| Motorola A630 |
| General |
| Network | Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 / Gsm 1900 |
| Announced | 2004, 1q |
| Status | Available |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 99 X 45 X 23 Mm, 82 Cc |
| Weight | 100 G |
| Display |
| Type | Tft, 65k Colors |
| Size | 176 X 220 Pixels, 8 Lines |
| | - Full Qwerty Keyboard
- 5-way Navigation
- Downloadable Logos |
| Ringtones |
| Type | Polyphonic (24 Channels), Mp3 |
| Amount | 32 + 32 Customizable |
| Customization | Composer, Download |
| Vibration | Yes |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | 1000 |
| Call Records | 10 Dialed, 10 Received, 10 Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | No |
| | - 5 Mb Shared Memory |
| Data |
| Gprs | Class 10 (4+1/3+2 Slots), 32 - 48 Kbps |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | No |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, V1.1 |
| Infrared Port | No |
| Usb | |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms, Ems, Mms, Email, Instant Messaging |
| Browser | Wap 2.0/xhtml |
| Games | Yes + Java Downloadable, |
| Colors | |
| Camera | Vga, 640x480 Pixels |
| | - Java
- Organizer
- Calculator
- Voice Dial/memo
- Built-in Handsfree |
| Battery |
| | Slim, Li-ion 850 Mah (snn5683) |
| Stand-by | Up To 240 H |
| Talk Time | Up To 4 H |
|
Motorola - A630There will always be a need for QWERTY keyboards. And the constant need to decrease cell phone size seems to contradict this notion. However, with the release of the 6800, Nokia showed the masses that a fold-out keypad doesn't have to compromise size. And not long after, the Danger Sidekick adapted the concept to include a twist-out while including a large screen colorful screen underneath.
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With the release of Motorola's new A630, keyboards seem to be popular again. At first glance the exterior appears to be a small candy bar phone, but it's what's inside that counts. Flipped open, the A630 reveals a full QWERTY keyboard and large color landscape screen for easier-than-ever messaging.
The innovative design coupled with the latest multimedia functionality promises to deliver a mobile experience unlike any other - providing easy on-the-go messaging, email management, and photo capabilities. And not to be outdone, Motorola packed in hands-free Bluetooth wireless technology and tri-band capabilities, allowing users to connect with other compatible devices while traveling the world.
Design
The exterior of the A630 is rather unassuming. The front features a grayscale external display similar to many models on the market today. Its layout is stereotypical of most phone designs, with standard placement of the 5-way navigation and numeric keypads, and a lens that peeks out from the top right corner, able to capture photos at up to 640 x 480 px.
Flipped open, the dull exterior makes a complete 180, exposing a brilliant 65K 176 x 220 px TFT screen, able to display 8 lines of text and two service lines. The full keyboard underneath has a 5-way keypad embedded in the center for convenient navigation. Additionally, directional keys (W, A, D, X, L, N, ALT, and .) are dedicated for playing games. Depending on the game, Q, E, Z, and C keys can be utilized as well.
The left side of the A630 contains buttons for quick and convenient access to camera and volume functions, while the right side includes a headset jack for handsfree access. Outlets for charger and connector ports to attach additional accessories lie on the bottom.
Camera
The front lens is the window to the A630's 330K pixel CMOS camera. Photos captured are 24-bit color depth at 16 million colors in resolution sizes of either Small - QQVGA (160 x 120 px), Medium - QVGA (320 x 240 px), or Large - VGA (640 x 480 px).
When camera mode is activated, the A630's internal screen becomes the viewfinder, with the upper part displaying what the lens sees, while the lower half shows useful information such as available memory. For self-portraits, the external screen can be used as a viewfinder as well. While not very clear, it shows users what the lens is pointing at.
To get closer to the action, up and down navigation on the directional keypad acts as the controls for the 4X digital zoom. Unfortunately zooming in won't increase resolution since digital zoom crops the image to make it larger rather than actually zooming in. So picture quality decreases.
Additionally, extra camera tools allow users to fine tune and adjust their photos. Some features integrated include Contrast Adjustment, and Image Style (Color, Black and White, Antique, or Negative).
Approximate image file sizes are 50 KB for VGA, 16K for QVGA, and 3 KB for QQVGA. Pictures stored on the internal memory would be dynamically allocated along with other applications and multimedia.
Basic Features
The Motorola A630 comes in two tri-band versions: GSM 850 / 1800 / 1900 or GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900. The difference in versions depends on which U.S. carrier the phone is purchased from. However both are compatible with most networks in North America, Europe, and Asia.
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Additionally, Motorola rated the A630's 820 mAh Li-Ion battery at 200 hours of standby and 4.33 hours of talk time. However, those are under optimal conditions.
When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case users are probably safe to assume they'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Actual talk and standby times are lower.
Screen
The external screen is a 96 x 48 px grayscale LCD capable of displaying 3 lines of text. With most external displays being in color, the A630's black and white display is somewhat disappointing. However, it does have its advantages. By using fewer colors, it is able to conserve power and prolong battery life compared to color screens. And since external displays are mostly used for viewing quick information such as reception, time, and battery life, many people might prefer the longer battery life.
The A630's internal screen is capable of displaying 65K colors. At 176 x 220 px in size, the display is able to show 8 lines of text and two service lines. Additionally, being TFT (Thin Film Transistor), it has the circuit transistors placed on the glass, removing the need to scan the pixel location. This results in much clearer displays while greatly increasing the response times. Refresh rates needed for using the A630's screen as a viewfinder.
Audio
Audio capabilities include a built-in speakerphone located on the back allowing users handsfree functionality. Furthermore, the A630's internal speaker has the ability to produce 22 kHz sounds including MIDI ringtones at up to 24 simultaneous chords.
Contrary to other audio formats, MIDI is not a recording of music, but a description much like sheet music, which enables a local synthesizer to play tones from the file instructions. And the more chords a phone can support, the more simultaneous sounds can be overlaid resulting in more realistic and harmonious sounds. An additional benefit associated with MIDI files is that users can compose, edit, and send melodies by using sound synthesizer programs.
However, MIDIs will never achieve "true" sounds. For the most realistic sounding ringtones, a steady migration has been adopting MP3s, which the A630 supports as well. Unlike MIDI, MP3s are straight recordings from an audio source. The result is an exact duplicate of the recorded source, including music with lyrics or recorded voice. Anything users can play and record can be turned into a ringtone.
Messaging
As expected, the A630 is packed with messaging features including SMS (Short Messaging Service), EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service), and MMS (Multimedia Message Service).
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The A630 uses iTAP predictive text input rather than the more popular T9 variant. Although both are similar, consumers familiar with T9 may need to adapt to the standard. Simply enter the first few characters of a word and the predictive text will guess what users are trying to type.
Text messages can be sent up to 160 characters in length. Furthermore, concatenated messages are possible if the character limit is exceeded.
To be more expressive, pictures, and sounds can be used. EMS allows users to attach icons, animations, melodies, and formatting attributes via SMS. But for true multimedia messaging, MMS allows the most flexibility.
MMS can include much more. Text messages can be sent to phones and email addresses embedding formatting such as text fonts and colors, JPG and GIF images, MP3 and MIDI audio, and MPEG video; providing consumers with true communicative versatility by sharing it in words, photos, animation, and sounds.
Email protocols are also supported. POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP are accessible, permitting users to stay connected with the world by checking and sending email messages anywhere on the go.
Entertainment
A few features allow users to personalize the A630. It supports downloadable wallpapers, screensavers, and ringtones. Additionally, color styles allow users to change the color of menu features including display indicators, highlights, and softkey labels.
But users will probably most utilize Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME). The J2ME platform lets users download and install small Java programs on the phone. Due to J2ME's dominance as the most popular platform for mobile devices, thousands of applications ranging from games to productivity tools are currently available for download. Some are free, however most are developed by individuals and require a fee.
Internet
While browsing the web, the A630 is built on WAP 2.0 with Class 10 GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). GPRS is a non-voice high-speed service that allows information to be sent and received across mobile networks. Being Class 10, the A630 contains four downlink slots and 2 uplink slots resulting in transfer speeds of up to 48 kbps and 24 kbps for receive and send rates respectively.
Storage
Approximately 5.0 MB of storage is available for multimedia content. Contacts, pictures, messages, and Java applications are dynamically allocated depending on the amount of free space available. Since the A630 doesn't have an expansion slot, items will need to be removed if more memory is needed.
Connectivity
The A630 is capable of connecting to other gadgets via Bluetooth. A wireless standard designed to replace existing wired connections, peripherals within a range of 10m can be paired to communicate with one another wirelessly at rates of up to 1 Mbps.
Currently several devices are Bluetooth capable including headsets, PCs, PDAs, printers, and even some Bluetooth enabled cars. But for those without Bluetooth compatible accessories, a data cable can be purchased and used to synchronize with a PC.
Conclusion
The Motorola A630 is not for the general market. It competes in the specific segment of increasingly capable business devices blending the lines of PDA and cell phone. With its main competition being the Nokia 6820 and Danger Sidekick II, the A630 is the latest phone with a QWERTY keypad.
Noticeably, the A630 will most likely appeal to professionals who require more productivity when they are away from the office, and a full keyboard is preferred. The A630's QWERTY keypad is very functional, large enough to avoid double pressing, yet small enough to still resemble a normal sized phone.
All the email and messaging standards are included: POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP email protocols, and SMS, EMS, MMS messaging. And Bluetooth wireless technology allows users to connect wirelessly, useful in synchronizing the A630 with existing devices.
To pass the time, users have many features to entertain themselves with. The built-in camera can capture unexpected moments at the press of a button. While not the most advanced camera, it is meant more as a novelty than a serious digital camera, and incapable of printing good quality prints.
J2ME lets consumers install from a library of fun games and productive applications. Gaming is much more enjoyable as well, since the A630's preset gaming keys resembles more like a controller rather than playing on a numeric keypad.
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Creative users will be thrilled with the support of MP3 ringtones as well. With MP3 ringtones, record a unique ring to reflect personality. Any input source can be converted into a ringtone, whether it be that hit song, or a recording from a microphone.
Overall, the A630 is a comprehensive device with few flaws. A complete package with large 65K internal screen, QWERTY keyboard, and Bluetooth, the A630 is the better-rounded than both the Nokia 6820 and Danger Sidekick II. So consumers who need a do-it-all device may want to consider the new Motorola A630. Released in mid-November, the A630 is expected to be carried by Cingular (AT&T Wireless) and T-Mobile for approximately $300 with a plan.
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| Common misspellings on this brand: mototrola |
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