Filed under: Cellphones

Eat your heart out, Samsung. Well, not really, since Motorola's new MOTOFONE is not only 2.1mm thicker than Samsung's current record holding X820, but also comes up quite short in the features department. Instead the new MOTOFONE, coming in GSM and CDMA flavors at a svelte 0.35-inches, is targeting first time wireless users, prepaid buyers, and developing countries. Luckily, while Moto was weeding out those "nonessentials" like a camera, MP3 playback and a color screen (The MOTOFONE has instead an electrophoretic display with similarities to e-paper) they managed to lose that unsightly hump Samsung slapped onto the X820. Motorola's thinnest phone does include some niceties beyond size, like local language voice prompts for ease of use, dust and sun resistance, and "extended" battery life. There's no word on price or a release date, but we're sure we can find enough change in our couch for whenever it does come around. Phone Scoop is calling this unit part of Motorola's "Scalpel" platform, of which the rumored SCPL should be a bit more of an exciting member.

[Via Phone Scoop; thanks everyone]

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, GSM, CDMA

Eat your heart out, Samsung. Well, not really, since Motorola’s new MOTOFONE is not only 2.1mm thicker than Samsung’s current record holding X820, but also comes up quite short in the features department. Instead the new MOTOFONE, coming in GSM and CDMA flavors at a svelte 0.35-inches, is targeting first time wireless users, prepaid buyers, and developing countries. Luckily, while Moto was weeding out those “nonessentials” like a camera, MP3 playback and a color screen (The MOTOFONE has instead an electrophoretic display with similarities to e-paper) they managed to lose that unsightly hump Samsung slapped onto the X820. Motorola’s thinnest phone does include some niceties beyond size, like local language voice prompts for ease of use, dust and sun resistance, and “extended” battery life. There’s no word on price or a release date, but we’re sure we can find enough change in our couch for whenever it does come around. Phone Scoop is calling this unit part of Motorola’s “Scalpel” platform, of which the rumored SCPL should be a bit more of an exciting member.

[Via Phone Scoop; thanks everyone]

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, GSM

The FCC is many things to many people, but for us, it’s a library and an informant. In its latter capacity, the agency has scooped literally dozens upon dozens of phones for us; in its former, it serves as one of the most comprehensive sources of mobile phone user’s manuals on the ‘net. They’re putting on their starched, three-piece suits and playing their librarian role this time around, releasing a cornucopia of PDFs relating to Motorola’s low-cost MOTOFONE F3. The draft manual is a breath of fresh air for the manual haters among us — we know who you are — if it carries through to production in its current form, bearing just 10 (yes, ten) panels of important information on what appears to be a foldable pamphlet. Ultra low-end or not, we have to admit an irrational excitement is building around Engadget HQ to play around with this thing — especially if the brief documentation suggests it’s going to take like 90 seconds to learn.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, GSM, CDMA

We knew Motorola had something (really) skinny up its sleeve way back in July, and after it got the ole thumbs-up from our constituents over at the FCC, we knew a whiz-bang release couldn’t be too far out. Thankfully (at least for India), today’s the day, and the MOTOFONE will finally find its way into (and surely out of) slim fit pockets everywhere. Moto announced immediate availability of the GSM-based F3 within India today at a dedicated event held in New Delhi, and stated that “international markets” could expect to get their palms on one “in the coming weeks.” Furthermore, the CDMA sibling (F3c) is slated to hit shelves “before the end of 2006.” While pricing details were cleverly omitted, we’re sure they’ll surface soon when local carriers jump on the bandwagon.

[Via Mobiledia]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.