T-Mobile-flavored Motorola MB710 gets FCC approval

You might remember that we'd thought all the way back in January that T-Mobile's version of the MOTOROI / Milestone XT720 had gotten its FCC certification. Well, guess what happened this week? The all-important external photos and users' manual came off confidentiality, which means we can now confirm that a MOTOROI is exactly what we're looking at here. It's unclear what's taking so long for T-Mobile to get this thing to retail since it was apparently ready (or ready-ish) more than half a year ago, but with an 8 megapixel camera on board, we suspect more than a few people will be willing to forgive the awkward bump in the lower right for a chance to get in on what could be one of T-Mobile's first legit high-end Android devices. With any luck, we'll see a release before too long -- but as with any unannounced phone, it's a crap shoot.

[iroq d mullet Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:20PM]

holy top bezel!

[The Dark Knight Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:37PM]

@iroq d mullet
That phone is not worth the plastic it was made with.

[JAG Posted Jul 8th 2010 3:50AM]

@iroq d mullet

This phone has HSDPA+ bands of T-MO.

I hope this phone has good specs

[The Dark Knight Posted Jul 9th 2010 12:29AM]

@The Dark Knight

It just looks ugly!! Really ugly!

[DaHarder Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:21PM]

Very Nice... Spread The Wealth Moto!

[tpbftw Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:21PM]

Meh

[sacguy Posted Jul 7th 2010 5:28PM]

Gee Tmo, maybe if you would've gotten that in stores like 6 months ago I wouldn't have left you for Verizon.

[brant09 Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:24PM]

There is a lot of wasted space on that phone! At least it look like Tmo going to get something powerful to go with the Galaxy s phone coming.

[Eroded Fallacy Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:25PM]

So i suppose the Samsung Vibrant isn't considered a high end Android smartphone? There are two Android smartphones that T-mobile has but they aren't anything as popular as the Droid or Evo.

[jordanjay29 Posted Jul 7th 2010 4:17PM]

@Eroded Fallacy
That's mostly because T-Mobile's advertising division is NOTHING like Verizon's. Verizon has viral marketing DOWN, from magazines to billboards to TV and internet, the Droid marketing is everywhere. Meanwhile, mention of the myTouch Slide is...well, nowhere outside of a T-Mobile store/vendor. It's quite sad.

[pavvy Posted Jul 7th 2010 4:54PM]

@jordanjay29 -- actually, i've been seeing outdoor ads for the slide all over town (L.A.) -- maybe they're focusing on certain markets...

[GreatLoner Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:25PM]

4 months too late.

[tranceformer978 Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:26PM]

I wouldn't call this high-end. Specs are already outdated

[Spac3Invad3r Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:28PM]

1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor
4 inch Super AMOLED touch screen
5MP camera can record HD video
Android 2.1 (2.2 in the works)

T-Mobile Vibrant = High End!

[GeneralThade Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:38PM]

@Spac3Invad3r

For real. I'll start bitching about a front facing camera when...
a. There is a standard for video calling across all carriers/OS.
b. All carriers have data speeds to make it as seamless as voice calls.

Until then, it's a gimmick that shouldn't make/break your buying decision.

[HelghanSuperSniper Posted Jul 7th 2010 5:42PM]

@Spac3Invad3r agreed. I read "Tmobiles first legit high end Android devices..." and thought "WTF?" The Vibrant isn't high end now?

We'll just chalk up that statement in the article as "suspect" and move on.

[JAG Posted Jul 8th 2010 3:53AM]

@Spac3Invad3r

No camera flash = fail.

Samsung Vibrat = Not a decent phone

[Dino Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:28PM]

SO whichone should I get Samsung Vibrant or this one? Samsung Vibrant looks better to me. Lack of camera flash kills it for me but that's what the digital camera is for...

[auneakeffect Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:30PM]

this thing is ugly

[SeanR Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:33PM]

This looks dumb huge, and not the nice Evo kind either...

[XChrisX Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:34PM]

No screen, all bezel!

[iwebadroidcom Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:37PM]

"....T'Mobile's first legit high-end Android device."
So the Samsung Vibrant isn't a high-end Android device? It looks better to me than this piece of crap.

[koideath Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:40PM]

I'd rather try and make phone calls with poo.

[nuteronix Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:43PM]

i dont mind if a phone has a bump or bulge on it's side IF it serves a purpose, such as hosting all the I/O connectors on that side of the phone that slots into a dock for A/V and USB charge, etc..

the bulge could also be used to stop the device right in place when you drop it into your dock

[GeneralThade Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:49PM]

Wait....TMO's first legit high-end smartphone?? This has an ARM Cortex A8 running at like 600Mhz, right? How is that a high end smartphone?

[SprHeroG2 Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:54PM]

Btw. 710? I thought it was called XT720 and came with a TI OMAP 3430 @ 720mhz. Or I am I missing something??

[Gold Mamba Posted Jul 7th 2010 8:01PM]

@GeneralThade You should remember though the Droid also is packing a TI OMAP 3430 and it still a solid and in demand phone. With root and the right kernel, the OMAP 3430 can overclock up to 1 GHz stable. Until dual core SOCs start shipping to hardware partners, I'd say most Cortex A8 based phones perform more or less the same.

[nuteronix Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:49PM]

or...if it's sides are made of steel and its screen's got a gorilla glass front, and a bump on the side, you could use it as a hammer and make your Leatherman jealous

[SprHeroG2 Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:51PM]

I like it!! First android phone with a decent flash camera!

[StalkyTheFish Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:56PM]

I think the bulge is to raise the camera button to make it more camera-like, which seems to be this phone's "thing".

As far as I'm concerned the more high-end Android stuff T-Mobile gets, the better.

[pavvy Posted Jul 7th 2010 4:56PM]

exactly, it's where the camera controls are (in the back)...

[Atlantian Posted Jul 7th 2010 4:01PM]

the screen look like it got smaller look at the links they provide i could be wrong though

[EggoEspada Posted Jul 7th 2010 4:06PM]

This would have been awesome if they released it months ago..

[gophergun Posted Jul 7th 2010 4:46PM]

Should have had the 1GHz ARM that the Droid 2 is having. As it stands, this is just too little, too late. I'll probably be jumping ship to Verizon once I'm out of contract.

[gamemanx Posted Jul 7th 2010 5:04PM]

uhm..ugly

[ror Posted Jul 7th 2010 5:32PM]

I can't believe manufacturers insist on using that old-ass Android launcher

[KC Posted Jul 7th 2010 6:21PM]

Well, I hope Wind up here in Canada chooses this as their Motorola Android (Wind is rumored to be launching a Moto source android phone soon) instead of that weird square thingy.

[SomePerson Posted Jul 7th 2010 6:39PM]

This phone actually looks really nice in real life. Though they SHOULD HAVE released it like 5 months ago. If T-Mobile had great advertising and sold this back then, they would have sold a shit load of these as I know there are tons of people on T-Mo who want a high-end phone but rather want to see it in person rather than buying it online(I'm looking at you, Nexus One). Nonetheless, its still a solid phone.

[mushaboom Posted Jul 7th 2010 6:43PM]

Has anyone noticed that the preference icon in that screen is almost exact replica of the osx system preferences icon?

[GAM3TAG Posted Jul 7th 2010 8:40PM]

T-Mobile should pick DROID X instead of this

[sylent101 Posted Jul 7th 2010 9:16PM]

I was actually interested in this phone months ago when I heard about a keyboardless Droid.

I wanted this because the keyboard on the Droid is absolute shit. But wow like 6 months later? This phone is just Meh now. Think I'm going to be steering clear of Motorola. They're phones aren't too nice looking either. What's with the useless hump and the hideous moto logo at the top? And it looks thick as hell.

[FritzJ92 Posted Jul 7th 2010 9:35PM]

Nexus one is no longer high end???

[Inspector Gadget80 Posted Jul 7th 2010 9:44PM]

Can never get good Motorola phones like this on AT&T. Thanks a bunch APPLE & STEVE JOBS. First the DROID X on Verizon only and now this, Makes the Flip Out Flip down.

[olypdd Posted Jul 7th 2010 10:41PM]

If they upgrade the processor, memory, and make it hspa compatible, it'll be a hit.