these.