Motorola releases flurry of Android handsets

Android cheerleader Motorola has unveiled a raft of new handsets based on the open source operating system, increasing its presence across several sectors.

The Droid Pro, which will launch on the Verizon Wireless network in the US in November, combines multiple concepts with a physical QWERTY keyboard and a 3.1 inch capacitive touch screen. It also boats dual mode capability supporting both CDMA2000 EV-DO and GSM/HSPA as well as wifi.

It goes up against the BlackBerry in the enterprise space with support for Office documents and remote wipe but also has a five megapixel camera.

But Motorola is also catering to the lower tiers, with the Android-based Citrus, billed as an “an affordable, entry-level, customizable smartphone” based on Android 2.1.

Also available on Verizon in the fourth quarter the Citrus is equipped with a capacitive touch screen and the Motorola Backtrack touch panel, which allows a user to navigate by moving their finger along the underside of the device.

The Spice features a slide-out QWERTY keypad; the Flipout debuted with a swivel open form factor tried by Motorola before; while the Flipside marks a return to the slider form factor.