Optus Adds The Motorola Quench To Their Android Lineup

Thirsty for Android, but not sure where to look? Optus and Motorola want you to look at them with their new Quench handset. And yes, that is probably the worst opening line to any post you will ever read on Gizmodo.

The Quench (not sure how that name slipped through) is a cheap entry into the Android market on Optus, bringing the Motoblur user interface to a phone that costs $0 up front on a $19 cap plan. It has dual microphones, 5MP camera with LED flash, aGPS and A2DP Bluetooth.

It looks to be a cheap and cheerful addition to the Optus Android stable. It may not be the best specced handset we’ve seen, but adding a low-cost Android device is sure to rapidly expand the mobile operating system’s Australian reach.

Motorola Expands its Android Portfolio in Australia
with Introduction of QUENCH™ with MOTOBLUR™ on Optus

QUENCH with MOTOBLUR streams together messaging and contacts so you can tap into your social scene using a full virtual QWERTY and front navigation touch pad

SYDNEY, Australia – 19 May 2010 – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced the arrival of QUENCH™ with MOTOBLUR™, the newest touch-screen smart phone in its 3G AndroidTM portfolio.

Available exclusively through Optus for $0 upfront on a ‘yes’ Social $19 plan (24 month), QUENCH combines sleek design, with great navigational features including the ability to pinch and zoom in a web browser, a virtual QWERTY touch pad, and Adobe Flash Lite for easy internet browsing.

QUENCH is powered by MOTOBLUR, Motorola’s Android content delivery service, so now you can keep conversations in constant motion. MOTOBLUR syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter®, Gmail™ and work and personal e-mail — and automatically delivers them to the home screen. Content is fed into easy-to-manage streams allowing you to spend less time managing your life and more time living it.

Messaging is easier than ever before on QUENCH with the combination of MOTOBLUR features, a palm and pocket-friendly design and a new feature, Swype™, providing a faster and easier way to input text. MOTOBLUR keeps happenings, messages, news feeds and more readily available for browsing and responding on the customisable home screen. Contact information, such as email addresses, profile pictures and phone numbers, is automatically synced whenever the details change online, so there’s no need to manually update.

QUENCH also connects you to your music with a new style of media player that lets you buy and instantly download music from a music store using Motorola Connected Media Player intergrated with TuneWiki, SoundHound and YouTube™. The music search feature makes finding and learning lyrics to your favourite songs easy with synchronised lyrics available in any language. Share your favourite tracks, discover new ones2, find lyrics, watch videos and stream FM radio.

“As we continue to expand Motorola’s portfolio of Android-powered devices, we remain committed to delivering more of what people want from their handheld devices in easier ways,” said Timo Brouwer, Managing Director, Motorola ANZ and South Pacific. “QUENCH with MOTOBLUR offers a simple and affordable way to have more messaging, more Web and more music. With the addition of QUENCH now there is now a MOTOBLUR handset to suit everyone.”

Austin R. Bryan, Marketing Director, Optus Consumer said: “Our customers have embraced MOTOBLUR’s unique social networking functionality. By launching QUENCH exclusively to our customers for $0 on the ‘yes’ Social $19 plan we have made it even more affordable for our customers to socialise without limits.”

Motorola QUENCH: Summary of features:

Dual microphones and noise cancellation technology enables clear calls
A 5.0 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash deliver crystal clear pictures
Android Market™ provides fast access to more than 30,000 apps and widgets for limitless customisations and enhancements to QUENCH.
Extras such as 3G and Wi-Fi® access, aGPS and stereo Bluetooth®1 make QUENCH a solid Android-powered device.
Lost devices can be located from a secure personal information portal and even remotely erased if necessary using MOTOBLUR. Then, one user name and password brings back your contacts, messages and connectivity to your previously configured networks and email providers.
Plus, with over-the-air updates, Motorola has the ability to improve current features and add new ones to QUENCH, ensuring the overall experience is continually enhanced.

Availability
QUENCH with MOTOBLUR will be available in Australia exclusively from Optus yes shops, Optus World’s, premium dealers, business partners, online and via telesales from 19 May 2010.

QUENCH will be available exclusively to Optus customers for $0 upfront on the 24 month ‘yes’ Social $19 plan. Optus ‘yes’ Social plans provide unlimited* access to MOTOBLUR ‘Happenings’, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube. These data-centric plans have been specifically designed to ensure customers can make the most of MOTOBLUR’s unique features. The Motorola DEXT is also now available for $0 Upfront on the ‘yes’ Social $29 plan over 24 months# while the Motorola BACKFLIP is available for $0 Upfront on the ‘yes’ Social $49 plan over 24 months.


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