While Motorola didn’t do a great job keeping CHARM under wraps, they did manage to hide a few features of the candy bar phone until today’s official press release. Given the amount of MOTOBLUR and social-networking talk going on in the CHARM’s somewhat lengthy introduction, we’ve broken it down and provided you the juicy bits for easy digestion:

  • 2.8” 320x240QVGA TFT LCD touch-capacitive display with Gorilla Glass
  • Android 2.1 with the newest "enhanced" version of MOTOBLUR
  • 3 Megapixel camera
  • Physical QWERTY keyboard
  • 2GB Removable MicroSD card included (expandable to 32GB MicroSDHC)
  • Accelerometer
  • WiFi B/G and N (Single-band 2.4GHz)
  • Can capture 24FPS video (we assume that is with VGA 640x480)
  • Secondary noise-cancellation microphone with CrystalTalk PLUS technology
  • Compatible with T-Mobile HSDPA 3.6
  • Support for Adobe Flash Lite
  • 1170mAh Lithium-ion battery
  • 3.5mm headphone jack

Additional MOTOBLUR and social networking features are described in the press release. It seems Motorola is taking a stab at RIM (Blackberry) with this device. They even go as far to make special note of the fact that Exchange support includes pushed (instant) email, a native feature of Android 2.1’s email application. The device is quite small, coming in thinner than any full-QWERTY Blackberry device currently available on T-Mobile, at a slim 11.4mm (.45”).

Does Motorola have a budget-Blackberry beater? Or will MOTOBLUR keep business users at bay? Let us know your thoughts below.

Motorola Announces its Newest Device with MOTOBLUR™: Motorola CHARM™

Exclusively for T-Mobile USA, Motorola CHARM packs smartphone features and social graces into a pocketable design with Android™ 2.1 and MOTOBLURTM enhancements 

July 07, 2010

Libertyville, Ill. — July 7, 2010 Motorola (NYSE: MOT) today announced the upcoming availability of Motorola CHARM™, a touch screen smartphone that packs a social networking punch with Android™ 2.1, MOTOBLURTM enhancements, a compact design and a BACKTRACK™ feature that makes screen navigation even more intuitive.

Motorola CHARM is expected to be available this summer exclusively in the U.S. for customers of T-Mobile USA, Inc.

“Motorola strives to provide an increased customizable user experience, which is enabled by our latest enhancements to MOTOBLUR and featured on the new Motorola CHARM,” said Jean Pierre Le Cannellier, vice president, Americas Marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices. “Combine that with a compact design, easy handling and all the features you would expect from a smartphone, and we believe that CHARM with MOTOBLUR adds the social ability and workability consumers are looking for.”

Motorola CHARM provides consumers all the features of a smartphone with the intuitive navigation of a 2.8 inch touch screen – all in a compact, pocketable design that makes messaging a snap using the combination of a full QWERTY keyboard and touch screen. The BACKTRACK navigation pad, located on the back of the smartphone directly behind the home screen, is similar to a laptop touch panel and enables an unobstructed view of the Web, texts, e-mails and news feeds. Plus, with Android 2.1 and enhanced MOTOBLUR features, CHARM offers new customization and filtering options.

“Being social with friends and family comes naturally for T-Mobile customers, and we think mobilizing their social experiences should be effortless,” said Saj Sahay, director of product management, T-Mobile USA. “With the new Motorola CHARM and enhancements to the Android and MOTOBLUR experience, we’re bringing more social skills to our broad portfolio of Android-powered smartphones.” 

Motorola CHARM will be the first device in the U.S. to feature an enhanced version of MOTOBLUR built on Android 2.1, which syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more in easy to manage streams — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter™, Gmail™, work and personal e-mail. MOTOBLUR now allows for even greater customization, providing users more options to follow who and what really matters.

MOTOBLUR filters can be selected from a single social networking account, contacts, group or messaging account so that users can select only the information they want to stream live to the Happenings and Messages widgets. Users can move and resize pre-loaded home screen widgets to personalize up to seven home screen panels for an even more custom experience.  Lastly, consumers can manage their phone’s battery consumption by selecting different power modes to conserve battery.

Contacts in MOTOBLUR are automatically synced to the phone from personal and work e-mail and social network accounts. MOTOBLUR will continue to provide convenience and peace of mind, as lost devices can be located from a secure personal information portal and even remotely erased if necessary. In addition, one user name and password brings back contacts, messages and connectivity to previously configured networks and e-mail providers.

Last, but not least, Moto Phone Portal enables you to access and manage your phone’s data from any browser through a USB or Wi-Fi connection. Edit content and view important phone information while at home or on-the-go. Leave pictures on a friend’s PC, share a video at the local Internet café or share a presentation during an important business meeting.

Additional features on Motorola CHARM include:

  • Adobe® Flash® enabled Web browsing experience to view most of today’s content-rich sites
  • Full suite of Google™ services including: Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and access to thousands of apps on Android Market™
  • Pinch to zoom functionality and two-finger swipe to easily surf the Web and sort through photos
  • Capture sharp photos with a 3MP camera and KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology for better, brighter pictures
  • One-touch social media uploads to Facebook®, MySpace, PicasaTM and PhotoBucket®
  • CrystalTalkTM PLUS for enhanced audio and call quality with a second microphone for increased voice quality while filtering out background noise
  • Corporate email pushed immediately to the device for instant inbox updates

Availability

Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR is expected to be available exclusively to T-Mobile USA customers this summer.  For more information on Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR, please visit here.  To view images please visit here.

Credit: Motorola PR via PhoneScoop