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Moto's beauty pageant booth
(Credit: Motorola)While visiting the Motorola booth at CES, I had very my own Miss America experience. The company invited me to test its CrystalTalk Plus feature, which is a top feature of its new Tundra VA76r rugged phone. Since I've had good experiences with CrystalTalk before, I accepted the opportunity to see how it could be improved upon. CrystalTalk Plus promises, and as I found also delivers, an even better audio experience by adding a second microphone on the phone's rear side. Along with the primary microphone, it cancels out background noise to enable you to hear your caller, even in a noisy environment.
The test began when I stepped into one of two cylindrical booths in the middle of Moto's area on the show floor. Though I thought that the Las Vegas Convention was noisy enough, the booth was downright deafening. Speakers in the booth pumped out music so loud that I couldn't hear what was going on outside. It's not that same things as the requisite soundproof booth in a beauty contest, but it felt like the same thing.
A Moto employee then called me on the Tundra. To my surprise, I could hear him plainly, even with the background din. I then switched to a phone with regular CrystalTalk. It wasn't quite as sharp, but I could hear everything pretty well.
The Moto VE66 has CrystalTalk Plus.
(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)CrystalTalk Plus is also available on the Motorola VE66. I didn't try it with that handset as well, but I imagine that the experience wouldn't be much different. The company says it will the feature to more phones this year; we're eager to give one of them a full test run.
In a world where cell phones are cramming in every conceivable feature, it's comforting to know that Moto is concentrating on making the simple call quality experience better. After all, a phone is only is good as the calls it makes. I may not have won a crown at Moto's booth, but I learned a lot.
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.
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.
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.
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