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Motorola V600

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Motorola V600
DeveloperMotorola
TypeMobile phone
SeriesV series
First releasedJanuary 2004; 21 years ago (2004-01)
PredecessorMotorola V60
SuccessorMotorola V620 > Motorola V635
Motorola RAZR V3
RelatedMotorola V500
Motorola V525
Motorola V300
Compatible networksGSM
Form factorClamshell
Dimensions88 mm (3.5 in) H (folded)
48 mm (1.9 in) W
24 mm (0.94 in) D
Weight115 g (4.1 oz) (V600/V620)
124 g (4.4 oz) (V635)
Rear cameraVGA resolution
Display176 x 220 px color TFT LCD
External displayYes
Data inputsKeypad

Motorola V600 is a clamshell mobile phone made by Motorola, the company's flagship GSM handset for 2004, and designed as the successor of Motorola V60.[1] The V600 is a quad-band "world phone", operating on GSM/GPRS bands 850/900/1800/1900.[2] The direct successor was the Motorola V620 and then V635, with some improvements, until being majorly succeeded by the functionally identical Motorola V3 (RAZR).

The Motorola V600 has an integrated camera, color display, polyphonic ringtones and Bluetooth connectivity.[3] It was finished in a metal-clad aluminium designed exterior that was considered stylish much like its predecessor.[4][5] On the exterior, the V600 has a translucent cover in light blue under which is the monochrome second display.[6]

The V600 was positively received despite its delayed release. It became, alongside the other two models[7] of Motorola's "triplets" - Motorola V500 and Motorola V300 - among the top-selling GSM phones in the US in the first quarter of 2004, boosting the company's net income and global market share.[8] The V600 along with the other two aforementioned models also gained popularity in European markets.[9]

History and marketing

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Motorola V600 was announced at the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show and was expected for a release in the second half of the year.[10] It was developed along with two other similar but lower models, Motorola V500 and Motorola V300, collectively referred to as the "triplets".[11] Because Motorola's operating profit had been significantly less than market leader Nokia, the company designed these phones along with others differently by trimming costs. The "triplets" are almost identical and have many common parts.[11]

The V600 was the first ever quad-band cell phone to be announced, being able to operate on GSM bands 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz, meaning that it could be used anywhere in the world apart from Japan.[12]

The Motorola V600 was hyped and became a much anticipated product,[13] however its release was delayed because of cited software problems[14] and it missed the crucial Christmas period.[3][14] The V600 was also expected to be the breakthrough media cell phone for Motorola during the trend of camera phones, so missing the expected release was bad for the firm and wrapped up what had been a difficult year.[15]

In October 2003, Motorola announced a special edition of the Motorola V600 in a tie-in with luxury carmaker Aston Martin.[16]

At the 2004 CES show, Motorola announced availability of the V600 and signalled that it would be as big a product as the preceding V60 and the StarTAC.[17] It was finally released in January 2004 in Europe, on February 24 in Taiwan,[18] and suffered another delay in the US[19] until it was released at the end of March 2004,[20] carried by T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless and Cingular.

Considered stylish, Motorola gave out the V600 to nominees of the Oscars held on February 29, 2004.[21][4]

For CDMA networks, Motorola's flagship of the time was the Motorola V810.[22]

V620

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The Motorola V620 is an updated version of Motorola's flagship V600 world phone, containing such new features as video recording, menu themes and a black housing, and superior 262k color screen (as opposed to 65k).[23] However, the phone lacks a megapixel camera (it is equipped with the same VGA camera), a popular feature of then modern high-end models. Additionally, the V620 only has approximately 5.5 MB of onboard memory, and lacks a TransFlash card slot to expand it.[23] The phone also lacks a CSTN external screen, instead featuring a small inverted-color display. The Motorola V620 was not offered through any U.S. carrier, but was popular in other GSM territories.

The V620 was also the base for the Motorola RAZR V3 announced later in 2004.[24]

V635

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V635

The Motorola V635 is considered the successor to the V600 and V620 model phones. Its prominent features include the ability to insert a removable TransFlash memory card, (fully accessible through the Bluetooth) video capture and playback, 1.23-megapixel camera, and a colored external TFT display. It also adds EDGE for faster data.[25] The phone was announced at the CES 2005 show.[26] Its functions and software is the same as the Razr V3.

The phone was primarily unavailable in United States, as major US carriers did not offer the phone to their subscribers.[27] It was, however, available from Rogers Wireless in Canada.

References

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  1. ^ "Motorola V600". Phone Scoop. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  2. ^ "Mobile-review.com January 2003: New products. Part 1". www.mobile-review.com. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  3. ^ a b "Motorola In Need Of New Cell-Phone Models". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  4. ^ a b "A Motorola retrospective (photos)". CNET. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  5. ^ Wiley, M. (2004-01-23). "Our Most Anticipated Gear of 2004". IGN. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  6. ^ "Mobile-review.com January 2003: New products. Part 1". www.mobile-review.com. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  7. ^ "Mobile-review.com Motorola V300. First impressions". www.mobile-review.com. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  8. ^ "Motorola's Hat Trick". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  9. ^ "Global mobile market hits high note". ZDNET. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  10. ^ "Motorola V600". 2004-06-03. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  11. ^ a b "Recharged Motorola". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  12. ^ "Motorola leads world with quad-band unit". South China Morning Post. 2003-01-14. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  13. ^ Team, PhoneArena (2007-01-19). "Motorola V600 review". PhoneArena. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  14. ^ a b "Motorola's Christmas Hang-Up". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  15. ^ "Motorola shows new spirit of innovation". The Register.
  16. ^ "Aston Martin Motors With Motorola". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  17. ^ "Advanced devices debut at CES show | RCR Wireless News". 2004-01-12. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  18. ^ "Motorola announces availability of V600 in Taiwan, touts contribution to 2004 shipments". DIGITIMES. 2004-02-26. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  19. ^ "RCR Wireless News". 2004-04-03. Archived from the original on 3 April 2004. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  20. ^ "Motorola's V600 arrives". Engadget. 2004-03-30. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  21. ^ "Media Center - Motorola@ in 2004 - Motorola Puts the "Talk" into the (Red Carpet) Walk for Nominees at the 2004 Academy Awards®". 2004-02-13. Archived from the original on 13 February 2004. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  22. ^ "Motorola's Fall 2003 Lineup". Phone Scoop. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  23. ^ a b "Motorola V620 - Mobile Gazette - Mobile Phone News". www.mobilegazette.com. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  24. ^ "Motorola V3, A780, V620, V555, V975". GSMArena.com. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  25. ^ www.mobiletracker.net http://www.mobiletracker.net/archives/2004/10/14/motorola_v620_an.php. Retrieved 2025-05-20. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ^ Wireless, I. G. N. (2005-01-07). "CES 2005: Motorola V635 Bows Big". IGN. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  27. ^ German, Kent. "Motorola V635 review: Motorola V635". CNET. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
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