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Motorola RIZR Z10 gets exclusive on O2
About time that Moto's RIZR Z10 sees the light of day, and it'll be shining in O2's spotlight as an exclusive for at least the first little while. Featuring a 3.2 megapixel camera, quad-band GSM / EDGE, single-band HSDPA, support for up to 32GB of pop-in memory, a winning kick-slide form factor, and O2 has even seen fit to pitch in the Borne Ultimate collection on the included 1GB microSD card. If you're a fan of vid and pic editing, the built in editing software on the Z10 should keep you happy with the ability to add a soundtrack, overlay text, and even upload your 30fps opus right to YouTube from the handset. So there ya have it, if you're in the UK and have from $free to £149.99 (roughly $300) to spend, it may well be worth having a peek at.[Via MobileBurn]
Motorola Z9 for sale by way of eBay
A few scratches around the screen. A keypad that doesn't light up. No original materials included -- just a wall wart for charging. Doesn't exactly sound like a dream of an eBay find until you realize what this is, the totally unreleased Motorola Z9 slider that hasn't been seen or heard from for many, many moons. As the seller points out, the Z9's basically a slider version of the RAZR 2 (right down to the bizarre burgundy shade of AT&T's V9) so if sliders just really do it for you, here's your chance to get in on a little piece of unavailability. The seller also claims that the phone won't be out in retail channels for "a couple more months," though with six or more months already behind us since we first heard of it, who's counting?[Thanks, Lincoln]
Motorola rocks the Z10 banana slider
Motorola's press conference is done and we were pretty stoked to finally see the MOTO Z10 announced. The handset features some pretty swank video editing tools like the ability to overlay text on the 30fps QVGA video you've shot, adding a soundtrack from your device and finally uploading your content directly to YouTube. Connectivity to get all this crafty business done is via HSDPA -- who wants to wait for EDGE to do its business? -- memory is expandable up to 32 GB once that becomes available and the Z10 also packs stereo speakers to listen to your tunes. The still camera is of the 3.2 megapixel variety and is apparently one of the quickest on the market and able to shoot at 3fps. No word on pricing but the plans are to see it shipping some time this quarter.
AT&T's Motorola Z9, updated V9 due in January?
Alright, Motorola faithful, listen up: AT&T's got a few goodies in store for you. Nothing we didn't already know about, really, but in light of the recent upheaval, it's a little reassuring to hear that stuff is still on track. It turns out that the Z9 -- a phone we heard about merely once before returning to the ether to mature for many, many more months -- is apparently on track for a January release alongside the updated V9 that will bring GPS and Video Share to the RAZR 2 formula. Oh, and that V365 replacement we'd mentioned a while back? Yep, it's still cookin' (with the code name "Hurricane," we hear) and may be billed as a higher end handset with crazy signal strength and some sort of industrial-grade metal housing. Anyone getting excited about that one?[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Motorola's Z6c for Verizon gets dressed up for the media
So when Motorola gets around to launching the dual-mode GSM / CDMA Z6c slider, these are pretty much the high-style shots you're going to see in publications. A little swankier and more refined than the harsh light offered by the FCC's labs, eh? On behalf of world travelers everywhere, we await thee![Thanks, anonymous tipster]%Gallery-11135%
Two new Moto handsets outed: say hello to the RIZR Z10 and ROKR E8
Motorola is expecting a couple new and rather glossy additions to its family, namely the RIZR Z10 (pictured on left) and the ROKR E8. The E8's face will between various modes based on what you're doing, from keypad to music controls for example, it also has some tactile feedback so you know you've actually input something on its smooth black surface. The ROKR E8 has a multi function "Omega Wheel" for zooming through your tunes and navigating, 2GB of internal storage, expansion via microSD, and the sad word -- rumor of course, so we can hold out hope -- that it won't feature 3G connectivity. The RIZR Z10 is a Symbian 9.02 handset sporting the ever so lovely UIQ 3.2 interface, quad-band GSM / EDGE, HSDPA in some alien frequency, a 3.2 megapixel shooter, 90MB of internal storage with the old standby, microSD, if you need more space. The E8 should be landing Q1 of 2008, and the Z10 should be shipping Q4 this year for round about €400 (about $550).Read - Motorola ROKR E8Read - Motorola RIZR Z10
World's highest cellphone call made with Motorola Z8
He did it, British climber Rod Baber made a cell mobile phone (apparently using a MOTORIZR Z8, not a satellite phone) call from the top of Mount Everest. In fact, he made the record breaking call twice: the first to a voice mail account, the other to his wife and children. He even sent a text message to Moto which read, "One small text for man, one giant leap for mobilekind - thanks Motorola." Real cute, Rod. The Motorola sponsored "world record" was made possible by a Chinese mobile base station installed with a line of sight to the north ridge. Officially, the calls were made at 29,035 feet (about 8,848 meters) in temperatures of -22 degress fahrenheit (-30 degrees centigrade) -- so cold that Rob had to tape the batteries to his body just to keep them active. We're not sure where he stored the banana-shaped Z8. Of course, anyone who has ever made a call from a commercial aircraft (hey, it happens) knows that it's really not a record, but who are we to argue with Guinness?[Via BBC, thanks Mook]
Motorola's video-centric phone is... the MOTORIZR Z8
Yeah, the RAZR 2 is alright, we guess, but we're not idiots -- and that's exactly what Motorola appears to have taken us for over the past week leading up to today's announcements. Not only did Motorola's team drone on endlessly about the MING, GSM Q (now known as the Q8), the Q9h, the Z6, and the Z8 -- even daring to cast some in a new-announcement light -- but it now seems that the multimedia powerhouse CEO Ed Zander was getting us all fired up over last week was the aforementioned Z8. Yes, the very same Z8 that was announced months ago at 3GSM. Next time, Ed, cut to the chase and let us know when you're going to be rehashing an old phone to hype your conference, kthxbai.
Motorola gets in the action figure business
Since Motorola is having a bit of a rough time making a profit in the mobile handset business (the RAZR is sooo 2005), the world's second-largest cellphone maker has turned its attention to manufacturing action figures in order to boost profit margins. No, not really, but Motorola's new partnership with famous toy designer Eric So to create action figures makes us wonder what marketing directions the Motorola folks are going in. You'll have to be in China to have access to these, as Motorola will be giving three limited-edition action figures depicting China brand ambassadors Jay Chou and Zhou Xun with Motorola handset purchases from www.18900.net. We'll just call them MOTOFIGRS.[Via textually.org]
Motorola RIZR Z3 gets priced, reviewed on T-Mobile
T-Mobile's stable got one stall wider when we heard the RIZR Z3 would be hitting this month -- but was it worth the carrier's trouble? T-Mobile is the first US provider to offer up this already long-in-the-tooth handset -- which commands a respectable $100 on a two-year contract -- and LAPTOP had the opportunity to put it through its paces. As we knew, it's really nothing more than a KRZR redone as a slider, so, uh... yeah, if that's what you're looking for, this here handset is the only game in town. LAPTOP was a little less than happy with the phone's music and photo capabilities; the music player was difficult to find and operate, while the pic quality left something to be desired. Call quality was solid, though (as is often the case with Motorola devices) and volume was plenty loud. The magazine's verdict? You can probably do better for the price, but again: if you want a KRZR-esque slider on T-Mobile, the RIZR's your one and only hookup.Read - LAPTOP Magazine reviewRead - T-Mobile's RIZR Z3 product page[Thanks, Allen]
Motorola RIZR Z3 hitting up T-Mobile next month
While you loyal T-Mobile users have patiently braved the news of Moto's RIZR Z3 passing FCC inspection, getting some love on Vodafone Germany, and receiving a relatively glowing review, it's about time it sashayed over to your carrier, huh? If that's you, go on and circle March 12th on your current mobile's calendar, as that'll be the day when it gets overshadowed by a newer, sleeker handset. Reportedly, the MOTORIZR Z3 will be launched on T-Mobile just over a fortnight from now, and will sport a two-megapixel camera with video capture capabilities, music playback, stereo Bluetooth, quad-band connectivity, speakerphone, voice recognition software, predictive text input, and a 220 x 176 resolution screen, just like we've gotten used to. No word on what T-Mobile plans on charging for the device, but be sure and hit the read link for the full promotional sheet.[Thanks, TJ and the Fish]
Academy: no cameraphones at Oscars. Moto: that sucks
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- better known to most as the Oscar people -- are apparently promising to come down hard on the use of cameraphones at this year's event with a complete ban. That, in itself, is not surprising; the last thing our friends in Hollywood want is a flood of grainy, bootleg footage getting MMSed across the lands in real time. What is surprising, however, is that Motorola's been called out as a bit of a freeloader here. As you might recall, Moto had been trumpeting that some super-duper version of the MOTORIZR Z3 would be handed out to the "top 25" nominees at the event -- problem is, it turns out that the company isn't even sponsoring the show in any capacity, leaving them with zero leverage to override the Academy's ruling. We suppose they could mail out the phones before or afterwards, but how lame is that? Don't fret though, Moto, your efforts aren't for naught -- send those Z3s on over to us and we'll make sure they find loving homes.
Motorola's MOTORIZR Z8: a Symbian "kick-slider" with HSDPA
What a difference a profile shot makes, eh? Say hello again, to Motorola's 3G MOTORIZR Z8 -- the first ever "kick slider" sporting a new form factor meant to more confortably fit the profile of your face. This pup packs a Symbian (yes, Symbian) OS and up to 3.6Mbps HSDPA data in a 15.3-mm thin form factor. It delivers a 1.4 x 2-inch, QVGA 16 million color display and 2 megapixel camera around back (VGA cam up front for video calls) with the ability to record in either MPEG-4 or 3gp (for MMS). It also sports 90MB of internal memory with MiroSD expansion to store even more pictures, video, or MP3 audio; A2DP stereo Bluetooth audio; and up to 5-hours of 3G talk time or up to 16 days standby. Again, no mention of such trivialities as the frequencies supported, but the BSkyB partnership is a pretty good hint that the UK and Europe will be first in line for the Z8 when it pops in April. More pics after the break.
LEAKYMOTO: say hi to the MOTORIZR Z8
Sorry we don't yet have any hard info on this thing, but you know what a front-facing camera means, right? Say hi to the 3G MOTORIZR (or RIZR, if you will), the Z8.
Motorola MOTORIZR Z6 in the wild at CES
Yep, we couldn't be sure from the press photos, but now we can say with confidence that the MOTORIZR Z6's glossy casing is pretty bombastic -- visually, it's what the Z3 shoulda been in every respect. Of course, firmware makes or breaks a phone, so we won't know how well the Z6 really treats us until we're able to spend some quality time together. Either way, invoking the word "Linux" definitely gets our imaginations stirring. It's anyone's guess how well Moto's ultimately going to embrace and support their enthusiast community, but we've gotta say it: "open-source fashion phone," anyone?
Motorola announces MOTORIZR Z6
The first RAZR-esque slider for global release from Moto, the MOTORIZR Z3, hasn't even seen wide distribution yet, but that didn't stop them from announcing the hotter Z6 at CES this week. The upgraded device adds a so-2006 glossy black finish and features Motorola's new Linux- and Java-based platform, but perhaps more importantly to users, it integrates seamlessly with Windows Media Player 11 and rocks support for Windows Media DRM. Other features of the music-heavy handset carry over from the Z3, including a 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth with A2DP, and expansion via microSD; sadly, there's still no mention of 3G on board. Expect the Z6 to be available by the end of this half of the year, with pricing to be announced closer to launch.
MOTORIZR Z3 gets reviewed
The MOTORIZR Z3 isn't exactly awe-inspiring in terms of features, but being that its Moto's "first attempt at the slider design trend," it gets somewhat of a pass in the value department. CNET was able to get its paws on the predictably thin new mobile, and while the list of niceties wasn't exactly suited to the (admittedly) high $300 pricetag, they couldn't help but fall for its snazzy good looks. Aside from the design, the phone offered a pleasantly crisp LCD, user-friendly navigation array, call quality similar to the GSM KRZR (read: satisfactory), "respectable" battery life of 6.5 hours, and a highly improved volume level. All wasn't peachy, however, as reviewers found the built-in camera to be fairly awful, the button layout to be a bit cramped / slick, and the speakerphone to be less than impressive. All in all, this rendition of Motorola's (almost) vowel-less lineup did the slider motif "quite well," and while CNET suggested holding out until prices drop just a bit, it was deemed a solid performer nonetheless.[Thanks, Justin]
Motorola MOTORIZR Z3 now on Vodafone Germany
With the MAXX and V3xx both coming out of the woodwork recently and into customers' hands, it's already been a helluva week for Motorola launches -- but there's no rest for the wicked. The MOTORIZR Z3, alternatively known in some circles as the RAZR slider (but not that RAZR slider), has gone ahead and dropped on Vodafone Germany for the reasonable sum of €100 on contract (about $128). Though the RIZR falls behind its launch-mates with nothing more than old skool EDGE data to its name, it's a solid alternative to the K1 KRZR for those that prefer sliders and just can't bear to give up that Moto look. Here's hoping the Voda launch is only the first of many in the next few weeks, eh?[Thanks, Jewburg]
FCC thinks MOTORIZR is a little bit of alright
In case there was any ongoing concern among the populace that Motorola's RAZRiffic slider, the MOTORIZR Z3, wouldn't win FCC approval, it looks like that (needlessly) stressed-out faction can finally rest easy. We found the typical bounty of documentation on the FCC's site for the Z3 this week -- and while much of it is about as fun as reading a phone book (the white one, not the yellow one with pictures and ads and stuff), they've also dropped in some decent pictures and a draft user's manual for our viewing pleasure. Thanks for the goodies, Moto; now onto the official release, eh?
Old, new, borrowed, blue: Motorola's offerings at CTIA
No surprises from Motorola today, though we were able to spend some quality time with their upcoming RIZR and KRZR models. We were surprised at how light and solid the RIZR felt, especially considering we're looking at a pre-production unit here. The matte, rust red finish was a nice touch, but check out the intricate design on the phone's hindquarters after the break -- it's a unique detail and we hope this makes it to the production handset.
