MPx220 Rumors

[Robert Levy]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/010871.php' target='_blank'>http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/010871.php</a><br /><br /></div>There are rumors being posted in our forums and lots of other sites around the web (I've linked this post to Brighthand's coverage) regarding the next phone from Motorola: the so-called MPx220. This is said to be running the latest version of the operating system plus Bluetooth and a camera built in. The latest ones even say it will have support for the new EDGE network. Most importantly, the rumors are also saying that this device will be released by AT&T Wireless in February.<br /><br />Whether these things are true is really nothing more than speculation at this point. I have not been able to identify the original source of this information or get a confirmation of them from Microsoft. My personal opinion is that these rumors not be considered any more than just rumors.<br /><br />Brighthand and a few other mobile news sites have suggested that Amazon is listing the MPx200 as free after rebates because they are trying to unload their inventory to make room for the new model. What they neglected to notice is that the Amazon base price and rebate amount have remained the same. What now makes the phone "free" is an increase in the subsidy (paid by AT&T Wireless) you get by signing up for a new service contract along with the phone. What I see happening here is AT&T Wireless pushing service plans more aggressively - not Amazon trying to unload their inventory. If this was a matter of an anticipated inventory surplus, the local AT&T Wireless stores would also be trying desperately to unload. That's not what we have happening.<br /><br />Another reason to doubt these rumors is that the time line being suggested is inconsistent with what we've seen before. Roughly four months prior the MPx200 release, it's specifications were filed with the FCC. And now people are saying that a new phone will be released in two months when we have yet to even see drafts of the FCC filing for it? That just doesn't sound right to me.<br /><br />I have no doubt that Motorola is working hard on new devices and the rumored specs (Smartphone 2003, Bluetooth, integrated camera) all make sense. But how similar it will be to the MPx200 and whether it will be available in only two months from now is not something I would bet on at this point.

[seaflipper]

Good points, Robert.

If I might add - a guy named "Lasazurs" who is apparently an ATTWS Engineer whose project was the MPx200 was asked about these rumors today in another forum. He said that if, indeed, the rumors were true, he would be working on the phone right now to get it ready for the February release:

http://www.pocketpcpassion.com/forum/showthread.php?s=c194e8a40c9302e69c98110b0c62923b&threadid=38087

[PocketPCSummit]

I have to disagree with some of this. While it may be true that the FCC filing hasn't officially happened and the phone may be longer off than anticipated, the present state of the MPx200 on Amazon leaves some things in question.

First, if you reference my post here- http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4528

You'll see that the subsidy isn't being 'paid by AT&T Wireless', it's being paid by the end user - the subscribers, to the tune of $10-$30 more per month for any service plan on Amazon compared to the same plan when purchased directly through AT&T Wireless on their website or in one of their stores. This not only negates getting anything for free, it costs far more in the long run buying from Amazon, if these pricing plans carry over unadjusted onto your AT&T bill.

Also, while the AT&T Wireless stores aren't openly advertising low prices on the MPx200, the stores ARE MATCHING Amazon's pricing without so much as a whimper. Just walk in and mention Amazon, make them surf to the website and print out the pricing page, and the manager should approve it and you've walked out the door with a brand new MPx200 and a cheaper service plan than Amazon with more free minutes to boot. Can't say if they'll match the free price, but they were matching it when the Amazon price was $79, and the store's advertsied price was $299!

[spg]

I just ordered my Mpx200 from Amazon with service. I compared AT&T's site with Amazon pretty thouroughly before I ordered... and I don't see any difference in prices. Maybe some of the really expensive ones, but I wasn't looking to spend that much a month anyway, and I haven't compared them.

[PocketPCSummit]

Well, it's designed for you not to see it, that's the deception, oops, I mean smart business.

For example look at a local plan mLife Local with 600 minutes. On Amazon it's $49.99 but on AT&T Wireless' site it's $39.99. Even at this low price point you looking at $240 extra over the life of a 2-year contract, which is 'required' to get the phone for 'free'. Or a 1400 minute local plan is $99.99 on Amazon but $74.99 on AT&T Wireless. So with a 2-year contract you're paying an extra $600 over the life of the contract there. You're better of paying the $250 for the phone from the AT&T Wireless website than getting it for 'free' on Amazon and ending up spending all that extra money on the service plans.

Same thing for the national plans. You'll pay $149.99 on Amazon for 2000 minutes for example but on the AT&T Wireless site for the same price you'll get 2600 minutes.

I haven't actually ordered a phone from Amazon, so I can't say whether or not there's some giant mistake in Amazon's pricing structure, but I'm inclined to think that there's no mistake and that's the price you'll see on your phone bill, since it stands to reason this is how they're giving away such big 'Amazon' discounts on the phone. Anyone can look at the two websites and see there's a serious problem in the margin between the two prices for the same service.

If those prices hold over onto your bill you should call AT&T Wireless and confirm it BEFORE you wait 30 days for your first bill. I say this because AT&T offers a 30-day trial period on all new service agreements, however it seems that this is only if you purchase through their website or store, and Amazon may have some fine print quite to the contrary...and there is fine print relating to bonus minutes etc. that again differs from the AT&T Wireless plans making it very hard for the consumer to compare apples to apples here.

But you can always change service plans along the life of the contract, SO THE BIG QUESTION HERE IS - Does buying from Amazon lock you into a contract that charges a premium on top of AT&T Wireless' listed prices for the life of the contract just because you took Amazon's 'free' deal? Whoever knows a concrete answer to this I think everyone would be interested.

[Andy Whiteford]

So getting back to the MPx220, what is everyone's take on what has been speculated on so far?
I'm now looking at getting my first smartphone and I am very tempted by the MPx200 but the older OS and lack of Bluetooth are the two main reasons why I have not taken the plunge to so far.
It would be great to have these in the same form of the current model. I think a camera would be a nice inclusion as well but if it will add extra thickness to the phone, I hope Motorola would release two models; one with and one without the camera. That way we can decide for ourselves which features we want over form.

[Mike Temporale]

the rumors are also saying that this device will be released by AT&T Wireless in February.


That would put the release of these two models very close together. Just doesn't seem right to me.

Either the 220 phone is a replacement to the 200, or it's meant as a more feature rich brother. If it's a replacement, then a February release date is too early, as the current model is still on the up swing of consumor acceptance. If it's the feature rich brother, then I would have expected it to be announced at the same time as the 200, or very close together. Much like HP did with the 4150's and the 4350's.

Doesn't seem right to me. If the 220 is real, then I would expect it to hit the market late in 04.

[seaflipper]

Don't forget that Microsoft has to create the ROM for AT&T, based upon their needs and desires. This takes time, look how long it took for the Windows Mobile 2003 to come out on the E200 compared to when they first released Smartphone 2002 last year. I would hope that MS is getting faster at this considering that the SPV was their first device, but it still takes some time.

Also, from a business standpoint, for AT&T to release a phone only 4 months after the release of the initial device would mean they they already knew that the MPx200 was going to be a great phone and liked by the end user. They really don't know that until it's released and been out there for a couple of months (were not even there yet). So for AT&T to release the MPx200 and at the same time already be preparing for it's big brother or it's follow up phone seems a little bit dumb from a business standpoint. And, having a been a customer of AT&T's for a while, they don't release phones that fast anyway!

[Fitch]

Or a 1400 minute local plan is $99.99 on Amazon but $74.99 on AT&T Wireless. So with a 2-year contract you're paying an extra $600 over the life of the contract there. You're better of paying the $250 for the phone from the AT&T Wireless website than getting it for 'free' on Amazon and ending up spending all that extra money on the service plans.

Those are some very interesting observations, I hadn't even thought to look! I'll think twice before I get a 'free' Amazon phone and do my homework!

[cmorris]

Interesting stuff...

One thing that had occurred to me that seemed to be in line with the MPx220 being released early next year was that ATTWS has not committed (yet) to provide a 2003 upgrade for the MPx200.

This makes sense if you think that they want for MPx200 users to want to upgrade to the MPx220 if it comes out soon. However, if the next version is further off, you'd think that they would promise the upgrade in order to prevent people from holding off on purchasing the MPx200 now.

Or, maybe they haven't thought it through in that much detail... :wink:

[PocketPCSummit]

My opinion is that the next upgrade to the MPx200 will hit the streets no later than the end of Q2 next year. By this time the Voq and the E200 will already be in consumer hands and a solid camera available through carriers at point of purchase for the SDIO slot in the SPH-i600.

The main reason phone sales are now up 22% against Q3 last year is primarily because of new built-in features, specifically cameras, according to recent Gartner research. Motorola is not going to miss the boat on this one, with ANY platform, esepcially holding not even one half of the market share Nokia holds. Quoting a Dec 8 PC World report:

"For some companies, demand is outpacing their ability to keep their customers supplied. Motorola announced this week that it is working with additional suppliers to find components for its newest camera phones, which have been in short supply due to sourcing problems."

[seaflipper]

Interesting stuff...

One thing that had occurred to me that seemed to be in line with the MPx220 being released early next year was that ATTWS has not committed (yet) to provide a 2003 upgrade for the MPx200.

This makes sense if you think that they want for MPx200 users to want to upgrade to the MPx220 if it comes out soon. However, if the next version is further off, you'd think that they would promise the upgrade in order to prevent people from holding off on purchasing the MPx200 now.

Or, maybe they haven't thought it through in that much detail... :wink:

Don't forget that PocketPC 2003 came out this summer (June) for full sized handhelds, AT&T has yet to release and update for the SX56 and only just recently announced that they would, so the fact that AT&T has not said anything officially about Smartphone2003 for the MPx200 is not surprising to me, I would read nothing into that...

[seaflipper]

"For some companies, demand is outpacing their ability to keep their customers supplied. Motorola announced this week that it is working with additional suppliers to find components for its newest camera phones, which have been in short supply due to sourcing problems."

But at the same time Motorola announced the V600 almost 11 months ago and has yet to ship the device! The reason for the latest delay is the camera, as you mention.

What does that say about the possiblity of this rumored MPx220 coming out on time if the integrated cameras are in such short supply? On the other hand, maybe the v600 was delayed so that those cameras could be put in the MPx220? :lol:

[Fitch]

Some 'thoughts reader AIMed me this response from Amazon (re: price plans and the rebate.) Not sure why he didn't register:

from user nietspenoj (from amazon consumer rep)

Since some phones will not be activated until after you receive your order, you may indeed change your plan to the preferred plan when you call to activate the phone. Doing so will not disqualify you from any of the accompanying rebate offers.

As phones with our other carriers arrive activated with your pre-selected service plan, you will need to contact the carrier after receiving your phone in order to update your service agreement.

Doing so should not incur any additional fees and will not disqualify you from any of the accompanying Amazon.com rebates.
great ! so you can buy the phone for "free", choose ANY GSM plan, take delivery and change to the one you want

I guess this makes sense... as long as you sign up for ANOTHER two-year contract, they don't care, and they don't charge you extra fees for it.

Wow, am I torn.

[PocketPCSummit]

MICROSOFT CONFIRMS MPX220!

OK, here's the scoop - just returned from the Microsoft Mobility Tour meeting at the Doubltree Hotel in Los Angeles. The MPx220 phone was confirmed along with confirmation of it's feature set - camera, bluetooth, etc.

The official word, or rather unofficial since they can't talk in detail about unreleased products is that the phone is coming "soon". When asked specifically how soon they said "very, very, soon."

Whether or not is will run on EDGE was not confirmed since once that question was specifically asked Microsoft shut the questions down on the MPx220 and moved on.

So I take back what I said about end of Q2, 2004. I anticipate it's arrival no later than start of Q2, 2004.

[possmann]

All I want is the device to run on the 2003 OS, have Bluetooth and a SDIO slot - the camera is a nice add-on, but not mission critical for me.

This I know - I will NOT be using the ATTWS - waaaaay too many problems from what I read and hear from current and prior users - then there is the whole FCC probe thing - ugly.

I'm still sitting here draging my Motorola P280 and Ipaq 3600 series around - sigh - I can't wait to ditch them first for a 2003 device...

Personally I think that ATTWS will keep both devices in their inventory as some people may opt for a lower priced 200 device - others, like the folks who post here - will more likely be OK with shelling out probably 100-200 more for a more robust 220 device...

[seaflipper]

Personally I think that ATTWS will keep both devices in their inventory as some people may opt for a lower priced 200 device - others, like the folks who post here - will more likely be OK with shelling out probably 100-200 more for a more robust 220 device...

I know I will! :lol:

I hope it does come out sooner rather than later, but I personally won't believe it until I see it!!

[CTSLICK]

Bluetooth would make this a much more compelling device for me. But its a shame that only ATTWS is carrying it. Until ATTWS has a competitively priced data plan I simply can't afford to switch. I burned up 35 Mb last month on T-mobile...my average is 25 Mb per month. That puts me into the $79.99/mo unlimited plan for ATTWS...OUCH! I simply cannot afford that even if the phone were free!

[r19578]

I kinda like the look of MPx200, it's almost perfect if it had Bluetooth and built-in camera. The coming MPx220 has the features, but looks a little different, a friend sent me a picture of it, it's silver and ... not my flavor. The good news is, T-Mobile will have MPx220 in their portfolio this time.

[CTSLICK]

The good news is, T-Mobile will have MPx220 in their portfolio this time.

Ahh now that would be good news...any plans from Sprint on smartphones?

[aristoBrat]

The good news is, T-Mobile will have MPx220 in their portfolio this time.
Cool. Our T-Mobile account rep (at work) said that they planned on carrying a Moto MS Smartphone towards the end of Q1 next year -- was really hoping it'd be the MPx220.

(Actually, I was hoping for the SPV e200, but .. the Moto's not bad) :D

[aristoBrat]

This is kinda cool:

http://www.t-mobile.de/downloads/company/roadshows/motorola.pdf

Page Down to page #29 .. .:)

[Gator5000e]

The AT&T version is also supposed to be EDGE enabled to access the new AT&T high speed network. Does T-Mobile have an EDGE network planned or in the works?

[Jerry Raia]

It's kinda fun to read these old threads and see what people where hoping for and getting excited about. Knowing during the entire read what did end up floating in the bowl. 8)