Motorola Seeks Carriers For Cliq

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Motorola's Android Cliq

Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha said the company is in talks to get its Android-powered Cliq on U.S. carriers in addition to T-Mobile.

The company unveiled its first Android smartphone last week, and the Cliq packs a 3.1-inch touch screen with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The handset has all the features one expects from a smartphone including Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G access, Bluetooth, and the ability to add new applications via the Android Market.

The device stands out from the other Android devices on the market because Motorola has embedded its MotoBlur software into the operating system, and this new service aggregates photos, contacts, news streams, and other information from various online sources like Twitter, Outlook, Gmail, Facebook, and MySpace. The smartphone is slated to be released by the holiday season as an exclusive for T-Mobile.

Speaking at a financial analyst conference Monday, Jha said the company is talking with all of the major U.S. carriers and he is "fairly hopeful we will begin to engage with all the U.S. operators." The news is not a big surprise, as nearly every handset manufacturer wants their devices on as many mobile operators as possible to have a larger potential audience, but it could potentially hurt T-Mobile's sales because interested consumers may opt to wait until the Cliq arrives on their carrier of choice.

Motorola is betting that its Android devices will help it mount a comeback, as the company recorded a net loss of $4.2 billion in 2008 primarily due to the struggles of its handset division. The handset maker has not been able to replicate the success of its Razr handset, and it has been surpassed by LG Electronics and Samsung in worldwide market share over the last few years.

The company was widely expected to unveil a high-end Android device for Verizon Wireless last week, but Motorola said it will show off another Android smartphone in a few weeks. Verizon has publicly said it will have a smartphone with the Google-backed OS by the end of the year.

InformationWeek has published a 360-degree analysis of the first Android-based smartphone. Download the report here (registration required).