Motorola Makes Your StarTac Obsolete

By the time that wicked cool phone you've been coveting gets down to a price that won't result in a few nights sleeping on the couch (for all you married folks), it usually means the new models are about to come out. That's why I make sure I flash my latest telecommunications acquisition around as much as possible afer I finally lay down my cash. This year, I only got about a month of play out of my annual cell phone purchase before someone else picked up the new new thing, making mine look like an old shoe. If you have a Motorola cell phone, here are the newest toys intended to reduce your cool factor, so get out there and act like a big shot while you've still got a chance. Of the company's two new phones, the i90c model is a flip phone, and the Motorola i80s isn't. The Motorola i90c and i80s use Java to let you download and run applications like e-mail, database and directory access, dictionaries, unit converters, and games, all of which (Motorola says) can be downloaded wirelessly from the Internet. Both phones give you a hands-free speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, a voice recorder, a two-way radio, a phonebook that stores up to 250 entries, and a datebook.

The flip-style i90c has an exterior display, so you can view the Caller ID, date and time without opening it, and comes with applications including a calculator, note pad and the Sega game Borkov. It measures 3.5 x 1.9 x 1.1 inches (90 x 50 x 28 mm) and weighs four ounces (114 grams). The i80s comes with mathematical calculator and tip calculator and has a hands-free earpiece and microphone accessory with a "push-to-talk" button that lets you use the digital two-way radio using the earpiece. It measures 5.4 x 1.9 x 1 inches (138 x 49 x 25 mm) and weighs 4.3 ounces (123 g). Both handsets will be available through Nextel Communications and Southern LINC in the U.S. and TELUS Mobility in Canada.