Motorola A1000

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By Melvin Teo
Feb 17, 2005

As Motorola's first 3G device in Singapore with a touchscreen interface and PDA-like functionality, the A1000 provides strong evidence that future 3G models should adopt several aspects of its features, most notably its large display and user interface. As a phone, it doesn't do too badly either.

Design
Dimensionally, the A1000 is roughly the same as that of the PalmOne Treo 650 minus the stubby antenna. Notwithstanding the lack of a QWERTY keyboard, it's easy to criticize the handset for its PDA-sized bulk but for the large 2.9-inch, 208 x 320-pixel touchscreen. Although its colors aren't as vivid or bright as the Treo's, the generous display real estate is perfect for Web surfing and other 3G-related features.

Besides volume and camera softkeys, the sides of the handset house a slider for keylock and power as well as a button for voice tags. The dedicated call and end buttons aid phone functionality as well.

Similar to the Motorola E1000, the A1000 uses dual imagers--one at the rear for conventional photo-taking and the other above the display for self-portraits.

Features
The user interface of the A1000 is definitely more PDA than phone. A customizable home screen allows quick access to news feeds and email accounts, complemented by an upper row of useful tabs for one-touch navigation to phone, Web, email, contacts and program launcher. This means users can configure and check the incoming status of their emails, SMS and MMS all under the same menu. Synchronization with Microsoft Outlook on your PC is also smooth, and using the desktop suite program we were able to transfer files to and from the handset without a hitch.

Compared with using the five-way circular joystick and dual selector keys above the display, the stylus is definitely the input method of choice especially since the two ways to enter text both involve the touchscreen. The handwriting recognition system requires you to write inside two side-by-side square boxes, a departure from traditional solitary boxes. While alternating among the squares for successive letters is speedier, you can choose to use only one box and wait for each character to be recognized, which isn't optimal. The A1000 also prompts a row of possible characters upon recognition to offset any inaccuracy, but from our testing, those with scrawny handwriting should definitely consider using the virtual onscreen keyboard instead. Even then, the screen area for each individual key is rather small and not for the myopic.

To make calls, users need to tap the virtual keypad on the touchscreen to dial the number, or they can access their contacts and call from there. Easily activated using the softkey on the right side of the handset, the speakerphone function is adequately loud.

In addiion to basic applications like calendar, calculator, notes and to-do, the preinstalled Picsel Viewer previously found in the Motorola A768i allows for document viewing including pdf support. Loading times for opening applications and photo album browsing are a tad too long, though.

The A1000 delivers the most enjoyable 3G experience out of the current crop of 3G-enabled models largely due to its display size. Video streaming from live news feeds, especially when resized to fullscreen landscape mode, looks impressive even if small onscreen text is hard to decipher at times.

The video calling experience using SingTel's 3G service is comparable with using the E1000 and Sony Ericsson Z1010, with slight video stuttering and occasional audio breakup. However, as the networks continue to be tested and prepared for full commercial launches, we can expect both quality and speed to improve.

Unlike the Z1010's internal camera which can be used only during video calls, you can switch between internal and external viewpoints when taking digital stills using the A1000's 1.2-megapixel camera. It takes up to 5 seconds to store an image and viewing the photo album is a little laggy with sluggish load times. On the plus side, picture quality is excellent especially for outdoor shots with sufficient lighting. Shutter lag is fairly short and the A1000's picture-editing program is fun to use with options for free drawing, photo frames and picture stamps.

The voice recording function works well with clear sound and duration limited only by available memory. Like the E1000, this model adopts the relatively new TransFlash expansion card which may put off those perturbed by all the different formats already available.

With support for MP3 playback and ringtones, the A1000 doubles impressively as a music player. Though the earpieces are a little uncomfortable and plug into the less common 2.5mm jack, stereo sound quality is superb with strong bass for that extra "oomph".

Reception, Battery Life And SAR
We had no problems with reception or voice quality. On its 1,600mAh battery, the A1000 managed to last a decent two days on moderate usage, outlasting the Nokia 6630 and E1000 but losing out to the Z1010.

The phone meets the international requirements concerning exposure to radio waves with the highest Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) value of 0.74W/kg.

Conclusion
At S$988 (US$694.41) with a two-year plan, the A1000 is the costliest of available 3G models in Singapore. However, we feel its design and features are well-catered to providing a smooth 3G experience without compromising its functionality as a mobile phone. Despite minor flaws such as occasional loading lags, the A1000 is still a powerful PDA-phone blend and well worth considering.