By 2005, Motorola mobile phones were once again at the top of the market thanks to models such as the RAZR series, which featured a sleek flip phone design, are light weight and had leading technology at the time such as 3.5G capability and 2 megapixel cameras. After smartphones became the norm in the mobile phone market, Motorola proceeded to cement their place as one of the major manufacturers by developing a number of successful handsets based on Google’s leading Android operating system.

In recent years, Motorola mobile phones have continued to show the same innovation which saw them be the first manufacturer to popularise the flip phone. The best example of this is the innovative Motorola Atrix, a phone which contains the processing power to double as a laptop and media centre via the use of accessories. The idea behind the phone is that it will offer people a single device for their digital needs, as the handset, along with performing well as a phone, can be docked into a special laptop shell and run as a web book along with also being able to be placed in a Media Hub and connected to televisions and stereos.

Since that time, Motorola has become known as one of the most important mobile phone manufacturers in the world.  Its first commercial mobile phone was released to the market in 1983 and its first phone had the model name “DynaTAC”, which was short for “Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage”.

Whilst the technology was revolutionary in theory, the fact that it cost many thousands of pounds meant that it did not appeal to the mass market.  As mobile technology changed, it became a household item and by the late 1990s it was estimated that Motorola mobile phones brought in approximately $20 billion revenue for the company.  This figure dropped after 2000 as Motorola mobile phones became less popular and less competitive with other manufacturers.  This was during the era that phone capabilities were widening and some suggest that Motorola phones had poor implementation of those features compared to their competitors.  With the move towards smartphones and the Android platform in particular, Motorola has seen its market share increase again.  Manufacturers now need to place more emphasis on hardware and casing design than software.

One form these deals may take is refurbishment.  A refurbished Motorola Atrix phone is not brand new but is still in good condition.  If someone returned the phone for any reason, the company may refurbish it before reselling at a discount.  There is no need to sacrifice quality in order to save money, as a refurbished model is still high-functioning and can be bought from reputable dealers.

Other deals on the Motorola Atrix take the form of tariffs.  Sometimes it is possible to get these types of deals by being selective about the calling, messaging, and data plan purchased for the device.  For example, with a 2-year contract, Amazon Wireless will sell the Motorola Atrix 4G smart phone for AT&T Wireless at an approximate price of £30.  This offer also includes free shipping.

Amazon.com also sells Motorola Atrix phones at a discount directly on its website.  The phone will cost more if it is purchased along with a contract.  However, it is possible to buy only the phone, without any sort of calling, messaging, or data contract, at a discounted price.  Just be sure to pay close attention to the exact item description.

Features include Google Mail push to your inbox, 3G, web browser, Google Maps and Motonav which is Motorola’s own navigation system. It also has a 5 megapixel camera complete with flash, image stabilisation facility, auto-focus, zoom and top DVD quality.

Motonav provides a hands free GPS system with spoken directions. It even converts into an alarm clock, digital photo frame, or music player with the addition of the optional Motorola Milestone multi-media station.

The Android operating system means that there is a huge range of apps in the Android Market  that can make your phone do almost anything. The possibilities with apps are increasing continually.

Battery life is good on this model and you need it if you want to use a range of apps. You get up to 260 minutes of continuous talk time on 3G and 390 minutes on GSM. Standby time is up to 380 hours on its 1400 mAh Li lon battery.

If connectivity is your priority the Motorola Milestone does not disappoint with its html5 webkit browser, stereo Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, micro USB, and built in headset jack.

If you want all your contacts in the same place, easy access satnav, media player facilities and a camera, all in one very slim line package with a large, easy to view screen, then this is the answer.

The Motorola FLIPOUT is set up for social networking and features both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as a 3 megapixel camera on the rear. A microSD card slot and 3.5mm headphanoe socket are also featured to store and listen to your music and video files.

As in keeping with other Android mobile phone on the market, the FLIPOUT has Google maps with Street View, social networking apps and of course access to the Android marketplace to customise the phone as you like.

The Motorola FLIPOUT is expected to be released in Q2 2010 (so soon) and will be available in a range of colours including black, blue, green, red and orange.

The first thing you will notice about the milestone is that it is big, 115.8 x 60 x 13.7mm to be exact but it does boast a huge 3.7 inch touchscreen which is vibrant and sharp; the European model also features multi-touch capabilities whereas the US version doesn’t.

Using the Google Android operating system, the Motorola Milestone is easy to navigate and although the Android market isn’t as varied as the iPhone app store it does have a decent range of applications for just about anything.

The Milestone also features a slide out QWERTY keyboard which is handy for typing text messages and emails, but can become frustrating at times as the top row is quite close to the screen making it a little uncomfortable to type for long periods.

As is standard nowadays there are a range of other features including, a 5 megapixel camera, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS. There is also a multimedia player capable of playing numerous music and video files and a gratefully appreciated 3.5mm headphone socket.

Is there a market for the Motorola Milestone? I think so, it’s not going to sell a gazillion devices like the iPhone, but will no doubt sway a lot of undecided consumers because of its features and price.

The Motorola A3100 is quad-band so can work worldwide, and features 3G HSDPA connectivity as well as GPS, multimedia player and a 3 megapixel camera.  Internal memory is 256MB and a microSD card slot is also included, which can take up to 32GB; perfect for storing all of your music and video files on.

As stated before, the Motorola A3100 has the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, which is capable of browsing the internet, receiving emails and opening Word and Excel documents. Connecting the device to a PC is easy with either the USB cable or Bluetooth connectivity and a trackball is also included for alternative navigation of the device.

The Motorola A3100 measures just 110 x 59.7 x 13.7mm and weights 199 grams, which is pretty small by today’s standards and battery life is up to 298 hours on standby and 7 hours of talk time.

There is no word on whether or not the device will come to the UK, but being a quad-band device you can expect it to come at some point. The Motorola A3100 will be released in Asia and South America in Q1 2009, with other territories to be confirmed.