Motorola Finally Admits It’s Time to Move On

Motorola has been riding the success of the RAZR for quite some time now. Enough so, in fact, that the company was starting to look a bit like a one-hit wonder. Finally, the company is realizing that it’s time to move in a different direction. In September, it was reported that Motorola was working on a successor to the RAZR, codenamed Ruby. The RAZR3 / Ruby phone was supposed to arrive sometime in the first quarter of next year, but that’s not going to happen anymore—Motorola has cancelled it.

Perhaps the move comes in response to news from the NPD earlier this month that the RAZR family of handsets fell to the No. 2 spot, having lost its No. 1 spot to the Apple iPhone in third quarter sales. Previously, the RAZR had been ranked as the top-selling consumer handset for the past 12 quarters. That’s a long time at number one, so we have to give Motorola some credit.

We never received official details about the Ruby (pictured below), but from what we hear, it was suppose to have a smaller body than the current RAZR 2 V9, be based on Symbian UIQ, and incorporate touch-sensitive controls and a large display on the flip lid.  Rumor also had it the phone was going to have GPS, 3G HSDPA connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera, and Wi-Fi.

Whether the loss in ranking or the recent reorganization of Motorola’s Mobile Division is to blame for the cancellation of Ruby, we’ll never fully know. Regardless, we hope Motorola pulls it together and comes up with something new and innovative soon. Furthermore, if the move is a sign that the company is serious about pursuing an Android handset, we’re all for it.