Motorola A1000 is a dual mode smartphone that will operate on either the UMTS 3G or the GSM/GPRS tri-band networks, which means that this mobile phone can work in the USA. The phone is an attractive candy bar shape with a grey and silver case, and it has a more convenient size and weight in comparison to some earlier 3G models, such as Motorola’s own A925. An immediately noticeable difference from many other phones is that this handset does not have an alphanumeric keypad, so when the user needs to enter numbers and text a virtual keypad may be displayed on the phone’s screen, and a supplied stylus tool used to input characters or menu selections. However, there are also a limited number of buttons on the handset, and these enable many phone operations to be performed without the need for the stylus. When not in use the stylus fits neatly into a slot at the bottom of the phone’s case.

As you might expect from such a sophisticated model, the A1000 includes a great many features and options, and it can do a lot more than simple voice calls. Among the numerous features available are video telephone calls, Bluetooth™ connectivity, GPRS and WAP technology, A-GPS location services, video capture download and playback, a Transflash memory card slot, MMS multimedia messaging, video and audio streaming, MP3 and MPEG4 media players, voice memo recorder, speakerphone for hands-free conversations, Java™ and Symbian software operating platforms, a Picsel™ document viewer, voice control, and an e-mail client. There is also an aeroplane mode, which makes it safe to use the phone’s personal organiser or entertainment features during flights.

The A1000 has a satisfyingly large TFT active matrix LCD touchscreen display. This screen has a high resolution of 208 x 320 pixels, and it can also display up to 65,536 different colours. The size of the screen makes it a good tool to view your pictures or videos, as well as offering a clear interface for the phone menus and any games or applications you may wish to use. Another advantage of the screen is that it can be set to a widescreen mode, which rotates the picture by 90 degrees and provides better use of the large display in its landscape format. As previously mentioned, the stylus tool is used to select menus and to input text or numbers, but fingers may be used if you prefer and are skilful enough, although you then have to be careful not to cover the screen in dirty marks or scratches from fingernails.

As with most video call cameraphones, there are two cameras fitted in this model. The better of the two cameras is located on the back of the phone, and it is a 1.2 megapixel device (providing a best resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels), which can also be used with up to 4x digital zoom. As is usual in such cameras, there are several facilities available to the user, including the opportunity to add some special effects and frames to your pictures. A night mode option may be selected to take better pictures when the lighting conditions are poor, and there is also a timer provided to assist with the taking of self-portraits.

The second camera is a VGA device (640 x 480 pixels), and its lens is fitted just above the phone’s screen. This camera is used mainly for taking pictures of the user during video calls - to send to the person at the other end of the conversation - and you will be able to see your picture on the screen at the same time as the image of the remote caller. It is a simple matter to switch between the two cameras by tapping one symbol on the touchscreen. The speakerphone also turns on automatically during a video call.

An important aspect of the A1000 are its video capabilities, with the provision to record video clips of up to 60 seconds each. The MPEG4 player offers the facility to download video clips over-the-air, or you may also stream audio and video directly from the network. These features mean you can use this phone to view news and sports highlights, and to keep in touch with what is happening in the world.

The phone’s MMS capability provides the chance to send and receive multimedia messages containing a combination of video clip, photo/picture, text and sound, and this allows you to send some visual or audio content to enhance a message, particularly if you want to show your contacts an important event you have just witnessed.

Another useful feature of the A1000 is its ability to act as an MP3 player, and you will find that this is an instrument that includes all the controls you would expect for selecting tracks, and it enables you to fast wind to any part of a song you wish to hear. The player also supports playlists, which allows you to select your own order of tracks. An added feature of the phone’s sound performance is the provision of dual speakers, one on either side of the screen.

As mobile phones become more complex, there are now several models available that offer GPS facilities, to help with finding your way around or to locate your position in an emergency. The A1000 is fitted with A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning Services), which enables you to track your current location on the phone’s screen. This feature makes it possible to use any location-based services that are available over the network.

A useful 24 MB of memory is provided in the phone for storing pictures, audio clips, video clips, applications, notes, etc, but as with several other sophisticated phones there is also the chance to expand the memory by using a removable memory card. This phone accepts TransFlash cards, and cards of up to 128 MB are readily available to expand the phone’s memory capacity. However, the location of the memory card slot may prove to be slightly inconvenient, with the cards being fitted under the battery, and this means cards can only be changed when the phone is switched off. The plus point of expandable memory is that you can carry around lots of pictures and MP3 files, as well as any other phone content that you need while on the move.

As stated above, the method of inputting text and numbers is done using the stylus tool. To help make this process easier handwriting recognition software is provided, so that it is possible to write characters directly onto the screen. However, by putting the virtual QWERTY keyboard onto the screen, those happier using a typewriter approach can input their text by simply pressing the virtual keys. For users with business requirements, the supplied Picsel® viewer enables this phone to read a variety of documents in the Word®, Excel®, Powerpoint® or PDF® formats.

Another bonus of the A1000’s large screen is that it makes customisation more impressive than on a smaller display, and it is possible to download new wallpapers and screensavers to give the display a touch of personalisation that best suits the user. There is a dedicated “3” key to directly access the services available on the 3 network, and it is then an easy and quick matter to download new phone content. Alternative polyphonic or MP3 ringtones can also be selected to personalise the phone’s alert sounds, and new ringtones may be downloaded when needed. As you might expect, it is also possible to choose a unique ringtone and picture/photo to help identify your contacts when they call.

As the A1000 is a smartphone its software platforms are a main consideration, and in this case the phone supports the Symbian OS 7.0 operating system. In addition, this model can also run Java™ programs, and a variety of games and other applications may be downloaded to the phone, as you require them. There is an application bar at the top of the display that gives you easy access to the 6 most commonly used applications, and there are 2 buttons above the screen that double up as special gaming keys.

With the benefits of the high speed of a 3G connection (up to 384 kbps), as well as GPRS, the A1000’s Web browser gives the user fast access to Web based applications, such as on-line banking, shopping and games on the phone. The HTML browser and large screen make this a good phone for browsing Web pages, although one downside is that the available sites are limited to those approved by the “3” network, which might be a bit restricting for those who want access to a wider range of services. An e-mail client is also provided to enable users to access their e-mail correspondence while on the move, and this feature supports the standard POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols.

The A1000 offers a choice of connectivity options. Those who like the freedom of wireless technology can use the phone’s Bluetooth™ connection to link up to other compatible devices, or there is the alternative option of using the supplied USB data cable to connect to a PC or other suitable device. Once connected you can synchronise e-mail, Calendar, Contacts and To Do entries between the phone and a computer, or you may exchange files and applications with the phone. For those who prefer to carry out remote synchronisation, this phone also supports SyncML.

The A1000 has several organiser functions included, namely a Calendar, To Do, Notes, World Clock Alarms, and a Calculator. You will also find the usual vibrating alert option, and the phone is fitted with Motorola’s own iTap™ predictive text input system.

Motorola A1000 Smartphone specification
3G UMTS
Tri-band
Dimensions 116 x 58 x 20 mm
Weight 160 g
Talk time up to 225 mins
Standby time up to 200 hours
Display: TFT LCD touchscreen, 208 x 320 pixels, 65,536 colours, widescreen mode
Dual integrated cameras: external facing - 1.2 megapixel resolution (1280 x 960 pixels), 4x digital zoom, adjustable exposure, special effects, frames, night mode, timer; internal facing - VGA camera (640 x 480 pixels) for use during video calls
Voice memo recorder
Speaker phone for hands-free use
Dual speakers
MP3 audio player
MPEG4 video player
Video capture, download and playback
Video and audio streaming
A-GPS
5-Way navigation control
Virtual QWERTY keyboard
Handwriting recognition

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Phonebook memory: only limited by available memory
Shared memory: 24 MB
TransFlash memory card slot
Video calling
MMS
EMS
SMS
Voice activated dialling
Symbian OS v7.0, UIQ v2.1
Java™ and Symbian applications and games downloadable
Picsel® viewer for Word®, Excel®, Powerpoint® and PDF® documents
Polyphonic ringtones, MP3 ringtones, more downloadable
GPRS class 10
WAP 2.0
HTML browser
E-mail client, supports POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols
Bluetooth™
USB data cable connection
Synchronisation with PC (software supplied on CDROM), supports SyncML
Built-in modem

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