Motorola to Extend Popular Razr Lineup

Motorola, high on the success of its Razr clamshell phones, unveiled several new devices Monday evening as it kicked off its annual analyst conference in Chicago.

The popular family of thin handsets, which has now sold more than 50,000 units, has done much to power recent market share gains by the Schaumburg, Ill., company. Motorola is now aiming for sales of 500,000 Razr devices, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ed Zander said in an opening speech monitored via a webcast.

The Krzr (pronounced “craze-er”) is a variation on the Razr made narrower in response to requests from youth, women and customers in Asian countries, said Ron Garriques, president of Motorola’s mobile devices business. The phone is one centimeter narrower than the Razr, according to the company. It features a glass surface on top and brushed magnesium on the bottom, and is equipped with up to 1GB of removable memory and a 2-megapixel camera with an 8X zoom lens.

The Krzr will come in global system for mobile communications and code division multiple access (CDMA) versions. The CDMA phone, with high-speed evolution-data optimized (EV-DO) capability, will include dedicated keys on the outside of the phone for controlling an integrated music player. Both versions of the Krzr are being tested now and heading for launch in the third quarter, Garriques said.

Motorola also unveiled what Garriques called its first major product with a “slider” form factor in which the keypad slides down from behind the display when needed. The phone, called the Rizr, features a 2-megapixel camera, music capability and removable memory.

A processor using Arm’s Arm 11 architecture will deliver high performance on a couple of Motorola’s upcoming universal mobile telecommunications system phones. Both will support high-speed downlink packet access and allow two-way video calling. The Razr XX, announced Monday, will have an integrated music player, Garriques said. The Razr Maxx is packed with features including external touch-sensitive music player controls, a 2-megapixel camera and a micro SD slot that can hold 2GB memory cards. Both are due in the fourth quarter of this year.

Also Monday, Motorola announced a version of the Slvr handset, called the Slvr L7c, that can use EV-DO networks. It has streaming audio and video capabilities and integrated GPS technology for location-based services. It is expected to ship in the fourth quarter.

-Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)

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