Motorola launches the first rugged push-to-talk Android phone
Today, Motorola and regional US carrier SouthernLINC Wireless announced the launch of the iDEN-compatible i1, the first Android device to support the wireless protocol with Push-to-Talk walkie-talkie communications.
The i1, which is believed to have been called the "Opus One" internally, has been rumored since late last year.
The device has a 3.1" (320x480) HVGA touchscreen, runs Android 1.5, and has a 5 megapixel flash camera with 4x digital zoom.
In keeping with Motorola's recent trend of releasing unique Android devices, the i1 pulls off a lot of firsts. It is the first push-to-talk Android device, plus it's the first "rugged" Android phone with a military spec chassis -- which is dust- and shockproof and water resistant. Furthermore, even the software built-in with the i1 is unique, as it launches with both Swype, the alternative method of text entry, and Opera Mini, the popular alternative mobile browser.
Motorola i1
Talk and Standby Time - Up to 4 days standby; Up to 210 min talk time
Bands/Modes - 800 / 900 (i) 2400 (w)
Weight - 131.26 grams, 4.63 oz.
Dimensions - 58 mm length x 118 mm depth x 12.8 mm
OS - Android 1.5
Battery - 1400mAh
Connectivity - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth2 2.0 micro USB; Over the Air Sync, 2.5 mm headset jack
Display - 3.1" display 320x480 HVGA 265k TFT
Messaging/E-mail - MMS, SMS, corporate, Gmail IMAP, POP3, attachment and document viewer
Audio - Adobe Flash, MP3, WAV, WMA, WMV, MIDI, MP4
Video - H.263, H.264, WMV
Camera - 5MP, auto-focus, LED flash, 4X digital zoom
Browser - Opera Mini 5 Browser, Android WebKit w/Adobe Flash Lite
Memory - Removable 2 GB memory card included, up to 32 GB supported