Verizon
The device will take night photos, have replaceable batteries, and physical keyboard and will run applications simultaneously, according to an advertisement on Verizons Web site. Verizon spokesman Jim Gerace said the company will likely have more to say next week and declined to comment further.
Verizons Android phone is being advertised as a pocket- sized “robot sidekick.” The Web address for the ad mentions Motorola Inc. A person familiar with Verizons plans said last month that the company is planning a phone made by Motorola and based on Google Inc.s Android operating system in time for the holiday shopping season. The unit would be Verizons first based on Googles operating system.
Verizon Wireless Chief Executive Officer Lowell McAdam is adding phones to the companys network to lure customers interested in handsets like the iPhone. The Apple Inc. device took market share and spurred developments in other Web-capable phones. The iPhone 3G was the top-selling smart-phone among U.S. consumers in the second quarter, according to NPD Group Inc.
Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Erickson didnt immediately return a call seeking comment.
Motorolas first Android phone, the Cliq, will go on sale next month through T-Mobile USA Inc. The company plans to release at least a dozen more Android devices starting next year. Androids operating system is “open source,” open to programming from outside developers.
Verizon Communications Inc., which co-owns Verizon Wireless with Vodafone Group Pls., rose 3 cents to $28.93 at 1:11 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares had fallen 15 percent this year before today. Motorola gained 61 cents, or 7.8 percent, to $8.46 and had jumped 77 percent this year.