Motorola Milestone Review

Like a Phoenix from the ashes, Motorola is on the rise, and delivering some high quality handsets. Where in the past the Motorola brand was all style with little substance, this time they are back with a strong line of devices, all set in the Smartphone market. We’ve already taken a look at the Motorola DEXT, and now we turn our attention to the latest Motorola Android device, the Motorola Milestone.

Known as the Motorola Droid in the US, the Milestone is one of the first devices to launch with the latest version of Android bringing a whole host of new services to the consumer, as well as offering many development opportunities for the programming communities. Features offered by Android 2.0 include an option for multiple accounts to be synchronised to the device, with a quick contact option that allows you to contact a person from your address book by tapping on them and choosing the appropriate method. Android 2.0 will also offer the opportunity to be able to synchronise more than one Google account to a phone, and the build will allow for better featured cameras to be included on devices. One feature that has been sorely lacking from Android devices to date is the ability to be able to transfer files via Bluetooth, which can only be done by downloading third party apps from the Android Market. Thankfully, Android 2.0 includes full Bluetooth support natively on the device, and about time, too.

So, all of these enhancements are available to devices running on Android 2.0, and that bodes well for Motorola, as they look to bring their brand back into the big time. So, following on from the DEXT, we now have the Milestone. To be honest, We arent too impressed with the fanciful names manufacturers give their devices, although they are easier to recall than some random choice of numbers. The Milestone is not a small device, and borders on the pocket PC market, in terms of size and styling. Measuring in at 116 x 60 x 14mm, the Milestone has a huge 3.7 inch TFT capacitive touch display, supporting up to 16 million colours and with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. The screen supports multi touch, which can be helpful when web browsing but really comes into its own with gaming, making it easier to control games on the handset. The display has an accelerometer sensor, which auto rotates depending on which way the phone is being held up, plus a proximity sensor which disables the screen when the phone is held up against your face whilst in a call.

The Milestone has a full QWERTY keyboard, with a five-way navigation key at the end, which is ideal when web browsing or navigating through documents. The keys on the keyboard are particularly well spaced out, and should be very comfortable for composing long messages.

All Android devices are well connected, and the Motorola Milestone is no exception. High speed data transfer is coped with by the inclusion of HSDPA at up to 10.2Mbps, complimented by HSUPA at 5.76Mbps. WiFi 802.11 b/g is included, as well as support for Class 10 GPRS and Class 12 EDGE, although there is no HSCSD support available. For local connectivity, the Milestone offers a MicroUSB v2.0 connector for connecting to a PC via data cable, as well as delivering Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support.

The camera is one of the better imaging options delivered on an Android handset, with the Milestone having a 5.0 Megapixel camera, with Autofocus and Dual LED flash. Image stabilisation is included, as well as Geotagging. Video recording also scores well, with the Milestone able to record up to D1 quality (720 x 480) at 24fps.

There is ample storage for media on the Milestone, as it will ship with an 8GB memory card, with support available for cards up to 32GB in size. There is a decent media player on board, which will play MP3, eAAC+ and WMA audio files, plus MP4, H.263, H.2644 and WMV video files, although disappointingly there is no native support yet for either XviD or DivX. The inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack allows you to listen to music with your own favourite headphones, too.

Thanks to the built in GPS sensor, the Milestone is a capable SatNav device and Google Maps really comes into its own on the large display. Being an Android 2.0 device means the milestone will be able to support the new version of Goole Maps which will offers turn by turn navigation as well as other useful enhancements and upgrades.

In mobile phone terms, at 165g, the Motorola Milestone is a heavyweight device, but with a heavyweight set of features it is going to leave its mark on the industry, whichever way you look at it. It is good to see Motorola returning with some decent products and with the Milestone Motorola is delivering a handset that could prove to be a top seller. The Droid version of this device is already available to purchase in the US, and the Milestone should be available in the UK and Europe in the coming quarter.

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