Motorola releases unlocked U9 music phone in the US

Motorola has announced that, exclusively through its online store, it will soon sell its quad-band U9 clamshell phone for the first time in the US. The phone allows users to easily sync music from their PCs via Windows Media Player and a USB 2.0 connection. Navigating tracks with the phone closed is made possible through an external OLED display, which is paired with touch-sensitive controls. When music is not playing, users can pick from a variety of screensavers.

The U9's 25MB of integrated memory can be expanded by up to 4GB through an optional microSD card. Supported audio formats include WMA v10, Janus DRM, MP3, AAC, AAC+ and AAC+ enhanced. Music is delivered via the U9's stereo speaker, optional wired headphones, or Bluetooth-capable wireless headphones or headsets. The speaker also reads out the numbers users are dialing or the names or numbers of incoming calls.

Other features include a 2.0-megapixel camera with 8x zoom and video capture capabilities, and support for push e-mail. The main display is a two-inch TFT, with 320x240 (QVGA) resolution and 262,000 colors.

Unlocked by default, the U9 can be used on AT&T or T-Mobile's GSM network, and is selling for $276. Motorola promises to soon add pink and purple versions to the lineup.