Remember that rumored L800t that got outed as part of Motorola's Asian lineup for '08 not long ago? We still can't really confirm that it's called the L800t, but we can confirm that the device itself is real thanks to an FCC approval -- and really, that's all that matters, isn't it? This unassuming candybar should mark Moto's first foray into China's budding TD-SCDMA network that hopes to eventually blanket the country's metropolitan areas with a proprietary form of 3G. The next question, naturally, is why the phone has found its way into American labs when it'll be biding its time over in Beijing, and the answer is pretty simple: we've got EDGE data on the 1900MHz band here, so theoretically, it could be used (with reduced performance) in the States -- just don't expect any high-speed action out of it.

Alright, let's start firing up the conspiracy theory engines, shall we? Motorola's iDEN Software Upgrades site -- one of the first around to offer handset firmware upgrades directly to customers -- has been mysteriously pulled down with nary a clue as to the reason or when they might be back up. All we know is that they're "currently unavailable" and that we should check back at a "later time." We imagine new firmware builds for these rugged warriors aren't exactly the hottest thing going to begin with (and let's be honest, what percentage of iDEN users even knew this site existed to begin with?) but let's hope Moto has a plan to bring these back out nonetheless.

[Via Unwired View and PhoneNews]

Just like we suspected, after a short delay, the succulent and delightful Motorola Q9c is now available from Verizon. Bonus shot -- instead of the $249.99 price tag we expected it to sport, it's actually bumped down to $199.99 with a two-year contract and online discount. So... what are you waiting for?

A Vertu it's not, but that's not stopping Motorola from borrowing Maranello's most prized symbol of speed and excess yet again. Last time around, Moto was trying its hand at reworking the Z8 into a phone befitting some of the world's most exotic cars -- an effort that we believe failed spectacularly, for the record -- and this time around it looks like the RAZR 2 V9 will be the unwitting target. Technologically, the phone's a dead ringer for its less-flashy cousin, but in terms of appearance... well, that's a whole different story, thanks to a checkered pattern on the phone's metal surface, red trim, and if we had to guess, a full range of Ferrari-themed pictures and sounds. Oh, and they've also managed to throw in a lambskin case embossed with the hallowed badge. No word on pricing, but it seems that it'll only be available in Asia and Latin America -- for a very small fraction of the price of the real thing, may we add.

Motorola's in desperate need of a fearless leader that can lead its handset business back from the brink, and our own dear leader thinks he might be the answer. Why's that? Head on over to Engadget to find out!

Yo, Americans: if you want to learn more about a sweet-looking phone that Motorola doesn't think you should have, we've got just the place for you. Take a stroll on over to the FCC's documentation site, where you'll find a wealth of information on Moto's rumored A1600 MING 2. The Linux-based smartphone carries over the important parts of the original MING's trademark industrial design but upgrades to a respectable 3.2 megapixel camera, quadband EDGE, and allegedly WiFi -- though we couldn't find any mention of it in the manual. Sadly, as we mentioned, there doesn't appear to be any plan to bring the A1600 to the States with a user's manual emblazoned with "Asia/EMEA" on page 1, but with that worldband radio, at least it'll be pretty painless to import and use it if you're so inclined.

About time that Moto's RIZR Z10 sees the light of day, and it'll be shining in O2's spotlight as an exclusive for at least the first little while. Featuring a 3.2 megapixel camera, quad-band GSM / EDGE, single-band HSDPA, support for up to 32GB of pop-in memory, a winning kick-slide form factor, and O2 has even seen fit to pitch in the Borne Ultimate collection on the included 1GB microSD card. If you're a fan of vid and pic editing, the built in editing software on the Z10 should keep you happy with the ability to add a soundtrack, overlay text, and even upload your 30fps opus right to YouTube from the handset. So there ya have it, if you're in the UK and have from $free to £149.99 (roughly $300) to spend, it may well be worth having a peek at.

[Via MobileBurn]

Remember that three-pack of phones Verizon promised for April delivery a while back? Two of them have materialized as promised, but the third -- the Motorola Q9c -- is missing in action. The popular rumor seems to be that they've pushed the launch date out just a smidge to May 15, though with the Q9m already in the lineup, we suspect this one won't be causing as much panic than if either the enV(2) or XV6900 had slipped. Or will it?

[Via Everything Q]

Update: We've gotten some documentation suggesting that the Q9c will actually launch in Verizon's B2B, web, and telesales channels on May 9 right alongside the Curve and Glyde, making for a quite a blockbuster day. Availability in stores will apparently depend on how long it takes to deplete Q9m stock.

Sure, you've already treated your eyes to a few less-than-stellar images of the ZN5, but this candybar just got a whole lot clearer. A handful of new images have surfaced over at KeySJ, and they take you all the way around the handset itself and even give you a look at the interface. We know, we've probably already lost you to the read link below, but if you're somehow still here, then here's your unnecessary permission to head on down and indulge. Thanks for caring.

[Via JumpAMP]

Motorola may have a few more tricks up its sleeve in the coming months, and while the W388, W396, and VA76r weren't mentioned in the recently leaked roadmap, they're still barely worth mentioning. Info is pretty thin on the W388 and W396 with both featuring 128X128 screens, GPRS, Java, and VGA shooters, or as we like to call 'em, bargain basement sets. The oddly named VA76r offers at least a glimmer of hope in the spec department with a QVGA screen, Montavista 2.6.10 Linux OS, Freescale ArgonLV processor, 2 megapixel shooter, and a dash of HSDPA. No pics, prices, dates, or even solid grounding in reality were provided with this lot, though really, this doesn't have us jumping with wild abandon anyway, go MOTO.

Just days after Telus picked up the attractive LG Venus, the carrier has officially started offering up the Motorola Mike i877. The half-rugged, half-sleek looking flip phone was designed by Pininfarina and features integrated Bluetooth, a multimedia player (MP3, AAC, WMA), microSD expansion slot, miniUSB port, 1.3-megapixel camera, VibraCall, a digital voice recorder and the obligatory push-to-talk support. If it floats your boat, you can snag it now sans contract for $349.99, or anywhere between $149.99 to $299.99 if you're cool with signing the dotted line for varying lengths of time.

[Via MobileInCanada]

Motorola's recognized that its mobile division's been in a train-wreck status for a little while now, yet somehow, losses continue to widen at the world's number three (for the moment, anyway) manufacturer. The company shed $194 million on sales of $7.448 billion, compared to a loss of $181 million on sales of $9.433 billion in the same quarter a year prior; we suppose the gap is narrower, but not by a heck of a lot. There's no profit in sight, either, with guidance of 2 to 4 cents per share worth of red ink in the second quarter.

As expected, the bulk of that bleeding is coming directly out of the mobile division, and to that end, USA Today sat down with CEO Greg Brown to chat about the state of the business and the impending spinoff. Brown says that by preparing for the divorce, the division's becoming more accountable for its own success -- in other words, it has a credit card and checkbook in its own name -- and that its people are becoming "energized" by the move. He wants cooler, consumer-driven products hitting the market at a consistently quick pace (one look at Samsung or LG should teach 'em a thing or two about "quick pace") and says that too great a focus on technology has led them astray recently. That sounds a little bogus to us; we certainly wouldn't call Moto devices the highest-tech around, but hey, if he wants to convince himself that his company's phones aren't selling well because they're too high-tech, we can't blame him.

Curiously, Brown paused before answering that he "feels" like the mobile division would probably benefit from using the Motorola name going forward; we'd assumed Motorola's granting of branding rights were a foregone conclusion, but it seems like those details haven't been sorted out yet. If they end up pulling even the Moto name from the new company, honestly, what's left?

Read - Greg Brown interview
Read - Q1 2008 results

Remember that spellbinding page-turner of a user guide for Motorola's W755 that we brought you a while back? Of course you do -- how could anyone forget? The anticipation of a new model in Moto's W line of low- to midrange handsets is always nearly too much to bear for us, as we're sure it is for you. Anyway, enough with the ribbing and onto business: press shots of the Verizon-bound flip have surfaced, showing that the phone will be available in at least two shades, black and purple. With a 1.3 megapixel camera on board it's not about to set any records or turn any heads, but the external touch-sensitive music controls are a bonus -- and hey, we guess a choice of colors is always nice. Still no word on a release here, so we hope these shots will hold you over in the meanwhiles.

In case you hadn't noticed, Virgin Mobile rocks an ever-so-slightly higher end lineup north of the border than it does in the US, and to that end, it's just released the RAZR 2 V9m. We all know the drill here by now: 2 inch external QVGA display with music controls, 2.2 inch internal QVGA display, stereo Bluetooth, EV-DO, microSD expansion, and a 2 megapixel camera, all of which are ready to sit just above the KRZR in Virgin's stable. Grab it now for $149 CAD (about $147) on a three-year deal.

[Via Mobile In Canada]

That spy shot of Motorola's A810 turned out to be dead real -- either that or the FCC's pulling the wool over our eyes, and we really don't see that happening (not a lot of humor with those guys, don't you know). Don't get too excited for use of this Linux-based, full touchscreen puppy outside of Asia, though, seeing how the FCC saw fit to approve nothing more than GSM / EDGE 1900; that's an indication that it lacks GSM 850 and the key to our hearts. Other features that made the cut include a 2 megapixel camera (although the picture of the back kinda looks like it says "4.0 megapixel," doesn't it?) and an FM radio, so to whomever out there has the distinct pleasure of being able to buy this one in their home market, we say: enjoy.