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Video: TELUS Motorola Milestone Hardware Review
Since I got hold of the upcoming TELUS Milestone I can confidently say that this is the best Motorola device I’ve experience in a VERY long time.
This first review is about the hardware. We’ll follow up with a separate review of the Android OS 2.0 and how it performs. When it comes to the design of the Milestone it certainly gets noticed. It’s basically made of metal and weighs in at a hefty 165 grams, so you’ll feel it in your pocket but but it’s not bulky by any means. The Milestone is sleek looking and if you think down the road 3-years will the design last? The answer is yes. It’s shape is not anything trend setting which makes it standout. Overall dimensions are 2.4 x 4.6 0.5 inches.
The 3.7 inch WVGA screen is impressive and has a resolution of 480×854. Quickly glancing over the web to see how much space it really occupies and it takes up the entire screen. Since the Milestone is a touchscreen the only downside I found so far is the amount of fingerprints it gets. Like all touchscreen devices all you have to do is rub a cloth to remove them. On the screen itself you’ll find capacitive touch sensitive buttons: back, menu, home and search. Around the device there is a power/lock button, 3.5mm headset jack, microUSB port, volume rocker and a one-touch button for the 5 megapixel auto-focus camera that has a dual LED flash, 4x zoom with video capabilities.
Probably one of the best features of the Milestone is it’s full slide out QWERTY keyboard. This will attract those users who want both a physical keyboard and a touchscreen. The actual keys are nothing special and are flush with with the lower part of the device. There are a couple keys that are missing that I believe Moto could have occupied with a button for the web or e-mail, but they are simply left blank. In addition, there is a 4-way directional pad on the right hand side of the keypad that I have yet to use. Looks good but it takes up a great deal of real estate on the actual keypad. When it comes to the durability of the slide mechanism, you’ll see in the video that I’ve put it to the test and it’s incredibly solid and wickedly smooth.
So far I am incredibly impressed with the Milestone. Check out the video and we’ll post the 2nd review shortly.
Discussion
28 comments for “Video: TELUS Motorola Milestone Hardware Review”
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Would it work on Rogers?
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@Patrick – Yes, just get it unlocked and away you go..
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Yes it would work on Rogers if you were to have it unlocked first.
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If it would work on Rogrs that would be very tempting. I’m anxious to get my hands on an Android device and waiting on the Xperia X10 is becoming hard to do…
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I think I will wait for the Xperia X10. Still the best upcoming device in my mind.
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Can’t wait for the software review. I would really like to know which version of Android OS it will ship with. Keeping fingers crossed for 2.0 and not 2.0.1.
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its 2.01 simply look at the lock screen.
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Ahh… good call Shane.
Looks like no Milestone for me. Hopefully the N1 with correct 3G bands will be available soon.
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Hey, I was just in Wireless Wave today, and talking to a salesman about it since my Blackberry recently went kaput due to some water damage=\….anyways, they said its about $700 unlocked =\
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too little, too late.
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@Omar, haha I doubt it.
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That slider test on the clip was hilarious.
Martin, what’s the issue with v2.01?
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Looks amazing but the keyboard doesn’t have staggered buttons so it probably feels really awkward to type on. Motorola is coming out with the Nexus 2 soon, so I’m looking forward to that phone.
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Tony,
There is nothing wrong with 2.0.1. In fact it is apparently quite a bit better than 2.0.
The problem for me would be that as of now 2.0.1 cannot be rooted but 2.0 can be. Root access is important to me so I can do things like install custom apps and purchase things from the Android market. If the phone came with 2.0 I could root it and apply a 2.0.1 update later and still keep root.
Hope that makes sense.
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@Tony
LOL!, agreed. When he was doing the slider test I was like “dear god somebody help that poor phone” =P
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whats the battery life like?
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According to this, you can root version 2.0.1 also.
http://www.redmondpie.com/root-motorola-droid-on-android-2.0.1-9140198/
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Man,
I have one on order. I can’t wait. I have been using a 3GS and I really miss android. So pissed off that I can’t jailbreak the phone (unless tethered) and now with the 3.1.3 unsigning issue I am done with apple.
I wouldn’t worry about 2.0.1
It will be rooted soon
I guess no google navigation?
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The link I posted states this:
“Motorola Droid on Verizon has been successfully rooted for direct access to the file system. It works on both the original Android 2.0 Rom which ships with Droid, and the latest Android 2.0.1″
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It’d be great if you could check if the Milestone will do contact lookups in Exchange global address books. This is separate from Outlook account contacts.
Thanks.
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Any truth to the rumor that it does NOT in fact have speakerphone?
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Thanks Martin, makes sense to me. I’m not so hardcore so I’m curious about this phone. I’ve been in the market for a while. Was hoping for the palm pre plus, but it’s been deaftly quiet since January came and gone. Need a physical keyboard.
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Erik,
You’re absolutely right. The Droid has been rooted on 2.0.1. However the Milestone has not been, only on 2.0. The method used for the Droid relies on having access to private signing keys which were leaked/left available by Moto by accident(?). This process does not work for the Milestone as there are no keys available to create custom updates. The method used for the Milestone relies in a bug present in the recovery image that’s only available in the 2.0 OS. Moto patched that bug in the 2.0.1 OS (most of them, the German one apparently still has the bug in 2.0.1 as does HK so there is some hope).
Basically, the Droid and Milestone are rooted differently and what works for one does not necessarily work for the other.
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Karl,
People have been able to port the US Google Maps Nav to the European Milestones and it does not even require root so I think there’s a good chance you’ll be able to “hack” it onto your phone here as well.
As for 2.0.1 being rooted in the future, you’re probably right but if it happens it will likely be by accident (discovery of another bug or leak of private signing keys). I don’t like taking chances on things like this. It may happen very soon as more devices are in circulation but it may also take a very long time. Unfortunately for me, not being able to access paid apps in Android Market is a deal breaker and I’d like to know that I’ll be able to do it for sure and when before I purchase the phone.
As a side note, having all these localized and customized versions for the same hardware smells rotten to me. In my opinion it may be a sign that Moto is trying really hard to lock down this unit and customize it for different carriers according to their demands (translation: possibly stripping out features selectively). This appears to go against the spirit of an open Android future.
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What about unlocking it and using it with Bell Mobility as they too have all the proper band frequencies I’m sure.
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Does anyone know if hands free bluetooth compatibility has been added to this phone?
This is a deal breaker for me.
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just don’t think I could find a 3 screened adroid usefull, my screens were maxxed out & ws board with in afew days using standard android on my htc touch.. now Im using sence hero With 7 pages, htc skining & widgets & don’t think I could use stardered adriod after using htc’s skining “love it” just waiting for a minimum 3.7 screened htc adroid with NA HSPA Bands & comparable RAM/ROM to tha nexus one – wouldnt hurt having a 1Ghrz cpu aswell
Or I may settle for tha hero.. still sexy just want a bigger screen etc
I would need to play with tha milestone tho.. just plan unskinned android and 3 screens.. BLAH – IDK
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Is there any point in aquiring a quad-band from Europe? My thinking is, the more frequencies, the more chance of shopping for better monthly rates here in Canada.
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