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Motorola Sept. 13 introduced the “Defy” smartphone, a so-called ruggedized device based on Google’s Android operating system. It will be offered for T-Mobile in time for the holidays.
While previous Motorola devices such as the Droid X and Droid 2 emphasized a larger screen and slide-out keyboard, respectively, the Defy sports a 3.7-inch touchscreen that is water and scratch resistant.
The phone maker did not specify what version of Android will launch on the handset, but blogs such as Mobile Burn claimed it is based on Android 2.1.
The Android 2.1 build is used on more than 40 percent of Android phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S line. Android 2.2 is currently running on almost a third of all Android handsets, including the Google Nexus One, Droid and Droid 2.
The Defy’s Adobe Flash Lite multimedia-powered browser will allow users to use any of the 85,000 applications in the Android Market.
The Defy smartphone also features a 5-megapixel camera equipped with flash, digital zoom and auto focus. Support for the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) on the device lets users stream, store and share content across DLNA-enabled HDTVs, game consoles and PCs.
CrystalTalk PLUS software cancels out noise from the Defy’s two microphones, filtering out background noise.
Motorola is making little else known about the device, other than to say it expects to offer it “exclusively to T-Mobile USA customers in time for the holidays.”
Those interested may go to this Web site to sign up to receive more information-such as the Defy’s release date and pricing-when T-Mobile is ready to send out those alerts.
This is the second rugged smartphone from Motorola based on Android. Motorola launched its first rugged handset, the Motorola i1, on the Sprint network in August. That Android 1.5-based device costs $149.99, with a $50.00 mail-in rebate.