An overview of the Motorola ZN300

Motorola are due to launch there new slide phone, the ZN300, a device designed to appeal to both multimedia users and social networking fans alike.

The ZN300 is a quad band mobile featuring a 2.1 inch TFT screen with a resolution of 240 x 320, and capable of displaying 256k colours. The handset weighs in at a slender 103 gramms and measures 95.6 x 46 x 15mm. On the front of the phone below the screen are the main home button and also a set of special zoom in and zoom out function keys, giving easy access to a host of multi media features. When you slide the screen upwards a 12 button numeric keypad is revealed. The overall design is neat and very well thought out. For example, there is a camera shortcut key, and when camera mode is activated a second slide key which allows you to easily choose between camera, video and playback mode.

The camera device on the ZN300 is of a 3.15 megapixel standard, and also incorporates an LED flash. The lack of an autofocus function is noticeable, but the handset does however have a host of other features not common amongst its counterparts such as an 8x zoom and photo editing options. Video can also be shot at a rate of 15-20 frames per second.

The Motorola ZN300 has a neat feature named MusicID as one of its multimedia functions. If you hear a song playing anywhere, on the Radio, in a shop etc, the handset will allow you to record the song and MusicID will identify it. The 8mb of built in memory is woefully inadequate for multimedia use, however the on board micro SD slot allows for memory expansion up to 32gb. An FM radio and a 3.5mm stereo jack are also fitted.

A point that is often overlooked with many modern manufacturers is that what we are looking at here in its essence is a phone, and often this very basic point is forgotten in favour of more eye catching features and facilities. Motorola have addressed this and developed CrystalTalk, a facility designed for phone calls which amplifies your conversation as well as reducing background noise, resulting in a clearer conversation. A 940mAh lithium ion battery will give you up to 400 hours standby time or up to 8 hours talktime. Several popular social networking sites are pre installed onto the ZN300 including Facebook, MySpace and Youtube, and publishing photos, videos and blogs is all done with just one click.

The functionality of the Motorola ZN300 is what really strikes me about this handset. A lot of thought has obviously been given to the layout and ease of use, and ultimately this results in a pleasant user experience. The styling is neat, and although it lacks the power of the host of smartphones currently available, it has more than enough features to keep its target audience happy.


The Motorola ZN300 and the LG GT540 are coming soon.