The A920 was developed jointly by Motorola and 3 and will be available exclusively on the 3 network. 3 are very excited about the phone because they believe it is one of the first phones to show of the full potential of 3G. Interestingly one of the biggest problems they have is obtaining handsets that actually work. There are few manufacturers producing working 3G handsets (i.e. not prototypes) and they were pleased to be adding more to their range. They also expect to add another 3-4 phones in the next 6 months. The joint design shows in the handset with a special 3 button designed to take you straight to the browsing of the much talked about 3 content (football clips etc.), as well as buttons specifically for games.
Its the first time I've seen this and I was impressed - I'm not sure how much I would personal use some of the services, but the packaging of this is excellent. It works out of the box, and is unrivalled in its richness and usability compared to anything else I've ever seen on a Mobile. For many technical users this might not be such a big deal, but I'm sure this is a killer feature in the mass market. Actually the concept I keep going over in my mind is the idea that I need to look at this phone with the right perspective. There are some serious problems from my perspective (no open data for one - the browsing in a closed content / walled garden approach - that means no access to your email pop boxes [3mail only], no IM, no IRC and no general web browsing...), but the perspective that this phone needs to be judged on is a more mass market one - from that perspective the level at which this phone comes out of the box is really very good. In that sense I'm sure this phone will do really well for 3. However there's inevitably going to be complaints from the strokey-beard brigade about the lack of open data access, the lack of Bluetooth (although it does have a USB cradle for sync), and the general 3 approach of trying to be both a network and content provider.
So what about the phone?
Well it uses the UIQ interface which I like. There are a few extras such as landscape mode video, a home screen (quick access to 3 content, but also e-mails, tasks, appointments etc - think Today Screen like functionality). Since it is UIQ most P800 applications will work for it (no confirmation of this yet, but I can't see why not). It also means for P800 users its feels very familiar and for others the UIQ interface is well designed, user friendly and easy to pick up (as someone muttered under their breath - this interface is far better than any other 3 phone). It has the full compliment of UIQ apps - so its a full fledged PDA - contacts, calendar, tasks, notes etc. etc.
The actual design is interesting, at first I thought it way to big, but after having a longer play with it (thanks to the friendly 3 staff!) I actual found myself thinking - hmm this is quite good - yes it is big, but it feels much better in the hand than the P800. The extra size does also predicate two handed usage, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's a proper stylus hidden in the back which is very welcome, this makes a big difference in using the touch screen. The screen is lovely - more colours and slightly brighter than my P800. The difference is particularly noticeable in something like Video usage.
The swivel camera on the top is very nicely done, its easy to switch back and forth, but doesn't wobble. In video calling the phone is impressive, but I'm not convinced by the need for video calling myself (even if you do have a friend you can call with a video phone). However the camera can also be used to take still photos (the quality looked quite good to me), and also record videos (like the 3650).
Input is by Transcriber hand writing recognition instead of CIC Jot as used on the P800, but after a little practice (and a screen calibration) it seemed to work quite well. The onscreen mini keyboard there as well of course.
Price - I was told that it would be around the £100 mark - possible less with a £35 contract. If this is about right then this phone ought to sell very well. 3 can afford to subsidize their handsets more heavily than other networks since their ARPU (average revenue per user) is double that of the industry average (exact figures despite my best attempts not available!).
And my favourite feature - has to be the location based services. This phone has A-GPS - Assisted GPS which as In understand it is a combination of network functionality and a GPS chip. Unfortunately this isn't switched on yet, however rough location can be done by cell id triangulation - it worked well when I tried it +/- 50m. Using the location services you can find a nearest service and then ask the phone to plot a route and show you a map. The scale goes down to about 50m (across the screen), so this is good enough for finding your way around on foot. I tried it for my local bank - it identified the right building and the maps are very accurate - it scale is such that you get the correct outline for the buildings. You can choose to plot route between two postcodes or place names if you prefer. This is probably the first location based service that I've been really impressed by. For many people I think this feature alone will make the phone worth buying it. What makes it so good is not necessarily what it is - but the fact it is so easy to use and works out of the box.
In this preview I have focused on the positive. There are issues with this phone, the aforementioned data, and lack of Bluetooth. The size may also be a problem for some. As with all phones you have to try it for yourself. However this is a very nice phone and if you haven't considered looking a 3 before now, it is certainly worth taking under consideration now, especially considering the competitiveness of their tariffs.
Thanks to 3 and Motorola for inviting AAS to the preview and the 3 Staff for showing off the handset and generally being welcoming and friendly.
