Razr's Back, but Can It Cut the Competition? (NewsFactor)

The Razr is back, and better than ever.

Electronics manufacturing giant Motorola Mobility, in the process of being acquired by Google, is bringing back its iconic branded phone, a pre-iPhone consumer favorite, but this time as an Android-powered, 4G LTE smartphone available via Verizon Wireless. The original Razr, first sold in 2004, was an ultra-thin flip phone.

Newest Verizon LTE Phone

Motorola unveiled the Droid Razr on Tuesday at an event in New York City along with a a sporty MP3 player (with Bluetooth headset and FM radio) and a new Xoom tablet, with Android 4, code-named Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Droid Razr will be available in November for $299.99 with a two-year voice and data contract. Like its predecessor, it is extremely thin, as the name implies, in this case 7.1 millimeters.

It will be the fifth smartphone device to run on Verizon's long-term evolution, 4G network and the third device to carry Verizon's premium Droid designation, along with Samsung's Charge and Motorola's Bionic.

The Razr runs Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread), has a full one gigabyte of RAM, sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD video capture and image stabilization, a front-facing HD camera for video chat over 4G LTE, 3G or Wi-Fi. The storage capacity is 32 GB, including a pre-installed 16 GB micro-SD card.

The Razr is also tough and extra secure: It has water repellent nano-coating for protection against "everyday spills" (no promises about immersion) and?remote wipe, pin lock and government-grade encryption for e-mail, calendar and contacts. Preloaded Quickoffice allows creation and editing of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.

Verizon is marketing the Razr as "Droid Strong, Razr Sharp."

"Droid Razr by Motorola combines style, performance and the power of Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network into one innovative device," said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. "These are two iconic brands that separately symbolize the best technology available today."

Might Not Cut It

But analysts say bringing back the Razr can, well, cut both ways.

"It could go in two directions," said analyst Alex Spektor of Strategy Analytics. "It might be associated with the old technology, the clamshell phones, which might be to Motorola's disservice."

He cited the association with Microsoft's older Windows Mobile operating system that might stand in the way of the company's newer Windows Phone 7 devices as an example. But Spektor added "there's something to be said for the value of a sub-brand associated with a vendor, such as Apple's iPhone, Sony Ericsson's Xperia and Samsung's Galaxy."

Spektor acknowledged that Verizon and Motorola have likely done extensive market research and found that the brand has a positive association, but cautioned: "It's difficult to predict from panels. The company with arguably the most success in mobile today, Apple, doesn't do a whole lot of consumer research: They dictate how the market goes."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111018/bs_nf/80644

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