R2-D2 Edition Motorola Droid 2 Goes On Sale Tomorrow

If you have been waiting to get your hands on the new R2-D2 Edition Motorola Droid 2, the wait is almost over, as this Astromech droid themed Android smartphone will be available from tomorrow the 30th of September.

The Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition shares the same hardware specifications as the Droid 2, although the exterior has had a bit f a makeover and it also comes with R2-D2 sounds and ringtones.

As well as the R2-D2 ringtones, you get four live R2-D2 themed wallpaper, plus an R2-D2 clock widget, it will be available tomorrow form Verizon for $249.

Motorola Brute i680

Motorola Brute i680 should be able to withstand just about anything you can throw at it. It's large (3.92 inches tall by 2.09 inches wide by 1 inch deep), heavy (5.63 ounces), and is covered in a tough plastic and rubber skin. Indeed, the handset feels very solid in the hand and the sturdy hinge ensures that it opens and shuts with authority. We dropped the handset onto a concrete floor and even threw it across the room onto carpet. Both times, there wasn't a scratch and the phone kept on ticking.

Sure, the black and gray color scheme screams industrial, but this a device built for brawn over beauty. The external display is a bit bigger than a postage stamp, but it supports 65.000 colors (160x120 pixels). It supports photo caller ID, displays your recently called phone numbers, and doubles as a viewfinder for the camera. Speaking of which, the lens sits just above next to the flash. We'd prefer to have a camera shutter control on the phone's exterior, but one is not available.

On the top of the phone you'll find a speakerphone control and the standard Nextel button for accessing your recent calls list. Between them is a headset jack, which, unfortunately, is 2.5 mm (we prefer a standard 3.5mm jack). On the left spine are the volume rocker and push to talk (PTT) control. Both are large and easy to find by feel. We were glad to see that Moto included a Micro-USB port for both the charger and a USB cable. You'll find it on the right spine behind a secure rubber flap. Motorola Brute i680 is water resistant so the rear battery cover is secured by a locking mechanism.

You'll also need to remove it to access the microSD card slot. Moto doesn't include an unlocking tool in the box, but you should be able to use your fingernail. The Brute also is certified to the standard military specifications for elements like dust, shock and vibration, high and low temperature, and salt fog. The internal display measures 2.2 inches and supports 65.000 colors (220x176 pixels). Though its resolution isn't exactly eye popping, it's perfectly suitable for this caliber of phone.

Colors were bright and graphics and photos show up well. You can change the text size and the backlight time. We were glad that unlike many previous Nextel phones, Motorola Brute i680 offers a one page menu interface in a list or icon style. The spacious navigation is extremely user friendly with all controls raised above the surface of the phone. There are four directional controls with a central OK button, a dedicated menu key, two soft keys, a camera shortcut and the Talk and End or power keys.

The only thing missing is a dedicated back button. In standby mode, the up and down directional buttons open the settings menu and the recent calls list respectively; the side buttons let you cycle through the shortcut icons that sit on the display. They keypad buttons are spacious and tactile. We could text and dial quickly and we appreciate the large backlit numbers on the buttons.

Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless)

Officially announced on October 28 and set for a November 6 release, Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) delivers on much of the hype. The display is gorgeous, the Android 2.0 updates are excellent, and the handset is lightning fast, particularly for an Android phone. We'll refrain from using the dreaded "iPhone killer" expression, but comparisons between the two devices are obvious, and we see the Droid as a real competitor to Apple's device.

On the downside, Motorola weren't crazy about the keyboard and dial-pad accessibility, the calendars aren't fully integrated, and we'd prefer to see dual mode (GSM or CDMA) capability. But for Verizon's first pass at Android, Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) more than delivers. And even better, it's a clear departure from Verizon's locked down past. At US$199, Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) is on par with T-Mobile's Android device, but it's slightly more expensive than Sprint's devices.

At first glance, you might not think Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless)'s design amounts to much. Its build is rather dull and the sharp angles result in a boxy look. But this is a smartphone with a lot of surprises, the biggest being the positively gorgeous WVGA display. At 3.7 inches, it surpasses even the iPhone and is firmly in the bounds of what we consider to be an acceptable size for a touch screen display. Color support is generous (16 million hues) and the resolution (440x854 pixels) is some of the richest we've seen.

We aren't kidding when we say that this display is bright and brilliant with vibrant colors and sharp graphics. It also lends itself well to the welcome Android 2.0 interface updates (more on that later). The capacitive display's touch interface is quick and responsive and we love the added multi touch capability. As with previous Android phones, there's vibrating feedback only for certain functions (like a "long press"), though you can turn off the haptic feedback completely if you desire. When we selected items and scrolled through long lists, there was no lag time in performing the command (more on that later, as well).

You also can customize the display's brightness, backlighting time, and animations. The accelerometer will adjust the display's orientation as you rotate Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) in your hands, but you can turn this feature off. Outside of the upgrades from Android 2.0 and Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) specific tweaks, the basic interface will be familiar to Android users. You get only three home screens we prefer the five we got on the Motorola Cliq but you can customize each pane with widgets. And, of course, the central pane has the Google search bar. The main menu is accessible via the pull tab at the bottom of the display. The menu's design is mostly unchanged. You can move icons around and add shortcuts and folders.

Motorola Cliq

Like other T-Mobile Android phones, Motorola Cliq is a bit short on style. With a big, 3.1 inch screen, a rectangular design (with curved edges) and a slide away QWERTY keyboard, Motorola Cliq sits firmly between the clunky T-Mobile G1 and the flashy myTouch 3G. All three phones are carried by T-Mobile. In a brief side by side comparison, the still pre-release Cliq was actually a bit more responsive than the fairly new myTouch.

The non-conformist start screen can extend to five customizable themes, with word bubbles a bit like those Charles Schwab ads you see on billboards. Yet, despite how different it is from the MyTouch and G1, and virtually any other smartphone you've seen before, it may quickly win you over. MotoBlur is more than a UI it's actually a cloud based service. You sign up online and put in all your member info for your social networking services and e-mail. Those bubbles are full of relevant information about people from your contact lists.

All of that then synchs up with your Motorola Cliq and, along with your Gmail and Outlook calendar info, is blended into the MotoBlur interface. Motorola Cliq is constantly pulling updates about your contacts, both direct messages and whatever they're posting to the various social networking sites. Motorola Cliq with MotoBlur will support Microsoft Exchange email, but it's not true push. Instead, it can poll for mail updates intermittently. If you lose your Motorola Cliq, you can not only remotely wipe the phone (if it can be found via GPS), but you can retrieve all your contact and messaging info from the Blur online service.

Those bubbles on your Motorola Cliq with MotoBlur UI are actually Android widgets. The interface starts with a core set : Happenings, Direct, Status, and Weather (though Weather is not actually a Blur creation). All of the widgets update with fresh information within seconds of turning on the phone. Direct is full of, as you'd expect, messages that have been sent directly to you through e-mail and SMS. With this and other widgets, you can choose to scroll through all messages for all contacts or drill down to individual contacts. In that case you see all your direct messages on whatever platforms you use to communicate with that contact.

Happenings is your view port into all public posts (including photo updates) on social networking services like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Status is where you show and update your own personal status. You can actually enter one post and have it automatically sent to all your favorite services. There was even time to try making a call on Motorola Cliq. Voices came through loud and clear on both sides, despite the fact that we were standing in a crowded meeting room.

Motorola Cliq accomplishes this by using two microphones and noise canceling technology. Motorola Cliq memory card is only accessible if you remove the back of the device. At least it's not under the SIM card. One other bit of good news is that since a 2GB microSD card comes with the unit, you may not need to use change the card unless you need space for media. The hidden keyboard was nice and roomy. Instead of the G1's separated keys, Motorola Cliq's keys are set apart with chamfers. Next to them is a D-pad if you decide you don't want to navigate the interface with your fingers. The D-pad could also theoretically be used for playing games.

Motorola Evoke QA4

Motorola Evoke QA4 is a good looking black and silver lozenge at 4.25 by 2 by .7 inches (HWD) and it weighs 4.5 ounces. The 2.8 inch, 240x400 resistive touch screen slides up to reveal a keypad of bold, white numbers. The number keys aren't physically separated, but they're big enough for it not to matter. Motorola Evoke QA4's big selling point is its touch screen and widget based interface.

Along with the usual customizable wallpaper, you can swipe sideways on the screen to reveal a Google search box a customizable, three day weather forecast popular YouTube videos top news stories, RSS feeds, and MySpace updates. You can't download additional widgets, at least for now. Flick up on the screen to get the main menu of large, clear icons. You can enter data using the physical keypad, a virtual phone keypad, or a wide virtual QWERTY keyboard, all of which worked well.

Motorola Evoke QA4 is a very good voice phone, at least on Cricket's own network it got good reception, and calls were loud and clear. Roaming on MetroPCS, sound got a bit muddier, but the Evoke is designed to work in Cricket cities. The speakerphone was loud. The microphone didn't transmit too much background noise. Just like on the iPhone, a proximity sensor turns off the touch screen when it's close to your face. The Evoke worked with our Plantronics Voyager Pro mono and Altec Lansing BackBeat stereo Bluetooth headsets, with unusually good call quality. The vibrating alert is brief but strong, and the phone comes with 10 clear, loud ringtones.

Motorola Karma

Motorola Karma QA1 cell phone curvy and compact handset helps you slide your way up the social ladder with an effortless social networking experience and conversational messaging capabilities over 3G speed. Keep your favorite social networks close with one click, home screen access over amazing 3G speed. Use Facebook to connect and share with features that allow you to update your status, comment on activities, or post pictures and video.

Or click onto MySpace to keep your page updated with what you’re doing so your social circle is always looped in. Instant message friends and read texts on the front screen while the phone is closed. Join multiple chats across your favorite IM communities including AIM, Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger. Locate your friends or that hot new restaurant using on board a GPS that speaks turn by turn directions.

A high speed connection brings you the info fast, so you can make your fashionably late entrance on time. Multimedia is clearly seen and heard with a vibrant 2.5" display and high quality speakers. Motorola Karma phone is designed to be propped on its edge when watching TV shows or movies, so you can easily see the screen and hear crisp audio.

Motorola Karma features and specifications :

• Weight : 141g / 4.97 oz
• Cell phone battery : 1170 mAh
• Connectivity : Bluetooth / A2DP, USB 2.0, 3.5mm Headset Jack
• Dimensions 64 x 88 x 17.9 (mm) / 2.52 x 3.46 x .7 (in)
• Phone display : 2.5" QVGA 240x320 262k
• Messaging : SMS, MMS, IM, Email (POP3, IMAP4, SMTP)
• Audio : MIDI, MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, RealAudio, XMF
• Video : Capture / Playback / Streaming, 15 FPS, H.263, MPEG4
• Digital camera : 2.0 megapixel with 8x digital zoom
• Phone memory : 100MB user available memory, MicroSD up to 16 GB
• Handset form factor : Full QWERTY Slider

Motorola Rapture VU30

The Rapture VU30 has the same curvaceous, appealing shape as the VU204. We like the rounded edges and the smooth lines. It replaces the VU204's soft touch skin with a glossy plastic surface, but the handset has a solid ,comfortable feel in the hand. The hinge has a sturdy construction as well it opens and closes with a solid click. In many ways the VU30 also resembles the Motorola Pebl U6.

The Rapture is of average size (3.9 inches tall by 1.9 inches wide by 0.67 inch deep) and it's relatively lightweight (3.4 ounces). The VU30 has a rather large 1.6 inch external display. It supports full color (160x120 pixels), so it will show photo caller ID in addition to the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and numeric caller ID. You can't change any of the options, however, which is too bad given the short back lighting.

The front face is a bit reflective, which means it shows smudges and fingerprints easily. The Rapture's display also has two touch controls for activating the camera and the music player with the phone closed. The controls have vibrating feedback and they're well placed at the bottom corners of the display. With the music control you can play songs, choose a playlist, and activate the shuffle mode.

Since the camera lens faces the rear of the phone, self-portraits are impossible. On the left spine of the VU30 there are a volume rocker, a speaker phone button, and a micro USB slot, which accommodates both USB cables and the charger.

On the right spine you'll find a camera shutter, a voice dialing button, and a handset locking switch. Unfortunately, the 2.5 mm headset jack is at the phone's bottom end, which is a rather inconvenient location when carrying the phone in a pocket while using the headset.

Besides the camera lens, the back of the phone holds the single speaker. You must remove the Rapture's battery cover to access the memory card slot, but you don't need to remove the actual battery.

The Rapture's 2.2 inch internal display shows 656.000 colors (320x240 pixels). It's bright and colorful, with sharp graphics. The menu interface is available in three styles, but each is relatively intuitive thanks to Verizon's refined menu design.

You can change the dialing font size, the brightness, and the back lighting time. The VU30's navigation array is spacious and easy to understand and use. There's a large circular toggle that has a comfortable, tactile feel, even though it is almost flat. It is a different color than the surrounding surface to give it better visibility. You can set it as a shortcut to four user defined functions.

Surrounding it are two soft keys, a dedicated music control, a clear control, and the Talk and End or power buttons. These controls are just about flush, as well, but small silver bumps make them tactile. The Rapture's keypad buttons have a similar design. They're spacious and clearly defined, so we could dial and text comfortably without making mistakes. The keys have a bright back lighting for dialing in dim situations.

Motorola Zine ZN5

On the outside, the ZN5 is an attractive device with a sleek profile and an understated style. Though you might think it's related to the Motorola Krave ZN4, the two devices couldn't be more different. While the ZN4 has a touch screen, the ZN5 has a standard candy bar design with a full set of physical controls.

The dark gray color scheme is nicely offset with a couple touches of purple. The handset feels great in the hand both sturdy and comfortable without being excessively hefty (5.65 inches tall by 1.98 inches wide by 0.47 inch deep weighing 4.02 ounces). The gorgeous 2.4 inch display (320x240 pixels) takes up almost half of the phone's front.

With support for 262,000 colors, graphics were sharp and colors were vibrant. Menus are straightforward, as the ZN5 has the same simple, but easy to use interface that we saw on the Motorola Rokr E8. You can change the brightness and the back lighting time. The text size is not adjustable, but it should be big enough for most users. The display is easier to see in direct light than on many other cell phones. The navigation toggle and central OK button are raised above the surface of the phone, which gives it a nice tactile feel, even if it is just a bit on the small side.

In contrast, the remaining navigation controls two soft keys, a photo gallery shortcut, a back button, and the Talk and End or power keys are flush with the surface of the phone, but they have a spacious arrangement. Also, tiny silver bumps like those on the Rokr E8 assist in dialing by feel. The toggle doubles as a shortcut control to four user defined features.

Motorola VU204

The Motorola VU204 offers a basic flip phone design, but it goes a long way toward achieving both appeal and ease of use. We like the clean lines and rounded edges, and the soft touch material on the rear face gives the phone a nice feeling in the hand. The battery cover is a bit cumbersome to pry off, but, overall, the VU204 has a sturdy construction. And at 3.54 inches tall by 2.09 inches wide by 0.76 inch thick and weighing 3.4 ounces, the VU204 won't bog you down.

The external display is a bit too small for our tastes (1.05 inches, 96x80 pixels), but it is full color, so it shows the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and photo caller ID. It also works as a viewfinder for the camera lens, which sits just above. On the left spine, you'll find the volume rocker, a speaker phone control, and a mini USB slot, which accommodates the charger and a USB cable.

The choice of mini USB is interesting, considering Motorola has begun to move to a standard micro USB connection.

On the left spine, you'll fund a voice dialing button and a 2.5mm headset jack. Normally, we'd prefer a 3.5 mm jack. The VU204's single speaker sits on the rear face of the handset.

The VU204's internal display only supports 65,000 colors and has a 220x176 pixel resolution, but it's bright and vibrant, with sharp colors and graphics.

The menus (available in three styles) are easy to use particularly now that Verizon has refined its menu structure.

Our only complaint is that 1.88 inches is a little small for the overall size of the phone. You can change the dialing font size, the brightness, and the back lighting time. The navigation controls, which sit below the VU204's over sized hinge, couldn't have a better design. The arrangement is spacious and the keys have a pleasant tactile feel even if they are relatively flush.

Besides the silver toggle and central OK button, you'll find two soft keys, a camera shutter, a clear key, and the Talk and End or power buttons. The circular toggle also acts as a shortcut to user defined functions. The numeric keypad is equally well designed, with large tactile buttons conducive for dialing and texting. We could dial by feel and the bright back lighting helped in dim situations.

Motorola Krave ZN4

Even two years after its predecessor and look alike emerged from Motorola's factory, the Krave ZN4 still sports one of the most distinctive cell phone designs around. The slim and compact shape (4.13 inches by 2 inches by 0.75 inch and 4.59 ounces), vibrant touch screen, and transparent plastic cover give the Krave a sleek and futuristic look. Though some may wonder why the cover is needed, Moto says it's designed to not only protect the touch display but to also give Krave the aesthetics of a flip phone.

That may sound a bit corny, but we ate it up completely. Yet, in addition to just looking cool, the Krave's cover is also usable. In fact, it is a secondary touch surface you can use to access a selection of features without even flipping it open. You even get a bit of tactile feedback to help you press the right thing. It's all possible thanks to an innovative mesh that is embedded in the cover (the mesh blends in with gray color of the screen so you may have to hold it up to a light to see it).

That same mesh also delivers sound to the Krave's speaker, which again sits on one end of the cover. Moto doesn't allow access to every feature via the cover's touch surface but the company conducted user studies as to which features they should choose.

They came up with the music player, the V Cast Mobile TV, the photo folder, and the VZ Navigator feature. That's a useful assortment of goodies; if we had to suggest anything it would be to add a V Cast streaming video option as well.

Unlike the Ming, the Krave allows you to make voice dial calls without opening the cover. Just press the control on the right spine and you can speak the name or phone number of the person you want to ring.

What's more, you also phone your voice mail or your most recently called number. Once you're connected, touch controls allow you to mute the call, route the audio to a Bluetooth headset, and end your connection. And yes, you can perform all those commands without opening the cover.

Just keep in mind that when you start a call with the cover closed, audio is routed through the speaker phone. To turn the speaker phone off but remain connected, just open the cover. The display measures 2.8 inches and supports 65,000 colors (240x400 pixels). It's bright and gorgeous with eye popping colors, sharp graphics and photos, and readable text. You can change the brightness, the backlight time, the clock format, and the dialing font size.

In standby mode, you'll notice a shortcut bar with icons for the messaging folder, the dialpad, the main menu, and the contacts list. You also can access the menu by tapping the middle of the display. The display is difficult to see in direct light, but that's not unusual on a cell phone. Unlike the Linux based Ming, the Krave doesn't use a third party operating system, so it isn't a true smartphone.

Yet, that's really the whole point since the handset is meant to offer a lot of functionality with an attractive and intuitive interface. We were thrilled to see that the Krave ditches the unintuitive and poorly designed menu interface that Verizon has slapped on almost all its handsets over the past few years. Instead, the main menu shows 12 icons that sit below the aforementioned shortcut bar.

We like that you can get to multiple features with a single tap and that all multimedia functions aren't buried under a single submenu. Also, it's easy to move backward through subfolders. The Krave ZN4's touch interface is accurate and responsive with no lag time. What's more, the tactile feedback and the on screen highlights that show where you're pressing are helpful.

The Krave doesn't come with a stylus but we had absolutely no gripes with navigating through the menus. Like many other touch screen phones, you can browse through long lists by dragging your finger up and down the screen. The motion is fluid without any jerky movements.

Motorola W180

The Motorola W180 delivers all the tools to help users stay connected. The device is an affordable, easy to use, attractive and high quality mobile phone, with the added benefit of crystal clear communications and music with a built in FM radio. Full Functionality, No Tech Degree Required.

The easy to use form factor gives you access to all of the tools you need phone, data, music in an intuitive user interface.

The friendly FM radio and SMS interfaces, combined with a large display and sleek keypad, deliver an enjoyable navigation and viewing experience.

And long battery life allows plenty of standby time and talk time between charges. No longer will you have to shout into a handset or turn up the volume to hear the person on the other end.

Motorola's CrystalTalk™ technology makes it possible to have natural phone conversations as well as enhanced ringtones, even in noisy environments, by helping enhance the audio signal so your ear can hear it best. Simply compose texts with one key access and save up to 750 of them. The internal phonebook and can hold up to 500 phone numbers so important contacts are never out of reach.

Amplify the Level of Personalisation
Carry your music with you by listening to FM radio on your mobile device through stereo or through speaker phone. And personalize the calls you receive with 20 preloaded 32 channel polyphonic ringtones and 15 standard alert ringtones. For even more customization, access more than 40 additional downloadable iMelody ringtones.

Motorola MPx220

The MPx220 has been rumored for quite a while now. Thanks to a leaked press release, we now know for sure what the MPx220 is all about and that it will see a 3Q 2004 relase.

The MPx220 is a clamshell smart phone running Windows Mobile 2003 for smart phone with integrated Bluetooth and a 1.2 MP camera.

Specification

• Operating System: Windows Mobile smart phone 2003
• Memory : 64MB ROM
• Communications : Bluetooth, GSM
• Meda Type : MiniSD
• Camera Resolution : 1.2 megapixels
• GPS : No

Motorola Q9c

The Motorola Q9c is a Windows Mobile 6 Pro smart phone that includes a landscape oriented QVGA screen and a built in keyboard.

This CDMA phone offers the 3G standard EV-DO and a GPS receiver. It is a Sprint branded version of the device also sold by Verizon Wireless as the Motorola Q9m. The Price is $99.99

Quick Specs

• CDMA2000 1X 800/1900
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0
• Up to 273 min, 64 MB

Motorola Aura

Circular display aside, the phone itself looks pretty nice as well if you’re into phones that make phone calls and do little else. Moto says, “Sophisticated design, high performance racing engines and the quality of a photographic print served as the perfect muses to inspire the creation of AURA.”

The phone is made from over 200 parts and the display is sapphire crystal apparently “one of the most scratch resistant materials on earth.” So you could probably safely throw this in the same pocket as your keys.

No word on pricing yet, but the front part of the phone is made by hand and takes two weeks to create, so it’s pretty safe to assume that this thing won’t be $49.99 with a two years contract. Think more in the high hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Motorola A1200

Motorola A1200 PDA Smart Phone comes with an ultra cool transparent cover as a protection for the 2.4" 262K vivid color touch screen display. Three stunning colors are available catering for different personalities.

Comes with a 2.0 Megapixel camera that also support video recording. Want to shoot close up pictures without involving a microscope? The Motorola A1200 PDA Smart Phone's macro capability comes in handy.

To enhance your viewing pleasure, it supports RealPlayer for music and enables full screen video entertainment on the 2.4" display generously.

A total entertainment experience. Don't forget the removable memory card (up to 1GB), say goodbye to limitation. Just shoot, snap and store all your favorite pictures, video & music files into this little gadget. Trash your bulky business card holder and make full use of the coolest function of all.

In just a snapshot away, the clever Motorola A1200 PDA Smart Phone will transform a business card into digital data and have it stored into the address book! Quick, easy and totally hassle free. Gain your wireless independence. The new Motorola A1200 PDA Smart Phone comes with built in Bluetooth functionality so you can talk freely on a wireless headset, sync up seamlessly with your PC and other compatible Bluetooth devices. Print your favorite pictures wirelessly with Bluetooth printing capability.