A few years ago, Motorola launched an extensive ad campaign announcing the arrival of the Droid smartphone. It was money well spent, as the Droid proved to be a good device. As time has passed, however, Motorola has let up on the gas so to speak and allowed other manufacturers to surpass them with more advanced handsets. In an effort to stop this trend and place its name back at the top of the smartphone heap, Motorola has unveiled the Milestone XT720.
The XT720 differs slightly from previous handsets in that it is smaller and lighter. Its body measures 116 x 61 x 11mm and the phone weighs 160g. Immediately noticeable is the distinct shape of the Milestone. If you are looking at the phone in landscape mode, the top right juts out conspicuously from the rest of the shell. This is to house three lights that indicate which camera option the handset is currently in. Users may also notice the seemingly incompatible front and back sections of the device, pieces that seem to not fit together well. Some will say that the changes in shape were unnecessary and downright ugly, but the design is certainly unique in the world of smartphones.
Body aesthetics aside, the Milestone XT720 still offers the popular 3.7-inch screen found on prior handsets. It is a capacitive touchscreen and maintains a 480 x 854 pixel display. Making full use of the larger-than-average screen is an 8-megapixel camera complete with Xenon flash, a feature new to Android smartphones. This alone sets the Milestone apart from other Android devices as far as the camera is concerned. The camera also features face detection as well as a panorama mode. Of course, any smartphone that offers top end camera functions include video capabilities as well. The XT720 captures movies at 720p, and best of all, includes an HDMI port and the required cable that can send your images and movies to the big screen.
Motorola decided to install Android 2.1 on the Milestone in lieu of Motoblur, which may disappoint those who desire built-in social networking. The customer still receives a trial version of MotoNav as well as the new Phone Portal app. This is used to manage the XT720’s data right from the browser of a PC or Mac with a USB or WiFi connection. Speaking of browsing, the Milestone itself does a fine job, more so on the WiFi network, which is to be expected. And movies and Youtube look great on the 3.7-inch screen.
Motorola has not eliminated the competition with the Motorola Milestone XT720. They have, however, staked a claim once again as a leader in smartphone technology. The XT720 is sure to meet the needs of customers looking for a practical and speedy phone.
