New handset targets corporate users, offering large screen, Bluetooth, VPN and document viewers in a clamshell package.
Electronics giant Motorola has created a new handset running a variety of Linux, the open-source operating system. The new device, which will run MontaVista Linux, is targeted at corporate users and has been available in China since January.
The A768 supports both SMS and MMS, as well as including an e-mail client. It contains a viewer for common files, including PDF and a variety of Microsoft Office file types such as those created by Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The handset includes a built-in VPN client to allow corporate users secure access to their company's network from a remote location.
Other media features include full video recording and playback, while connectivity is achieved through GPRS for the included HTML browser and e-mail client. The phone also includes PDA functionality.
The A768 is Motorola's second Linux-powered device, following last year's A760, which appeared in China. Motorola attributed this quick follow-up to the Linux distribution they selected, MontaVista. They cited in particular its stability and networking capabilities, as well as its lower cost - an increasing priority in the competitive smartphone market. MontaVista have emphasised streaming and multimedia functionality in their distribution, which is available for phones and PDAs right down to set-top boxes and musical instruments.
The A768 takes a clamshell form-factor, operating on dual-band 900/1800 MHz GSM with GPRS. It features a QVGA (240 x 320) 16-bit TFT touch-screen, weighs 120 g and has a volume of 100 cc. As well as polyphonic ringtones, IrDA and Bluetooth, the A768 offers 58 MB of user-accessible RAM.
In terms of software, it features an e-mail client with both POP3 and IMAP4 support, J2ME, SyncML, Wireless Village instant messaging, a full browser supporting WAP 2.0, WML, xHTML and HTML, and offers up to 180 hours of standby or 6 hours of talk-time.
Motorola's A768 smartphone is currently available through China's leading domestic operator, China Mobile, and will be available in other Asian countries before the end of March.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Archive