Motorola Mobility unveils iPhone challengers

Motorola Mobility on Wednesday added three powerful Android smartphones to its Droid family ahead of Apple's much-anticipated debut next week of a new-generation iPhone. The additions of RAZR M, RAZR HD, and RAZR MAXX HD to the Motorola line-up came as the first major product news from the company since it was bought by Internet giant Google a year ago in a $12.5 billion deal. The RAZR smartphones are powered by Google's Android software and synched to the US telecom network of Verizon Wireless. "We turned these things from phones into super computers," Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said of the overall evolution of mobile phones as the companies introduced the new devices at a media event in New York City. "They shouldn't be called cell phones anymore," he continued. "They should be called computers." RAZR M smartphones priced at $100, after a $50 rebate for a new two-year Verizon service contract, could be pre-ordered at verizonwireless.com/droidm and would be available on September 13. Motorola head Dennis Woodside said that the other new RAZR models would hit the market by the year-end holidays at prices yet to be disclosed. Apple is hosting a media event in San Francisco on September 12 at which it is likely to unveil an "iPhone 5" as its champion in the battle for the hearts of smartphone lovers.