Sprint
(NYSE:S) said it will begin selling the Motorola Photon July 31 for $199.99 on
a two-year contract, bringing global smartphones based on Google's Android 2.3
"Gingerbread" operating system to the fore.
The Photon 4G,
introduced by Motorola
Mobility (NYSE:MMI) CEO Sanjay Jha and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse at an event in
New York City last month, features a crisp, clear 4.3-inch qHD (quarter-high-definition)
display powered by a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor.
Inclusion of
the Tegra 2 chip led Hesse to proclaim the device a "multimedia
powerhouse," whose speedy Web browsing and rich graphics make it
"perfectly suited for gaming and video."
The handset
also offers mobile photo and video aficionados an 8-megapixel, dual-LED flash
camera, along with a front-facing Webcam and VGA front-facing camera for video
chat.
The shutter also
enables 720P HD video capture and can output HD video (1080p) via HDMI
(High-Definition Multimedia Interface). There is also 16GB of onboard memory,
with additional support for up to a 32GB SD Card.
The Photon 4G
is also a "world phone," providing global GSM roaming to allow users
to view email, calendars and other content while traveling all over the world.
The biggest
feature is that the Motorola Photon 4G includes the Webtop application that
appeared first on the Motorola Atrix 4G. This application lets users port their
content from the smartphone to a larger screen when connected to a Motorola HD
Station dock, which Motorola will sell for $99 after the handset launches.
The phone-docking
capability will enable business travelers to work on and share Microsoft Office
documents using the Mozilla Firefox browser.
The dock will
also let users connect up to three USB peripherals, such as a keyboard, mouse
or memory stick, and may be managed via wireless remote control. See
other accessories for sale here.
Sprint
"premier customers" will be able to purchase the Photon 4G online
July 28, three days before the national launch. The device requires that
customers subscribe to Sprint's Everything Data plan, which includes unlimited
Web, texting and nationwide calling, starting at just $69.99 per month, plus a
$10 smartphone data charge.
The device
will come weeks after the launch of the Motorola XPRT, an Android 2.2
smartphone targeted for business users that, like the Photon 4G, features GSM
global roaming in over 200 countries.
Sprint is
selling the XPRT
for $129.99 on contract. eWEEK
recently reviewed the XPRT, which resembles a RIM BlackBerry smartphone.
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