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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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SINGAPORE--In conjunction with the announcements at 3GSM in Barcelona, Motorola today held a press event in Singapore to showcase its latest range of cellular handsets. Among them were two Moto Q smart phones, three W-series mass-market models as well as four handset updates to its KRZR, RIZR, SLVR and ROKR series.
Not surprisingly, the phone that got the most attention was the RIZR Z8, which features a unique kick-slider design that glides open to a curve to match the contours of the face. Also noteworthy in this slider are support for HSDPA, a 16 million-color display and onboard Symbian 9.2 OS.
After introducing the Moto Q in the US early last year, Motorola is finally bringing its slim smart phone to Asia in Q2 of 2007. It will be available in two flavors. The Moto Q gsm is seemingly a GSM version of the handheld in the US, while the Moto Q q9 is the enhanced model with 3G/HSDPA support and a 2-megapixel camera. Both handhelds will run on the new Windows Mobile 6 operating system.
Other than the RIZR Z8 and Moto Q q9, Motorola has also added HSDPA and 3G to its latest KRZR, the maxx K3. The US-based company has also beefed up its SLVR lineup with the L72 which now sports a 2-megapixel camera. The earlier SLVR L7 came with only a VGA sensor.
The local press also had a glimpse of Motorola's mass-market trio, unveiled earlier at this week's 3GSM. The Motorola W510 is designed based on the KRZR clamshell form factor, while the W205 and W215 target texters with their large storage capacity for up to 750 SMSes.
The handsets are expected to retail in the first half of 2007, with the two Moto Q smart phones shipping only in the second half of the year.
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