Seeking an edge in the world of high-end smartphones, Motorola is bringing back the "Razr" name, once attached to the best-selling phone in the world.
The phone revealed Tuesday is thin, like the old Razr. Otherwise, the new Razr is a different breed from the folding "dumb" phone that made Motorola the second-largest phone maker in the world, before Apple Inc. shook up the industry with its iPhone in 2007.
The new phone, called the Droid Razr, has a big touchscreen and runs Google Inc.'s Android operating system. Verizon Wireless will start taking pre-orders on Oct. 27 and sell it for $300 with a two-year contract. The Droid Razr will use Verizon's new LTE high-speed wireless data network.
In an interview, Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. CEO Sanjay Jha said the company's testing had revealed that the Razr name still resonates with people, and they say they're more likely to buy a phone that carries it.
"People have incredibly fond memories of using their Razrs," he said at a press event in New York.
As sold by Verizon, the phone will be called the "Droid Razr." In other countries, it will be just "Razr."
Motorola was never able to come up with a phone that could match the old Razr in popularity. As its popularity declined, the company's fortunes plummeted. The company split up in January, with Motorola Mobility taking the cellphone part of the business. It is now the world's eighth-largest maker of phones.
Motorola Mobility is based in Libertyville, Ill., and has agreed to be bought by Google for $12.5 billion. The deal is expected to close by early next year.
Motorola Mobility's stock rose 10 cents to close Tuesday at $38.92.