Zander introduces next-gen Razr: Motorola hopes to revisit Razr successes with latest slim flip phone

Promising to “put the ‘wow’ back” into Motorola Inc.’s products, CEO Ed Zander announced a new Razr model that he referred to as the “Razr Two.” (The handset’s printed name, Razr(2), is designed to imply “Razr squared.”) Zander did not announce carrier deals for the new Razr, nor did he say when it would hit U.S. store shelves.
How the Razr branding for Moto’s latest phone will play in the market remains to be seen, as the original Razr handset was the source of Motorola’s unprecedented market run in 2004-2006. However, the Razr’s discounted price and widely copied features have been cited as a leading cause of Motorola’s recent decline.
To recapture the wow factor, Zander said that the company would focus more on three things: Linux/Java applications, more 3G-enabled handsets and multimedia and messaging.
“It’s not just about form factor anymore,” Zander said, perhaps mindful of the criticism leveled at Motorola for an over-reliance on the Razr platform.
To streamline its approach to the market, Motorola will build products around three market segments: “everyday communications,” which the CEO said implies emerging markets; “feature phones” where the phone function comes first; and “multimedia and messaging,” in which the phone function is second to entertainment and social networking.
The new Razr(2) handset is thinner, with a larger screen, than its famous predecessor, and Zander touted several developments embodied by the new model at a presentation today in New York.
The handset introduces Motorola’s new CrystalTalk technology for improved voice clarity, improved access to its multimedia functionality and an HTML browser. It will roll out globally, beginning in June, with models dubbed V8, V9 and V9m, for GSM, HSDPA and EV-DO networks, respectively.
Zander also showed off several other new phones:
–The company’s Q smartphone will come in Q8 and Q9 versions for GSM/EDGE and HSDPA, respectively. The latter will reach Italian consumers this month.
–The Rizr Z8 is a new iteration of the company’s slider, announced in February, that then was dubbed “the banana phone,” intended to fit the human face.
–The new Rokr Z6 music phone will be launched in Europe and Asia, following on the heels of Moto’s Rokr E6.
–Zander also quickly introduced several new versions of the company’s Motofone and its W series, the backbone of its approach to emerging markets.
“We’re going after the growth markets,” Zander said, perhaps by way of reassurance to investors who’ve just seen the handset vendor overreach and subsequently retreat from a headlong pursuit of market share at the expense of profits.
Zander’s presentation, which took place this morning, had been preceded by analyst chatter that effectively lowered expectations. It also came on the heels of an announcement by Nokia Corp. that the Finnish handset vendor has raised its estimate for its global market share in the second quarter. Nokia now expects its share to exceed the 36% that it previously forecast. Much of Nokia’s gains may come from Motorola’s current weakness, particularly in emerging markets.