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Intro 

Motorola is gearing up for the fall season with an impressive new line of phones. The company recently revealed information on a number of new models that will join the already-large stable of phones slated to be released in the coming months.

Motorola announced most of its 2003 models back in January, including such highly-anticipated models as the V600. However, many of those models have yet to hit the market. Lack of new models on store shelves hurt the company during the first half, especially in the second quarter, when the company's market share fell to 13.4 percent, down from 17.4 percent a year earlier.

But the company appears to be poised for an aggressive comeback in the second half. At its annual analysts meeting last week, Motorola revealed details on a number of new models slated to be released by the end of the year. Combined with already-announced models, the lineup means the company will be releasing an unprecedented number of new models within a very short period of time.

Read on for pics and info on the most exciting of the new models!

GSM 

V600

The very highly-anticipated V600 was announced in January, and will be released globally this (3rd) quarter. Quad-band, VGA camera, streaming video playback, Bluetooth, and "situational lighting" are just a few of the features that will make the V600 Motorola's new flagship GSM phone.

X

The V500 is quite similar to the V600, lacking only changeable metal housings, the multi-color indicator, and streaming video. It retains a striking design, quad-band GSM, the VGA camera, and Bluetooth. It is slated to be released alongside the V600 this quarter, although only in Europe officially.

V300

The V300 lacks Bluetooth and steps down to tri-band coverage, but retains the same 65,000-color hi-res TFT display as its siblings, as well as the camera. Two variants will be released: The V300 will be GSM 900/1800/1900, and will be released in Europe and Asia this quarter; the V303 will be GSM 850/1800/1900, and will be out in the 4th quarter for the Americas.

E365

The E365 is a camera phone that Motorola announced in January as a GSM 900/1800 phone for Asia only. However, Phone Scoop has learned that a GSM 850/1900 version will also be produced. Currently, it is only planned for release in Latin America, although it should work on North American networks. Both versions should be available this quarter.

T725

Motorola's first EDGE phone will be the T725. Unfortunately, it won't be out until the 4th quarter. It is based on the T720 platform, and features tri-band Americas coverage with GSM 850/1800/1900.

C550

Motorola is planning a vast array of new models based on the popular C330/C350 platform. Shown at left is the C550, which adds a camera, Java and WAP 2.0 to the C350 design. Other variants of the C350 series include the C250 series, C370 series, and the C450. Each will vary slightly in features, but all include a color display, and all will be dual-band GSM with GSM 850/1900 versions available for the Americas. Each series will include up to three specific models that vary in appearance. The C350 series is available now, with the other models to follow later this quarter.

CDMA & TDMA 

First up at bat in the CDMA department will be the T730/T731, which is essentially a re-styled T720. Also coming down the pipe is the V60x, which adds 1xRTT and BREW to the venerable V60 series, and the V60p, which will be Motorola's first CDMA Push-To-Talk phone. All three should be available this quarter. But the really big guns are coming out later in the year...

The C343 and C343a will be similar to the recently-released C333, but add a color display. The C343 should be available in the 4th quarter.

V810

The V810 will be Motorola's new flagship CDMA phone for North America. Based on a popular design developed for the Asian market, the V810 is a surprisingly small phone that packs in a large 262,000-color display and a camera with flash. The V810 is currently slated for a November release.

MS150

The MS150 is Motorola's hot new 1xEV-DO phone in Korea right now. The unique square design accommodates a camera, OLED outer display, and a special wide-format main LCD. The 160-by-128-pixel wide LCD allows streaming video to be displayed full-screen. Although currently available only in Korea, Motorola plans to bring the MS150 design to unspecified "other markets" in 2004.

MS280

Possibly the hottest new phone on Motorola's roadmap is the MS280. This phone features a rotating design similar to the Sony Ericsson SO505i that's taken Japan by storm. The MS280 also features a 176-by-220-pixel 260,000-color TFT display, dual cameras, and streaming MPEG4 video. The phone will be available in Korea in November, expanding to "other markets" in 2004.
In the TDMA camp, Motorola plans to continue cranking out a few more models to satisfy lingering demand throughout the Americas. First up is the C353t, which looks identical to the CDMA C343 (pictured above). Like Nokia's 3560, the C353t brings modern features such as a color display and downloadable polyphonic ringtones to the TDMA market. The C353t is available now.
The C353t isn't the end of the line for TDMA, though. Motorola also plans to release a color-display clamshell-style TDMA model.

UMTS 

Motorola was one of the first to market with a commercial UMTS 3G phone. The A830 has been one of the premiere handsets for recent 3G launches in Europe and Asia. Building on its early success, the company is planning a major offensive on the UMTS front over the next year.

A835

Whereas the A830 has a stub antenna and a clip-on camera, the A835 features a fully integrated camera and internal antenna. Since it was first announced, the phone has received a much-needed re-styling. The A835 will be available later this quarter.

A920

While the A830 and A835 were simply Motorola's first UMTS 3G phones, the new A920 will mark the start of Motorola's real "A-series" 3G phones. These high-end models include PDA and PC-like features for serious business users. The A920 has a touchscreen with stylus, and runs Symbian OS 7.0 with the UIQ interface (similar to the Sony Ericsson P800).

A925

The A925 is simply another variant based the same design. Both models feature 208x320-pixel, 65,000-color TFT displays and Internet browsers that can display full web pages, including Flash. The A925 also features KJava gaming, and is slated for release in the 4th quarter.

V1000

In 2004, Motorola will expand its portfolio to include UMTS 3G models in all of its major model lines. In the V-series of stylish clamshells, Motorola will release the V1000, which sports dual cameras, dual color displays, and an internal antenna. The company will also release an E-series model with a focus on entertainment, and a C-series model designed to bring features like point-to-multi-point video to the mass market.

view article organized across multiple pages

Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.

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