Moto shows off newest Android phone: Backflip

LAS VEGAS--Motorola released a new Android smartphone running its MotoBLUR user interface, and separately promised to upgrade its existing Android devices to the 2.1 version of the platform.

motorola backflip android "It really is quite exciting," said Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha.

Specifically, Motorola unveiled its latest Android phone, the Backflip. The phone features Motorola's MotoBLUR user interface, which combines various social networking and Internet services into one central view on the phone's home screen. The device also sports a 5-megapixel camera, WiFi, support for HSDPA networks and a unique keyboard hinge that flips the device's keypad from the back of the device to the front.

Though Motorola did not name carriers that would sell the device, the company said it would offer the Backflip in North America, Latin America, Europe and elsewhere. The Backflip is widely believed to be the Motorola Android phone that AT&T Mobility will launch in the first half of this year. The device features support for GSM 850/900/1900 HSDPA 7.2 networks, and runs Android version 1.5.

Separately, Moto's Jha said the company's existing Android devices, the Cliq with T-Mobile USA and the Droid with Verizon Wireless, would be upgraded to the latest version of Android: 2.1. However, he did not provide a specific timeframe for the upgrade.

Finally, Jha announced the company's Droid smartphone would be upgraded to support Adobe's Flash 10.1, which will allow users to view websites with Flash content. However, he did not say when Droid users would get the upgrade.

Motorola's latest Android efforts come amid rapidly increasing interest in Google's smartphone platform. Indeed, Google earlier this week unveiled its Nexus One Android smartphone, which the company will sell through a newly developed Google Web site in partnership with T-Mobile USA.

For more:
- see this Motorola Backflip release
[1]- see this Motorola Flash release [1]