re: Preview of the Motorola A820 tri-band GSM/GPRS/WCDMA Mobile
* It is not possible to directly compare this model to current GSMs, in size or weight or even price.
* ... to acquire one when it arrives on the market, probably in September, you will need a sum between 775 and 1290 euros...not little! <g>
* The videophone is very heavy in terms of consumption ... this phone manages 200 hours of standby and 2 hours of conversation.
* Accessories that will be available are a video camera to attach to the terminal and a GPS module.
>> Preview: Motorola A820
GSMBOX
David Cánovas
Translated by Miranda Drew
February 28, 2002
Motorola has done it again. After being a pioneer in GPRS technology with the Timeport 260, the North American company has the cards stacked in their favour to be the first to introduce a 3G terminal in Europe. In fact, considering the delay in the creation of UMTS networks on the part of the operators, the manufacturer forsees launching this revolutionary model in the second half of 2002, probably in September.
While GPRS is still relatively new, Motorola is already preparing a terminal that will be able to send data at a speed of 384 kbps and will have all of the technological features known today. The list of its features sounds like science fiction: the 3G interface already seems to have a name and a face.
The A820 was presented two weeks ago here in Milan, with the other models of Motorola’s new portfolio for 2002. Not only is it a 3G telephone, but it also has GPRS technology ( it is a class 8 with 4 slots in downlink and 1 in uplink) and can operate on 3 GSM frequencies (900, 1800 and 1900 MHz).
With regards to messaging, the phone is compatible with EMS standards (5.0) and with the brand-new MMS multimedia messages. Navigation on the web is supplied by a WAP microbrowser in version 2.0. Having used it in their renewed models V60, V66 and T280, Motorola is firmly convinced of the potentional of JAVA technology and uses applications created in J2ME in the model in question. IN addition, the user can view albums containing the main graphic formats (GIF, TIFF and JPEG).
Video reproduction is available thanks to compatibility with AVI, MPEG4 and ASF formats. These characteristics are in addition to a wide TFT display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, 4,096 colours e up to 11 lines of text. The list of theme songs is almost interminable, if you consider the capacity to reproduce musical archives in MP3, WAV and MIDI formats. And we mustn’t forget the polyphonic ring tones. In a device like this you are sure to find features including Bluetooth connectivity and an IrDA port. A lot of memory is required to manage everything we have discussed, therefore, it can be expanded using a slot for added SD or MMC memory cards. This way the video, music and image archives can be increased enormously.
Motorola’s new collection has brought with it an important change in the classic aesthetics of this manufacturer. Its shapes are now more angular, except for the V70, naturally. The antenna on this model is the exterior type, but it is almost imperceptible. The dimensions are 135 x 53 x 24.2 mm and the weight is 157 grams. Logically, it is not possible to directly compare this model to current GSMs, in size or weight or even price. As far as autonomy is concerned, this phone manages 200 hours of standby and 2 hours of conversation, thanks to a 800 mAh battery in lithium polymer. As in the Japanese 3G models, the videophone is very heavy in terms of consumption. Accessories that will be available are a video camera to attach to the terminal and a GPS module.
To sum up, we cannot do more than afferm that this is one of the most complete models seen up to now. The ball now passes to the operators, given than Motorola has proved their capacity for looking ahead. Although 3G technology will only be available in limited areas at the beginning, the A820, as stated, has the advantage of being able to operate on “traditional” GSM networks, making it usable right away. If we consider all of its features the new offering from Motorola is much more than a UMTS telephone. Technology lovers who want everything now be advised: to acquire one when it arrives on the market, probably in September, you will need a sum between 775 and 1290 euros ...not little! <<
Not Little!
- Eric - |
