Motorola's upcoming mobile phones - Reviews - Cool Gear - Mobile Phones

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Motorola's upcoming mobile phones

By Jeremy Roche, ZDNet Australia
June 21, 2005
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/coolgear/mobiles/soa/Motorola-s-upcoming-mobile-phones/0,139023387,139198115,00.htm

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Motorola showcases follow-ons from the RAZR V3 Motorola morphs the successful RAZR V3 into a 3G phone, announces a slew of entry-level handsets, and shows off three new fashion phones and wireless accessories, including a pair of Bluetooth Oakley sunglasses.

Hot on the heels of Nokia's announcement of seven new mobile phones, Motorola has unveiled a 3G clamshell based on the design of the successful RAZR V3 called the V1150. The US-based manufacturer also announced a wide range of lower tier products at CommunicAsia 2005 in Singapore this week that it hopes will bolster its position in the Asia-Pacific region.

Although not quite as thin as its svelte GSM counterpart, the V1150 looks quite similar to its predecessor with a beautifully etched similar keypad and vivid dual displays. It sports a 2-megapixel camera for stills and an additional camera on the inside for 2-way video calling on third-generation (3G) networks. The V1150 also ups the ante by supporting removable TransFlash memory cards. While the company was quiet on the much-anticipated iTunes phones, the V1150 holds its own with a multimedia player supporting AAC+, MPEG4, WMV, WMA, MP3 and Real media files.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed but it is expected to launch in Australia in the third quarter of 2005. Although not specific about exclusivity deals with any networks, Motorola's director of product marketing for mobile devices Stephen Doran said the company is talking with a number of carriers for its release in Australia. Later this year, Optus, Vodafone and Telstra are expected to launch their own 3G mobile services in competition with Hutchison's 3.

Motorola, the worlds second largest phone maker, also hopes to capture more market share through low-tier customers with two entry-level 3G handsets and four GSM models. The C975 is a candybar-designed 3G phone with a VGA camera, MP3 player and expandable memory via removable TransFlash cards. The V975 has similar capabilities but is a flip phone with an external colour display.

The new entry- to mid-level GSM models also aim to bring mobile technology to the masses, especially in developing mobile markets in South-East Asia. Devices include the back-to-basics, monochrome-screened C117 and its big brother, the colour-screened C157. Moving slightly up the scale is the Bluetooth-equipped V360. It features push-to-talk, an MP3 player and a VGA camera. Another follow-on from the success of the V3 is the V280. It is a candybar phone measuring a super-thin 114 x 49 x 11mm and boasting a 262K-colour, 128 x 160-pixel display.

3G
Model	Availability	Features
Motorola C975	Now	3G, VGA camera, CIF camera for video calls, MP3 player, MMS, e-mail, 2MB built-in memory, expandable memory (TransFlash), WAP browser, 24-voice polyphonic ring tones, speakerphone.
Motorola V975	Now	3G, VGA camera, CIF camera for video calls, 1.9-inch 65K-colour internal display (176 x 220 pixels), 4K-colour external display, MP3 player, expandable memory (TransFlash), USB connectivity, J2ME games, MMS, e-mail.
Motorola V1150	Q4 of 2005	3G, 2-megapixel camera, additional VGA camera for video calls, Bluetooth, media player supports MP3, AAC+, WMV, WMA and Real video/audio files, voice recognition dialling (without pre-recording), WAP 2.0 browser, MMS, TransFlash memory expansion, supports 3D games and J2ME.

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Motorola also highlighted its line of fashion phones, which includes the SLVR V8, PEBL V6 and a special black edition of the RAZR V3.

The SLVR is a stylish upmarket phone with similar dimensions to the V230 (113 x 49 x 11.5mm) but has a sharper 176 x 220 pixel screen also capable of displaying 262K colours. The PEBL V6 is an elegant clamshell model with a unique pull-down-to-flip-open hinge.

All phones in Motorola's fashion series come with Bluetooth and VGA cameras. The special-edition black RAZR is available now, while the SLVR and PEBL are slated for release in Australia in August and September, respectively.

GSM
Model	Availability	Features
Pebl V6	Q3, 2005	Oval-shaped clamshell with silver finish, VGA camera, Bluetooth, vertical external display, video capture (MPEG4), picture caller-ID, DMMS, e-mail, 5MB internal memory, WAP 2.0 browser, voice dialling
Slvr V8	Q3, 2005	Ultra-thin, quad-band mobile phone, VGA camera, Bluetooth, MP3 player, 5MB internal memory, extenal memory card slot, push to talk, WAP 2.0 browser, MMS
Motorola C117	TBC	No frills entry-level phone, monochrome screen, 8 hours talk time, 80 grams, 3 pre-loaded games.
Motorola C157	TBC	Colour screen entry level handset, WAP browser, polyphonic ring tones.
Motorola V360	2nd half, 2005	Budget flip phone, Bluetooth, VGA camera, push-to-talk, MMS, e-mail, MP3 player, expandable memory (TransFlash), J2ME, WAP 2.0 browser.
Motorola V280	2nd half, 2005	Ultrathin, Bluetooth, MP3 player, VGA camera, picture caller ID, push-to-talk, support MPEG4, 3GPP and H.263 files.

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Vistors to the Motorola booth at CommunicAsia could also catch a glimpse the latest wearable technology product from the company's partnership with Oakley, RAZRWire. First announced at the 3GSM conference in Cannes earlier this year, the fashion tech device is a premium pair of sunglasses equipped with a Bluetooth wireless headset.

Marketed towards those with active outdoor lifestyles, such as cyclists, skateboarders, rock climbers and golfers, the Oakley frames will come in three colours, Pewter, Mercury and Aluminium.

RAZRwire eyewear touts 100% UV protection and is made from O-Luminum, a durable alloy 40 percent lighter than titanium. It is expected ship in the second half of 2005. Oakley already sells a range of MP3-playing sunglasses called Thump.

Also announced were three lightweight Bluetooth headsets, the RAZR H3, H700 and H300, which will be shipped in the second half of 2005. Other accessories that were unveiled included Bluetooth Stereo Gateway DC800, Wireless Helmet Headset HS830 and Pendant Headset HS830. Vivid blue LEDs and stylish designs feature prominently across the new range.

Accessories
Product	Availability	Specifications
RAZRWire	Q3, 2005	Oakley sunglasses with embedded Motorola Bluetooth wireless headset to connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs, PDAs and mobile phones. Connectivity up to 10 metres. Bluetooth 1.2 standard, backwards compatible with Bluetooth 1.1. 6 hours talk time, up to 100 hours standby, 20 grams.
Motorola Bluetooth Headset RAZR H3	Q4, 2005	Bluetooth 1.2 - up to 10m connectivity, 8 hours talk time, 130 hours standby, removable left/right ear hook, omni-directional microphone, blue LED for call status, one-touch call/end button.
Motorola Bluetooth Headset H700	Q4, 2005	Bluetooth 1.2 - up to 10m connectivity, 30% smaller than HS850, 6 hours talk time, 130 hours standby, multi-colour LED for call status, foldable boom microphone, reversible ear hook.
Motorola Bluetooth Headset H300	Q4, 2005	Bluetooth 1.2 - up to 10m connectivity, 30 hours talk time, 30 days standby, removable AAA battery, mute option, one call button, 2 volume controls, blue LED status indicator.

Jeremy Roche travelled to Singapore as a guest of Nokia.