Motorola A780

[swifty]

[h1] A780 phone description [/h1]
The A780 is a Linux PDA phone which has a flip. Some models dubbed A780+
have got an integrated satellite navigation system called CoPilot.
The phone is based on monta vista linux and is available almost all round the
globe with many languages and user interface.
The phone is easy to use and is one of the best selling product of motorola company.

[h2] Design [/h2]
The Motorola A780 is a Linux-based flip phone.
When the lid is closed, the phone appears like a traditional phone,
with a keypad matrix and small display, actually a window to the larger display below the lid.
When the lid is flipped open, a quarter VGA touch screen is revealed
that can be used with fingers or a supplied stylus.

[h2] Technical specifications [/h2]
* CPU: Intel XScale PXA270 processor
* Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (quad band), GPRS/EDGE
* Connectivity: Mini-USB, Bluetooth 1.1
* Weight: 142g
* Size: 106 × 54 × 24mm
* Display: 240 × 320; 65k; 2.4" TFT Touchscreen
* Camera: 1.3 mega-pixel camera with video recording
* Memory: microSD/TransFlash Memory Card, up to 2GB
* Talk time: approximately 3 - 7.4 hrs
* Standby time: approximately 131 - 170 hrs
* Battery: 3.6V/750mAh Li-Ion
* SAR: 0.74 W/kg

[h2] Features [/h2]
The phone is supplied with a a number of applications including a POP and IMAP email client,
Opera web browser, calendar and a viewer for pdf and Microsoft Office files.
Calendar and address book can be synchronised with a Microsoft Exchange or SyncML server.
The phone has a 1.3 Megapixel camera recording still and video images.
RealPlayer is included to play sound audio files and streamed audio and video.
The phone has 48MBytes of internal flash memory for storing user data and a slot for a microSD card.
Both Bluetooth and USB are provided for communication with another computer.
Character entry is via an on-screen QWERTZ keyboard and hand writing recognition.
Models including a GPS receiver are supplied with ALK Technologies'
CoPilot Live navigation software with street level maps of Europe.
Features available on some smart phones but not present on the A780
include a physical Qwerty keyboard, IEEE 802.11 wireless ethernet
and the capability to use a stereo bluetooth headset.

[h2] Available Firmwares [/h2]
[wiki]http://www.motorolafans.com/MotoModFiles/Firmwares/A780/R52G0D.76.A1R0D.C0.B1PSE6820AD3F1L001S010P004GCOA780000E1027full.zip| European Unbranded R52G0D.76.A1R0D.C0.B1PSE6820AD3F1L001S010P004GCOA780000E1027[/wiki]

[h2] Development [/h2]
[wiki]http://www.denx.de/twiki/bin/view/DULG/ELDK|Embedded Linux Development Kit[/wiki]
[wiki]http://www.mkezx.org/|MKEzx[/wiki]
[wiki]http://kegel.com/crosstool/crosstool-0.38/doc/crosstool-howto.html|Cross Compilation Toolkit[/wiki]

[h2] Common Problems [/h2]
[h3] Flex Cable [/h3]
Many users have found that the flex cable that connects the GPS chip, top keypad backlight, speaker and microphone to the main board is susceptible to failure after consistent use.

It is fairly easy to replace this cable, and there are discussions about it here:
Help on Broken key pad - MotorolaFans.com Forums

Buying a broken A780 and replacing this cable can be a much cheaper way to get hold of a working A780, if you're confident soldering!

[h2] Difference to E680i [/h2]
There is a lot of software around here developed for E680i that you can use on your A780.

The main difference is the design. The E680i has a SD-Card slot whereas the A780 only supports microSD. On the E680i you have stereo speakers and a lovely color changing light. But in the E680i is no real vibration hardware as in A780 (it is done there with a low frequency sound). Also on E680i there are more hardware buttons, this results in some non working games on A780.
But most software can be used on both models.

[h2] Reviews [/h2]
[wiki]http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details/0,,70,00.html|Motorola press release[/wiki]
[wiki]http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=14257|A780 Review by Eugenia Loli-Queru[/wiki]


[h2] helpful links [/h2]
[wiki]http://wiki.openezx.org/A780|A780 hardware description at OpenEZX[/wiki]
[wiki]http://ganesha.gnumonks.org/~laforge/weblog/linux/a780/|Harald Weltes Blog[/wiki]
[wiki]http://www.courville.org/mediawiki/index.php/A780|EZX: A780, A910, A1200 and ROKRE2 motorola linux phone native applications[/wiki]
[wiki]http://www.xlr8.us/hofo/map.txt|SEEM table for MOTOROLA Vxxx PHONE not tested on A780[/wiki]
[wiki]http://linuz.coconia.net/index.html|nice linux page with a section for A780[/wiki]
[wiki]http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=562588&page=1&pp=15|A780 on Howardforums[/wiki]
[wiki]http://www.getjar.com/software/Java/Motorola_240x320|JAVA applications and games[/wiki]
[wiki]http://mobile.yninfo.com/f/mobile/0410/22/38138.htm|disassemble A780 (chinese with pictures)[/wiki]
[[http://www.motorolafans.com/forums/v...ghlight=#71928 |how do i know if my A780 has a GPS chip inside]]
[[http://mobile.yninfo.com/f/mobile/0410/15/35451.htm|disassemble E680 (chinese with pictures)]]

== more Information ==

[[A780-FAQ]]
[[A780-Firmware Status]]
[wiki]A780-Application Status[/wiki]
[[A780-HOWTOs]]
[[A780-Working Game List]]
[[A780-Routing guide by Mack]]