14 DAY TRIAL // Mobile phone maker Motorola is gearing up for the launch of new devices running under Google’s Android operating system, just as Eric Schmidt said yesterday, and some more info on what to expect from them is now available.
Apparently, there will be no large smartphone released from Motorola in the coming months, although the new lineup is confirmed to start arriving on shelves in the second half of the year.
These are the first smartphones to have been designed under Google’s supervision, and they are also said to hit shelves with the stock Android platform loaded on top right from the start.
Jim Wicks, Motorola's design chief, confirmed this to PCMag, while also explaining that the company doesn’t see big screens as the road to take at the moment, but smaller form factors, since there are many people interested in such devices.
“I think ‘just right’ is important, and we're designing so we don't disappoint those people,” Wicks said, according to the news site.
He also unveiled that the feedback on the new generation of smartphones has been positive so far, and that they are expected to appeal a lot to users when launched later this year.
“We've been spending the past eight months on this next generation of phones, and we've all seen positive feedback and collaboration around things,” Wicks explained.
One of the appealing features that these devices will sport is the lack of bloatware, as they will feature the stock version of Android right from the start, it seems.
These new handsets will also be designed as cross-carrier smartphones, Wicks said, adding that Motorola is also set to continue offering devices in the already popular RAZR series, though things might not be as carrier-centric as they were with the ATRIX, DROID, or PHOTON lineups.
No specific device has been unveiled for the time being, but Google and Motorola are expected to announce at least one such smartphone next month during the Google I/O conference.