Interesting article by Total Telecom

It lasts a long time, then goes to sleep quickly. Sounds like every girl’s dream, doesn’t it?

In fact, it’s the new Intel-powered, Android-based RAZRi smartphone introduced by Motorola in London this week.

“Customers want a no-compromise device that lasts as long as they do,” said Jim Wicks, SVP, consumer experience design, at Motorola Mobility as he presented the new device to the press on Tuesday. Being a grown up, I elected not to snigger when he described the RAZRi as “the perfect sweet spot of size and performance.” However, I confess that I did draw a smiley face in my notebook when he added: “When you can’t use your hands, voice action for Android is a great alternative.” Moto is clearly anticipating that some customers will really like their new RAZRi…

On a more serious note, battery life was a key consideration for Motorola in the design of this new phone. The RAZRi’s battery provides 20 hours of mixed usage and boasts 40% more power than the iPhone 4S, Wicks said.

I’ve been playing with the device on and off since Tuesday and so far I’m impressed – the 2-GHz processor makes for a slick overall experience – although I haven’t really tested the battery life yet. I have, however, already thrown a tantrum on the tube that may or may not have been linked to Angry Birds, but that’s another story.

Customers want great performance and great battery life, insisted Erik Reid, general manager at Intel’s mobile and communications group. “The processor goes to sleep incredibly quickly,” which saves battery, he said: “Your phone lasts all day.”

As the proud user of a five-year-old phone – also a Moto, incidentally – that only needs to be charged about once a week, I’m not really qualified to comment on what dedicated smartphone users expect from their batteries. However, third-party evidence suggests Moto and Intel were wise to focus on providing decent battery life. Earlier this month, device support specialist WDS revealed that customer calls to the help desk about poor battery performance have quadrupled since 2008 and now account for 10% of all hardware-related tech support calls.

Furthermore, the company noted that many smartphone makers do not provide an accurate representation of battery life in their product specs, publishing standby and talk times, but not detailing the impact Web browsing or watching video will have on power consumption. But vendors beware: according to WDS, end-users will make purchasing decisions based on battery performance.

Like the RAZRi, Nokia’s Windows Phone 8-powered flagship device the Lumia 920, launched a fortnight ago, also has a 2000 mAh battery. But when HTC presented its new line of Windows Phone 8 smartphones this week, which looked remarkably similar to the Nokia offerings not only in terms of the operating system but the hardware too, the battery capacity was smaller at 1800 MAh. The Lumia 920 also features a bigger screen than both the RAZRi and the HTC Windows Phone 8X, at 4.5 inches to their 4.3 inches.

But for some, as we will see today when the iPhone 5 hits the shelves in a number of global markets, the differences in specification between various Android and Windows Phone smartphones are irrelevant. On Monday Apple announced that it had taken a record 2 million preorders for the new device in the first day, exceeding the initial available supply, while telcos in the vendor’s home market are also expecting record sales.

And that demand is unlikely to be affected by any perceived weaknesses, as the queues at Apple outlets in Japan and Hong Kong early on Friday showed.

Apple faced a barrage of criticism this week over the capabilities of its new mapping service that replaces Google Maps on the latest iteration of its operating system. While consumers should have no trouble finding their way to the electronics giant’s retail outlets to queue up for their new iPhone, it remains to be seen how many will be left wandering the streets in confusion, unable to get home again despite having invested hundreds of dollars in a top-of-the range smartphone.