06/23/2008, 12:25pm, EDT
Monday, June 23rdMoto betting all on 'ultimate' phone?
Motorola is placing nearly all its faith in a high-technology phone whose success or failure may determine the outcome of the company, according to a tip sent to BGR. The unnamed device (likely a future ZINE model) would have a previously hinted-at 8-megapixel camera but should also have true GPS and other features meant to draw attention in the crowded high-end field. It will also be one of the first devices to ship with NVIDIA's Tegra APX 2500 processor and should be fast enough to produce advanced 3D as well as HD-resolution video, according to the claims.
The phone has long been rumored to incorporate a touchscreen, though this is no longer certain; the operating system is also unconfirmed but may be a variant of the UIQ interface found on the Z10 and virtually all Sony Ericsson phones.
A release date is unclear for the phone but is tentatively set for October and will be watched very closely, the claimed leak suggests. The launch will be considered a "last stand" for the mobile phone division at Motorola and could see the branch sold to outsiders entirely, letting the American telecoms company focus on mobile broadband, DVRs, and other more profitable businesses.
The company has seen steadily worsening losses and accompanying steep drops in marketshare within the past two years as customers either flock to high-end media phones, such as the iPhone, or else to less expensive devices that accomplish the same tasks as the RAZR series once did. More users switched from RAZRs to iPhones than from any other individual phone model.
Filed under: iPhone, gadgets
Other story tags: Motorola, NVIDIA, GPS, RAZR, ZINE, Tegra
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OS
The OS is the only real thing that matters to its success if they can produce a phone with those specs for an affordable price. If the OS is anything less than Mobile Linux or Android, then this is an also-ran, and won't get a big following. If Moto uses this as an entrance into a true Linux-powered mobile phone/personal computer market, then this might be the point where Moto turns themselves around in the handset manufacturer market. Another UIQ, Symbian or WinMobile phone will just be an overpriced and uninteresting kludge.
:D
Godspeed Motorola...
...actually, just roll over and croak. :)
Steve's Revenge
Motorola fuct Apple. Steve fcuks Motorola back by switching to IBM (and then Intel) and by introducing the iPhone to the world. Sweet revenge.
me too
Really? thats funny - cuz I used to have a RAZR before I got my iPhone. the v3i - suposed to have iTunes - but it never worked right.
so I guess now I am just another statistic
when will people learn?
it's not "just" the hardware that makes a great gadget...
NEW MOTO
I think Motorola should be used as a guide to new flashy things that will fade over time. I remember when the same iphone-like fever when the Razor came out. It was the coolest thing ever and simply never got cooler. I own the Razor V6 which I use when I travel internationally and it works nice but seems ancient next to my iPhone. Motorola is a cool company I am hoping finds their way again. They need to reinvent themselves and offer not "another iPhone killer" but an alternative to the rest of the cell phone market.
The Way
Good luck, Moto. The hard thing about competing with Apple is that they are typically one step in front of everyone. You can't just come out with a me too gadget. Provided Apple doesn't have a serious misstep, Moto would have to get two steps in front of everyone to make the spotlight shine on them for a while. I've always liked Motorola as a company but I'm afraid they just don't have the savvy to get the job done.