Motorola Saves Its Best for Later

Updates stock information

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (TheStreet) -- Motorola, (MOT) the mobile phone comeback kid, will let the buzz linger for a few weeks over its first Google (GOOG) Android phone -- named the Cliq -- introduced Thursday and exclusive to Deutsche Telekom's (DT) T-Mobile.

But a follow-up act is in the works, and it will arrive in time for the holidays.

The bigger blockbuster candidate and most immediate challenger to Apple's (AAPL) iPhone smartphone crown will be a sleeker, more expensive Android phone for No. 1 carrier Verizon (VZ).

The next phone is expected to resemble what's widely known as the Sholes, a metal-encased, touchscreen phone with a slide-out screen and a 5-megapixel camera to be available in October. A Verizon rep said simply, "stay tuned."

The move would explain why T-Mobile was Motorola's only partner to share the stage at GigaOM's Mobilize conference Thursday in San Francisco. Android phones mark Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha's make-or-break strategy to revive the former wireless titan.

Motorola's debut Google Android phone, the Cliq, introduced Sept. 2009.

The Mobilize event not only showcased Motorola's first Android phone, but it also gave keynote speaker Jha ample spotlight to introduce MotoBlur, a social network-enhancing software that pulls updates from sites like Twitter and Facebook and emails to a user's home screen.

Verizon could use a flashy new phone in its fall lineup to round out its Research In Motion (RIMM) BlackBerry selection and help offset the ongoing popularity of the iPhone.

The upcoming Android sequel helped push Motorola shares up 7.7% in Friday afternoon trading.

-- Written by Scott Moritz in New York.

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