Tech Shout!

This Monday, Motorola unveiled two new additions to its Razr phone family, which include the Krzr and the Rizr. The new models are part of a family of cell phones that Motorola is building around the Razr, which has helped the company revitalize its brand over the last two years.

The Krzr (pronounced ‘Crazer’) and the Rizr have not yet hit the stores as yet, but Motorola is definitely counting on the stylish phones’ to extend the success enjoyed by them, which is the highest in eight years.

The Krzr is slightly narrower than the Razr and even has a music player and a 2-megapixel camera. Whereas, the Rizr known by industry terms as a slider, allow a user to open it by sliding a cover to reveal a keyboard. The Krzr, a 42-millimeter-wide phone, flips open like the 54-millimeter-wide Razr but is slightly thicker as it has a camera and space for extra storage for up to 500 songs. The Krzr is made of magnesium, polished chrome and hardened glass and has a reflective surface. Motorola’s Krzr will come in just two colors- gray and blue.

The Rizr, which is 46 millimeters wide and slides open. It gives users the option of turning the phone sideways when it is closed to take landscape photographs using a dedicated button for its 2-megapixel camera. Available in blue, red and black, the Rizr will initially be sold just to operators using GSM networks. It is expected to sell in the mid-tier price range.

“We think this is big,” said Chief Executive Ed Zander, at the phone launch event in a Chicago suburb. He said Motorola aims to eventually sell 500 million versions of the Razr.

“For people with smaller hands, it does probably fit better than the Razr, especially for Asian customers and ladies,” said Koziol, adding that most cellphone carriers around the world have shown interest in the product.

Motorola also unveiled three other new phones, including 2 more technically rich Razrs geared mainly for high-speed networks. The Razr XX and the Razr Maxx will work on networks based on HSDPA, a faster version of GSM, and will allow users to stream video or music to the phones over the air.

The Razr XX is expected to price in the mid-tier range while the Maxx, which has room for extra storage and a 2-megapixel camera, is expected to sell in the high-end range.

Motorola also debuted the SLVR L7c, a candybar phone that will run on EV-DO, a faster version of CDMA.