At an event in New Delhi yesterday, Motorola announced the global availability of its "Motofone". This makes India the first market globally to launch the "Motofone".

The company said that Indian consumers would be the first ones to own this game-changing handset, which is set to redefine the mobile phone market place, and strengthen Motorola's drive to connect the next billion mobile phone users.

Based on Motorola's evolutionary new SCPL design platform, Motofone is the first of a new breed of handsets designed to disrupt today's communications landscape by cutting across price tiers, product segments, and international markets.

On this occasion, Ron Garriques, President of Mobile Devices, Motorola, said, "In the weeks and months to come, consumers from around the world will enjoy the benefit of the technological innovations packed into Motofone. The global launch marks a major milestone as Motorola continues its drive to connect the next billion mobile phone users."

Adding to it, Allen Burnes, Corporate Vice President of Mobile Devices, Motorola, said, "Innovatively designed to meet the needs and tastes of consumers such as those right here in India, 'Motofone' is a signature handset that specifically addresses the universal desire for connectivity. The phone has been designed specifically for the Indian market and will be produced by our unit here."

Touted as Motorola's thinnest phone yet - at approximately 9mm, "Motofone" offers an intuitive interface, complete with icons and voice versus text. And by using images, the device makes it simpler for first-time users to navigate, call, and retrieve messages.

"Motofone" also features the new ClearVision display, with revolutionary Electrophoretic Display (EPD) technology to provide users with a large, high-contrast screen that is viewable even in bright sunlight.

Specifically for the Indian market, Motorola is further enhancing the "Motofone" experience by offering voice prompts in seven local languages such as Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali. The company claims that this feature is a first in the mobile category.

Burnes said that the GSM version, Motofone F3, would be available with a bundled offer from BSNL at a price of Rs 1,650. The new user would also get free talk-time worth Rs 150 every month for the next three years under the offer with BSNL.

Meanwhile, Motorola is in talks with other GSM operators like Airtel and Idea, and expects to come out with similar price packages for the phone. The company is also working towards shipping the CDMA version, Motofone F3c, by the end of this year.