Brighthand Editor-in-Chief Ed Hardy had the opportunity to take a look at working prototypes of the forthcoming Motorola MPx Smartphone that were on display at the CTIA Wireless 2004 tradeshow that is closing today in Atlanta.

The MPx's most striking feature is a dual-hinged design that allows it to be opened in either a traditional vertical clamshell configuration (a la Handspring Treo 180 / 270) or a horizontal configuration (as shown) so that it looks like a miniature laptop. It has a full keyboard for greater web and email productivity. Hardy reports that it will use the Phone Edition of Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Second Edition. It will support GSM/GPRS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth wireless communication protocols.

This looks like a potentially hot product. Hopefully, it will eventually ship on both the GSM and GSM 850 frequencies, so that it can be used with confidence on T-Mobile, Cingular, and AT&T Wireless. [ photo courtesy of Brighthand ]