Motorola Droid Pro, Citrus, Spice Lead Android Handset Holiday Lineup

by Clint Boulton

The Droid Pro is Motorola’s first Android device optimized for use among business users, challenging RIM’s BlackBerry devices. The handset features a 3.1-inch display, a 1 GHZ processor, 4GB of memory and a QWERTY keyboard for typing.

The Droid Pro sports push Exchange e-mail and Gmail for business; unified calendar and a preloaded Quickoffice Mobile Suite. Users may view, edit and share documents, including Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and Word documents.

The 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and dual LED flash DVD-quality video camera is a nice perk.

The Motorola Citrus sports an on-screen QWERTY keyboard (3-inch display) and is preloaded with Bing Search and Bing Maps, though Google services such as Gmail, Google Talk and YouTube are also included.

Citrus sports Backtrack, a touch panel on the back of the device that lets users navigate and browse Websites, home screens, e-mail and other content.

Citrus is made from 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, is certified CarbonFree through an alliance with Carbonfund.org and is PVC- and BFR-free.

The Android 2.1-based Motorola Spice, also made from 25 percent recycled plastic and featuring Backtrack, sports a rounded design and a 3-inch display. It’s similar to the Citrus, but it has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Available in the fourth quarter this year, the Spice has a 3-megapixel camera to let users capture and play back video.

As square as the Citrus is round, the Android 2.1-based Flipout from AT&T boasts two interchangeable battery covers in two colors-Dark Sapphire and Saffron.

The screen, a new take on the Motorola Backflip, is 2.8 inches and “flips out.” Expect the device, which sports Motoblur, in Q4.

Another friendly flipper due in Q4, the Android 2.1-based Flipside is ideal for landscape mode. The device has a 3.1-inch display. We’ll call it the cousin of the Flipout and Backflip.

There is a 3-megapixel camera. Flipside also features an enhanced version of Motoblur, which syncs friends, e-mails, contacts, messages, and Facebook, MySpace and Twitter feeds.

The last Android device in Motorola’s holiday lineup, the Bravo has a 3.7-inch screen and runs Android 2.1.

All touch screen and no keyboard, the Bravo also sports a modest 3-megapixel camera and will go on sale in Q4.