SINGAPORE—Motorola Inc. has decided to turn up the volume—the volume of handsets it sells, that is—by releasing five new, entry-level handsets in pursuit of the proverbial “next billion” subscribers in emerging markets. The American handset maker made the announcement today at the opening day of CommunicAsia 2006, an information and communication technology trade show in Singapore. The new handsets are expected to ship sometime in the second half of the year.
The vendor is calling its new portfolio “Motomobile,” which includes two clamshell models (W220 and W375) and three candybar forms (W170, W208 and W210). Three of the phones are GSM and two are for CDMA networks. Destined for emerging markets where end users may not have consistent access to the electrical grid, the handsets all provide up to two weeks of standby time and include an FM radio, to provide news and entertainment. A so-called “lantern” function provides the ability to turn the screen bright white so it can serve as a light source.
The vendor released information on the handsets’ features, but did not include the selling price, markets for which they are destined or date of availability. The five entry-level handsets are the first handsets launched by Motorola since the Moto Q this spring. The feature sets presumably answer the criticism that Motorola received for marketing ultra-low cost handsets with few features in India, where archrival Nokia Corp. has achieved a commanding market share.
The W220 offers picture messaging and a 600-entry address book. The W375 offers a VGA camera, speakerphone and supports SMS and MMS ; in a possible hint at its intended market, the tri-band phone comes in three colors, one of them Mandarin Orange. The thin W208 also offers different color schemes, speakerphone and an alarm clock/stop watch. The W210 is a CDMA phone with two-tone casing and FM radio. The W170 also takes a slim form and offers SMS messaging, speakerphone and a 500-entry address book.
In unrelated news, T-Mobile USA Inc. announced that its Sidekick 3 would become available June 28 to current T-Mobile USA post-paid customers seeking to upgrade their handsets. The phone will then be widely available July 10. The new handset is touted as a “social lifeline,” smaller than its predecessor and equipped with a trackball for one-handed navigation. The handset also offers text messaging, e-mail and built-in support for three instant messenger clients (MSN, Yahoo and AOL) to help customers “stay on track with their personal lives.” The price for pre-paid customers is $400, $350 with a one-year contract and $300 with a two-year contract.
