DOREGAMA

Why the MOTOZINE ZN5 will not save Motorola

After over a year of rumours, leaked pictures and speculation, Motorola have finally announced the 5 megapixel camera phone they've been working on with Kodak. Called the Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5, the new camera phone was seen as a key element in Motorola's fight-back against its competitors, which have been eating up its market share for over a year now.

Is it too little too late, though? Given that most of the other manufacturers have had 5 megapixel camera phones on the market for over a year now, and Sony Ericsson are about to launch an 8 megapixel camera phone, can Motorola's first 5 megapixel camera phone really help the company stem its losses and help it regain the technological lead it once held?

Read on after the jump to find out.


Me and Motoroa

I used to be a fan of Motorola phones. I nearly bought a Motorola RAZR way back in 2004 when it came out, simply because it looked about 100 years ahead of the competition. I even had a Motorola Accompli 008 back in 2001, one of the first smartphones with a touchscreen (albeit stylus-based). The reason I didn't buy the RAZR? Its features. At the time, it had an awful VGA camera, whereas the phone I did buy, the Sony Ericsson S700i, had a top of the range (for the time!) 1.3 megapixel camera that actually took decent photos.

I decided that looks alone weren't enough and that I wanted a phone whose features actually worked, rather than being tacked on as a marketing gimmick because every other phone had them. Is this still the case with the new MOTOZINE ZN5? Is it yet another Motorola phone that flatters to deceive, with a 5 megapixel camera built-in, simply because every other camera phone is now boasting at least 5 megapixels?

Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 - technological marvel, or also-ran?

I've never regretted buying the S700i over the RAZR. Indeed, I still use my S700i, when going out to places where I might lose it, or it might get damaged (I'm thinking nightclubs and pubs here). It doesn't matter if I get drunk and leave it behind, or if I drop it and it breaks. The phone has no value now, other than the contact numbers within it, and even they are backed up. It really is a disposable phone.

Despite this, I still have it. I've never lost it, and even after dropping it countless times, and spilling nearly a brewery worth of beer over it, it still works perfectly. In the four years that I've had it, my friends have got through countless RAZRs, each of which has died within a couple of years at most.

But it wasn't the reliability of the S700i that made me choose it over the RAZR. It was the fact that its features were rock-solid. They weren't just there simply to add to a list of near-meaningless acronyms that every phone manufacturer had to add in order to compete, irrespective of whether the features listed actually worked or not. Sony Ericsson meant business, and all the features on its phones really did work.

Long before the CyberShot phone, a Sony Ericsson camera phone could take proper pictures, whereas all a Motorola could offer was VGA, which was simply not good enough.

That was four years ago. After years of technical stagnation leading to dwindling profits and an ever-decreasing market-share, has the new MOTOZINE ZN5 got what it takes to bring Motorola back up to speed with its competitors? Or is it too just another Motorola phone with a list of "me too" features that tries to emulate the technological prowess of its competitors, but ultimately disappoints?

The Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 key features

Looking at the list of features of the MOTOZINE ZN5, there aren't many that catch the eye. It's a 5 megapixel camera phone with auto-focus, a Xenon flash, 4GB of optional external memory and optimized settings for low-light environments. Great, but every other camera phone on the market also offer these features these days, even mid-range phones. More worryingly, the ZN5 is intended to be a high-end phone from Motorola, with the "MOTOZINE" brand being a new range of high-end phones from the company.

Admittedly, there's the tie-up with Kodak, but they're hardly in the same league as Sony's CyberShot, or Nokia's partnership with Carl Zeiss.

The ZN5 offers a few neat features, such as Kodak's PERFECT TOUCH Technology, which makes images become brighter and more vivid, and a panorama mode that automatically stitches together continuous shots taken on the horizon line into a single, extended image. But then it completely lets itself down by not supporting 3G, let alone HSDPA.

Yes, that's right. In this "new" world of high-speed mobile networks that's been with us for well over a year now, but which Motorola seems oblivious to, the company has decided to release a phone that supports Wi-Fi and EDGE (Class 12), but not HSDPA or even 3G. EDGE is at best a 2.75G network, capable of theoretical download speeds of up to 474kbps. Compare this with HSDPA, with which the latest Samsung and Sony Ericsson-equipped phones manage to squeeze 7.2 Mbps out of.

As soon as I read this, I thought "they can't be serious?!", but they are. A new, much talked about camera phone, yet with features that at best replicate those of phones that have been on the market for over a year, and at worst can offer data transfer speeds from the last century.

So I've decided to give up writing any more about the ZN5! It's a 5 megapixel camera phone that's at least a year too late from a dying company that might just be around longer than the phone itself will last, but don't bet on it. As if to highlight the expectations of the company with the ZN5, it's being sold first in China, which speaks volumes for the lack of confidence Motorola has in the ZN5's ability to compete in more mature markets.

If you must, you can read exhaustive reviews of the ZN5 over at mobile-review or the oddly-named Snape.com, and you can also read the press release below. But as for words from me on the ZN5, there's only one more I'll add...Meh!

The Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 in detail

From the press release:

Motorola (NYSE: MOT), a leader in wireless communications, and Kodak (NYSE: EK), the world’s foremost imaging innovator, today announced MOTOZINE™ ZN5, the first product combining world-class innovation from both companies. The MOTOZINE ZN5 combines a high-quality phone and camera experience to help content-craving consumers seize inspiration and share the content they create and love with the world.

Unveiled today in Beijing at a gallery-inspired event, ZINE ZN5 delivers an easy and immersive mobile imaging experience. ZN5 is the first mobile phone to combine Motorola’s ModeShift Technology and KODAK Imaging Technology. Together, they redefine the quality, convenience and connectivity of mobile imaging devices. With KODAK EASYSHARE Software and easy access to KODAK Gallery1 or other web sharing sites,2 pictures are easily moved off the device, allowing consumers to print, share and enjoy their favorite photos whenever they want.

“Today’s creative consumers not only want to be the photographer, but also the retoucher, the exhibitor and the critic,” said Jeremy Dale, corporate vice president, mobile devices marketing, Motorola, Inc. “The MOTOZINE ZN5 lets them be all the things they want to be.”

Built to Shoot

ZN5 puts image capture first, with a high-resolution landscape screen and one of the fastest click-to-click times available. To launch the camera, simply slide open the Kodak lens cover to transform the phone into an ultra-fast 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, a Xenon flash, 4GB of optional external memory3 and optimized settings for low-light environments.

Built-in KODAK Imaging Technology ensures that every picture taken with ZN5 looks its best. When KODAK Imaging Technology is combined with KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology, images become brighter and more vivid on the spot. Multiple capture modes, like multi-shot and panorama, which automatically stitches together continuous shots taken on the horizon line into a single, extended image1, makes taking photos fun.

“KODAK Imaging Technology combines Kodak’s unparalleled experience in imaging science with easy connectivity to the company’s vast portfolio of products and services,” said John Blake, general manager digital capture and imaging devices group, vice president Eastman Kodak Company. “We have redefined the quality, convenience and connectivity of mobile imaging devices. We have worked closely with Motorola to create a device that not only delivers Kodak-quality pictures, but allows consumers to explore a wide range of options for sharing their photos with friends and family around the world.”

Built to Share

With one touch, photos can be viewed right from the home screen; no menus, no searching. This multimedia device provides a fun, quick and easy way to share favorite photos. Pictures can be uploaded via Gallery Link in one simple click and instantly shared to the KODAK Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com)1 to be viewed, stored and shared with friends and family. ShoZu can be used to upload photos to a variety of social networking sites1. ZN5 comes with KODAK EASYSHARE Software, the world’s most used photo software, making it easy to organize, edit, share, store and find mobile pictures1. Consumers can transfer pictures to a computer via USB, Wi-Fi1 or Bluetooth® wireless technology4 and print wirelessly on Bluetooth-compatible KODAK All-in-One Printers and at KODAK Picture Kiosks.

Built to Talk
In phone mode, ZN5 features Motorola’s patented CrystalTalkTM technology to help callers hear and be heard, even in noisy environments. With dual compatibility for GSM and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), users can connect in more areas around the world2 and enjoy high-speed wireless connections to surf the Web via a full HTML browser2. To complete the communications experience, ZN5 also supports SMS, MMS, IM and personal e-mail2.

The MOTOZINE Multimedia Experience
MOTOZINE ZN5 is the first device to carry the MOTOZINE franchise name, Motorola’s new label for its multimedia-optimized devices. For the consumer who thrives on content consumption and creation, products in the ZINE portfolio give them the freedom to shape pop culture, on their terms.

The Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 release date will be first available in China in July 2008 and is expected to roll out around the globe throughout the remainder of the year.

Labels: mobile phones