DROID headed to Germany as Motorola MILESTONE (update: Italy too, no Google Maps Navigation)
By Paul Miller 
posted Nov 2nd 2009 5:45AM
posted Nov 2nd 2009 5:45AM
Update: It's now official on the Motorola Germany (and english language Western Europe) website where it lists Vodafone and O2 as local carriers. Italy now too, on an unspecified carrier. Oh, and it also lists "pinch and zoom" as a feature not found on the Droid. See for yourself after the break. It's carrying a public price tag of €481.
Update 2: As noted by a few readers, Milestone will ship with MOTONAV turn-by-turn directions, not Google's Maps Navigation.
[Thanks Vincenzo, Peter B.]
a fitting name given Motorola's recent history.
excellent! now we can buy unlocked version
what did your comment have to do with mine?
You were both on the Internet...
i thought it was frowned upon to reply to the top comment when your comment is totally unrelated, just so that more people will see it. now that i know i just have to be on the internet, i'll do that more often.
I approve of this product.
I do too. What makes Motorola think that Americans want gold-laden products that look fugly? I say that us Americans can appreciate the finer points of simplistic grey and black too!
I approve of your comment +
@Huy I like shiny biotch! I was just telling my friend if they put that mother in gold, oh yeah...Hellloooo Moto!
All I know is I need a new Android phone to replace my G1, I hope either I can get a Droid unlocked that works on T-Mobile 3G, or that Sony Ericsson X3/X10/Xwhatever turns out be the amazing Android phone it sounds like....and T-Mobile gets it.
Does anyone know if T-Mobile uses the 3G bands used in Europe, or the ones AT&T uses here in America?
http://www.tmonews.com/2009/10/please-let-this-be-real/
Tmo US 3G bands are unique to the US, the rest of the world (mostly) uses the same bands as ATT, although in a different configuration. But I had no problems using my iphone on the 3g networks in South Africa.
So unfortunately for Tmo users.. you are screwed if you want 3G on an import phone to work.
I await a UK announcement but PLEASE don't be on o2.
its on o2
Two points.
Firstly, just because it's on O2 in Germany that has precisely zero bearing on who will be carrying it in the UK - look at the iPhone, O2 had the initial exclusivity deal in the UK but T-Mobile (I think) had it in the Germany.
The different arms of the networks are run as separate companies for all intents and purposes, to the point whereby the charge each other for roaming despite being part of a single conglomerate.
Secondly, if Phone House has it, Carphone Warehouse will - they are the same company and, unlike the networks, they don't carry different stock in different countries.
@lain: Yes, T-Mobile has it as an exclusive in the Germany
regards from the Germany
I hope it is on O2 in the UK. They need an Android phone in their lineup.
Besides, it'd be less hassle for me to get one (wouldn't need to get it unlocked or buy a factory unlocked one etc.)
O2 have the iPhone, and the Palm Pre. Do they really need another device to rip us off with using device-specific extortionate contracts?
Does the Pre have it's own tariff structure? I wasn't aware.
Nice phone though, keep toying with the idea of getting one, then hesitating because it isn't Android.
So is this confirming that there's going to be a GSM available? Damn shame that it won't have US 3G bands (or so BGR thinks)... looking to switch up from a Blackberry Curve to an iPhone or Android, and this would fits my bill of requirements perfectly...
Quick question. Well im a media freak and when I heard the Droid was able to record D1 video I got verrrry excited but then I heard it only records 24fps. Is this a hardware limitation or software cause the iPhone has roughly the same hardware as in cpu gpu but has a 3 meg camera and records 30 fps with the best audio ive ever heard coming from a cellphone video camera. I know the droid records at 720 by 480 and the iPhone at 640 by 480 but that extra 80 lines of res shouldnt lower the frame rate that much. The Instinct HD (5meg) can record 720p video at 30fps and D1 at 80fps so im pretty sure its a software limitation. So my question is can someone create a Video camera app that can change the video to 30fps or more if possible? Ohh and also is the screen glass or plastic?
24fps is actually much preferred to 30fps. Almost all movies you watch is shot in 24fps because it is much closer to human sight.
@arejay: what you're saying is completly stupid. Human sight is everything but close to 24 fps. It has been proved that human could see more than 200 fps. Just think about the flash of a camera, it lasts only 1/600s and yet you are able to see the light it produces. Humans see continuous light, we do not have digital sensors limited by their sampling rate. The 24 fps standard is just a convenient standard created for the cinema industry a long time ago because it was more easy to adjust the soundtrack to it.
"Almost all movies you watch is shot in 24fps because..."
Yeah, that's it. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the length of a reel of film over 24fps (1000 ft ~ 11 minutes of film @ 24fps) For the record, Edison insisted that 48 be the standard because of eye strain...but the amount of film required was too expensive.
i remember that the samsug galaxy 3g radio worked for the t-mobile's 3g network. will the gsm droid work on t-mobile's 3g frequency?
This is quite the meilenstein.
Update: pietra miliare too.
i wonder if moto will launch droid/milestone in asia.
with asian language input too.
When is this coming to Australia!! STARES AT TELCO'S!! i don't want to have to import this phone! but i will oh yes i will!!
will the phone constantly say "MILESTONE"
It'd be interesting if in a really robotic voice it said "MILESTONE"
If o2 sticks to their "o2 My Handy" (translates into "o2 my mobile") program, it will be available without a contract and without any kind of SIM-lock, either foe a one time payment or a 2-year payment plan. So it shouldn't stop anyone who already has a contract with any other vendor from buying it (given that you manage to go through the ordering process in german;-)
As far as i know is O2 My Handy just a payment plan .. u cant buy it outright !!
Oh fuck, I'm on AT&T and now I can get the Droid. Fuck yeah
good luck getting 3G (as i assume you are in the states).
i thought the same thing too, then i realized that it was gonna cost ~$600 : (
I would love to to import to this phone to where I live, but I can't type on the German keyboards which I'm assuming will be standard on the Miletsone..?
hey man, the keyboard it Italy is the same as ours. Also, I don't know if it'll be unlocked or not. But it will be more likely that the phone sells unlocked in Italy.
I dont understand why a phone has to have a different name for every carrier its on.
In general, they change it to something they think appeals to their customers if they feel it's necessary.
re. the Milestone, it's probably because DROID was a rather silly name and doesn't sound very professional.
They also had to pay LucasFilm to use it.
I guess Europeans haven't read the initial reviews , keyboard is worthless n reaponsiveness isn't all there. I hope european carriers have a 30 day return policy like Americans.
Cuz they'll need it.
Ains, always the same song.
That on-screen keyboard on your iPhone must be amazing, what with your grammar and all...
If you calculate tax, the phone will be available for end customers for about 481€.
@word: 30 day return we got :-)
So, you're saying VAT isn't included in the price?
It looks a little slicker without the Verizon logo on the...chin.
Milestone also has multitouch unlike the droid. So it is not exactly the same phone software wise either.
I guess there would be a DIY-patch for US in the nearest future ;)
Well, theoretically you could put a different version on the phone. But it is the same phone, more or less.
It's nowhere near the same phone - one operates on CDMA, one on GSM/HSPDA, and thus, the hardware is WAY different.