Motorola has announced the latest edition to its Android-based smartphone line, the Motorola Charm, will be launching on U.S. carrier T-Mobile later this summer. The Charm features a 2.8-inch color touchscreen and a QWERTY keypad for messaging, and an interesting “Backtrack” navigation pad that’s located on the back of the phone behind the home screen: the head is that users navigate around the screen using their fingers on the back of the phone, without having to obscure their view of the screen.
“Being social with friends and family comes naturally for T-Mobile customers, and we think mobilizing their social experiences should be effortless,” said T-Mobile USA product management director Saj Sahay, in a statement. “With the new Motorola Charm and enhancements to the Android and Motoblur experience, we’re bringing more social skills to our broad portfolio of Android-powered smartphones.”
The Charm will run Android 2.1—no word on when an Android 2.2 update might land, although presumably one will be in the offing—with Motorola’s custom Motoblur interface on top that brings streams and photos from social networking services and email to the home screen. Motorola says the latest version of Motoblur allows for greater customization, so users can get exactly what they want on their home screens. The Charm will also feature a three megapixel camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, and user-selectable batter modes that let folks conserve power.
Motorola and T-Mobile are mum on exact availability dates—merely saying “this summer,” which would seem to be well underway. The companies also haven’t announced anything about pricing.
