Motorola MILESTONE

Motorola must have enjoyed the feel of ropes against their back. There's no other explanation for the MILESTONE. They obviously needed to be pushed against the ropes to remember what made them the world's largest manufacturer. It's been a long road for them, with plenty of milestones. But that last one marks the end of a particularly steep downhill stretch.

Motorola MILESTONE at a glance: General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 10.2Mbps; HSUPA 5.76 Mbps Form factor: Full QWERTY side-slider Dimensions: 115.8 x 60 x 13.7 mm, 165g Display: 3.7" 16M color capacitive TFT LCD touchscreen of WVGA resolution (854 x 480 pixels) OS: Android 2.0 Memory: 133 MB internal memory, 256 MB RAM, microSD card slot (up to 16GB) , 8GB microSD card included in the retail package CPU: ARM Cortex A8 550 MHz processor with dedicated graphics accelerator Camera: 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash and D1 video recording at 30 fps Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm standard audio jack Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate, Motonav navigation software, digital compass, Proximity sensor for auto turn-off, Multi-touch input and pinch-zooming gestures Battery: 1400mAh Li-Ion battery The first Android 2.0 handset oozes with power. It's a milestone for Motorola, but perhaps for Android too: we're certainly looking at the most complete all-round device to ever do the droid walk. Given the huge potential of the platform, it's no wonder Motorola and the MILESTONE are enjoying this kind of interest.

Yet, there are quite a few new droids waiting around the corner so being the best is one thing but staying the best takes quite a push. There is little evidence to suggest that Motorola will come up with a successor any time soon, so the MILESTONE better open a gap on competitors or it won't be in the same league as the handsets to come in the first half of next year. The company's future is more or less hinging on the MILESTONE and it's as simple a case of make or break as it gets. And the handset's first weeks of sales bode well.

We are already working on a detailed review of the Motorola MILESTONE, but until it is ready we will give you a short preview to keep you warm through the holidays. It might be useful if you are considering getting one any moment now.

Design and construction The design of the Motorola MILESTONE has its ups and downs but the overall impression is solid. The metallic chassis is strong and confident, and the rubbery rear is a thoughtful decision on a device that does need a secure grip. Of course, the large and impressive screen also contributes to the phone's appeal.

The chin that forms below the display when the slider is closed looks nice - possibly a nod to the G1 proto-Android - but is not really logical. It does make access to the main on-screen controls a bit harder.

The 3.7-inch display dominates the MILESTONE front when the slider is closed. The capacitive touchscreen has the highest resolution currently available on the market - 854 x 480 pixels. Its image quality is also great with deep blacks (although no AMOLED deep) and high maximum brightness.

Since the Motorola MILESTONE is the first handset to run on the Android 2.0, it enjoys 16M-color support and no color banding issues. The 65K-color limitation is taking some of the fun out of the other Android displays (the XPERIA X10 probably having the most to lose) and it's good that the Open Handset Alliance solved that issue.

The sensitivity of the display is top notch but that is to be expected in a capacitive unit. Since there is no need to apply pressure, even the lightest of touches from your (bare!) fingers will do. Gloves and long nails are a no-go with the MILESTONE but that is the price you usually have to pay to get this kind of touchscreen experience.

We are also quite pleased with the sunlight legibility of the MILESTONE. It's enjoying near iPhone-grade levels and usability out in the open is top notch.