Verizon launches Moto touchscreen gadget

Troubled vendor Motorola spiced up its listless handset portfolio Tuesday with the release of its latest touchscreen device, the Krave.

Available exclusively on US carrier Verizon Wireless’ network, the Krave features not one, but two touch sensitive screens.

The transparent outside surface of the clamshell handset offers users access to services including V Cast Mobile TV, photo gallery, media player and messages, while the full internal touchscreen covers the rest of the functionality.

The Krave keeps pace with its rivals by packing in an accelerometer, a landscape, virtual QWERTY keyboard with haptic feedback and a 2 megapixel camera.

The gadget is available for $149.99 after a $50 rebate and a two year subscription.

Motorola is currently in the process of spinning off its troubled handset division as a separate entity, and is looking for a buyer. But the unit, which seems to churn out endless revisions of the RAZR, is in desperate need of revival after second quarter sales at the Mobile Devices segment slipped 22 per cent year on year to $3.3bn, while the operating loss widened to $346m, compared to a loss of $332m a year ago.

Last month, the company looked like it might be betting the farm on Google’s potentially disruptive mobile platform, Android.