Motorola unveils RIZR Z8

Motorola launched its massive announcement campaign at the 3GSM expo this morning by releasing the MOTORIZR Z8. The new design is one of the first sliders with ergonomics in mind -- called a "kick-slider," the open phone curves towards the caller's mouth instead of sliding directly downwards. The Z8 is also one of the first Motorola phones to use Symbian instead of Linux or a special Motorola OS, according to the company.

Also the first HSDPA-based RIZR, the handset connects at up to 3.6Mbps and has the speed to stream live video. A 2-megapixel camera, support for up to 4GB microSD cards, and five hours of 3G talk time are similarly standard. The phone is expected in April is likely to be available first in Europe. Motorola hasn't mentioned whether or not the phone is capable of operating on North American GSM networks.

A larger photo follows after the jump.