Motorola Inc., plagued by sluggish sales and in need of hit products to spark a turnaround, announced nine new cell phone handsets today, available this quarter. Most prominent among them is a luxury version of the Razr2, the latest successor to the once top-selling Razr model of cellphones; the new device, retailing at $250 to $300, is touted as a potential holiday gift with gold-plated accents, snakeskin texture, ultra-slim design and storage of up to 1,000 songs, among other features. Pimptastic.
Motorola also introduced seven new W-series phones - the W156, W160, W175, W180, W206, W213, and W377 (hooray for undescriptive model numbers). As far as new features go, the W160, W180, W213 and W377 have an FM radio function, which requires headphones, while all except the W377 contain Motorola's proprietary CrystalTalk technology, which automatically adjusts audio for clear calls in noisy environments. "These devices are designed for consumers who are purchasing their first mobile phone, for those who simply want to talk and message on an easy-to-use phone or for those who are looking to upgrade a basic phone," said Stu Reed, president of Motorola Mobile Devices.
And, last but not least in the lineup, is the Moto U9, a lightweight phone and music player with clamshell design and stereo Bluetooth wireless technology, a two-megapixel camera with 8x zoom and multiple messaging capabilities. Unfortunately, US users may have to wait a while to get their mits on the U9 as the phone is only pegged for introduction in Asia, Latin America and Europe at the moment. Motorola executives told analysts last month that a series of innovative new cell phones would help break the company out of a slump that has coincided with a sales decline for the once-iconic Razr.
View: Full Story on SiliconValley.com View: Razr2 SE Announcement | W-Series Announcement | U9 Announcement
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