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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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Motorola has fired a swift rejoinder to Nokia's six-phone salvo of last November. Kicking off the US company's year is an eight-phone launch of its own.
The electronics and communications manufacturer in Shanghai yesterday unveiled a diverse collection, ranging from a PDA-phone hybrid to a third-generation (3G) handset. The phones thus appear to reach out to different needs, but looking at them, it was sometimes difficult to discern a clear Motorola character.
That said, the US company does seek to create a unique feel in its products--one that goes beyond bells and whistles, revealed Motorola's Tim Parsey, corporate vice president for Consumer Experience Design. For instance, he cited the possible use of little jolts of vibration as users scroll through menus, thereby allowing a more tactile and intuitive end-user experience.
Parsey, who claims to live one or two years into the future, also believes that the industry will soon undergo a paradigm shift. "In the near future, there will be an inflexion point where you can't make displays any better, can't make sounds any better, can't make phones any smaller," he said. "That's when it won't be about technology anymore." That’s also when Motorola's focus on "feel" will distinguish it from rivals and put it in good stead, he added.
Parsey, formerly from Apple, is often credited with the unusual design of the side-swiveling V.70. Will there by any more Motorola headturners in store this year? To find out, check out the new lineup below. All these models will be available by year's end, and as soon as we get firm release dates, we'll include them in our monthly cell phone release calendar.
GSM 900/1800/1900; GPRS; UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)
Second half of 2003
Integrated video camera; large 64,000-color display; works on high-speed UMTS networks; Java enabled (J2ME); accepts downloadable games, ring tones, pictures and apps; world phone
The series will include models for TDMA, CDMA, and dual-band GSM/GPRS.
Second half of 2003
Evolution of the C330 series; 4,096-color display; MotoMixer application for remixing MIDI ring tones; Java enabled (J2ME); accepts downloadable games, ring tones, wallpaper, and apps; changeable faceplates
4,000-color display; Java enabled (J2ME); accepts downloadable games, ring tones, pictures and apps; interchangeable color lens so that you can change the hue of the screen
Similar to the T720; works on high-speed EDGE networks; large 65,000-color display; Java enabled (J2ME); accepts downloadable games, ring tones, pictures, and apps; world phone; changeable faceplates; camera accessory available
