Motorola is rumored to have two Google Android
smartphones in development for release later in 2009. The Morrison, round-edged
and trimmed in blue, is expected to debut on the T-Mobile network Oct. 21,
according to PC World, while the slicker
and darker Sholes is said to headed for the Verizon network.
Android and Me claims to have acquired
spec sheets for the devices. Pricing is still unknown—and not speculated on—for
the Morrison, but if the sheets are to be believed, Morrison will feature a
528MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A processor, 256MB of RAM,
512MB of flash ROM, wireless support for 802.11b/g, WEP (Wired Equivalent
Privacy), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and 802.11i, and voice support on GSM
850/900/1800/900 and W-CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) 900/(1700 or
1900)/2100 networks.
The HVGA display is said to be 320 by 480 pixels, a MicroSD slot will support
up to 32GB of extra memory, and there are Bluetooth 2.0, USB
2.0 and micro USB slots and a 3.5mm headset jack. The camera, which has
auto-focus, digital zoom and video recording, is 5 megapixels.
Morrison also features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, an accelerometer for
four-way screen rotation, stand-alone GPS
and assisted GPS, and an e-compass—a
feature the iPhone 3GS made popular.
While T-Mobile already offers the HTC G1
and MyTouch Android phones, Sholes would be the first Android phone for Verizon—which
confirmed during an earnings call that an Android phone is in the pipeline.
Sholes is said to feature a 3.7-inch touch-screen with a resolution of 854 by
480 pixels and is expected to ship with something called Éclair—which, given
that the code name for Android
Version 1.5 was Cupcake, is likely a Version 2.0.
Sholes reportedly measures 2.4 by 4.5 by 0.5 inches and weighs 5.9 ounces. (The
iPhone 3GS, by comparison, measures 2.4 by 4.5 by 0.48 inches, weighs 4.8
ounces and has a pixel resolution of 480 by 320.)
Sholes is said to have GPS, a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and video
recording, 512MB of ROM and 256MB of RAM, a
MicroSD/MicroSDHC expansion slot, Bluetooth 2.0, support for Wi-Fi, a 3.5mm
audio jack, and support for a number of audio and video formats.
According to PC World, the launch date is likely to be November and the price
is expected to be $199 with a Verizon service contract.
Neither Verizon nor T-Mobile responded to requests for confirmation.
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