The FCC has done it again: Motorola has now received approval for its new A920 tri-band GSM/GPRS/UMTS phone which runs on Symbian OS, sports GPS, and has a digital camera.
Although Motorola has previously experimented extensively with various solutions to enable advanced functionality in it's mobile devices, a recent decision to use Linux in its new A760 smartphone caused a bit of a stir. The decision rapidly lead to speculations as to whether Motorola would remain dedicated to Symbian consortium for which it was a founding member - but the latest turn of events are sure put an end to those speculations.
 | Motorola's new A920 packs acronyms a-plenty
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U.S. regulatory organ FCC has now approved the Motorola A920, a tri-band GSM/GPRS/UMTS 900/1800/1900/2100 MHz device which runs on Symbian OS with the UIQ platform atop: the exact same combination as used in Sony Ericsson's P800. According to the user manual found on the FCC web site, the Motorola A920 is first and foremostly aimed at 3G operator Three (3), and is unlikely to be released on any other 3G network prior to 3's.
The A920 communicator, as it is called by Motorola, offers a range of advanced features, including an integrated digital camera capable of shooting both stills and recording video clips. Also, owners of the A920 will be able to carry out video calls, and play back streaming audio and video.
Fully integrated support for GPS will provide users of the A920 with location-based services, although documents available from the FCC provide no information on what kind of services users can expect. Two dedicated game buttons are placed just above the display of the A920, hinting an emphasis will be placed on gaming.
Additional features in the A920 include support for SMS and MMS, as well as a home screen which provides a brief summary of important events and messages - not too different from the concept utilized by Microsoft for its Pocket PC and Smartphone platforms. Voice dialing and handwriting recognition are also on the feature list, with the latter clearly inspired by technology first seen in Motorola's now-ceased Accompli 008 smartphone.
Like the Sony Ericsson P800, the A920 offers storage expansion in the shape of an expansion slot - but rather than using Memory Stick Duo, the A920 appears to be using an SD Card type expansion slot. No information was available to indicate the slot would be SDIO capable. Also like the P800, the A920 will be capable of synchronizing data with a Windows PC over USB.
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