CES 2009

The Moto Renew in its eco-friendly box.

(Credit: Motorola)

Motorola's new Tundra VA76r and Renew W233 were built with the Earth in mind. But while one was designed to save the outdoors, the other was just built to be used outdoors.

The Renew, of course, is the new T-Mobile handset that is made from recycled materials. Up close we found that it has a light--dare we say wispy--feeling in the hand. The green color is unique, not to mention very appropriate, but there's not much else to say about its candy-bar design. The 65,000 color display is about what you'd expect--it's small, and the graphics aren't terribly sharp.

You can tell instantly that the Renew's brown packaging is made from recycled materials. It's smaller than your average cell phone box and it is devoid of any fancy graphics. It's nothing more than a "feel-good"measure, but it's nice touch just the same. Just remember to go full circle and recycle your box.

The Moto Tundra is tough.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

AT&T's Tundra, on the other hand, is wrapped in packaging. Rubber sidings give it a sturdy and durable feel in the hand. Indeed, it felt like many a Nextel phone. We wanted to throw it against a wall to see if it would washstand the blow (we're sure that it could), but the walls of trade show booths are pretty flimsy. Like its Nextel cousins, the Tundra is certified to military specifications for moisture, shock, vibration and the like. We're glad to see a true rugged phone land at AT&T.

The Tundra's keys and controls are covered in the rubbery material as well. Though that makes them a bit stiff, they're spacious and tactile. The 262,000-color display is bright and vibrant and it supports 262,000 colors. On the whole, it's a workhorse rather than a showpiece. And there's nothing wrong with that.

The sleek Surf has a stylus.

(Credit: Motorola)

Anyone who's used Windows Mobile knows it's not the prettiest smartphone operating system around. A few manufacturers have attempted to make the OS more intuitive by adding deeper levels of personalization, but the results can be hit or miss. Fortunately, Motorola's new Surf A3100 accomplishes its goal.

Though the Surf uses Windows Mobile 6.1 it offers a series of customizable menu pages that sit on top of the OS. Not only are the pages convenient, but also they're easy on the eyes. You can cycle through them by swiping your finger across the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, you can use the stylus or the included trackball (more on that later). The 2.8-inch display is bright and vibrant.

The first page features nine icons in a grid design. Indeed, we liked it immediately when Moto gave us a quick walkthrough. The icons give one-touch access to nine user-programmable features, allowing you to bypass the standard Windows Mobile start menu. That's in its usual place if you need it, but we liked jumping straight to our chosen feature by selecting its respective icon.

The Surf's nifty shortcuts menu.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

Another menu page is reserved for your favorite contacts from your phone book. But rather than showing just a list of names, the page features photos of your friends in a grid design. Naturally, you'd populate the photo boxes with shots taken with the Surf's camera. A third page shows upcoming appointments, your e-mails and messages, an icon for the phone dialer and a shortcut to your voice mail.

The aforementioned process for cycling between pages was intuitive, whether we were using our finger or the stylus. The trackball was roomy and tactile. The interface was a tad slow, but it wasn't too bothersome.

Talk and End buttons sit on either side of the trackball. They're smaller than we'd prefer and too flush. You'll also find a volume rocker and a camera shutter. The memory card slot is stashed inconveniently behind the battery cover but we're grateful Moto put a 3.5mm headset jack on top of the phone.

The Surf's keyboard is small.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

The virtual QWERTY keyboard is a tad cramped so we advise using the stylus. You can type in both landscape and portrait modes, but the Surf doesn't use an accelerometer. Instead, you must press the End button to switch between them. You also can use the stylus in a graffiti mode.

On the whole the Surf has a comfortable, solid feel in the hand. We like the appealing curved edges and the chrome detailing that's offset by the basic black on the front face. At 4.3 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.5 inch and 4.2 ounces, the Surf is relatively compact for a smartphone.

Features are relatively plentiful on the quad-band GSM device. You'll find 3G support, integrated Wi-Fi, a 3-megapixel camera with a secondary VGA shooter, Google Maps, Bluetooth, messaging and e-mail, a media player, and video conferencing.

When Motorola last October, we were intrigued from the start, even though it was clear that the Aura was all about its design.

Luckily, CES provided the first chance to get up close and personal with the Aura. Normally, manufactures keep cell phones that cost $1,999 safely behind glass at trade shows. But to our surprise, Moto was eager to let us get our grubby hands on the Aura. And from what we can tell, the device is just as attractive in the flesh. Its overall shape may not be for everyone, but it will stand apart from any other phone on the street. Be sure to check a gallery of shots in our Aura slide show.

Motorola Aura slide show

The etched pattern on the shiny, stainless-steel exterior is eye-catching, even if Moto hadn't told us that it takes two weeks to etch and polish the design. As we said in October, the Aura reminds us of the much more mundane Moto V70. But that's not where Moto found its inspiration. Apparently, the company said it was inspired by Swiss design for luxury watches. If that's the case, we have to say that we get it.

The Motorola Aura is a looker.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

The circular display is something we haven't seen before on a cell phone. We like the clock design and the icon-based menu design that's similar to the interface on the Motorola Rokr E8. The 16 million colors and 300dpi resolution is gorgeous even if attracts more than its share of fingerprints.

We were apprehensive about the swivel mechanism, given our past experience with that design. We've found over time that swivel phones like the Sony Ericsson W600i tended to wear out faster than their flip or slider counterparts. Yet, the Aura's sturdy mechanism felt quite promising. Perhaps it's due to the 130 ball bearings on which the swivel turns. You can even see the turning mechanism through a small window on the phone's exterior just below the camera lens.

Other exterior features include a camera shutter, a volume rocker, and the standard Moto smart key. The Aura also has a memory card slot, but it's stashed behind the battery cover. The keypad is flush and relatively spacious, but it too attracts smudges and fingerprints.

All of that glitz and high-end styling does come at a price, and we don't just mean the wallet-crunching $1,999 price tag. The Aura weighs almost 5 ounces, so it will add some mass to a pocket or bag. And it doesn't come with a huge feature set either. Goodies are limited to a 2-megapixel camera, a music player, stereo Bluetooth, Moto's CrystalTalk, messaging, a speakerphone, and an open-source browser. But if its looks are what you care about, there are few better phones.

Skype Lite on Java

(Credit: Skype)

Skype announced on Thursday the forthcoming release of Skype Lite for Google Android and other Java-enabled phones. Skype Lite marks the communication company's first native VoIP client for Java.

Skype is submitting the app to Google's Android Market on Thursday morning, though it could take Google a few days to offer it for download.

In addition, Skype Lite will also be available on Thursday to about 100 models of Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, LG, and Samsung phones. The app has been available in beta form for a growing number of handsets on Skype.com, and isn't expected to change in this initial release.

Skype Lite is truly that: a back-to-basics build that allows the customary cut-rate international calling to Skype contacts, and also calling credits to non-Skype buddies using the SkypeOut service. You'll be able to IM other Skype friends in addition, an activity best done with a data plan. Users anticipating the fuller features of the newly updated Skype for Windows Mobile beta won't find them in this debut version.

Skype Lite will process calls to the United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo), Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Australia, and New Zealand, and will also work for calls made in the U.S.

Skype Lite takes the communications company a step deeper into the mobile world with service for the top five phone brands, but it faces fierce competition from Fring, a relative VoIP youngster that already brings more advanced features than Skype Lite to Symbian devices in the Nokia and Sony Ericsson families, including file transferring and instant messaging with contacts on multiple chat networks.

Motorola phones at CES

Compared with last year, Motorola is having a quieter CES. While a year ago the company held a high-energy media event at the swank Wynn Hotel to announce its media-friendly phones, in 2009 the company announced its new handsets via a news release even before CES began.

Yet, that's not to say the new models aren't notable. First off, is the Motorola Surf A3100. This touch-screen smartphone offers Windows Mobile 6.1 and a selection of multimedia features. The Moto Tundra VA76r is a rugged push-to-talk phone for AT&T. Besides enduring bumps and bruises, it also has Assisted-GPS. Lastly is the Motorola Renew W233. The basic phone is green in more ways than one. Not only does it sport a green skin, but also it is made from recycled water bottles. Check out our Motorola CES slide show for the three phones on all their glory.

Moto's Renew is kind to the Earth.

(Credit: Motorola)

Last year at CES Motorola dazzled us with a couple of high-end multimedia cell phones. One of them, the Rokr E8, impressed us so much that it won CNET's Best of CES award in the cell phones category. This year, however, Moto is taking a more comprehensive approach with three cell phones that range from simple to complex.

On the simple side, Motorola presents the Renew W233. Its story lies not in what it offers--features are minimal--but in what it is. The Renew is made entirely of recycled water bottles (at least the plastic parts). Moto is calling it the world's first carbon neutral phone--that puts it beyond the Nokia 3110, which is made from 50 percent recycled material. The packaging is also Earth-friendly. Not only does the Renew use 22 percent less packaging, but the packaging that it does use comes from recycled paper and the ink on the manual is soy-based. Moto is also promising that the Renew will use less energy with a promised talk time of nine hours.

Features include support for CrystalTalk feature, a VGA camera, organizer features, and a music player. The Renew will arrive at T-Mobile in the first quarter of this year.

The Moto Tundra is built to last.

(Credit: Motorola)

Motorola Nextel's phones have long shown that the company has a talent for making rugged handsets, which is why we aren't surprised to see the Tundra VA76r for AT&T. Introduced on the eve of CES 2009, the Tundra is a flip phone with a durable design that should meet all the usual military specifications. It should be good for construction workers or even dog sledders speeding across the tundra.

Features include 3G, a 2-megapixel camera, support for AT&T's TeleNav GPS Navigator, Bluetooth, personal organizer applications, push-to-talk, 100MB of internal memory, and a memory card slot. You'll be able to run multiple applications simultaneously and the Tundra is one of the first Moto phones with CrystalTalk Plus. Like CrystalTalk, the feature will screen out background noise for a a better audible experience. But CrystalTalk Plus adds a second microphone for enhanced performance.

The Tundra should hit stores January 13. You can get it for $199 with service.

The Motorola Surf is a tablet device with a phone.

(Credit: Motorola)

Motorola got a jump start on CES when it announced its new crop of phones two days before the show opens. The most high-end of the bunch is the new Surf A3100 smartphone, which offers an expansive touch screen and support for Windows Mobile 6.1. Starting Thursday in Las Vegas, it will join the Earth-friendly Renew W233 and the rugged Tundra VA76r at Moto's booth on the show floor.

Sporting a sleek, attractive design with rounded edges and chrome detailing, the Surf offers three ways for users to interact with it. They can use a stylus, a trackball, or their finger. Features on the quad-band GSM device include 3G support, integrated Wi-Fi, a 3-megapixel camera with a secondary VGA shooter, Google Maps, Bluetooth, messaging and e-mail, a media player, and video conferencing. A customizable user interface sits on top of the Windows mobile OS that will allow users to customize the UI with widgets.

The Surf will arrive first in China during the first quarter of this year. At present, Moto has no plans to bring the A3100 to a U.S. carrier.