Motorola announced that its LiMo-compliant Moto U9 phone is now available unlocked for GSM networks in the U.S. Available in gray, pink, or purple, the music-oriented U9 has a rounded, contemporary flip-phone form factor, highlighted by a seemingly borderless OLED (organic light-emitting… diode) external display.

The U9 was the most significant new phone design of the initial round of 18 LiMo Platform-compliant phones announced back in February. Billed by Motorola as being “stylish” and “chic,” the 3.1-ounce, 3.5 x 1.9 x 0.6-inch clamshell stands out with its seemingly borderless external display. The 1.45-inch, 128×160-resolution OLED display shows animated screen savers, while nearby touch-sensitive control surfaces let users run their music player via touch, without having to flip the phone open. An internal 2-inch TFT display, meanwhile, offers QVGA resolution, and the phone can also be controlled via “speaker independent” voice recognition, says Motorola.

Motorola U9 gallery
(Click any view to enlarge)
The quad-band (GPRS/EDGE) U9 offers up to 25MB of user memory, depending on the service provider, says the company, and a microSD slot offers access to up to 4GB of storage using optional memory cards. The U9 is said to provide a 2-megapixel camera with 8x zoom, video capture and playback, a light and landscape viewfinder, and multi-shot capability.

Designed as much to be an MP3 music player as a phone, the U9 automatically pauses music when calls come through. A Micro-USB 2.0 connection is said to enable music downloads from a PC, and a Bluetooth connection supports wireless headphones. The U9 supports Microsoft Windows Media Player 11, as well as audio formats including Windows WMAv10 plus Janus DRM, MP3, AAC, AAC+, and AAC+ enhanced, says the company.

The U9 offers up to 350 hours of standby time and up to 7.16 hours of talk, claims Motorola. Messaging support includes MMS, SMS, WVIM, and when available, “Push Email.”

MotoZine ZN5 (Click for details)

Since announcing the U9 in February, Motorola has debuted several other LiMo-compliant phones, including the Rokr EM30, another music-oriented model, and the MotoZine ZN5, which doubles as a 5-megapixel digital camera. Last week, meanwhile, the company released its first native development tools for its Linux-based mobile phones. The Eclipse-based MotoDev Studio for Linux 0.3 is available now for free download in “preview” form.

Stated Pete Peterson, GM, global ecommerce for Motorola Mobile Devices, “MOTO U9 is a stylish phone, designed for trendsetters seeking to make a fashion statement.”

Availability

The Moto U9 is available immediately in gunmetal grey, and will be sold exclusively through the company's MotoStore for $276. The company expects to ship additional colors, including pink and purple, “soon.” More information on the U9 may be available here.

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