The final significant mobile phone rumor of 2009 claims Motorola is planning another Google Android-powered device for release sometime in 2010.
The Motorola Mirage (Shadow) phone is said to have a 4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen (800 x 484-pixel resolution), 8-megapixel camera, mini HDMI port, and HD video playback. It should also have a 9-mm thin body, but pricing, release dates and other pertinent information haven't yet been revealed.
The 4.3-inch touchscreen will be the same size as the HTC HD2 Windows phone, although Android has been applauded as a more robust OS. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android phone has a 4.0-inch display, while most other phones utilize a 3.7-inch screen, including the highly anticipated Nexus One Google phone.
The Motorola Droid is an extremely popular Android device, but a common complaint has been battery life. Phone owners often complain of power usage as they run the multitude of apps available for the Droid. I'm interested to see if Motorola can fix this problem with the Mirage, especially since the device is so thin.
HTC, Motorola and several other manufacturers are testing the waters with Android, as it's an open-source mobile OS that has gained much interest from app developers and consumers. Motorola reportedly has a few other Android models in the works for 2010, as they continue to try and convince consumers to switch to their smartphones.
I currently own the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700, but have greatly enjoyed watching Android develop throughout the year. Google has done an excellent job convincing app developers to support Android and further adoption of the popular mobile platform should only accelerate next year.
