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Motorola DEXT review: first look

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By Maggie Holland, 16 Sep 2009

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Can Motorola's first Google Android-based handset, the DEXT, keep up with the rest of the crowd?

Motorola has bitten the bullet and launched its first Google Android-powered device in the form of the DEXT. It’s also the first handset to showcase the company’s MOTOBLUR technology.

We got up close and personal with the device last night to see if it really is all that.

Motorola DEXT slide-out keyboard

Android is the golden child of the mobile market at present, enjoying its time in the limelight and getting love from seemingly everyone (except the obvious few) in the industry.

Looking up

Of late, everyone has been a bit worried about Motorola. It’s like when you find out that an old friend you don’t keep in touch with much is a bit unwell.

But with the arrival of DEXT, things are looking up for the US company.

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3 comments

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Connectivity?

How is its connectivity? How well does it integrate with Exchange Server? Looking at the Motorola Cliq launch last week, the display looked very busy and confusing. I think this is the major difference in philosophy between Apple and Google. On my iPhone, with limited resolution, the screen displays one set of information at a time. On my desktop, I have Tweetdeck, Outlook, Excel, Explorer, Firefox and a remote session visible, with a bunch of chat clients in the tray... But the screen is 3600x1080 pixels, so there is space for all of that. Android seems to want to take that desktop metaphor and plant it onto a tiny screen with relatively low resolution. Having used Google 'phones, WM 'phones and the iPhone, the simplicity of the iPhone is what won me over. Android makes for a great device, but the cluttered UI means you have to think twice about what you are seeing. With the iPhone, you have to flick between apps, but you are presented with a unified interface and just the information you are looking for. I'll sacrifice multi-tasking abilities of the Android for the clarity and ease of use of the iPhone. Maybe it was the Facebook apps in the images in the US press which put me off - Facebook suffers from the same syndrome, there is just too much noise. I end up hardly using the service...

By big_D on Saturday Sep 19

* Media Alert *

Milton Keynes to be first place in UK to see the Motorola DEXT™ with MOTOBLUR The new Orange Multimedia Store in Milton Keynes, which officially opens at 3pm on Tuesday 6 October, 2009, will be the first place in the UK to showcase the much anticipated Motorola DEXT with MOTOBLUR, a day before it's available anywhere else in the UK. Available only on Orange, the DEXT is the first mobile phone with MOTOBLUR technology- allowing you to synch all your communication, from work email to social messaging activity, directly to your home screen in easy to manage streams. Orange will have some expert advisors and trainers in store on opening day to demonstrate the phone's multimedia capabilities to customers. To find out more about the DEXT and to see a video of it in action, click here <http://newsroom.orange.co.uk/2009/09/16/motorola-introduces-dext-with-motoblur-your-entire-social-life-in-a-single-stream-available-exclusively-on-orange/> Orange is offering the DEXT free to customers who take out 24 month contract at £34.26 per month. DEXT will be available at the new Orange Multimedia Store in Milton Keynes from October 6th, and nationwide at your local Orange store from October 7th.

By orange_UK on Monday Oct 5

Re. Connectivity

Big_d is correct to point out that the interface seems cluttered, however, this can be rectified in just a few minutes by removing the widgets from the display, and stripping it down to the basic android interface and making your display much more simpler like the iPhone. With this done, you gain much more of the screen for your apps, such as connectivity with Exchange, etc.

By stephenejones on Thursday Dec 10