Motorola axing RAZR sequel?

Motorola is bringing its current plans for its iconic RAZR line to an end, according to a Russian claim. Accompanied by a photo of the prototype in question, the tip asserts that Motorola has shelved a device codenamed the Ruby that would likely have been titled the RAZR3. Reasons for the move are unclear, though the phone has been based on the Symbian-related UIQ interface where Motorola now plans to focus on Android and Windows Mobile as part of its bid to recover its mobile phone business, effectively dooming the current choice of operating system.

Ruby would have adopted the same ultra-thin clamshell concept as the RAZR 2 but would have used a metal housing to shrink the overall footprint. It would also have had a five-megapixel camera with an LED flash, 3G access, GPS and Wi-Fi and so represented Motorola's non-smartphone class leader. The number of touch-sensitive points on the outer screen would have also doubled from three on the RAZR2 to six.

If accurate, the report potentially signals an at least temporary end to the RAZR line, which was the savior of the struggling firm in 2004 and has regularly led market share in the US. Critics have nonetheless chastised Motorola for an over-reliance on the flip phone and have watched as the phone's price dropped from its initial $400 to free as the American cellphone maker kept the existing design rather than upgrade it. The RAZR2 wasn't introduced until 2007 and came just a year before the iPhone usurped the lead despite its higher price tag. [viaUnwired View]