Motorola and 3 have announced the arrival of their most advanced 3G handset to date -- the Motorola A920. The handset has a full-color widescreen display designed to showcase 3's person-to-person video calling capabilities, as well as its exclusive video content.
The revolutionary Motorola A920 sets a new standard for the mobile industry and brings enhanced functionality to customers of 3's video mobile network. A mobile phone, video and still camera, a PDA, an MP3 player and gaming capability have been combined into one product.
The A920's 65,000+ color screen -- which can also hold up to 20 lines of text -- will show video content, such as Barclaycard Premiership goals and the latest film clips, with an impressive clarity and resolution.
The handset was jointly developed by 3 and Motorola, exclusively for the 3 video mobile network.
A true technology companion, with this new handset, 3 customers will be able to:
Make real time video calls to friends, family or colleagues via a digital, built in video camera. Great for sharing memories or special occasions with other 3 video mobile users
View music videos, movie trailers, sports or news clips at near broadcast quality
Find the nearest cafe, restaurant, shops or cinema, thanks to 3's location services and the new Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) capability of the A920
Listen to music using the phone as a personal stereo with an integrated MP3 player and a built in speaker as well as separate headphones
Make or receive calls at the same time as accessing 3's content areas and downloading video or audio clips
Use the phone internationally. Customers can make calls (including in North America via the tri-band operation)
The A920's full color screen is large enough for users to fully appreciate videos, photos and video calls. It boasts a clarity and resolution (65,000+ colors) of better quality than ever seen before on a mobile phone.
Although the product is packed full of the latest technology, it is very simple to use. The touch screen uses a stylus pen and handwriting recognition technology.
The menu system is navigated via icons on the touch screen, as well as dedicated 'hot buttons' for the most popular applications such as, 'home' and '3 services '. When browsing, the 'forward' and 'back' options operate just like on a PC.
The A920 runs on a version of the open operating system, Symbian OS v7.0 and incorporates the latest pen-based user interface by UIQ. Applications can be downloaded, such as games based on Java and C++, from 3. This will allow consumers to update their handsets regularly with new applications and content.
The Motorola A920 can also double up as a separate, hand-held gaming console. Flip the phone on its side and use the console-style game controls, including a five-way navigation key to play Java-based games.
An expansion memory card is also available for up to 256 extra Mb of space for multimedia files. The phone also offers more basic mobile phone functionality such as text and picture messaging.
The full commercial rollout of 3 services in the UK and Italy is already underway, with further services to follow over the coming months in Hong Kong, Australia, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Israel.
The Motorola A920 will be available in 3 outlets and from selected retail partners from September 2003.