Motorola Announces Android Flipout Smartphone

Today, Motorola has announced the released of the Flipout, a compact Android 2.1-based, square-shaped smartphone that in its form factor is a departure from other mobile phones.

"The Flipout, has a pivot design that opens to reveal a five-row QWERTY keypad with a separate row for numeric keys," said Chris Hazelton, an analyst with the 451 Group likens the Flipout to AT&T's Backflip from Motorola, which he says both have non-conventional form factors that won't resonate with everybody.

"It definitely is different; it mirrors the Nokia Twist, a square phone that twists up with the traditional form factor with the keyboard below the screen," said Hazelton, adding that this is the first time Motorola has offered a square-shaped phone. The difference, he said, is that the Twist is more of a feature phone and "not as capable as the Flipout, which can also access the Android marketplace for apps."

But like Motorola's other Android-based phones, the Flipout will take market share from feature phones, Hazelton said. Both Motorola and HTC have put software on top of the Android, which differentiates their phones and makes them useful for their target audience, which is commonly the social networker.

"It's interesting that no U.S. carriers picked up the phone," Hazelton noted, an indication that they may want to keep the Android for higher-end devices, while the Flipout is a mid-market device. He predicted Android phones will move into the midmarket in the next year.

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