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Motorola brings the StarTac out of retirementBy Philip Berne, 27 February 2007
GALLERY
Motorola StarTac III
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Motorola StarTac III
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Motorola StarTac III
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The new StarTac III has a QVGA screen, LED ring-lights, and an e-dictionary, popular with Korean customers.

Motorola has reintroduced its classic StarTac line, this time in the form of the StarTac III. The original StarTac made waves in 1996 as the first widely available clamshell phone. A 2004 model was not nearly as successful, but with the dwindling success of the RAZR line, a new model carrying the familiar StarTac name might grant some instant clout to Motorola's clamshell line. The phone is currently only appearing on Motorola's Korean Site, and the details are poorly translated, so we're not sure if the phone will make its way stateside and in what form.

Among the salient points we can glean from the site are the 2-inch, QVGA screen, and the lack of an external display. Instead, the StarTac III has a single, glowing LED bar, which we presume will be similar to the LED rings found on the older Motorola V600. The site also lists e-dictionary and e-book functions, as well as mobile banking, though those are features that have become more prevalent on Asian phones, so we don't expect them to survive an American iteration, should a U.S. version be forthcoming.

The phone has a familiar sloping top shell, reminiscent of the original StarTac, and a finish that blends glossy and matte blacks on the upper shell with a sandblasted metallic finish on the lower half, for a very modern look. Details are scarce at the moment, but once we break the language barrier we should have more information.

Price & availability

Pricing and availability for the StarTac III have yet to be determined.

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