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Motorola Develops Bare-Bones Phone
tunabomber writes "Whenever a review of the latest cellphone/camera/MP3 player/GPS receiver/fish finder/tazer convergence gadget is posted on Slashdot, the first posters are usually quick to chime in by saying they just want something with decent battery life, reception, ergonomics, etc. Those posters' prayers may now be answered, because Motorola's new 'dumb' phone has been designed with these traits in mind. Notable features include an E Ink display and dual antennae to improve reception. The phone is slated to become available before the end of the year."
It's about time. It seems like every basic phone on the market right now is a cheap piece of junk with poor reception and no durability. It's good to see someone taking this niche of the market seriously. It looks like they've put some serious thought into this phone, making it not only useful but stylish.
DeviantArt Page
NSFWWhy so little features? I'd want something more advanced.
...wish it had a camera ;-)
ZuluPad, the wiki notepad on crack
How about I just stick with my old Nokia 6310i
It's a neat idea to have a feature-free phone. But seriously, there are millions of those going on ebay cheap because silly people are upgrading to a phone that does polyphonic catatonic ringtones, online horoscopes, and realtime 3d su-doku. That's got to be cheaper than buying any new Motorola phone.
Jolyon
Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
If you read the very last paragraph in the article, it states that the phone isn't going to be available in the US unless someone will carry it (and it doesn't have a way for Verizon et al to nickel and dime you to death with photos, ringtones etc, so good luck getting them to do it) or it's sold in drugstores alongside no-name brands, and I wouldn't be surprised if Motorola makes up some BS excuse about how it's beneath Moto to sell that way.
So for now, those who want just a simple phone (like my mom) are out of luck. Even text messaging and other bells and whistles go unused on her phone.
On the upside, she got the phone for free with her plan and just doesn't use the features she doesn't want, but she's continually asking me if she gets charged for text messages (not unless it's someone other than T-Mobile who sends them and nobody sends her anything, so I don't see why she worries).
i am a soviet space shuttle
No wireless. No USB. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Other than maybe needing to get a new battery for an old cellphone, you'll be surprised how well some of the older phones work. My 6310i is the phone I had two "upgrades" ago. When I went back to it I had forgotten that I only ever used to charge it once every two weeks on average and, at least with mine, the battery still works well after 3 years.
Jolyon
Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
The number rows (1,2,3) should be in perfect line-up rows on any phone so you don't have to look to hit the numbers. They are mostly lined up here, but there's no reason they could not have gone the rest of the way.
Where were you when the voynix came?
Now it just needs bluetooth so I can add one of These
Make America grate again!
FTFA: It is well suited in several ways to a phone designed for poor countries, says Motorola's chief technology officer, Padmasree Warrior.
Padmasree Warrior. Sounds like their board meetings take place in a steel cage with investors chanting "Two man enter! One man leave!"
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
Let me let you in on a secret.
if it's GSM and triband then you will be able to easily buy one via a secret website...
www.ebay.com
dont tell anyone, it's a really obscure place that very few know of.
I have purchased many cellphones that are not available here from ebay. MY daughter has sported a cellphone that is uber-trendy that oohs and aaahs from classmates on a regular basis from that secret website.
IF it is available over there, you bet it will be available UNLOCKED on ebay minutes after.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
The article mentioned a future feature of having an LED flashlight. Now there is a feature I would actually want. Ingenious! How many times have we all tried to use the phones backlit display as a flashlight, why not go all the way and it's so damn simple to implement. Whenever you need a flahslight, you never seem to have one. Cell phone companies (I'm looking at you Motorola, LG, Nokia, etc.) please put this in your phones, be they relatively featureless or featurful. The utility of this far exceeds an mp3 player or video player.
"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how drunk you get." -- H. J. Simpson