Motorola details high-end Milestone XT720 smartphone

The Milestone XT720 has a 3.7in touch screen

Motorola has announced a new Android handset which it claims to be one of the most powerful available, capable of recording HD video and supporting network speeds up to 10.2Mbit/s for speedier web browsing.

The Milestone XT720, due to go on sale later this month, follows hard on the heels of the Flipout announced last week, and is aimed at those wanting a high-performance handset for work and social life.

Like the Flipout, the new Milestone is based on Android 2.1 rather than the latest 2.2 version, but lacks the Flipout's Motoblur user environment.

No carrier has yet been signed up for the new handset, so it will be available SIM-free through resellers such as Expansys initially.

The XT720 is designed for "real-world performance and good high-speed internet browsing", according to Motorola mobile device marketing director Tom Satchwell, enabling HSPA download speeds up to 10.2Mbit/s and 5.76Mbit/s upstream on supporting networks.

Features include a 3.7in 480 x 854 touch screen and 8-megapixel camera with Xenon flash, a first on an Android handset, according to Motorola.

The camera also shoots 720p high-definition video, while an HDMI out port on the handset allows users to display their handiwork on a TV or monitor.

Other specifications include GPS, Bluetooth, quad-band voice support, and an accelerometer to switch the screen orientation in apps such as the browser.

The handset does not have a slide-out Qwerty keyboard like its Milestone predecessor, but is slimmer at 10.9mm thick and weighs 160g.

For professionals, the XT720 also includes ActiveSync support to link with Microsoft Exchange mail systems, plus Quickoffice for viewing Office document attachments.