Telus Motorola Milestone Android Phone is Official
Yesterday’s post about the Motorola Milestone coming to Telus has officially been announced by Motorola. This will mark Motorola’s first Android-powered phone in Canada, and marks a triumphant return of Motorola to the cellphone scene.
Here is a snippet from the official press release:
TORONTO, Ont. — November 10, 2024 — Motorola Canada today announced it will bring its first Android™-powered device, the much-anticipated Motorola Milestone, only to TELUS customers in early 2024. Motorola Milestone, powered by the newest version of Android, sets a new standard for what a smartphone should be with a richer mobile web experience, superior messaging and top-of-the-line multi-media features in an innovative design that could only come from Motorola.
Milestone features the best of both worlds with a full QWERTY keyboard and touch-screen capabilities, as well as the opportunity for users to customize their mobile like never before with widgets and the freedom to run multiple applications at once.
“With Motorola Milestone, Canadians will no longer be limited in what they can do with their smartphone,” said Rick Gadd, vice-president, Motorola Canada Mobile Devices. “They will experience the web the way they’ve always wanted on a mobile device, with lightning fast speeds and pages that show them more.”
…and here’s the confirmation by Telus:
“TELUS’ new 3G+ network gives Canadians access to a world-class selection of mobile devices such as the Motorola Milestone,” said David Neale, senior vice-president of Product and Services at TELUS. “It is TELUS commitment to offer Canadians the most comprehensive and advanced smartphone line-up available so that we can meet their needs to stay connected, informed and entertained wherever they go. That’s why the Motorola Milestone will fit perfectly in our TELUS smartphone selection.”
Some additional features of the Milestone:
– Superior call quality with CrystalTalk(TM) Plus that filters out background noise and enhances voice quality
– Powered by the latest version of Android, Android 2.0
– 3.7? widescreen display with 854 pixel width and more than 400,000 total pixels (more than twice the leading competitor) so you can see more of the web, e-mail, and more
– Use stereo Bluetooth(R) to take calls and listen to music hands-free
– Plug your favorite headphones into the 3.5mm headset jack and kick back to your favorite music or movies
– Full suite of Google applications including: Google Maps(TM), Gmail, Google Talk(TM), YouTube(TM), Google Latitude
– Advanced Video record/playback at D1 resolution (720×480) with up to 24fps capture and 30fps playback
It looks like Motorola has come up with a pretty successful device here that is feature-rich and powerful. Motorola is still suffering a decline in profits but things are looking to turnaround. In their latest third quarter results, they actually turned a profit of 12 million compared to a year ago loss of almost $400 million. Could the Milestone/Droid be the next “RAZR” for Motorola (in other words, will your grandma soon be sporting one)?
Telus Gets Milestone Exclusivity–Rogers Users Shut Out
Either way, Telus customers are going to be extremely pleased that they will have exclusive rights to the Milestone (and the HTC Hero!). Now that Telus has their HSPA+ GSM network up, Rogers no longer has exclusivity on all the best handsets. As for Rogers/Fido customers you’re out of luck at the moment. Who would’ve thought the HTC Dream can now be acquired for as low as free when it was initially $199 on a 3 year contract.
Did Rogers drop the ball on this one? Some would agree. They should’ve continued to push for more Android phones and support, instead of leaving its initial userbase in the dust. I can see one thing that is certain though–expect more Android OS-based phones coming to Canada. This is a just a tip of the iceberg!