MAP Phone

<MAP Phone

ON TEST

WHY THE P1088 IS THE MOST FUTURISTIC MOBILE EVER

There are a few interesting features in the design of the P1088, showing the way forward for future mobile phone technology. Screen size and functionality is the most important step as we move to full multimedia services. The P1088 touchscreen is central to all the phones functions, menu and test entry. The small alphanumeric keypad is all but surplus to requirements these days, and in time its likely to disappear completely Its removal wilt enable the phone to shrink in size and weight, while the screen itself will actually grow. For the time being the keypad remains, perhaps to make the current crop at users feet comfortable during this transitional period.
Handwriting and voice recognition will take over from keyboards and mechanical inputs altogether in the

next generation of mobile phones. The screens will display colour, too. The only thing preventing this from happening today is the relatively high power consumption of colour LCDs coupled to the existing battery technology. Motorola explained that if the P1088 were to be equipped with a full-colour touchscreen display today, if would have a battery life you could count in minutes rather than hours. lt'd be like going back to the old-style camcorders where you had to lug around extra battery packs — which most of you would, understandably, find unacceptable. However, you're likely to see phones with full-colour displays on the shelves in months rather than years.
E-mail and Net connectivity are set to become everyday features of mobile communications over the next

Flipping through the Motorola's extensive menu system will reveal various clearly labelled icons that take you directly to your WAP or Net browser, worldtime, a phonebook or notepad and even 10 games.

year or so, too — essentially because we all want to be able to receive. read and respond to our e-mail regardless of location. The P1088 is not the first mobile phone to give you full e-mail functionality, and will by no means be the last. With 83 per cent of people today connecting to the Net primarily to use e-mail, this figure is likely to translate similarly to mobile phone usage over the next couple of years, as they finally start enabling you to access your e-mail on the move. Don't you dare believe that this is just some kind of novelty:
it is the future.

The P1088 has
two ways to access
the Web, using the
built-in WAP and
HTML browsers.

· results and news, and boring items like weather forecasts, TV guides and certain business directories. WAP is still in its infancy and until there's enough interesting content for you to see then a standard HTML browser will fill the needs of even the most ardent Net surfer
Not that many of you will use this phone to browse the Web all day. The images are only displayed in greyscale and there's no sound either, which takes part of the fun out of viewing film trailers like Mission Impossible II and the latest Britney Spears video, Connection speeds are still in the dark ages at 9,600 bps, though, and if you thought that the Web was slow using a 56K modem, you'll feel like you're sitting on the M25 on a busy Friday night using this device.

The most interesting thing about the P1088, as opposed to any other phone, is the fact that it's Java-enabled. This means that browsing the Web or even a WAP games server is likely to be more enjoyable than on a non-java device. Java allows the phone to download little programs called applets and then run them on the phone to enhance the graphics and add animation to the experience. Just try out the World Driving game and you'll see what I mean.
Add to that a fully-featured calendar and alarm, organising functions and note writing facilities, and you can see that this is probably the most exciting mobile phone ever produced. forget anything else around, the Motorola P1088 has got the lot,
Bard Covington

Summary

PROS: True e-mail and Internet portability, and very easy- to-use menu system.

CONS: Larger than your average mobile phone, and the stylus is quite easy to Lose.

KEY FEATURES

· WAP 1.1 and HTML Internet browsers
· Large LCD touchscreen
· Handwriting recognition text input system
· Easy to use icon-driven menu system
· Can send and receive e-mail, tax and text messages

ALSO CONSIDER

Ericsson R380 around £200-C300 with contract Another Smart Phone due out in the summer, this one's going to be even smaller and lighter than the P1088, but it will only sport a WAP browser and there's no function for handwriting text recognition. The regular keypad flips open to reveal a much larger screen display behind, though.

Nokia 911O Communicator £350 with contract Until now, the 9110 has been the only phone to offer e-mail, tax and telephony in one single device. It flips open to reveal a larger LCD and full QWERTY keyboard. Sadly, however, the screen is not touch sensitive and it's bulkier and heavier than the P1088.

VERDICT

A truly fantastic and futuristic mobile communications device that's wonderfully easy to use

96 FEBRUARY 2000