Sprint gussies up for Valentine's Day

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Sprint has decided to paint some lipstick on its wireless network, offering "romance" oriented messaging and communication services.

Sprint is partnering with specialty messaging provider SMS.ac and wireline online dating giants Match.com and Lavalife to extend their wares to Sprint's consumer Vision service. SMS.ac is providing three SMS-based and MMS-based applications built off its MMSBox platform.

Topping the list is SmsFlirt, a messaging application that allows customers to search out potential matches based on a wide range of criteria, including location, and then communicate with them instantly over MMS. The service, which is available only to select Vision phones that support its graphical capabilities, communicate just as they would over a regular MMS service, except the identities of the participants are protected, their phone numbers and personal information hidden behind avatars generated by the service.

SMS.ac is also delivering its mobile chatroom solution, SmsClub, and a push news service called SmsChannels, which sends updates on horoscopes, news and celebrity gossip. All three services, however, are selling at a premium of Sprint's standard messaging services, generating 25 cents per message sent.

Match.com Mobile's application will be browser-based and function very similarly to Match.com's popular online dating portal. Sprint will charge $5 a month for unlimited access to the service. Lavalife's upcoming service will be similar to match, except the provider has added both voice and messaging capabilities. The services won't come cheap, however. Using Lavalife's voice meeting features will run customers 79 cents a minute plus regular airtime charges, and its messaging features will run 50 cents a pop.