After being released in the US (unlocked only), Motorola U9 has now moved a bit to the north and can be bought by Canadian users too. This, thanks to Fido, which has become the exclusive Canadian carrier for the U9 clamshell.

The highlights of Motorola U9 (or MOTOROKR U9) are a hidden external display with touch-sensitive music-dedicated keys, Music player with lots of formats supported, Windows Media Player 11, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, a 2 inch TFT internal display with 260K colors and 240 x 320 pixels, Web browser, email, a 2 Megapixel camera with video recording, multi-shots and auto timer, MMS, USB, expandable memory (up to 4GB) and quad-band GSM connectivity with EDGE.

"Fido customers are young and urban and music is a big part of their lives," says Patrick Hadsipantelis, Vice President, Fido Marketing. "The MOTOROKR U9 is an ideal choice for our customers who are seeking a stylish music phone at an attractive price point."

Jim Madigan, director of GSM sales at Motorola Canada, also said "MOTOROKR U9 allows Canadians to talk and rock in style with the next popular spin on Motorola's oval clamshell design, delivering the most stylish and dynamic mobile music experience."

When closed, the PEBL-looking U9 measures 90 x 48.6 x 16.4 millimeters (3.5 x 1.9 x 0.6 inches), while it weighs only 87.5 grams (3.07 ounces). According to Fido, the 800 mAh battery of U9 can last up to 6 hours in talk-time mode or up to 10 days in stand-by mode (although the talk and stand-by times made public by Moto are longer).

Motorola U9 can be bought either online, from Fido's website, or from the carrier's stores across Canada. The handset's prices start at $75 with a contract agreement for three years and go up to $350 on prepay or free of contract (a stereo headset and a data cable are included in the package).