DEXT signals a return to the market Motorola used to lead, but is Android enough to save the American company?
Speaking to Motorola's Marketing Director of Western Europe Simon Collinson after yesterday's DEXT/Cliq announcement, we learned that the handset manufacturer has taken a real shine to the Android platform, promising "this is the first of many announcements".
Having seemingly risen from the ashes of its former self (Motorola has suffered from poor sales and a lack of launches in recent years), Collinson feels confident about their future.
"We didn't want to just drop another smartphone into the market, for us it was about getting the consumer proposition right, and then launching", acknowledging that it took them a good amount of time to get the DEXT to market. Boasting of MOTOBLUR, which Collinson says is a deeply-embedded service that isn't just another overlay (no fingers being pointed at HTC, honest), he described it as "a unique service that streams all your social life into one phone". With Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites linked up to the contacts list, users can forge a more natural connection online.
When asked about DEXT's lack of style, Collinson denied that the build was inferior to past products which centered around design, such as the RAZR and AURA. "Motorola has a heritage in design and fashion-based phones, so our upcoming products will reflect that heritage", Collinson said, but not before claiming that the DEXT has a "nice quality feel".
Motorola's dabbled in the QWERTY market before, with the Q-series offering up several models of many buttons, however the DEXT also includes a touchscreen. When asked about the dual-input, Collinson told us they wanted to reflect the way the market was headed; that consumers actually want a touchscreen and QWERTY together. Coupled with Android, it offers flexibility that "consumers need going forward".
He did admit that they're reducing the number of platforms they'll be offering handsets on, that "you'll be seeing a much more focussed Motorola, a Motorola that we want to see as well". MOTOBLUR however "is not a one-off, it will be a key part in what we're doing going forward", so perhaps consumers will soon see MOTOBLUR ported to their other platforms, which include Windows Mobile.
More network details will be announced next week with launch partner Orange, including pricing.
Link: Motorola
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