Motorola To Sell Droid As “Milestone” In Germany, Italy, And Argentina
A week after unveiling its much-anticipated handset, the Droid, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) is getting international attention for the Android 2.0 device. IDG News reports that the phone which has generated a number of favorable reviews, will be sold in Germany, Argentina and Italy as the “Milestone.”
In Germany, two carriers—Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) and O2—have picked up the device, as well as mobile phone retailer The Phone House. No word on when it will go on sale, or which carriers in Argentina and Italy are selling the phone.
Motorola did not disclose where else the Milestone might launch, but the news that European carriers are picking up the device is another sign that the still-struggling handset maker could be making its way back.
In the company’s Q3 earnings call, co-CEO Sanjay Jha had said that at least for the first half of 2010 the phone maker’s focus was on the United States, China and Latin America. Europe, Jha, implied, was a trickier market.
He noted that European carriers had their own services and own operating systems, and typically, to ensure a device got “hero status” meant accommodating them. Plus he added, the company would also have to make an “additional brand investment” into the market, something that would depend on the type of commitment it got from carriers.
The Milestone has similar specs to the Droid, aside from a few tweaks. The device supports HSPA, instead of EV-DO Rev A and also comes with Motorola’s own navigation application Motonav, instead of Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps’ version.
Posted In: Gadgets, Mobile, Companies, Motorola, Countries, Europe, Italy, Germany, Latin America
