Motorola Phone Unifies With TelstraOne

The MotoSurf A3100 comes with the new TelstraOne interface that simplifies the way you use your mobile phone. This may just be the perfect solution for those who do not want to relearn certain functions all over again.

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The TelstraOne interface, as previously mentioned in our Sony Ericsson W705a review, give users access to functions like dialling, SMS messaging, installed applications, and contact list. The main screen displays various applets like weather, breaking news, slideshow, and mail notifications, with Telstra adding a My Place shortcut that lists various Telstra services.

The main interface is placed on top of the Motorola and Windows Mobile OS. The A3100 is a candy-bar type phone that measures 110 x 59.7 x 13.7mm and weighs 119 grams. Up front, users can find an omni-directional trackball navigation, call pick-up and end buttons, secondary camera for video conferencing, and a 2.8-inch QVGA with resistive touch panel. The power button, 3.5mm jack, and stylus port are located on top of the unit, while the volume buttons and USB port are located along the left side. Finally, the 3-megapixel camera with flash are located at the unit’s rear.

The A3100 runs on a Qualcomm MSM 7201A chip, 128MB of RAM, and has 256MB of flash memory. A microSD card slot is available, allowing users to push the unit’s storage capacity to 32GB. The unit also comes with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and is HSDPA-enabled for faster Internet access via Telstra’s Next G Network.

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The TelstraOne interface is responsive on the A3100, which made it easy for us to open applications and browse through the applets. Everything task that we could possibly think of was taken care by the interface: it displayed upcoming appointments, incoming SMS/MMS/Email, current task, and even a browser shortcut.

The ‘Menu’ allowed us to check currently running apps, go to Telstra’s My Place, customise the handset (change image, change theme, auto size background, etc.), view all applications, edit the phone settings, and even update the TelstraOne interface.

Since the A3100 still runs on Windows Mobile 6.1, one can still have access to all the programs and settings by pressing on the Windows Start icon. But since just about everything is present on the TelstraOne interface, there is really no need to bother browsing through the Start menu.

The unit’s 3-megapixel camera can take decent shots but is not as good as other camera phones in the market. The unit can play eAAC+, MP3, MPEG-4, H.264, 3GP, WAV, AAC, AMR, AAC+, H.263, MIDI, WMA, and MP4 files.

Overall, the Motorola A3100 with TelstraOne is great for those who want to simplify the way they use phones. The phone is responsive, the interface is easy to use, and everything you need is just a few touches away.

Check out our review of the other TelstraOne phone currently on offer, the Sony Ericsson W705a.

Motorola Motosurf A3100

Network: UMTS: 850/1900/2100 MHz.
GSM: 850/ 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
HSPDA: 7.2Mbps peak downlink (typical download speeds 550 kbps- 3 Mbps)
Dimensions: 110 x 59.7 x 13.7 mm
Weight: 119 Grams
Screen: Large 2.8″ display at 240 x 320 pixels, 65k colour display
Talk Time: up to 330 mins
Standby Time: up to 297 hrs

Key features:

• 2.8″ Touch Screen display
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• TelstraOne Experience User Interface
• Trackball Navigation
• 3-megapixel camera with autofocus
• Wi-Fi
• Video Capture at 30 fps with VGA resolution
• Video Calling
• GPS
• Stereo Bluetooth

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Motorola Motosurf A3100 | $829 |  | www.telstra.com

For: Good TelstraOne interface; Good form factor; Responsive screen; Easy access to programs; Connectivity options; 3.5mm audio jack; HSDPA speeds
Against: Small screen; Trackball is of no use really; Slows down if there are a lot of programs running on the background
Conclusion: A whole new experience with TelstraOne and Motorola