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Motorola Milestone XT720: An HD-shooting, Xenon-Flash-toting Android


Having gone quiet for months on end, Motorola’s really spoiling us this June with the launch of yet another new handset – the Motorola Milestone XT720 is the follow-up to last year’s much-loved Milestone handset.

Running Android 2.1, the XT720 has a 3.7-inch screen with full touch UI. What Motorola is really proud of, though, is the camera. Historically, Android handsets haven’t really had brilliant cameras so it’s nice to see it become a priority for some manufacturers.

Rocking 8-megapixels, the camera also has a Xenon flash (it’s the first Android to feature one, as the Moto spokespeople were keen to point out. You can also shoot HD video (720p) and watch it back straight on your TV using the HDMI port. Similarly, you should be able to stream HD content stored on your phone or streamed from YouTube on a big screen.

Other features also include image stabilisation, panoramic mode, macro, autofocus – kind of sounds like a real camera, doesn’t it? HDMI-out can be used for HD videos watched on e.g. YouTube or whatever should be fine on big screen. The demo we saw was pretty good and the camera is easy enough to use despite all the options.

The Milestone XT720 actually looks a bit like a camera; with the illustrious camera shooting button as standard, it also features a second button for cycling through shooting options – just like a point-and-shoot. The design is also reminiscent of the original Milestone with the sharp chin – but there’s no Qwerty keyboard so it’s a lot slimmer, just 3.7mm. It’s much shinier though, with a chrome-effect chassis.

The one thing you won’t see on the XT720 is Motoblur and there are no plans to add it in the future either – good news for some, bad news for Motoblur’s stalwart fans. With HSPA on board the web experience should be pretty nippy on the go, and it also features also Moto’s CrystalTalk technology for clear phonecalls.

There are no operator deals in place yet, but we’ll see it launching into distribution later this month. UPDATE:  We’ve just been told that UK customers will be able to pre-order the Motorola Milestone XT720 from June 11th at these retailers: eXpansys.com, play.com and Clove. No word on pricing yet, although we’d expect it to be similar to that of the Milestone at launch. Check out our hands-on photos here.
 

 

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