With
its original StarTAC, Motorola established itself at the forefront
of cell phone design. The compact, innovative, flip-to-open phone
revolutionized the industry and inspired generations of improvements
and imitations. Now, with its new V70, Motorola is trying hard
to regain its status as the design leader. Once again, it's introduced
a new way to open a phone, but this time, instead of flipping
it open, Motorola's entirely re-thought the ergonomics and introduced
a phone that you swivel open to talk.
 More
than a gimmick, the V70's design is a provocative marriage
of form and function. Though initially awkward, the new motion
quickly becomes familiar and actually makes it easier for users
to open the phone with one hand, compared to the traditional
flip mechanism. The swing design is also an elegant solution
to another common drawback of flip-phones -- the inability
to see the screen when closed. Other designs have attempted
to address this problem, but with limited aesthetic success.
By swiveling around the screen, the V70's earpiece eliminates
the redundancy of dual screens and the clumsiness of see-though
panels. At the same time, its "switch-blade" design enables
it to retain the compact size of the smaller monolithic phones
while keeping the keypad covered when not in use. This is what
good design is all about -- serving style and usability equally,
and sacrificing neither to the other.
The V70 is clearly set to become the StarTAC of its generation, and there's
no doubt that Motorola has succeeded in creating a novel phone for people looking
to make a statement. Never before have so many random strangers approached
us and asked about the phone we were using! Love it or hate it, it's nevertheless
very encouraging to see manufacturers continue to embrace constructive design
innovation.
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