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It was revealed this week that somehow the firm accidentally published a long-range handset roadmap on the Web, exposing most of next year's phones, writes Andrew Orlowski.
High-end showstoppers include 'Paragon II' (available in the fourth quarter of 2003, a 3G SymbianOS phone with "haptics" -- sound and light sensors -- and an SD card); and the A835, a videophone/cameraphone designed for two-way video conferencing, which features "Bell Keypad Mode and AV mode"Â…whatever that means. It is functionally similar to Nokia's 7650 cameraphone, but does not have pen input, and no release date is given for the device.
In the mid-range, Motorola has gone nuts on digital imaging: two of the phones have built-in cameras, while the others are capable of receiving and viewing picture messages. The camera phones listed are the T725 tri-band/GPRS flip phone with a 120x169 screen, slated for the second quarter of next year, and the E360R with a 128x96 screen slated for the third quarter.
Slated for European/Asian markets at the start of 2003 is the C370 (a 900/1800Mhz/GPRS) model with USB and a 96x65 screen; while the V600, scheduled for the third quarter, will be the major US model next year for the US market. This is a tri-band GSM model with the addition of the 850Mhz frequency -- a concoction to help TDMA networks transition to proper GSM/GPRS that was devised for US carriers.
Two more models complete the line-up: the V70i, a hideous colorized version of the beautiful V70 watch phone, and the V300, a successor to the curvy blue model aimed at the youth market and pay-as-you-go tariffs. This has USB and a camera accessory is "under evaluation", according to the blurb.
Wireless to go
Paragon is interesting because it uses the same user interface as Sony Ericsson's P800. Applications should be able to run on both devices unmodified. Motorola designed Paragon for Hutchison's 3G network (called "3"), and the appearance of a successor indicates that this project is more than a one-off. (The existence of Paragon was first revealed by The Register last year. Paragon II looks particularly interesting because the specification lists 802.11 support as an SD card accessory.
Carriers have overcome their wariness of 802.11, and this could be the first device that gives you the option of roaming between cellular networks and wireless Ethernet hotspots. Wouldn't that be nice?
If you're quick, you can see for yourself at Howardforums.com but don't shout at us if this has been lawyered out of sight.
The Register and its contents are copyright 2002 Situation Publishing. Reprinted with permission.
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