Motorola launches Google's Android based handset

Amid fierce competition in the fast growing handset market, US-based mobile phone maker Motorola today announced the launch of its new device Motorola CLIQ, which will run on Google's Android operating system.     

The development is being seen as a step towards breaking the monopoly of global software giant Microsoft, whose Windows operating system is used in most of the high-end devices.     

The CLIQ is the first touch screen Android device from the stable of the US firm which is witnessing sagging revenues amid steeper competition from handset majors like Apple's iPhone, Windows based devices and Nokia.

The phone would be compatible to 3G and Wi-Fi services.

Though the company did not talk as to when the device will hit the Indian shores, it is expected that the phone will be available across the globe from the fourth quarter.

Android is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices that was introduced in November last year. It allows developers to write managed code in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries.

With the CLIQ, Motorola would also debut its application called MotoBlur which allows users to synchronise their contacts, posts, feeds, messages, e-mails and photos from sources as diverse as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Gmail, corporate e-mail and have them appear on the device's screen, Christy Wyatt, Vice-President, Software Platforms and Ecosystem, Motorola Inc said.

As a result, the phone gives users an instant snapshot of all their communication services, Wyatt said, adding "the company will now focus on a complete solutions provider with the right kind of devices and solutions."     

Sanjay Jha, co-CEO of Motorola and CEO of Motorola Mobile Devices, announced launching MOTOBLUR today during a keynote at GigaOM’s Mobilize ‘09 conference in San Francisco.     

The phone will also have an in-built five-mega pixel camera.     

"With MOTOBLUR we are differentiating the Android experience for consumers by delivering a unique mobile device experience designed around the way people interact today," Jha said, adding that the feature would be available on multiple Android devices in our upcoming portfolio.     

There are already touchscreen phones in the market using Android, produced by Taiwan's HTC. Besides, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson are all expected to produce Android phones in the coming months.     

Motorola, which is the maker of the world's first mobile phone handset, has so far failed to follow-up the success of the ultra-slim Razr phone, initially launched six years ago, with any successful product.