Motorola has just introduced the MotoSurf A3100 which could prove a new contender against the iPhone.
The MotoSurf A3100 runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 and has a home screen layer that can be personalized to give the user things like news and weather reports, a calendar or even a messaging option. There will even be a Facebook app to connect with friends and update your status, as well as a YouTube video playback app.
The A3100 is described as a “touch tabletâ€ÂÂ, which is a fancy name for a touchscreen device. The display is 2.8 inches, it can be operated with a stylus or an omni-directional trackerball which sits in between the buttons for answering and ending calls. Furthermore, the included stylus means the Motorola MotoSurf A3100’s 2.8-inch QVGA screen will use resistive touch technology, instead of the more finger-friendly capacitative touchscreen technology.
Unlike the BlackBerry storm the Motorola MotoSurf A3100 can support 3G connections of up 7.2Mb/s and Wi-Fi. It also has the correct radio bands for AT&T’s 3G network, but this seems more like an international import than a carrier phone. Without a firm carrier commitment, we have a sneaking suspicion this phone will never make it stateside. In addition to Wi-Fi the A3100 also has Tri-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth and Assisted GPS.
In terms of media the MotoSurf A3100 phone comes with a 3 megapixel camera and a secondary VGA user-facing camera for making video calls. It also supports MP3 audio files which can be stored onto Micro SD memory cards of up to 32 GB.
The Motorola MotoSurf A3100 will be available in Asia and Latin America during the first quarter of 2009. Stay tuned for our hands-on impressions of the Motorola MotoSurf A3100 in the coming days.