Motorola Milestone XT720

Available now
7th June 2010

The European version of the MOTOROI, the Android-based Motorola Milestone XT720 is closely related to the existing Motorola Milestone handset, adding some improved features along they way but missing out the slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

The 3.7" 854 x 480 pixel display is the same as the one used in the DROID or Milestone and it is one of the most attractive features in the XT720. Compared to the rival HTC Desire, the XT720's TFT panel is a bit less bright, but it has a slightly higher resolution and TFT displays work slightly better outdoors than the OLED technology used in the Desire.

On the back is an 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash and autofocus, which looks like a significant improvement over previous versions. Video capture is a maximum of 720 x 480 pixels (Motorola call this "DVD quality"), and captured videos and other media can be played back on a compatible HD TV via the XT720's DVI port. The camera side of the XT720 is one significant area of cosmetic improvement, and in that respect the XT720 looks a lot more like a traditional compact digital camera.

Inside is 256MB of RAM, but at the moment Motorola aren't saying how fast the processor is. Again, the Milestone XT720 is up against the Desire in this respect, and although the original Milestone is not exactly slow you can tell that the Desire is just a bit more powerful when put head-to-head.

Multimedia support includes the usual Android alphabet soup including MP3, AMR, MPEG4, AAC, WMA and ACC files. There's a 3.5mm audio socket, and the Milestone XT720 also has an FM radio. On a side note, the original Milestone also allegedly has an FM radio but it isn't software enabled, so perhaps now Motorola will remedy that.

This is an Android 2.1 handset, although Motorola haven't included support for MOTOBLUR on the XT720 which is present in their more consumer oriented devices. Android 2.1 includes access to the full range of Google apps, plus a massive range of software from the ever growing Android market. A good web browser is included as standard, and the high resolution screen of the XT720 makes it ideal for looking at web pages.

The size and weight of the XT720 is about the same as the original Milestone, although it's about 3mm thinner as the XT720 doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard. To be blunt, the keyboard on the original Milestone is rather fiddly to use so it won't be a great loss.. however, this also means that the navigation pad is missing too which some users may want. There are three new multimedia keys on the "bump" controlling playback and video and stills capture, the main key arrangement has changed too, although we suspect that those touch-sensitive keys will still be a pain.

Inside is a 1390 mAh battery which is quoted as giving up to 4.5 hours talktime and a maximum of 13 days standby time. However, Android users will be aware that this is a power-hungry operating system which often needs recharging. There is an optional Multimedia Station available, which can be a convenient way of charging the phone while you are sitting at a desk.

The Motorola Milestone XT720 is a GPS-enabled device with a digital compass, and it includes a trial version of Motorola's MOTONAV application which is a traditional satellite navigation tool. Many users instead will plump for the new navigation built into Google Maps, not least because you have to pay for MOTONAV. However, Google Navigation can eat into your data allowance in a way that MOTONAV does not, and MOTONAV is certainly a better proposition if roaming abroad. Other SatNav applications are available too (such as CoPilot), and the optional Milestone Car Mount will be useful.

There's no word on pricing or availability, but it does seem that the distribution channel is gearing up to sell the XT720 imminently. We would expect to see pricing somewhere in the €450 to €500 region when it hits the shops.