With its QWERTY keypad, 2.4-inch touchscreen and Gingerbread OS, the Fire is the perfect BlackBerry alternative for the Android faithful
A Preview of the Motorola FIRE
Its name may suggest that this is Motorola's latest high-end flagship, but the 'FIRE' is in fact a cheap-and-cheerful alternative to RIM's business-focussed BlackBerrys
That doesn't mean Moto have skimped on specs, though. Once it reaches the UK this summer, the Motorola Fire will be running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, coupled with Moto's Switch UI. This enables users to users to switch into various pre-defined work-centric or friend-centric modes.
This BlackBerry-esque UI will dress the handset's 2.8-inch (320 x 240) capacitive screen, which comes coupled with a four-row portrait QWERTY and a set of Android keys. Aimed at swaying the BlackBerry faithful, there's also one-touch access to Facebook, Twitter and multiple email accounts. Oh, and even MySpace - for the few that still use it.
The Motorola FIRE may be cheap, but there's also HSDPA and WiFi connectivity onboard, so accessing the web should be super-speedy.
Media-wise, you'll find a 3 megapixel rear-facing camera. There's no flash and no HD video, although it can record reasonable 480p footage at 24 frames per second. The FIRE also arrives touting a built-in media player, an integrated FM radio, and up to 32GB of expandable storage via microSD.
Other specifications include GPS navigation powered by Google Maps, access to the Android Market, and a beefy 1420mAh battery promising up to 8 hours of talk-time and 27 days on standby.
The handset's pricing and release date is still to be confirmed, although it's expected to hit Europe in Summer 2011.
A full review will be published here once the phone has been released.
Find out more about the Motorola FIRE at motorola.com
Motorola FIRE News
Motorola Fire now available at Clove
The Motorola Fire, just as promised, is now available in the UK. This comes courtesy of SIM free retailer Clove, which writes that it now has stock of the QWERTY-wielding handset. Despite previously pegging the Fire with a £216 price-tag, it’s now available to order for just £174 SIM free too – making it a [...]
Motorola Fire UK release date confirmed
The Motorola Fire has been confirmed for a ‘late September’ UK release, matching up nicely with Clove’s earlier prediction. Giving the handset the official nod earlier this week, Victoria McManus, the UK marketing director of Motorola Mobility said: “We are excited about extending our growing smartphone range in UK, and Motorola Fire opens up new possibilities [...]
Motorola FIRE gets priced on O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone
BuyMobilePhones.net has opened up its pre-orders for the Motorola FIRE, ahead of the handset’s September release date. We knew the FIRE was a so-called ‘budget’ smartphone, but we weren’t expecting it to be quite so cheap. The handset’s available to order on O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone, from a teeny £4.48 per month. Of course, [...]
Motorola FIRE gets September UK release date
The Motorola FIRE will be available in the UK next month, Clove has announced, and will fetch £180 SIM free. Speaking on its blog, the UK phone-seller said: “We have just had confirmation that the first stock of the Motorola Fire is due to land late September and will be priced at £180 + VAT.” [...]
Motorola FIRE: Cheap Android Gingerbread BlackBerry alternative
Motorola has today launched the cheap-and-cheerful XT316, which will soon be hitting Europe as the Motorola FIRE. Bizarrely, it sports almost identical specs to LG’s Optimus Pro, which made its debut appearance just yesterday. Motorola’s FIRE rocks the same 2.8-inch (320 x 240) touchscreen, coupled with a portrait QWERTY keypad and four Android keys. There’s [...]
Motorola FIRE Specifications
Size
116.5mm x 58mm x 13.5mm
Weight
110 grams
Display
Full capacitive touch screen
Type: TFT LCD
Size: 2.8 inches
Resolution: 320 x 240
Input
Keyboard: QWERTY
Operating System
Android 2.3
Interface: Motorola Switch UI
Storage
Internal: 512MB
External: microSD up to 32GB
Miscellaneous
CPU: 600MHz
A-GPS with maps
Internet
HSDPA
Up to 7.2 Mbps download speed
Up to 384Kbps Mbps upload speed
3G
3G data speeds
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Connectivity
Audio: 3.5mm stereo jack
Data: Standard microUSB
Quad Band
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 2.1
A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Camera
3.0 megapixel camera
480p Video Recording
At 24 fps
Power
Battery Capacity: 1420 mAh
Talk Time: 480 minutes
Standby Time: 648 hours
Multimedia
Radio: FM with RDS
Audio supported formats
Playback: MIDI, AMR, MP3, AAC, eAcc+. AAC+
Recording: Supported
Video supported formats
Playback: H.263, H.264, MP4
Recording: Supported
Social
Social Networking Features
Twitter and Facebook Widgets
Email Access