Motorola Releases the MPx220 Mobile Smart Phone

Nine months after the manufacturer's first foray into the smartphone market, Motorola unveils its third offering in this area: the MPx220, joining the original MPx200 entry model and the MPx100 announced at the 3GSM World Congress in February. Destined to succeed the MPx200, the clamshell MPx220 will be selling alongside the candybar style MPx100 with the two models sharing the majority of features.

The MPx220 will be slightly larger than the MPx200 at 9 x 4.8 x 2 cm and a weight of 110 g, featuring an external, 12-bit colour display capable of displaying photo caller ID pictures taken with the integrated 1.2 Megapixel camera of the handset. This features 3x digital zoom, and also a Flash function - uncommon for most camera-equipped handsets today, but a feature expected to proliferate as more handsets break the Megapixel barrier. The internal display of the MPx220 will offer 16-bit colour depth, and is capable of displaying up to 65,536 colours.

850/900/1800/1900 MHz connectivity will ensure compatibility with all GSM networks on a global basis, while Bluetooth support will enable users to connect other devices and accessories. Unlike the MPx100, the MPx220 will not feature an SDIO capable SD Card expansion slot for adding accessories, but rather support the more recent miniSD Card standard which at the current point in time only permits memory expansion. Expansion aside, the MPx220 offers 64 MB of non-volatile memory.

To be powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2003 SE for Smartphone platform, the MPx220 will feature numerous improvements over the current MPx200 model, which runs Smartphone 2002. Several applications have been updated, a native MMS client has been added, and users will also be able to personalize the user interface to a larger extent than previously possible.

According to Motorola, the MPx220 is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2004, however information concerning the expected pricing of the handset was not disclosed.