Phones
Motorola's 2008 Mobile Phones Leaked (Guess What They Look Like!)
Posted by Jason Chen at 5:46 AM on April 19, 2008
If you were hoping Motorola's 2008 mobile phone lineup was going to turn around their "slump", we've got good news and bad news for you. The bad news is most of their phones are pretty much retreads of old devices, and there aren't any great new form factors—not even an iPhone clone—to speak of. The good news is that the upcoming ZN5 actually does look halfway decent with its 5-megapixel camera, Xenon flash, 2.4-inch display, 500MHz Freescale processor and Montavista Linux. It's somewhat sad when the best of your lineup is a Linux phone, but we weren't really expecting much from Motorola at this point anyway. [IT168 via JAMPB via Uber Phones]
Tags: leaks | mobile phones | motorola | phones

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
LagunaSol
Posted 7:03 AM 19/4/08
@Pope John Peeps II: I'm sure since your Cocoon is certainly as brilliant as you pretend that it will take the world by storm and the iPhone will soon be but a distant memory.
Bwa ha ha ha ha!
Thanks for the laugh.
LagunaSol
zenpoet
Posted 7:02 AM 19/4/08
@OMG! Ponies!: Why bring in the poor defenseless Cow Box?
And to the others, I am in no way an Moto lover, but would point out that if they copied the iPhone, everyone would be all over them for copying it to stay alive.
At least Moto had the balls, or lack of brains, to stay with what they were doing, instead of bandwagoning it.
zenpoet
justinpe
Posted 7:01 AM 19/4/08
When will they figure out that their software sucks balls? And that putting the same shitty UI in 20 different form factors doesn't sell more phones.
justinpe
Substance_D
Posted 6:54 AM 19/4/08
@Pope John Peeps II: Umm...Call me when they're even in the same class of devices. The Cocoon is essentially a music flip-phone, yes?
Substance_D
CubFan81
Posted 6:49 AM 19/4/08
Wouldn't these be a product of the "old" regime? Let's at least give them a couple months to dig their way out of the massive hole they're in. If the next lineup or two are just as horrible then by all means, use your 3G iPhones to shovel whatever dirt you can into the hole and put them out of their misery.
CubFan81
Kaiser-Machead
Posted 6:49 AM 19/4/08
@Pope John Peeps II: I can't lie. That is one zexy little phone.
Kaiser-Machead
kahri
Posted 6:48 AM 19/4/08
this makes me want a Razor, not the phone
kahri
Step666
Posted 6:35 AM 19/4/08
@riqgeez: just a shame it's a Samsung that snuck in there by accident ;)
@Pope John Peeps II: ok, I have no great love for the iPhone but frankly your comment is just sad.
Step666
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 6:17 AM 19/4/08
Motorola - the Gateway of the mobile phone market.
OMG! Ponies!
Camperton
Posted 6:15 AM 19/4/08
What the fuck is their major malfunction anyway. They are taking resting on your laurels to a whole new level. And since that laurel was the razr that's not really anything to brag about. It was a nice looking phone at the time, end of story. They need some MAJOR restructuring at the top.
Camperton
SneakerFiend
Posted 6:12 AM 19/4/08
The A1800 isnt half bad either.
Well i had the previous version for a day and i loved it.
Even though i found the screen extremely tiny comparing to my t-mobile wing's not-as-roomy-as-an-iphone's-screen.
I dont want motorola to die tho =\
Whats going to become of nextel without nextel!!!!!!!!!!! ='[
Wow i juss remembered im with t-mo =] ok you can die now lmao!
SneakerFiend
Pope John Peeps II
Posted 6:10 AM 19/4/08
I've been using my 02 Cocoon for two months now, and the aesthetic kicks the crap out of the iPhone. Seriously, it makes it look like a chunky glass brick. Which esentially it is.
Pope John Peeps II
Tayng
Posted 6:07 AM 19/4/08
Ah they should just remix that damn ringtone and call it quits...
Goodbye Moto... Goodbye Moto...
Tayng
mastakilla
Posted 6:05 AM 19/4/08
same form factor same UI same POS
mastakilla
riqgeez
Posted 6:00 AM 19/4/08
they all look like Razr's and Krzr's. The last one looks nice though!
riqgeez
SigmundTheSeaMonster
Posted 6:00 AM 19/4/08
Ok Moto, just rollover and die.
SigmundTheSeaMonster
ecsw
Posted 7:47 AM 19/4/08
They just don't get it. The problem is with their UI.
ecsw
ecsw
Posted 7:47 AM 19/4/08
They just don't get it. Their problem is the UI.
ecsw
HeartBurnKid
Posted 7:39 AM 19/4/08
Hey, I want a Linux phone! Especially if it can run ZSNES... who needs a DS or PSP?
HeartBurnKid
hammertime1994
Posted 7:29 AM 19/4/08
@Pope John Peeps II: It's not glass.
hammertime1994
packetsniffer
Posted 7:23 AM 19/4/08
"It's somewhat sad when the best of your lineup is a Linux phone"
What? I think most geeks would agree that the best of a lineup should be a Linux phone.
packetsniffer
Lorne
Posted 7:15 AM 19/4/08
The A810 looks like a Zune phone.
Though at least it doesn't have a patch of smoky translucent plastic slapped on top of it.
Lorne
Eothein
Posted 7:13 AM 19/4/08
....the U9 isn't what I'd call a leak. Considering it is avliable to buy in the UK right now.
[shop.carphonewarehouse.com]
/me stops being so picky.....
Eothein
Collins1
Posted 9:34 AM 19/4/08
@ecsw: You can say it a third time if you want. Or 6 billion more times (once for every person that thinks the UI is bollocks).
Collins1
Collins1
Posted 9:33 AM 19/4/08
The all look like they're going to be grasy and scratched within a week, and i look after my gadgets like they're my kids.
It's good how decades of gadget abuse have taught mankind not to fall in love with smooth, glossy surfaces any more.
Collins1
anti-hello-kitty
Posted 9:14 AM 19/4/08
Palm and Moto should merge. Seems like their management all think alike...
anti-hello-kitty
justinpe
Posted 9:13 AM 19/4/08
@zenpoet:
The problem with iPhone clones (and most phones in general) is that the software sucks. I agree that it is a smart move on Moto's part to not try and copy the iPhone. But they need to make their UI better, or they will continue to fail. Why come out with a bunch of shiny awesome looking devices that don't work? A true iPhone killer could potentially be a whole different form factor, as long as it has an awesome UI and satisfies users.
justinpe
Valicious
Posted 9:54 AM 19/4/08
my e1000 got hair o' technician stuck under it's screen. with DNA ID i'll clone him one of these day, a cellar monkey to fix the keys every time these go awry.
fell many times tho from moderate heights still ticking. but the screen, things get under it trough keys.
Valicious
MarsVolta
Posted 11:05 AM 19/4/08
jesus christ motorola.... still pos phones, please burn the sidekick slide ...
MarsVolta
Grifter
Posted 12:08 PM 19/4/08
iRazor? iMoto? isucko? iactually think it it's better than what they havetho!
Grifter
DrifterTypeR
Posted 11:44 AM 19/4/08
@kahri: haha
DrifterTypeR
westonalan
Posted 12:58 PM 19/4/08
@ecsw: exactly, I have a Pebl and can't wait for my tmobile contract to expire, the moto's UI, software, and buttons are horrid. Can't wait till June 17th when my tmobile expires, plus, by then the 3G gps 64gb 5mp massaging jesus phone should be out.
westonalan
ibelli
Posted 2:09 AM 20/4/08
Never. Another. Motorola.
ibelli
Pope John Peeps II
Posted 8:30 AM 20/4/08
@hammertime1994:
I know it's not glass. Don't be an asshole. But it's ugly. It's boring. It's nothing. It's a square shaped screen. WHOOPEE. THAT'S TOTALLY NEW. I've been staring at square shaped screens for my entire life.
At a certain point, the aesthetic of elegant functionality gets pushed so far that it becomes "Seriously? This is it? Maybe you could... y'know... DO something with it"?
@Kaiser-Machead:
It's an amazingly well designed phone. Everything about it is terrific. It's the perfect size, shape and weight for a hand. Despite it's being a flip, it's way more comfortable to slide it into your pocket than every other thinner slide phone I've ever had. THe whole thing folds up into a perfectly smooth oval with an oversized front LED like a 1960's sci-fi gadget. It's just fantastic.
I highly recommend getting one and playing with it. I can tell you, my having a cocoon in Canada generates WAY more interest than my friend's iphone does.
Pope John Peeps II
uberfu
Posted 12:19 AM 22/4/08
Seeing as how the product line that was "leaked" and soon to be coming out was already on the slate to come out - money invested and all that - makes sense that this batch would not be the first of the retooled products_
uberfu
shawn_dude
Posted 4:01 AM 22/4/08
"It's somewhat sad when the best of your lineup is a Linux phone,..."
5 Quatloos says this silly comment was intended as troll food.
shawn_dude
bosskev
Posted 4:28 AM 23/4/08
@shawn_dude:
10 Quatloos says no Gamester will ever see your comment in this dead thread.
bosskev
Rain-man
Posted 1:11 AM 24/4/08
@Pope John Peeps II: Actually, the screen is glass. The rest is aluminum and plastic (I think).
And I checked out pics of the O2 Cacoon. Looks like a nice flip phone. If no iPhone existed, I'd consider getting something like that. Unlocked it would probably cost close to an iPhone. Also, how is the iPhone screen square?
Rain-man
goodone123
Posted 8:05 AM 19/4/08
No new form factors? What new form factors do you want? Every company has the same basic 3-4 form factors. I never see anyone complaining about how similar the Samsung flip phones look, which I have to emphasize they do and that too with ugly color combos. Maybe Motorola needs a skit on SNL to get the media off of it's back.
goodone123
goodone123
Posted 7:49 AM 19/4/08
No new form factor? What other form factor do you guys want? Every company whether it's Nokia or Samsung has the same basic 3-4 form factors that you see here. I've never heard anyone complain that all of Samsung's flip phones look alike, which I have to emphasize, they do and that too with ugly color combos. I think Motorola needs a skit on SNL to get the media off of it's back.
goodone123
razzjunk
Posted 10:37 AM 19/4/08
who says the iphone has "a great new form factor"?
razzjunk