Motorola MT710 is a 3.7″ OPhone Beauty

Motorola’s commitment to Android is becoming clearer by the week. It seems like every time we turn around, they are up to something else involving green robots. What we like best is that their products aren’t just the same old, same old. Each has a distinctive look and feel to them. Take for instance the MOTO MT710. Based on the OPhone platform, it features a Droid-sized 3.7″ FWVGA screen at 480 x 854 resolution, 5-megapixel pic snapper, and more. The desktop screen has a unique cubicle-wall style to that lends to plenty of personalization.
Don’t expect to see this one stateside though. It’s designed for China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA network. Still, it’s nice to see to Motorola’s not pumping out clones of other handsets. The red vertical stripe that accents the left side is a nice touch. According to Engadget Mobile, the MT710 is expected in stores later this month.
MT710 Specs include:

• Marvell PXA310 Processor 624 MHz
• RAM 256 MB Flash ROM 256 MB
• 480 x 854 (FWVGA) Resistive Touch Screen Display
• 5-Megapixel Camera with Flash (dual LED)
• OPhone OS 1.5
• CMMB mobile TV Multimedia
• GSM 900/1800/1900 TD-SCDMA 2010/2025
• 3.5mm Headphone
• WiFi, Bluetooth,
• Ambient Light Sensor

Mobile Review has a higher resolution shot of the phone from the front and back. The red actually runs the entire back yet still manages to look ‘cool’.


[AndroidGuys via Mobile Review]

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iPhone and Android Are Taking Over the (Mobile) Internet [Smartphones]

So, what does it take to snatch a combined 75% of US mobile internet traffic? Two operating systems, a handful of phones, and one great browser core.

That the iPhone is a massive source of online traffic isn't a surprise—that's been apparent since the week it launched. What's interesting here is Android's rise, which is dramatically quickening, already accounting for a fifth of mobile traffic in the US, when the real marketing push for the OS, starting with the MyTouch ads and the massive Droid launch, is only recently starting in earnest. What is a surprise, or at the very least a Sad Thing, is how poorly Palm is faring. Their tiny sliver of market share might seem understandable since they really only had one new phone for the duration of the survey, but this phone was supposed to be their savior; in the year since it was introduced, their mobile traffic actually fell.
Google and Apple's stark gain in the stats, collected by mobile advertising firm AdMob, is a little less spectacular worldwide, mainly because Symbian's established, but waning, 40% smartphone market share helps it snatch about 25% of mobile web traffic. Still though, two things are clear: Android and the iPhone are who mobile web developers are going to have to cater to, and WebKit, which Symbian uses in its browser too, is basically it.

Anyway, how about a bonus chart! Ever wondered how common the different Android handsets are, which is most popular, and which don't register? Well hello, extra pie:

The G1 is the predictable star here, but the Droid is exploding.
[Gizmodo via AdMob via Techcrunch]

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Motorola Tao Gets Release Date, Full Specs Coming Together

A super secret document made its way into the hands of Taylor and company over at AndroidAndMe which outlines the plans for Motorola’s Tao handset. We’re being treated to some insider information that sheds light on what to expect from both Motorola and Verizon. This phone definitely plans to deliver the goods.
Rumored to drop December 1st, the Tao is being billed as the world’s thinnest slide QWERTY phone at 13.7mm thick. Other details include a 3.7″ touch screen with 16:9 ratio, 16GB on board storage, Flash and a little something called Android 2.0, whatever that is.

There’s mention of a dock that transforms the phone into a beside clock, digital picture frame, or bedside clock. From the sounds of it, the Tao will come with it in the box. There are tons of little goodies in the document – Too many to list out here. If you’re into things that get Android fans excited, then might we suggest reading it for yourself?
If you’re looking for the full-on spec list, we have that for ya. Here’s what we have so far. You’ll note that some of it is a little conflicting.
Specs:

• OMAP3430 – 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x+ DSP + ISP (Image Signal Processor)
• Dimensions 60.00 x 115.80 x 13.70 mm
• Weight 169 g
• Battery Li-ion 1400 mAh.
• Standby 450 hours, talk time 420 minutes
• 3.7-inch touch-sensitive display with a resolution of 854×480 pixels, 16 million color depth. Physical screen size is 45.72 mm by 81.34 mm.
• 512MB/256MB ROM/RAM
• microSD / microSDHC expansion slot
• Camera: 5.0 megapixel with autofocus and video recorder
• Connectivity: USB2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi
• Operating System: Android 2.0 (with Eclair, no Motoblur)
• Package Contents: Phone Motorola Sholes, battery, charger, USB cable, 8GB MicroSD memory card and other literature

The list we were passed does not indicate the dock, nor does it match up in terms of on board storage. Also noteworthy is that this is not going to have MOTOBLUR, the new interface developed by Motorola. This matches up with the pictures we’ve seen so far.

Hang on folks, this is about to get really fun!
[AndroidGuys]

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Motorola Splits Into Two Companies, But That Just Means They'll Be More Streamlined And Focused [Motorola]

Just as Motorola was getting its act together and releasing brilliant hardware after years of, well, dirge, they're now splitting down the middle into two independent companies—on one side the phone division, the other, wireless networking. Don't glare at your Droid and vow to never put more money into Motorola, because the split is actually a good thing.
It'll make them more streamlined and focused, with equal attention being placed on each side—though the handset and set-top box side will own the name and license it to the dustier wireless networking and radio systems unit. Sounds fair, considering we only care about the mobile division anyway, but apparently they're both raking in around the same amount in sales (approximately $11 billion last year each).
Honestly, I never thought I'd see the day when I could write about Moto's corporate struggles and actually be able to put a positive spin on it, but it does sound like the right decision has been made up above.
[Gizmodo via NY Times]

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The Motorola Shadow: a Droid For the Light Side? [Shadow]

There's not a whole lot that's certain about these images, which popped up at Mobile01, showing Motorola's Shadow as a friendlier-looking Droid. But they're interesting.
These aren't the first rumors that have trickled out about the Motorola Shadow. One leak, a few weeks ago, pegged it as having a super-thin body and a 4.3-inch, 800 x 484 screen. These renders, of admittedly dubious provenance, suggest a more Droid-like form factor, except with a white keyboard and wrist strap.

Mobile01 also suggests that the Shadow could be a candidate for the next official Google Phone and thus the designation of Nexus Two. Maybe, but it seems a little too early for Google to be picking the Nexus One successor. And what of HTC? [Gizmodo via Mobile01 via Engadget]

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