Phone news posted some interesting images of a Motorola phone that's yet to hit the streets. It was originally named the V9m, but was later changed to V9c for a few iffy reasons. Speculations have risen on the possibility of this model actually being the anticipated LAZR or a RAZR 2 of sorts.

This phone will offer touch-screen controls and the popular BREW interface that pleased fans with its ease of use. The V9c will debut initially with Verizon Wireless but may become available with other mobile providers in the near future.

The change from "m" to "c" in the model's name is due to the fact that the mobile giant wants a clearer delineation between its multimedia phones and non-multimedia CDMA models.

There's word going around that a sleek successor of the famed Motorola RAZR is coming up. Dubbed as the "LAZR", this gadget will feature an ultra-thin chromed clam shell bod, 512 megabyte internal memory with no expansion slot, Linux OS, a text-to-speech system for email and SMSes, and a two-inch external display.

We still haven't gotten much info about this coming-up gadget, and no, we don't know why these Motorola names seem vowel-deprived. We're not even sure if the name is really going to be "LAZR" after all. But we're sure about one thing: the phone looks very sexy. Check out what we got on the Motorola LAZR so far:

How many people in your social circle is using a Motorola Razr? A lot? Well, that seems to be the reason why Motorola is experiencing some bumps in the financial world lately as reported by the New York Times.

The company has been the victim of collapsing profits and stocks, and they recently announced that they'll be laying off 3,500 of its workers, all of these in spite of the Razr's thriving sales. So what's happening in the Motorola camp?

Apparently, there are a billion mobile phones sold worldwide every year and Motorola has almost a quarter of the market. The problem in this scenario is that consumers are also replacing their phones faster. When it first came out, the Motorola Razr quickly became the toast of the town - with almost everybody sporting the thingamajig and a lot raving for it. But now that it's yesterday's technology, people are switching to other phones, and there lies the problem.

Keeping at tune with the times, Motorola came up with new phones, the Pebl, Slvr, Rizr, and Rckr. The company then discounted its older phones in the hopes of raking in more profits. The problem now is that the discounts were too aggressive and the new phones are not doing that good in the market.

Analysts are now saying that Motorola needs to find a blockbuster. They also mentioned that they should reboot its product line and leave behind the four-letter names and Razr-inspired design flourishes. Basically, for Motorola to be the hottest company again, they should recreate the Razr phenom but with something that is entirely different. They should do this now since a lot of other companies like Samsung and Apple are itching to deliver their mobile phone hits.

Billionaire investor, Carl C. Icahn, bought 40 million shares of Motorola on a bet that he could push the company to do better. Due to this, Motorola officials refused to say anything about the NY Times report citing legal restrictions on how it can respond to Mr. Icahn's activities.

Wanna get a tattoo minus the pain of needles? Then get it etched into your phone instead!

Motorola has released their new series of RAZR phones with tattoo designs etched on the front and back casing. So far Motorola has only released this one, with the dragon tattoo image, but assures us that they will come out with more designs by Ami James, the lead tattoo artist of the hit TV show "Miami Ink."

Motorola execs said that the idea of putting laser-etched tattoos on their Razrs is a product of a brainstorming session as to how they can sustain the already record-breaking sales of the RAZR phones. Jeremy Dale, VP for Motorola, believes that tattooed Razrs will be a hit with an even bigger market because "People today are looking to make personal statements, with the clothes that they wear, the bars that they go to. And their phones have become a fashion item."

If Motorola is going for the strategy of combining individuality with technology, this seems to be a step in the right direction. However, they would also have to ask themselves who will be most likely to buy a phone that sports a tat. People with tattoos? Those who want to get inked but are too afraid of needles? Rockers and non-conformists? We don't know yet, and looks like we'll have to wait till Christmas this year to find out.

 

The BlackBerry Stealth isn't tagged as the stealth for nothing. It has managed to move and go about the techie circuit in a covert way, but the undocumented days of this thingamajig is over. Here are some pics of the BlackBerry 8100, and from the pics, you can see that it is being compared to the 7130 and the Motorola RAZR. We don't know about you, but we like what we are seeing so far.

And this beauty isn't without brains. In addition to the usual PIM and push email capabilities, this BlackBerry's got a camera, microSD for expansion, EDGE for data, and it will even keep you entertained when you're doing all your business-related tasks thanks to the integrated media player. Destined to be part of the Cingular family this coming November, there has been some speculations that this baby would also be available over at T-Mobile. No word on the price tag for now though.

There's a reason why product manuals never make it to the best-seller's list. They are boring. We certainly don't read them until our unit has been damaged and only to know how we wrecked it. But read the manual before we start fiddling with our spanking new toy? Nah!

Sleep-inducing they may be, those manuals contain a wealth of information about the product. It's like a treasure map that unlocks this feature here and activates that feature there.

For Awright (who used his girlfriend as a guinea pig), this basic character flaw afflicts all people with social lives. And PDA makers failed to take into consideration. While a monkey can operate a typical PDA, "There is a learning curve to them, while most end users want them to be intuitive," he says. By the way we didn't meant to imply he is dating a monkey or a guinea pig.

Why, Awright asks, is the Motorola RAZR the top selling unit in the US and not one of those smartphones that can control the movement of a space satellite from the ground? "It's sleek, it's simple, and it does what it does (make calls). For it to do more would make the target audience freak out because they would have to learn something new." Ditto for the iPod. It's nice and simple. So to all PDA manufacturers, Awright has this message: keep it simple and easy to use.

Yesterday, I said that the KRZR (formerly known as Canary) has made a big impression on me and if the Capri doesn't materialize soon I just might make KRZR my next big purchase. Well, well, Motorola is dead-set on making phone purchase decisions for me (and for those looking into buying a phone soon) really hard...because they have just officially announced Capri, now to be known as MotoRIZR ('riser') Z3.

Being Mototrola's first slider phone to be available globally, RIZR Z3 will highlight a better quality (compared to previous Moto phones) 2 megapixel camera. With a dedicated shutter button on the side, the phone's camera will work in a landscape orientation. MicroSD/TransFlash memory card slot and Bluetooth A2DP stereo support will also be squeezed into the Z3.

Z3 will be sporting a keypad design that looks just like the other phones in the RAZR series, only this time the keypad will have a cleaner and more user-friendly layout. Slider will be doubly- sprung, making the phone snap whether in open or closed position.

The latest version of the Motorola UI, updated phonebook, and support for MotoSYNC system for synchronizing with Microsoft Exchange Server will all be found in Z3.

MotoRIZR Z3 is expected to ship later this year and although price has not been confirmed yet, Motorola hinted that it may sport the same price as RAZR V3 when it first came out.

Now we all know that Canary is no longer just an imaginary product - it will indeed be the successor to RAZR and it will be officially called K1 RAZR (or simply, KRZR). Before the official announcement of the 2-megapixel camera-ed phone, we have seen a couple of previews as to how it will look like...but when making a purchase decision, the more pictures, the better. Especially if the images will actually let you know just how the phone will look on your hands. Thankfully, we have just that kind of images.

These new KRZR photos will show the new Motorola baby running on Verizon's CDMA network. Aside from the camera and the Micro SD slot under the battery cover, not much has been revealed about this phone's features. I yet have to see the Motorola Capri realize to be able to decide which phone will next make a big dent on my salary - but the KRZR's sleek look is certainly making a good impression on me and I just might be one of the 50 million people Motorola is hoping will buy their latest baby.

Do you remember that Motorola phone that looked a bit like the RAZR and was dubbed as the Motorola Canary? Well, the rumor about it being the new RAZR has been confirmed. The Motorola Canary really is the updated RAZR.

The FCC is said to have approved this Motorola mobile handset for use. Officially called K1 RAZR, this slim phone is longer than the model it replaces, but will beat it in terms of features. It's to feature a 2-megapixel camera and a Micro SD slot under the battery cover. Other features of the phone haven't yet been disclosed just yet.

Another version of the RAZR, called the K1c, will simply be a black version of the K1. Motorola has not yet mentioned when these new phones are to be released; keep checking back with us for more.

At the ongoing CommunicAsia 2006 event, Motorola announced its new W series of cheap-and-cheerful models. The W line is aimed at giving budget-oriented users a start in the cellphone world. Two clamshells (the W220 and W375) and three candy-bar units (for GSM, the W208 and W170, and the CDMA-only W210) comprise the new line at launch.

As befits such bargain-basement models, none of them come with the 'wowee' features the RAZR and SLVR are famous for; the top-line W375's only claim to fame in that department, for instance, are its speakerphone functionality and mobile USB capability, and none of the rest are as well equipped, relatively speaking. Common features of all these phones are long battery life and an integrated FM receiver, which I suppose is a decent cheap substitute for an MP3 player. Think simplicity and functionality instead of bling and glitz (which, by the way, might just make them appeal to more than just the penny-pinchers).

   

(From left to right an open W220, a big pic of a closed W220, a closed W375 and an unnamed candy-bar-form-factor W phone.)

Look for the W series to be giving the established budget favorites a run for their money starting later this year. We'll bring you more news as we get it.