July 25, 2006

Motorola expanded its family of Razr-inspired handsets, unveiling two new handsets that mirror the company’s flagship phone.

The world’s second-largest handset manufacturer introduced the Krzr, a narrower Razr with removable memory and a metallic gloss finish.

The handset is slightly thicker than the Razr, however, due to its 2-megapixel camera.

Motorola also took the wraps off the Rizr, which combines a sliding form factor with a 2-megapixel camera and can be turned sideways for landscape-style photographs.

Both phones offer built-in music players and improved navigation and contacts software, according to a research note from Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.

The Rizr is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE handset while the Krzr will support both CDMA2000 1x EV-DO and GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks.

The devices are expected to sell in the $200 to $300 range.

The new phones are an effort to build on the wildly successful Razr, which has seen 50 million units sold in less than two years.

Motorola also unveiled three phones for HSDPA networks, showcasing the Razr XX and Razr Maxx, which are designed for high-speed streaming audio and video. Finally, the company announced the Slvr L7c, a candybar-style phone for EV-DO networks.

Shares of Motorola inched upward on the news, gaining 24 cents, or more than 1 percent, to $21.36.

Source: RCR News