Following in the footsteps of fellow mobile providers, Sprint and Verizon, T-Mobile proudly releases the bold and daring new Motorola W450. The thick outer shell of the W450 flip phone provides it with much more protection than most other phones currently on the market. With this new exterior durability, however, comes a sacrifice in phone use, evident in the new display and control system of this new model.

On the other hand, the included MP3 player and the 1.3 megapixel camera give the user the added features that are often most desired.  The Motorola W450 is also Bluetooth compatible and although there is still no definite price confirmation of the phone, estimates suggest that the full price of the phone would be around $170.

Some other external features of the Motorola W450 include a more securely gripping plastic despite the lack of rubber sliding. And don't let the black-and-white exterior fool you; flip open the W450 and navigate a color screen capable of 65,000 colors and measuring 1.75 inches with a rubber keypad accented in yellow or orange. In all the Motorola W450 stands 4.18 inches tall with a width of 1.80 inches and a depth of 0.74 inches.

with an external screen display roughly the size of a postage stamp and a capacity of only 96 x 80 pixels. This little viewing screen allows you to be able to see how many bars you have, how much charge you have left and your basic time and calendar functions.  You cannot use the viewing screen to help take pictures or see a photo of who is calling you. The rest of the Motorola W450 includes a camera- without flash support, an easily accessible volume control on the left side, a mini USB for charging the phone and a small loop at the bottom that helps in holding the antenna.

While the Motorola W450 does support a large number of colors, these will appear slightly muted as a result of a pixel ratio of 160 x 128. While the user is still provided an alternative of choosing either the grid or list style layout for the menu, there is a new standby option available that allows the user to add four user defined icons directly onto the start screen, facilitating easy access.

Stewart Prabond is a writer in the wireless industry covering product news and reviews. Some of his writings include reviews of unlocked cell phones and cell phone accessories.