Is round the new thin? Don't worry if you can't make heads or tails of that question - that just proves you're not unhealthily obsessed with mobile phones. In fact, it's a reference to one of the new handsets unveiled by Motorola in Cannes this week, the PEBL V6; a clamshell handset which, unlike the much-coveted RAZR V3, foregoes a slim profile in favour of rounded shapes.
Nicking Motorola's own catchphrase for the PEBL V6, this handset is indisputably elegant. When closed, the surface is flush to the point where you wonder if you'll actually be able to hold on to it whilst making a call, but fortunately the finish isn't quite as slippery as the generous amount of chrome suggests.
To open the handset, users must first slide the upper half of the clamshell downwards to release a catch, at which point the handset is intended to spring open by itself; the sample I toyed with did not, being nowhere near a final production state. In fact, powering on the PEBL wasn't even an option, and as such there's no way of commenting on neither the quality of its screen nor its user interface.
What can be said, however, is that integrated Bluetooth support, 5 MB of memory and a 0.3 MP camera in combination with tri-band GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 MHz provide a highly mediocre feature set. Obviously, the main focus of the PEBL V6 is looks, not features - and there's nothing wrong with that when a company delivers the goods in the design department.
Tieing discretely in with the overall, an oblong LCD screen providing basic information graces the outside of the handset when closed. Slightly more interesting is the inside of the handset, where the designers have foregone the traditional design paradigm of raised keys in favour of recessed dimples. Getting a feel for navigating these proved surprisingly easy, but there's no guarantee that this will end up being the final design; a Motorola spokesperson confirmed the layout of the keypad as tentative.
For some reason or other, I have a feeling women may take a particular liking to the PEBL V6 as its styling is far more subtle than that of the RAZR V3 and the SLVR V8. That being said, I couldn't find a fellow male visitor who didn't like the design - and with a price tag that may very well be lower than the RAZR and SLVR models, Motorola could very well have a hit on its hands with the PEBL V6.
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