Motorola MILESTONE 2 review: Landmark droid

Final words

Great phones are never good at just one thing. The Motorola MILESTONE 2 can do a lot and it can do it right for a lot of different users.

The comfortable keyboard and full set of messaging features will appeal to business users. The social networking support will please the social buff and the sturdy metallic frame and scratch-resistant display will be appreciated by all.

There’re not many negative things to say about the hardware – we didn’t quite like the slider and the 8GB of internal memory being limited to apps but that’s it.

The software package is pleasingly rich – the preloaded apps will be enough for most people. Motorola has put a lot of thought and effort into refining MOTOBLUR and the end result provides a robust messaging experience, regardless of the network or service.

You should bear in mind though that all recent Android smartphones by Motorola come with a locked bootrom so rooting or tinkering with the MOTROOLA 2 at system level is not possible right now. Motorola doesn’t like its customers to mess with the software on their phones.

The company also advises you to buy the handset for its current software and features and not rely on future Android updates as they are not certain for all versions, models and regions.

To make it a bit easier for the new MILESTONE 2, finding a high-end messaging droid is a bit of a challenge these days. So you really don’t have many options if you’re after a hardware QWERTY keyboard.

The most obvious competitor is the HTC Desire Z. 3.7” WVGA screen, four-row QWERTY, Froyo with Sense UI and 5MP camera with 720p make it a perfect match. The Desire Z also has an aluminum unibody going for it along with the HTC Locations SatNav software that comes preinstalled. It offers map offline mode but voice-guided navigation comes for a fee.

The original MILESTONE still has decent features by today’s standards and its price has fallen with time, making it a viable alternative.

HTC Desire Z • Motorola MILESTONE

If you’d agree to an OS switch, the Symbian^3 powered Nokia E7 is a solid option with its 4” nHD screen using the new ClearBlack technology and Gorilla Glass protection plus free life-time navigation, plus 16GB true internal storage and HDMI port. This one is not yet available but should hit the market pretty soon.

In the Windows Phone 7 camp there’s the HTC 7 Pro with specs to match the Motorola MILESTONE 2. Windows Phone 7 has great Office integration and SNS support, even though 3rd party availability will be limited.

Nokia E7 • HTC 7 Pro • LG C900 Optimus 7Q • BlackBerry Torch 9800

The E7 and 7 Pro are yet to be released – but the LG C900 Optimus 7Q Windows Phone 7 phone is available.

And of course, no collection of business phones is complete without a BlackBerry. The touchscreen/QWERTY slider combo of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and the trademark BlackBerry services certainly make it a contender.

All these options are good, but the Motorola MILESTONE 2 is a no-regrets phone. With solid build and excellent software, it will do everything you want it to and do it better than most.