There aren't many products in the world that have been produce for so long that they bridged right from the "modern" to "ho-hum" to "retro chic" categories without ever pausing production (actually, the hula hoop is the only one that comes immediately to mind). A year ago, it was cool to hate on the debilitating age Motorola's original RAZR V3 and the fact that it was still being sold in countless shops and by countless carriers around the world; now, though, it's gone on so long that we've got to wonder whether there's some magical, hidden force at play here that will keep this phone on shelves and in hearts until the very end of time. Evidence of that certainly exists in the freshly-launched LuK Hot Pink edition, an apparent follow-on to the LuK launched back in February of this year with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, video call capability, Bluetooth, and that's about it. At a price under 500,000 won (about $400) on carrier SKT, it doesn't seem like a particularly good deal -- but then again, if you look at it as a perfect replica of a vintage collectible device, maybe it's a downright steal.

We'll hand it to Moto here -- it truly is admirable that it didn't use all caps and no vowels to name a phone that's so strikingly similar to the original RAZR, but we can't help but doubt this thing's ability to sell. The Motorola Ruby (or VE1), will reportedly boast a 5 megapixel camera, a standard flip phone design and... well, that's about it. Or, at least that's all we know of. For those still agile enough to mouse to the read link after the massive facepalm you surely just initiated, there are a few more images down there for your perusal. "Enjoy."

We know, the holiday season is officially kaput, but if you still owe that niece or nephew a gift and you feel like teaching them tech-savvy and brand loyalty, you might want to consider one of these KIRF walkie-talkies / organizers that let you send text messages in addition to voice calls in the same vein as that Slide Click we saw back in the day. Trust us, typing on a small keyboard or numpad is one of the best skills they can have when they grow up -- it's a lot more practical than the Morse code we learned back in our day. The lone exception here is the feature-less RAZR knockoff that does voice-only -- hey, it's only fitting that the one phone here that doesn't knock off a smartphone have less features.

[Thanks, James]

Read - Discovery Exclusive Pink Slide and Text Messengers (Sidekick)
Read - iChat SMS Text Messenger/Chat Talkies (Blackberry)
Read - iText SMS Text Messenger (iPhone)
Read - Discovery Exclusive Flip Phone Walkie-Talkies (RAZR)

Back in November, Apple's iPhone 3G overtook the almighty RAZR as the best-selling handset on US soil, and merely a week later, analysts pinpointed Motorola (and Sony Ericsson, in fairness) as being handset makers that could have a tough time "weathering the storm." Now, a new piece of research from MultiMedia Intelligence has it that Motorola's market share dominance is about to end, and end quickly. If forecasts are accurate, rivals LG and Samsung will surpass Moto in 2009 (in America), and with RIM and Apple selling their fair share as well, it's doubtful Motorola will be able to simply swipe away users of other handsets without something revolutionary on the table. Hear that Moto? Revolutionary? We love to be surprised, you know.

[Via mocoNews, image courtesy of SynergyGroup]

Beneath the glittery glow of smartphone superstardom -- you know, the stage occupied by the BlackBerry Storm, the G1, the iPhone, and the like -- lies an ever-present hotbed of workhorses, unglamorous handsets that get the job done and bring home the bacon for their carriers. Phone emulation service DeviceAnywhere reports that the original Motorola RAZR V3 is its most popular device used for software testing, suggesting that developers are still looking to these mass-market phones to sell apps -- despite the high-profile SDK draw from more expensive gear. With 10,000 apps now sitting in Apple's App Store, we're not feeling too bad for iPhone owners, but it's good to know that the free-on-contract cats aren't about to get left behind in the fray.

Earlier this month, the almighty RAZR fell from the top spot as America's best selling handset. Now, we're finding that the RAZR3 / Ruby has been canned. Granted, the move isn't all that surprising -- after all, Moto's known for awhile now that it simply can't keep tweaking the RAZR instead of, you know, innovating. But honestly, if this signals that the company is serious about moving forward and possibly adopting Android on the double, we won't shed a tear. Okay, maybe one, but only after all the lights are out.

[Via UnwiredView]

While it's cool that owners of the venerable Nokia 6010 and Motorola RAZR are forward-thinking enough to be recycling their unwanted, ancient handsets en masse, we've actually got a question for Nokia and Moto here: is this a title you're proud of? Seems like a double-edged sword since your models are getting tossed by the thousands, but hey, at least they're being tossed in an ethical way. Phone recycling firm ReCellular reports that the 6010 and the V3 (along with LG's VX4500) are the most commonly-recycled handsets of the moment -- pretty amazing when you think that the original RAZR was $500 on contract when it first launched, and now it's getting scrapped for traces of precious metal. How the mighty have fallen, eh?

According to a report from NPD, sales of cellphones have shifted in a manner which should shock and stun even a casual observer. Apparently for the first time in years, Motorola's ubiquitous RAZR has been overtaken in consumer sales... by the iPhone 3G. This is a watershed moment for handset sales in the US, marking not only a shift away from the dominant market leader, but a turn towards more complex, full-featured devices. The news comes hot on the heels of NPD's previous findings, which still placed the RAZR in the top spot -- though with ever-decreasing numbers. In that same report, the iPhone found itself in second place, but it appears that flagging interest in the inescapable dumbphone coupled with the recent iPhone PR blitz have put Apple's moneymaker into the top position. The news is also buoyed by recent reports that Apple has overtaken RIM as the number two smartphone vendor, and a J.D. Power study which found affection for the device waxing in the extreme. Overall, however, handset sales fell 15 percent year-over-year, and LG managed to snag the top brand position, with two models in the top five. Still, if there already wasn't a clear indication of the market moving towards both smartphones and touchscreen devices, this should give everyone a clearer picture of both the public's wants, and the power of Cupertino's ad-men. Full PR after the break.

No need to defog your spectacles, what you just read there in the headline is the truth. Astoundingly enough, Motorola's nearly archaic (in cellphone years, anyway) RAZR V3 is still the top-selling handset in the United States. Of course, it helps that it's highly subsidized on practically every carrier from coast to coast, but we're still a little stunned that it's selling this well nearly 2.5 years after Moto moved its 50 millionth unit. The rest of the top five isn't nearly as shocking, with Apple's iPhone snagging the silver, RIM's BlackBerry Curve grabbing the bronze, LG's Chocolate at number four and the BlackBerry Pearl at five. With the original RAZR still selling so well, one would think Motorola could just tweak it slightly and issue a second iteration for even more windfall profits. Er, wait.

We're going to confess a dirty little secret here: when we first started playing with the VE20, we didn't realize it was being branded and marketed as a RAZR. As we used it, though, it quickly became evident -- no one had to tell us this was a kindred spirit of the V3. For better or worse, the shape of the phone -- everything from the tapered upper edge of the display to the "chin" beneath the keypad -- looks and feels like an obvious evolution. You might call it a stepping stone in between the V3 and the V9, and considering that the V3 gets closer to its last breath on store shelves with each passing day (or so we hope), Moto and Sprint need something to slot in there beneath the mighty RAZR 2.

Call us insane, but for what the VE20 is, we liked it. It doesn't pretend to be a do-all, end-all superphone, nor does it try to wow you with its premium materials; it's just a decent midrange flip with what seems to be excellent build quality. The screen is exceptionally bright, clear, and rich, and the V9-aping secondary touchscreen is a nice touch (pun intended, of course). One area of concern: it froze up on us once, necessitating a restart, and the music app was completely broken in our tester. Our guess is that this'll be resolved in retail units or via a quick firmware update shortly after launch -- at least, it frigging better be.

The VE20 is available today for $99.99 on contract after rebates.

The Zero Day Initiative has revealed that a vulnerability exists in older RAZR firmware versions that could potentially -- under very rare circumstances -- allow some baddie to execute arbitrary code on your beloved phone. Basically, you'd have to accept an MMS from someone you don't know, it'd have to contain a JPEG with a specially malformed EXIF header, and of course, you'd have to be running an outdated version of your phone's firmware. In fact, ZDI reported the problem to Moto way back in July of last year and only revealed it to the public last week, giving 'em plenty of time to cook up a fix -- which thankfully, they have. Everyone did their part here, it seems, so don't even bother trying to exploit this one, criminals of the world. You know who you are.

[Via IntoMobile and CNET]

For better or worse, the relentless barrage of RAZR 2 variants might only be getting started. Motorola's South Korean outpost has teamed up with SK Telecom to release the RAZR 2 Pink Silver, featuring an "espresso" hued keypad teamed with a light pink case for folks who want to whisper their fashion sense, not scream it -- or, in Motorola's words, for a "confident young generation." Look for it now in SKT retailers if you happen to be in the area.

[Via Unwired View]

In case you hadn't noticed, Virgin Mobile rocks an ever-so-slightly higher end lineup north of the border than it does in the US, and to that end, it's just released the RAZR 2 V9m. We all know the drill here by now: 2 inch external QVGA display with music controls, 2.2 inch internal QVGA display, stereo Bluetooth, EV-DO, microSD expansion, and a 2 megapixel camera, all of which are ready to sit just above the KRZR in Virgin's stable. Grab it now for $149 CAD (about $147) on a three-year deal.

[Via Mobile In Canada]

We've just received a fresh round of release dates on AT&T, and if we had to pick a single word to describe the theme here, it'd be "colors." Shades upon shades of phones -- both new and old -- will see a release on AT&T in the next couple of months, starting with the Sony Ericsson Z750a, the first 3G Sony Ericsson to be released by a carrier in the States (but not in North America -- that honor belongs to Rogers); it'll hit in your choice of gray, pink, or purple in early April. The now-ancient UTStarcom 5700 finally sees release toward the end of April more than a year after we first saw it in the FCC's business, giving a lower-end choice to the Windows Mobile faithful. Finally, May should bring about the LG CU720 Shine in black, following its initial offerings of silver and red.

Oh, and it looks like the Motorola Z9 and the black Centro should be widely available pretty much any minute now -- stay tuned. Strangely missing from the list is the Vu, though that doesn't necessarily mean it won't be released by the end of May, it merely means that AT&T's not sure yet. Surprise, surprise.

[Thanks, Kal]