Is Motorola Making A Comeback?

Remember when the Razr was all the rage? For the past few years, Motorola has struggled to regain its footing in the highly competitive cell phone space, but perhaps its allegiance with Google will give it more traction.Motorola announced the Charm, its latest Android phone. The device features a 2.8 inch touch screen and QWERTY keyboard; a 3M Pixel camera and Kodak's Perfect Touch software; CrystalTalk PLUS, which includes a microphone and the ability to filter out background noise; and a synchronization feature so email is pushed out to the device.

The vendor has been betting on the social networking craze and developed MOTOBLUR, which syncs contacts, posts, messages, and photos from sources, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter as well various email systems.

A few years ago, Motorola was vying with Nokia as the world's top cell phone supplier. However once Apple won the hearts of users with its novel form factor and intuitive software, Motorola struggled. Recently, the company bet heavily on the Android OS and has been aggressively developing a number of such devices, including the Charm and Droid, which has generated a noteworthy buzz. In addition, market research firm NPD Group found that Android systems passed iPhones recently so that has given Motorola a boost.

However, the company faces some challenges. T-Mobile has picked up the Charm, but the service provider does not have the customer base or marketing power of competitors AT&T and Verizon. In addition, Motorola has been lagging behind its foes in building up its app store, a feature that has become a focal point in today's highly volatile cell phone market. In sum, Motorola has rebounded after some lean times but still faces challenges as in its battle against its well heeled competitors