Motorola DEFY to debut on T-Mobile, rough and rugged Android touchscreen handset

By on Sep 13, 2010 at 12:00 PM
General September 13, 2010

Remember that rough and rugged handset with the code name Jordan we told you about last month? Well, it looks like it has come full circle, as today, Motorola announced the DEFY handset for U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile. The DEFY has a 3.7-inch WVGA, scratch-resistant touchscreen display, a “Flash-Lite enabled” web browser, DLNA support, 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, and the MOTOBLUR UI overlay. As the press release states: “Motorola DEFY is scratch and water resistant as well as dust proof, protecting you from life’s little challenges such as a sudden rain shower to a drop in the sand. Pre-installed on the DEFY, CrystalTalk PLUS vanquishes noisy environments with two microphones that intelligently filter out background noise and amplify your voice so you don’t have to shout.” The release did not detail pricing, but did say that the handset would “be available exclusively to T-Mobile USA customers in time for the holidays.”

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  • Anonymous

    Not liking the fact they’re hiding which version of Android it’s running.

    • John

      on their website they said it had flash. Wasn’t flash officially supported in 2.2?

      • Anonymous

        Flash lite was available on some 2.1 phones, like the EVO, and Incredible, before 2.2 was released.

  • Tdot34

    Another Android touchscreen…. how many options are there now?

    • Jarrett

      My question exactly. Are they expecting their Android base to purchase a new phone every two months? Google needs to get this under control. I don’t know who is going to screw Android up first, the carriers or the manufacturers but Google needs to get everyone in a room and explain things.

      • delusion ftl

        Spoken by someone who seems to be neck deep in Apples product culture.

        Regular users (90+ percent) will use a phone for a couple years till their upgrade comes due and don’t care at all about what some fancy company’s CEO presents as the next must have for devotee’s.

        Google doesn’t really care that much how many devices use android. And why should they. They are single handedly cornering the mobile device market. I’d be surprised if they don’t pass up nokia earlier than 2014 (2012) and Rim by early next year

      • ChocoTaco

        Are you an idiot? Android is an OS. It’s not a single “phone” like an iPhone. It’s a totally different philosophy. Do you piss and moan every time HP, ASUS, Dell, Compaq and Acer come out with a new Windows laptop? Are we supposed to buy them all? How is that even a relative argument? Don’t hate because Android actually has options for everyone and not one, single piece of hardware that’s been outdated for 2 years running a crippled operating system locked to one carrier.

  • david

    Remove BLUR and this is a fine handset.

    • Galen20K

      I agree, its not the Prettiest but the Specs are really Nice and up there PLUS having a Phone that’s so Rugged and EVERYTHING-proof is really sweet. I love my Nexus One and probably getting the MyTouch HD BUT if I were in the Market for a type of phone like this, I’d be all over it. If it weren’t for Moto-Blur however…. now THAT”S another story altogether. but I am happy they didn’t gimp the specs.

      • Jarrett

        So you have a Nexus One (available January 2010) and you are going to buy another Android device this year?

      • Galen20K

        Absolutely.

      • Tdot34

        why?

      • Scott

        Hey, someone has to keep Google activating 200,000 devices a day ;)

      • Jarrett

        @ Galen20k,

        I just don’t get it I suppose. I like the iPhone 4 but my original iPhone is still handling the business I need it to. Would I like a faster gadget? Sure. Would I like all the “new” features? Sure. The problem is I don’t need it.
        I guess I just don’t understand buying gadgets just to buy them. To each their own I suppose.

      • Galen20K

        I understand what you mean but I still get use out of my old devices whether I use them with my sim if I don’t want to bring another phone somewhere, or if I use it as an Internet tablet of sorts or if I just want to give my them to friends or family who may need them or borrow them.

        If I got no use out of my old ones I suppose I may not keep buying so much but it’s just what I like. I don’t buy on a whim I evaluate exactly how much I’ll use the new device and what I’ll do with the other ones.

      • delusion ftl

        Jarrett,

        Then main issue here which you seem not to notice. It that he CAN.

        Iphone devotee’s on the other hand MUST wait at least one year, and take whatever Steve tells them to. One device, one option, hardly customizable. And stay on one carrier which has serious problems. Sure it’s a decent device but the vision is flawed and reeks of blind non logical devotion.

      • StevenHamburg

        Shit, for once jarrett poses a valid question and it’s still downranked to hell.

        And yes, with that statement I do mean that most of your other comments on this site are just cleverly disguised bs and apple fanaticalness.

  • nismo

    Another junk by MOTO

  • andrew

    I wonder what processor this one has? Looks like a good idea, to me. I have accident-prone friends who can only buy the special rugged phones. Great for those types…

  • Norm

    I like this DROID as it is not built like a porcelain statue like the iphone 4 or most other DROIDS. Too bad its on Americas smallest map, I mean carrier.

    • ZPrime

      It’s not a “DROID.” It’s an Android phone. Droid is a marketing name that Verizon uses.

  • :p

    Froyo should be a requirement on Android phones now.

    • TJ

      I agree.

      All phones as of Q3 2010, need to be Froyo-based. Customers should not have to pay for an Android phone with anything less that Android 2.1, and have to wait 2 to 3 months down the road for a promised upgrade to Froyo.

      It’s unacceptable, for the OEM’s to launch phones at this point, with anything under 2.1.

      This is being aimed at Motorola, and Samsung.

  • miggy

    Looks like a Cliq that lost its keyboard and then decided to dip into BB’s stash of excess steroids

    No thanks

  • Wild Bill

    I’ll be sure to recommend this phone to the buds I have working on the Bay Bridge.

    Rough & Rugged my ass…..LOL

    This is for yard duty types who might get hit in the pocket by a rubber ball while leading the kiddies in a game of dodgeball.

  • :p

    I really do think Motorola is responsible for most of the fragmentation of Android. I could be wrong though.

    • TJ

      It’s their stupid Blurred vision of Android.

  • Steel

    Sounds great, now just give it a current version of the OS, give up on your stupid Blur skin, and put it on a carrier that matters.

  • Scott

    I’ll help pick up the slack BGR, via engadget:

    “…but it looks as if you’ll have to wait a tick to find out anything about pricing. How long? Tune into today’s farewell season premiere of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to find out. Yeah… strange. But true!”

    That’s when you’ll find out the pricing!

  • phone capo

    why would they release this wit 2.1? That’s the reason im not jumping back on android right now…they need to somehow control there updates

    • http://www.tmonews.com TJ

      It’s not Android. It’s the OEMs that don’t get with the times.

  • Ernie

    I am REALLY disliking Motorola and Blur! I am still waiting for these morons to release Froyo on the X. From now on, I go HTC for Android! I am hating Moto and their apparent lack of progress!

  • Sammy Smith

    I kind of like the idea a rugged device but in the same respect adding an Otterbox case adds about as much bulk and protection to a non rugged device as making the device itself rugged and I hear nothing but good things about their cases. I beleive Spec is another popular comapny making rugged cases that seem to be pretty decent.
    My electricians have an Iphone and Droid Inc. The iPhonehas a Spec case and the Droid Inc has an Otterbox. Both cases look as though they have been through a war yet the devices underneath look almost pristine. Another contractor I use has one of those Casio phones and even though it feels and looks durable when you first get it, it definitely doesn’t hold up specially compared to the iphone and Droid in their respective cases.
    Unless they can make a ruggedized phopne that really is rugged and doesn;t at the same time make it huge, then I think I’ll be game.
    Who knows, maybe this is it, have to wait and see….all though if this is it I won’t be gettibng it due to the fact it’s on Tmobile and they are horrible where I live and 40 miles away where I work as well.

  • MadSkillz

    Definitely looks like its meant for a rugged lifestyle. Looks decent as well. Bet you still need to buy a protective case though.

  • serpentor

    This is what the moto i1 should have been.

  • http://robert.aitchison.org Robert Aitchison

    Looks like ass like every other MOTOBLUR phone out.

    • Dale

      Robert,

      What’s so great about Android ? I’ve played with Motoblur and Android and can’t understand the hype.

      How does Android improve making/receiving calls ? That’s my main reason for having a cell phone…Of course, there’s the occasional e-mail and message…

      • spudman

        then a smart phone is not for you.

      • Dale

        Hi Spudman,

        I’ve had smartphones, employer issued and personal, and I enjoyed using them over the years.

        But, when the economy went sour and I lost my job, I shut the data side off and after a while, I didn’t miss it. Besides, I couldn’t justify spending close to $ 100 + per month ( taxes & fees & data plan ), with my wife being the breadwinner. The mortgage and other things are more important.

        With that said, I wondered what all of the venom directed at Motoblur was about and checked things out.

        After playing with Motoblur and Android, I wasn’t that impressed with either.

        I don’t use Facebook,Twitter, or any of the social networking sites, and I don’t stream TV,movies, or music. I don’t care for TV and am highly selective in the movies that I watch. I have a very good DVD player for those that I do watch and a very fine sound system at home for music and radio. I’m not into gaming either.

        From what I read here, I get the idea that smartphones are toys instead of serious device. I don’t read much on how the users use their phones in a business setting and making/receiving calls.That’s more important to me.

      • http://robert.aitchison.org Robert Aitchison

        MOTORBLUR, along with Sense and every other android skin on there serves no purpose, at best they are pathetic attempts by manufacturers to attempt to “differentiate” themselves from the competition (that’s the job of the hardware) but usually they also get in the way, blur for example has the stupid colored widgets forcing themselves upon you. It will make the highest end Android phone look like it’s target market is 13 year old girls.

        If you use your smartphone, lots of apps and all the features then you want the interface designed to let you do that, not the one that’s designed to obfuscate that.

        Though if all you need to do is talk, text and maybe update your facebook status to tell your BFFs about the awesome new top you picked up at the mall then BLUR is for you.

  • Killah Kyle

    They should put like spikes and a retractible wire on it to, so if someone tries to take it from you, you can throw it at them and pwn their face, then it’ll come back to you in mint condition.

  • http://www.mineominemobilemarketing.param.mobi MineOMine Mobile Marketing

    More range for us to play with, making sure our messages via banner and text ads are getting to the correct phones. GREAT JOB GOOGLE!!!!! Thanks….

  • http://www.mineominemobilemarketing.param.mobi MineOMine Mobile Marketing

    More range for us to play with, making sure our messages via banner and text ads are getting to the correct phones. GREAT JOB GOOGLE!!!!! Thanks…. We can’t wait to see the end product and set up marketing toward the new phone. :-D

  • Danger

    Looks live a iPhone 3G but with a screen that won’t crack if you look at it wrong!

    • Ludas36

      what should I buy who can tell me with this many choices?? iPhone 4, HTC  Inspire, Sensation or this Motorola?? I have currently motorola Zine and been happy with it for over 2 years for all that I had it go thru!! that I would buy another just like it but… they dont make any more and plus I want to Upgrade to a smart phone that is Durable as I need it))
      ?

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