Motorola has updated their Milestone handset with the Milestone XT720. This latest version has some great new features, but is notably lacking the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Without the keyboard, the XT720 is about 3mm thinner than the original, though its size and weight are about the same. Given how difficult the slide-out keyboard could be, it is unlikely that anyone will mourn its passing. The handset come with a 1390 mAh battery, which according to Motorola has a maximum standby time of 13 days and will allow 4.5 hours of talk time before needing a recharge.
The Motorola Milestone XT720′s big advantage is its price. It is noticeably cheaper than either the HTC Desire or the Google Nexus One, both of which come with a 1 GHz processor. By comparison, the XT720 comes with a relatively small 550 MHz processor and 256 MB of RAM. This does not mean the phone is slow however. In terms of processing power and speed, it performs almost every task very well.
Motorola did not make any changes with the display – using the same one offered in the original Motorola Milestone (a 3.7″ display of 852 x 480 pixels). The XT720 actually shines in this category, if compared with a much more expensive model like the HTC Desire. Even though the Milestone display is slightly less intense, it actually functions better in sunlight that the Desire’s OLED technology does and boasts a higher resolution.
The Motorola Milestone XT720‘s camera functions also saw major advancements over the earlier version. In fact, so much attention went into this aspect of the smartphone that the device resembles a digital camera more than it does a phone. The Xenon flash and auto-focus will help the user snap great images on the new 8 megapixel camera, which is located on the camera’s back. Users can also use the camera to capture 720 x 480 pixel videos. Motorola included a handy DVI port to easily play back videos and other media on a high definition TV.
The operating system for this phone is the Android 2.1, so you will be able to enjoy a huge array of apps, from the entire Google collection to the ever expanding world of the Android market. The XT720′s high screen resolution makes it the perfect choice for viewing web pages, and the included browser makes this possible. This phone will also support the usual array of video and audio formats such as MP3, MPEG4, ACC, AAC, AMR and WMA. Though if you prefer to listen to your favorite radio station, there is also an FM radio. You will also find a 3.5 mm audio socket, which can be used with any pair of good headphones.
