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MOTOFONE F3, the zombie apocalypse survival phone (video)
You can never be too prepared. Whether you're being chased by brain sucking zombies, hunted down by ruthless killer robots, or -- more likely -- the victim of an earthquake or other natural disaster. There's only one phone you really need, and that's the MOTOFONE F3. Forget your smartphone and its fancy pants features, forget the internet -- when the apocalypse strikes your survival might depend on a durable handset with great battery life and just the basics, which is exactly what the MOTOFONE F3 delivers. Introduced in 2006 for developing markets, it makes and takes calls, sends and receives text messages, beeps and vibrates, stores and recalls your most important contacts, and includes an alarm clock -- that's it. Of course, these specs describe almost every simple phone launched since SMS was added to the GSM standard. What makes the MOTOFONE F3 unique is that it uses a segmented e-paper display which sips power and remains legible in both direct sunlight and dark back alleys, along with dual antennae for superior radio performance. Battery life is absolutely incredible, with over 2 weeks in standby and several months powered off. Motorola also designed the handset to be light (68g), thin (9mm) and strong -- it's resistant to shock, dust and moisture, with a sealed keypad and speaker (which is extremely loud). The best part? You can pick one up online, unlocked, for as little as $25. Check out our gallery below, and whatever you do, don't be like our protagonist in the zombie apocalypse video after the break -- don't leave your SIM at home. Psst... yeah, we know this phone's ancient, but every now and then we like to reach back and have a little fun. And, you know, escape a looming zombie horde. %Gallery-131641%
Motorola: give us the F3
For a site, a writer, and, by and large, a readership more inclined to drool over 5 megapixel cameras, WiFi, and VGA displays, begging Motorola to release its lowly MOTOFONE F3 stateside seems like a sketch move. And don't get us wrong, an F3 is never going to replace your N95, your iPhone, or even your Wireless Coupe. We're merely trying to say this: at its introduction, the F3 was (and still is) an extraordinarily innovative handset that redefines what a low-cost handset can be, and contrary to Motorola's beliefs, we see no reason why Americans shouldn't have access to it.Thanks to the good folks at Wireless Imports for the hookup!%Gallery-7907%
MOTOFONE loses all sense of decency and gets naked
The unboxing and dissecting of gadgets has become so commonplace that we're almost amazed when new and noteworthy devices aren't taken apart and photographed in the nude for all of the tech world to see. Today, Motorola's MOTOFONE joins such greats as the 2G iPod Nano and iRiver Clix, as it becomes our latest inductee into the illustrious "Hall of Splayed." So, if the images of internal components and bare circuit boards are your cup of tea, check out the Flickr gallery of gadget faithful John P., where he puts everything the MOTOFONE has to offer out in the open.[Thanks, John P.]
Motorola CES booth tour
Ready for a tour of CES booth of the number two cellphone manufacturer in the world (for the time being, anyway)? We got hands on with a bunch of Moto's new phones, click on for the fun.
Motorola's CDMA MOTOFONE, the F3c
We knew the MOTOFONE was available in a CDMA flavor, but this is the first we've seen a white one in the flesh. Looks rather strapping, does it not? RIM's not the only one thinking pale phones are the way to go these days.
Low-cost MOTOFONE hits India
We knew Motorola had something (really) skinny up its sleeve way back in July, and after it got the ole thumbs-up from our constituents over at the FCC, we knew a whiz-bang release couldn't be too far out. Thankfully (at least for India), today's the day, and the MOTOFONE will finally find its way into (and surely out of) slim fit pockets everywhere. Moto announced immediate availability of the GSM-based F3 within India today at a dedicated event held in New Delhi, and stated that "international markets" could expect to get their palms on one "in the coming weeks." Furthermore, the CDMA sibling (F3c) is slated to hit shelves "before the end of 2006." While pricing details were cleverly omitted, we're sure they'll surface soon when local carriers jump on the bandwagon.[Via Mobiledia]
Motorola MOTOFONE F3 gets by FCC
The FCC is many things to many people, but for us, it's a library and an informant. In its latter capacity, the agency has scooped literally dozens upon dozens of phones for us; in its former, it serves as one of the most comprehensive sources of mobile phone user's manuals on the 'net. They're putting on their starched, three-piece suits and playing their librarian role this time around, releasing a cornucopia of PDFs relating to Motorola's low-cost MOTOFONE F3. The draft manual is a breath of fresh air for the manual haters among us -- we know who you are -- if it carries through to production in its current form, bearing just 10 (yes, ten) panels of important information on what appears to be a foldable pamphlet. Ultra low-end or not, we have to admit an irrational excitement is building around Engadget HQ to play around with this thing -- especially if the brief documentation suggests it's going to take like 90 seconds to learn.
Hands-on with Motorola MOTOFONE F3
Who knew going back to segmented displays on handsets was such a good idea? No, seriously -- check out the picture, it looks pretty nifty in the flesh. Mobile Burn was equally impressed in their up-close-and-personal look at Moto's MOTOFONE F3, their newest low-cost handset for emerging markets, saying that the screen actually reminded them a lot of an Etch-a-Sketch. With a large text readout and voice prompting, they were equally impressed with the phone's foolproof simplicity, suggesting this might be a great device for the very young and old in, uh, emerged markets as well. We'll reserve final judgment for when we can get our hands on an F3 ourselves, but we'd like to cautiously offer Moto congratulations for getting us unusually worked up over an extremely simple phone.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Motorola's 9mm MOTOFONE
Eat your heart out, Samsung. Well, not really, since Motorola's new MOTOFONE is not only 2.1mm thicker than Samsung's current record holding X820, but also comes up quite short in the features department. Instead the new MOTOFONE, coming in GSM and CDMA flavors at a svelte 0.35-inches, is targeting first time wireless users, prepaid buyers, and developing countries. Luckily, while Moto was weeding out those "nonessentials" like a camera, MP3 playback and a color screen (The MOTOFONE has instead an electrophoretic display with similarities to e-paper) they managed to lose that unsightly hump Samsung slapped onto the X820. Motorola's thinnest phone does include some niceties beyond size, like local language voice prompts for ease of use, dust and sun resistance, and "extended" battery life. There's no word on price or a release date, but we're sure we can find enough change in our couch for whenever it does come around. Phone Scoop is calling this unit part of Motorola's "Scalpel" platform, of which the rumored SCPL should be a bit more of an exciting member.[Via Phone Scoop; thanks everyone]
