Motorola announces MOTOZINE ZN5

Hints of Motorola's new MOTOZINE series of devices have gone back as far as last year, but today marks the first time that Moto's officially spilled any beans on the goods. The headlining feature on the first model, the ZN5 candybar, lies on the backside: a 5-megapixel sensor courtesy of a partnership with Kodak, featuring autofocus, a xenon flash, image stitching, and on-device integration with Kodak Gallery. Otherwise, you get WiFi (score), Motorola's so-called "ModeShift" technology for morphing the keypad depending on device mode (a la the E8), and a run-of-the-mill quadband GSM radio with EDGE. China's the first country to get the hookup starting next month, but Moto expects to take the ZN5 on a world tour over the course of the remainder of the year.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 23rd 2008 1:07AM]

People accuse Motorola of being uncreative, but I don't think this phone is bad. The Kodak-sourced optics should be nice (too many phones have crappy cameras), the bar-style design is unique (too few candybar phones are available, at least in America) and the ModeShift keyboard is innovative. I also like the purple, used to "color-code" the photo functions (and, to an extent, the entire line). I'll be honest - if this was available on Sprint right now, I would have it by the end of the week.

So while it still sort of feels like we never really saw Moto's much-hyped next-gen "SCPL" design language, at least they're not totally standing still.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 23rd 2008 1:27AM]

5MP autofocus xenon flash camera ftw.

Heres to hoping at&t at least picks this up since they ditched the k850. It would make sense, as they always seem to offer the newer (well, to carriers anyway) moto's before they will touch sony or nokia.

v3, v3i, v3xx, v9, z9,... Zine ZN5?

one can only hope.

[GarageBattle Posted Jun 23rd 2008 1:34PM]

Motorola is being uncreative

It is a company living on past accolades

Time to man up, clear out your design department, and bring in some new talent with a 'clue'

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 23rd 2008 5:34PM]

Agree with Rob. Look at their buttons, they all look very very similiar to first razor. Why cant you just let go the razor like stuff.
Also wouldn't it be cooler that the D-pad was not circular but squarish and chromed?