Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint still hasn’t quite learned the fine art of not getting shown up by CDMA rival Verizon for prompt releases of the hottest phones, partially on account of Verizon’s tendency to lock up lucrative exclusivity agreements that last anywhere from a few months to life of the model (as is the case with the CDMA Chocolate). Fortunately, as foretold by our friends at Phone Scoop, Sprint’s K1m comes relatively hot on the heels of Verizon’s. Thanks to a different UI and color scheme, the Sprint variant barely resembles its stablemates and it’ll be interesting to see whether customers ultimately do a better job warming up to it. The Sprint K1m can belong to anyone willing to part with $200 and sign on the dotted line — or, as Sprint likes to say, $399.99 minus $200 in “instant savings.”

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

We can almost hear the voices of skeptical readers whispering in unison, “fanboy Photoshop,” and we’d normally have half a mind to agree. After all, the bizarre gray exterior (just a reflection, perhaps?) seems incongruent with the rest of the phone, the contents of the external display are obviously faked, and the coloration of the Verizon logo doesn’t make a lot of sense — not to mention that the concept of a CDMA-based MOTORAZR MAXX is a bit… shall we say, new to us. Alas, it turns out the picture’s authenticity is rock solid (not to say it’s not a Photoshop job, but if it is, it’s an official one) seeing how we just downloaded it off Motorola’s official site for press multimedia. We know nothing about it besides what we’re seeing here, but truth be told, the picture alone is a lot to process: Verizon gets a strangely colored variant of a high-end RAZR we didn’t even know existed. It looks like a 2-megapixel cam is in the cards, and if the specs mirror its GSM cousin, we can expect a QVGA display, microSD expansion, and 50 odd megabytes of internal storage — not a bad piece to slot in right above the K1m, if we do say so ourselves. As soon as we catch wind of availability (or catch wind that Motorola is playing an extraordinarily unsportsmanlike practical joke on us), we’ll pass on the good word.

[Thanks, Pioneer]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Cellphones

We figure peeps who’ve placed their orders through Verizon’s site for Motorola’s new gotta-have-it clamshell need a little reading material to pass the time while they wait for the good folks in the shipping industry to make their phones materialize — so without further ado, we present PC Magazine’s take on the Motorola K1m MOTOKRZR (pictured right). While the K1m is undoubtedly a fabulous-looking flip, PC Mag seems to share the same brooding, mildly pessimistic view we do: it’s essentially a V3m in a narrower, shinier package. On the plus side, the new dimensions apparently make the phone both easier and more comfortable to hold against the ear, battery life is top-notch with just over five hours of tested talk time, and the microSD slot means many owners will be able to carry over their investments in memory expansion from prior phones. Sadly, signal strength doesn’t quite match that of its older sibling, and the UI is typical Verizon fare — no Flash here, a la the VX8500 Chocolate — though it does share the Chocolate’s tricky-to-use touch sensitive controls. In the end, it seems the K1m ends up setting the standard once again for mobile industrial design, while simultaneously managing to fall further behind in the spec sheet race.

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, GSM, EV-DO, UMTS

Field report tidbits from Engadget's resident mobile insider, the Boy Genius.

What do we have here? Four different SLVR models? Yep! That's right, from CDMA to GSM to WCDMA, the good folks at Motorola have you covered. Starting on the right the first is called the L7i which is simply an update to the L7, the way the V3i was to the V3. It adds a 1.3 megapixel camera, EDGE, more internal memory, the updated UI [though not Juix] and some other miscellany. Next we have a regular L7, you know the phone your grandparents use? The real star of the picture has to be the third L7 which is the 3G model. It has a front facing video conferencing camera (obviously), 2.0 mega pixel camera, world 3G bands, quad-band EDGE, and microSD as well. Finally we have the much rumored L7c that was just finally announced. It is indeed a SILVR SLVR, microSD card support, 1.3 megapixel camera, VCAST, and is coming to... Alltel! Just kidding. Verizon Wireless, holla at me baby!

[Once again, props to Boy Genius! Click on for more images.]

Verizon L7c next to a GSM KR1

You love to you hate it, the infamous Verizon UI

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Sprint-Nextel, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA

Alright, Sprint users: who's pumped to land a SLVR of your own? Show of hands, please. How about you Verizon folks? The handful of you with your arms raised high right now, bursting at the seams with anticipation for Moto's rumored CDMA port of the L7, don't have much longer to wait. Buried in with the goodness that Motorola dropped on us Monday was the official news that the L7c is indeed a real device -- though beyond the fact that it rocks EV-DO, we aren't given much to go by. Exact dates, carriers, thickness -- you know, the important details -- all remain mysteries, though Sprint and/or Verizon will clearly be getting the device, and some duration of exclusivity seems to be a logical assumption. The SLVR's GSM variants haven't managed to rock many boats, but decently-equipped candybars are a slightly rarer breed on US CDMA networks, so we can imagine some level of excitement here. Motorola Q-style pandemonium, probably not, but excitement nonetheless.

[Via Mobile Guerilla]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

What was once known as the Capri -- the US Motorola team's first 4LTR slider effort , not to be confused with the Korean team's Z -- can now be called the MOTORIZR, and the skinny is, of course, not entirely surprising. The 0.6-inch thick quad-band device features EDGE, a 2 megapixel camera, QQVGA display, Bluetooth with A2DP, microSD, and a 2H launch time frame. Again, nothing to turn the head of anyone who's heard about the device over and over online, but still a welcome addition to Moto's staid lineup of RAZRs in an ever-increasing array of colors.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

Well, it’s not an absolute surprise, we saw this model as an unnamed prototype floating around last month, but Motorola just officially took the wraps off of their new MotoRAZR MAXX, a purtiful followup to the V3x. At a mere 0.6-inches thick, the MAXX shaves a whole 0.2-inches off of the V3x. The new phone also adds EDGE and HSDPA in addition to the already speedy UMTS, making this handset much more likely to show up in the EDGE-friendly USA. Moto has included Bluetooth 2.0+ Enhanced Data Rate, 50MB of internal storage, a microSD slot for expansion and the snazzy glass front and touch sensitive music controls of launch buddy KRZR K1m. The 2.2-inch QVGA display is, of course, always welcome, as are the 2.0 megapixel and VGA cameras the phone has. Also, as a nice embellishment on the lot, the phone’s details glow blue when receiving a call. Motorola is planning to release the phone to unknown markets and carriers in this half of 2006, our fingers are duly crossed.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

We’ve only been hearing about (and seeing, and getting the launch of) the Canary for a couple months now, so it’s about time Motorola officially launched the damned things. The KRZR, as we very well know, is the latest in Moto’s 4 LTTR DVCE NAME LINE, both models featuring a microSD, Screen3, and a thinned-wideness but slightly girthier body. The specs between sub-models do vary, however: GSM K1 has Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, QQVGA display, and 2 megapixel camera; both CDMA K1ms will forgo the A2DP, but the CDMA / 1xRTT but has a QVGA display (and an accordingly larger battery), and a 2 megapixel camera, while the EV-DO K1m has that damned QQVGA display a 1.3 megapixel camera, as well as a millimeter added to its waistline. Despite the differences, though, all should be available in the second half of the year (you know, the half we’re currently in) from, well, you know damned well who’s gonna offer this phone.

P.S. -From the looks of it, that device is running Moto’s new Juix interface. We can’t yet confirm this, but that’d certainly be a welcome addition to the otherwise predictable handset.

Read - MOTOKRZR K1
Read - MOTOKRZR K1m

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, GSM, EDGE

What was once known as the Capri -- the US Motorola team's first 4LTR slider effort , not to be confused with the Korean team's Z -- can now be called the MOTORIZR, and the skinny is, of course, not entirely surprising. The 0.6-inch thick quad-band device features EDGE, a 2 megapixel camera, QQVGA display, Bluetooth with A2DP, microSD, and a 2H launch time frame. Again, nothing to turn the head of anyone who's heard about the device over and over online, but still a welcome addition to Moto's staid lineup of RAZRs in an ever-increasing array of colors.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, 1xRTT, GSM, EV-DO

We’ve only been hearing about (and seeing, and getting the launch of) the Canary for a couple months now, so it’s about time Motorola officially launched the damned things. The KRZR, as we very well know, is the latest in Moto’s 4 LTTR DVCE NAME LINE, both models featuring a microSD, Screen3, and a thinned-wideness but slightly girthier body. The specs between sub-models do vary, however: GSM K1 has Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, 176 x 220 display, and 2 megapixel camera; both K1ms will forgo the A2DP, but the CDMA / 1xRTT version has a QVGA display (and an accordingly larger battery), and a 2 megapixel camera, while the EV-DO K1m has that damned 176 x 220 display a 1.3 megapixel camera, as well as a millimeter added to its waistline. Despite the differences, though, all should be available in the second half of the year (you know, the half we’re currently in) from, well, you know damned well who’s gonna offer this phone.

P.S. -From the looks of it, that device is running Moto’s new Juix interface. We can’t yet confirm this, but that’d certainly be a welcome addition to the otherwise predictable handset.

Read - MOTOKRZR K1
Read - MOTOKRZR K1m

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Cellphones

Just in case the last set of pics of Motorola's sleek new Canary KRZR flip phone weren't enough for you, Engadget Mobile's got a few more hands-on shots of Verizon's version of this highly-anticipated handset. So if you're one of the millions of people who will end up buying this followup to the RAZR -- or if you just want to see what all the fuss is about -- head on over to our sister site and check out the full gallery...

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, CDMA

Somebody out there really loves us. An anonymous tipster just sent in a handful of pics of Motorola's impending followup to the RAZR -- formerly dubbed the Canary, and now known by the nearly-unpronounceable series of letters KRZR -- running on Verizon's CDMA network. Nothing here that we haven't seen before, but if you wanted a sneak preview of what this phone will look like in your hand as you watch all that wonderful V Cast swag, now you have a pretty good idea. Click on for a few more shots of the handset that Moto is hoping another 50 million people will decide they just gotta have...

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Home Entertainment

It's not really clear why the old CableCARD hasn't taken off as expected -- consumers blame their cable providers, who blame the card manufacturers, who blame device makers -- but nonetheless, the technology is far from dead, and now it looks like those long-awaited multi-stream CARDS could be available before the end of the year. CableLabs recently announced that Motorola's "M-Card" has joined Scientific Atlanta's offering in finally earning the organization's coveted "qualified" status, paving the way for such great functionality as picture-in-picture on compatible TVs and multi-channel recording for properly-equipped DVRs. Although the M-Card does improve upon current-gen CableCARDs by delivering access to more than one channel at a time, it is still classified as a version 1.0 device, and therefore won't allow the bi-directional communication necessary for on-demand or pay-per-view goodness. Still, this development is good news for consumers, as it should lead to increased demand for the cards, which will hopefully serve as a kick in the pants for the weak link in the CableCARD chain, whoever it is.

[Via HDBeat]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, EV-DO, Studies, CDMA, Misc

iSuppli's back doing what they do best -- ripping apart your favorite piece of hardware, adding up the component costs, and letting you know how much you're getting taken when you whip out the plastic. Today's victim is Motorola's text-tastic Q, and though the margins are pretty slim, it looks like Moto and Verizon are in the black on every unit they push. All told, iSupply totals the cost of the Q's guts to be $150; tack on another $8 for manufacturing and you're looking at $158 out the door. The most expensive component, not surprisingly, is the device's 320 x 240 display at $25, with memory and the XScale rounding out the top three. If you've invested in one of these bad boys lately you know that Verizon's charging $199 on a two-year contract, meaning that in the worst case, the two companies are splitting $41 -- and if you opt for a one-year at $349, well, they're just rolling in fat city.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola

It’s hard for any phone to out-do the legendary StarTac, but Motorola’s posterchild — you know which one we’re talking about — has officially sold 50 million units. Since the Hong Kong debut way back in 2004, the RAZR has dominated the mobile scene, and with a figure like that, you have to give props to the ingenious engineering, er, marketing team behind it. The handset really hasn’t changed much over the years, and its lamentable success is due in large part to buyers’ infatuation with colors; the ability jump-start sales by varying the paint job gave Motorola a bonafide cash cow, enabling everyone and their mother (literally) to jump on the ultimate mobile bandwagon. And with the possibility of more colors on the horizon, the question beckons: when will the madness end? While the 50 million unit milestone is commendable, we’re not shy about spending our time looking towards the future.

[Via Mobiledia]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Software, Motorola

If you’re anxiously awaiting Motorola’s upcoming lineup, get ready for a little more Yahoo than you may have expected. The two have announced a love-fest that will ultimately result in Yahoo’s “Go” bundle of garden-variety tools and apps being “prominently featured” on some of Moto’s handsets starting in the first half of ‘07. You might recall Go making a cameo on Cingular’s Nokia 6682; from the press release, we’ve no reason to expect anything wildly different when it shows up on the Capris of the world. As long as we don’t find a dedicated “Y!” button etched into the keypad of our RAZR K1, we dig.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs |