After delays, Motorola brings V400 to North America

Cingular Wireless LLC began selling Motorola Inc.’s V400 phone to North American customers Friday, as supply problems that plagued the delivery of the phones in the fourth quarter of 2003 appear to be overcome.

In December, Motorola reported difficulty in securing enough camera components for its V300, V500 and V600 camera phones from its primary supplier. The V400 is based on the same design as those cameras, said Alan Buddendeck, a company spokesman.

The Schaumburg, Illinois, company has since added more suppliers, and is now prepared to ship all of its integrated camera phones in high volumes, Buddendeck said. But Motorola has missed the holiday selling season with the V400 and the V600, and the other phones were available only in limited volumes prior to the beginning of the year, Motorola said in December.

Cingular had reported delays in receiving the V400, and had hoped to have the V400 available before the holiday season, said Will Davis, a Cingular spokesman. The carrier was aware that the phone would be delayed several months ago, he said.

Camera phones have been hot sellers around the world, and other companies in the industry have had trouble keeping up with demand. The V400 has a clamshell design with an integrated camera built into the earpiece of the phone, unlike many clamshell camera phones that have a camera built into the hinge. This requires a smaller camera component than most other camera phones use, Buddendeck said.

The phone has been available in Europe, but is now available for customers using Cingular’s GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) networks in North America. The phone runs on all four frequency bands used by GSM technology, so it can be used in both Europe and North America.

The V400 is available for US$149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and the activation of a new account with Cingular, the company said in a release.