The Motrolla U9 is a delightful phone with a 2Megapixel Camera.
Unlike the Laser MVP player which came with a USB AC adapter, which allowed the same cable to be used for data and power which also streamlines what you have to carry for international travel. The U9 comes with a hardwired USB charger.
Sourcing a µUSB (micro USB) cable looked like it was going to be a problem. The big name electronic chain stores, in Sydney, weren't familiar with the µUSB connector.
However, I found a CA-101 (Connectivity Adapter Cable CA-101 for AUD12 (excl GST), quite easily on 4 July 2009 at a stall in Paddy's Markets, Haymarket (China Town, Sydney). The instructions and packagine was in English and Chinese. The box also included some software ("Compatible with Win98/ME, WinNT/2000, WinXP") but it wasn't required on the laptop running Linux (Knoppix 5.1) - it was simply a matter of plugging the phone into the laptop with the cable.
China is leading this area of standardisation:
In June 2009, the European Union moved to harmonise on the standard, with a view to enforcing the standard by 2010.
Connecting the U9 to the Linux Laptop is a breeze. It hotplugs and appears on the desktop as a USB Storage Device.
Photograph taken using the Motorolla U9 Zoom
When the USB Data connection is turned off - the phone charges, from the computer. The USB data cable worked fine with the Laser's MVP USB power adapter. A great step forward for standards and the efficient use of resources!
The U9 gives you the option to store each photograph when you shoot it. The photographs are stored as 1200x1600 pixel JPG. However, the video is in 3gp format, which is more problematic.
Further discussion about the U9 here: Motorolla U9 was Re: [SLUG] Kogan Agora Netbooks
Operating system: Linux/Java - Motorolla U9 Site
www.ramin.com.au/linux/motorolla-u9.shtml © Ramin Communications 2007. Last modified 24 June 2016.
