Thin Motofone Fat With Graphics And Chatty

Amid the glitz and glamour of its newest Razr phones, Motorola is going even thinner with the launch of Motofone.

This time, Motorola has a whole new group of users in mind.

Will the Motofone redefine the industry? Source: Motorola

The phone is designed for people who have yet to use a phone. It may be thin, but it’s fat with graphics and voice-dominated controls instead of text.

GSM and CDMA versions of the phone are expected to be available in the second half of 2006, Alan Buddendeck, a spokesman for the company, told internetnews.com. Motorola refused to disclose either the phone’s price or the handset’s first customer.

Along with relying on icons and voice, the 9mm thin phone employs a high-contrast ClearVision screen using Electrophoretic Display (EPD) technology for outdoors viewing.

Other features targeting new phone users: voice instructions in local languages, a speaker boost to help users hear conversations in a marketplace or street and dust-resistant design. In 2005, Motorola said it would begin making phones in India, as well as sell the Razr-like L6 handset there.

Motorola also announced it will work with China’s Huawei Technologies to develop UMTS 3G technology.

Ron Garriques, president of the company’s Mobile Devices unit, said by changing expectations regarding the way a phone looks, feels and delivers, Motorola hopes to change the entire playing field for handset development.