Motorola Defy

When it announced the Milestone 2, Motorola also unveiled the Defy, a rugged handset based on the Google Android operating system (OS). This smartphone has already started rolling out in Europe and Australia, and should be making its way to Asia soon. We take a look at what sets it apart.


Upside
If you haven't already guessed from the name, this smartphone is supposed to be tough. For one, it comes with the famed Gorilla Glass from Corning, which is more resistant to breaks and scratches than regular glass. All its ports are covered and sealed to prevent water and dust from entering.


Unlike other rugged phones, the Defy isn't bulky at all. It weighs 118g and measures 107 x 59 x 13.4mm. This is comparable to other full-touchscreen smartphones that come with large 3.7-inch screens.

Under the hood, this handset is also fully featured with connectivity options that range from HSDPA to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS for satellite navigation. The 5-megapixel camera has autofocus and an LED for lighting up dark subjects.

The processor found in the Defy is an 800MHz Texas Instruments chip. This may not be the fastest available processor in the market, but coupled with the 512MB RAM, it should allow the handset to be sufficiently responsive.

Downside
The Motorola Defy comes with Android 2.1 (Eclair). Though this gives the user almost all the latest features one would need in a modern smartphone, the absence of the latest version, Android 2.2 (Froyo), is disappointing.

Some of the enhancements in Froyo include Adobe Flash integration in the browser, better Microsoft Exchange support and, most importantly, improved optimization of the processor that allows up to five times better CPU performance.

Outlook
There are still very few smartphones designed to take on the elements, and the Defy will appeal to those who work in harsh environments. We expect it to be a hit with those who need its rugged features. We are expecting the company to make an announcement for Asia very soon.

Source : asia.cnet.com