By now product reviews, projected sales information based in some reality, and media input aplenty is out on Motorola Inc.’s new smart phone , the Droid.  The Droid was the first smart phone to utilize Google’s  new Android 2.0 operating system, introduced as a direct competitor to the Blackberry and Iphone operating systems, as well as the Palm, which is reportedly not doing well.  With any technology that has fans that are loyal to other products, getting a real feel for consumer sentiment on any new technology is risky at first, and best left instead to time.  Enough time has now passed for a good feel on this phone to be achieved.  Sales numbers appear to be decent to good.  The reviews on the phone itself are mixed, but mostly positive.  It has been as boldly called the Iphone Killer (which is ridiculous) to a washed up attempt to catch up in the smart phone space that is going to fail miserably(even more ridiculous). What is that old saying?  Somewhere in the middle lies the truth?  I think that is exactly the case here.

I don’t think the phone will be a failure, but the Droid has much competition, even within the…

Motorola will launch “at least one direct-to-consumer device with Google” next year, CEO Sanjay Jha said in an earnings conference call today transcribed by SeekingAlpha.com.

In the context of Motorola’s smartphone lineup, that means the manufacturer may have been tapped to deliver one of the follow-ups to Google’s much-heralded HTC Nexus One phone.

But the mysterious Google-phone will only be one of more than 20 Android-powered smartphones coming this year, Jha said. At least ten of those will run Motorola’s MOTOBLUR social-networking software, he said.

A new version of MOTOBLUR will “offer additional security and device management functionality” to appeal to enterprise users, Jha said.

Meanwhile, Motorola continues to back out of the feature-phone market. Motorola expects the market for mid-to-high-priced feature phones to  “meaningfully decline throughout the year,” Jha said in the SeekingAlpha transcript, and they’ll fall back on manufacturing partners to make lower-end phones.

You’re less likely to see low-end Motorola phones here in the U.S. next year, too. Jha pegged their lower end lineup as being for “a portfolio of low-end voice phones for China, for Latin America, for southeast Asia, very little bit for U.S. and very little bit for Central and Eastern Europe.”

Two areas where Motorola may keep investing in feature phones are…

Motorola said Thursday it is launching an Android application  Relevant Products/Services store for mobile-phone users in China, hoping that third-party applications will take off in the crucial Asian market as they have in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola, which is making a huge bet on Google’s Android platform as it turns around its mobile devices business, already has encouraged growth in applications by hosting Relevant Products/Services conferences in the U.S. and making resources available to software developers Relevant Products/Services.

The concept of mobile phone applications is still in a very early stage in China, where Apple’s iPhone — which is largely credited with popularizing apps in other countries — has been officially available only since the end of October. Android is also new; Motorola released its first two Android devices for China last month.

“Within the Chinese (Android) market specifically, there hasn’t been a mechanism for users to customize or personalize their devices by downloading applications,” said Christy Wyatt, Motorola’s corporate vice president for software and services in mobile devices. She added that global developers also have been seeking a way to sell their applications in China.

The Chinese store is called SHOP4APPS, and its Chinese name translates to “Place for Apps Wisdom.” The…

Motorola, the largest cell phone manufacturer in the United States, has unveiled the first smart phone device operated under Google’s Android system in South Korea, the company said on Monday.

Motoroi, the first-Android based phone, uses a full touch screen pad and offers an array of user applications that will be powered by SK Telecom Co., Motorola’s exclusive local partner and the largest mobile carrier by subscribers in the country, according to Motorola.

“Motoroi is a smart phone without compromise, delivering a wiser, richer web and messaging experience with the most delightful touch-interface you have ever experienced, all made possible through the combination of Motorola’s expertise in design, a truly differentiated Android experience, and the power of SK Telecom’s network,” Sanjay Jha, Chief Executive Officer of Motorola Mobile Devices said in a statement.

The South Korean smart phone market has been growing exponentially in recent months following the release of Apple Inc.‘s iPhone in December and Samsung Electronics Co.’s Omnia series, as well as the Blackberry phone last year.

Motorola recently announced its newest mobile phone – the Motorola CLIQ.  Two things make this mobile device special – Motorola’s MOTOBLUR solution and Android Platform. MOTOBLUR is a mobile solution for synching contacts, posts, messages, photos, and more from social networking sources including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Gmail, work and personal email as well as music from LastFM.

With MOTOBLUR, the new Motorola CLIQ will allow users to mix and match applications and widgets from MOTOBLUR, Android Market or pre-loaded Google mobile services. The Motorola CLIQ boasts of key features such as full HTML browser, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, 5 megapixel camera with auto focus, direct access to photo sharing and social sites, YouTube support, 3.5 mm headset jack and full QWERTY keyboard.

Motorola is marketing the CLIQ as a mobile phone with social skills. It features Live Widgets on its Home SCreen which can be customized to stream users favorite contents including conversation threads, friend updates, stories, links, photos and more.

And with the help of MOTOBLUR, the MOTOROLA CLIQ enables users to automatically sync updates with their contacts. Hence when a contact updates his profile pic in Facebook, the changes will be immediately reflected on the phone.

The Motorola CLIQ also gives users quick…