The Motorola Moto G just got even better

In addition to unveiling its most affordable Android smartphone yet, Motorola on Tuesday also announced a new Moto G model, the Moto G 4G LTE, which will offer users faster data speeds. The LTE version of the Moto G does not have any other new features, except for 4G and microSD support. As expected, the Moto G 4G LTE model is more expensive than the 3G-only version, and will cost $219 without a contract.

Unfortunately for users who want more built-in storage, the Moto G 4G LTE will only be available with 8GB of memory, although unlike the 3G model, the 4G model does have microSD support. Motorola will also continue to sell the 3G version of the Moto G for $179 (the 8GB version) or $199 (the 16GB model).

The company was rumored to unveil other Moto G versions at London, with a Moto G Cinema having been spotted online in the days preceding the event. However, the company did not launch any other Moto G models other than the 4G-enabled new version.

The Moto G 4G LTE can already be pre-ordered in the U.S., and it will likely hit other regions where the Moto G is already available.

 Source: BGR

Motorola Moto G is added to the Consumer Cellular line-up

Normally, when you think about Consumer Cellular, you think about cheap non-descript cellphones being used by the elderly, or those down on their luck who still need to stay connected. That is the image that the carrier advertises on television. Because of the carrier's relationship with AARP that features cheap air time and low cost featurephones, you might consider the company to be an altruistic firm, in business for the good of mankind. But that is not the case. Just like any carrier, Consumer Cellular is in the business to make profits.

Today, the carrier added the Motorola Moto G to its line-up, priced at $149.99. Those two brothers who were so amazed with their featurephone in Consumer Cellular's 2012 commercial, would have their minds blown by the quad-core processor and 4.5 inch screen. Even more surprising, did you know that you could buy the Apple iPhone 5s and Apple iPhone 5c from the mobile operator? And no, there is no great bargain here either. The iPhone 5s is $150 down, with 20 installment payments of $25 each due each month. That works out to a price of $650, or $1 more than Apple charges for the phone. The iPhone 5c is $100 down with 18 monthly payments of $25 due, which works out to $550.

6000 voice minutes, 15,000 texts and 2.5GB of data will cost you $90 a month. While Consumer Cellular can handle power users, it is obviously a expensive proposition. The carrier is more suited for the kind of people it features in its ads. For example, 200 minutes of voice with 200 texts and 20MB of data is $12.50 a month. And a cheap flip phone with a 2MP camera and an MP3 player is just $35.

Consumer Cellular also expanded its presence in 750 Sears stores for the third time since the two shook hands on a deal in 2011. Now, Consumer Cellular will have more space inside these Sears locations, with larger banners and more display room to show off a wider selection of smartphones.

Next-gen Moto X and Moto G will have near-stock Android (Lenovo won't alter Motorola's software strategy)

Back in January, when Google agreed to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo, the companies said that "Lenovo intends to keep Motorola’s distinct brand identity.” Even so, some users may be worried that Lenovo could alter the software experience on the upcoming Moto smartphones. As you may know, Mototola’s latest handsets, the Moto X and Moto G, are both offering near-stock Android.

Punit Soni, VP of Software at Motorola, today answered a few live questions via Google Hangouts. One of the questions addressed exactly the issue mentioned above: “will future versions of the Moto X and Moto G stick with almost-stock Android?” Punit Soni’s answer was a definite “yes.” He continued by saying that “the core premise of the software strategy is making sure we have pure Android, and that we can provide the best experience to users.”

Well, there you have it: the rumored Moto X+1 (which is expected to be the successor to last year’s Moto X) will run near-stock Android. The same will likely happen with the Moto E (another rumored handset that should be introduced this year), although this doesn’t seem to be the Moto G’s successor, but an even cheaper device.

Punit Soni also said that Motorola will continue to provide quick software updates, and that its handsets’ camera experience (including image quality) will be improved. You can see the full discussion in the video below:

Besides making its own new smartphones, Motorola may also design a handset in collaboration with Lenovo- a device that could be launched before the end of the year. Will this have near-stock Android, too? We don't know, but we're looking forward to finding out.

Motorola Moto G LTE and Moto G Ferrari coming soon?

Motorola may soon introduce two new versions of its affordable Moto G smartphone (pictured above). According to Mexican website Xataka, the two upcoming handsets will be called Moto G LTE and Moto G Ferrari.

As its name suggests, the Moto G LTE will have LTE connectivity - a feature that’s missing from the original Moto G. While the latter is currently offered in both 8GB and 16GB variants, it’s said that the new Moto G LTE will have only a 16GB model. Reportedly, the LTE-capable Moto G should cost about $260 in Mexico, where it could be released starting June. Its retail packaging might include a Motorola flip shell (normally sold for $29.99). Besides LTE, it appears that the handset will be similar to the Moto G that's already available, so it should offer Android KitKat, a 4.5-inch 720p display, 1GB of RAM, and a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor.

But what about the Motorola Moto G LTE and Moto G Ferrari coming soon? what about the Moto G Ferrari? Well, there aren’t too many details about this one. However, you may know that, in the past, Motorola released several other Ferrari-branded handsets, the most recent being the Motorola i867 Ferrari. The i867 came in a red & black combination of colors, and featured the sports car manufacturer’s logo on the front and back. So we’re thinking that the Moto G Ferrari could be red, too.

Earlier this month, Motorola released a Moto G Forte in Mexico - but this is just an original Moto G that comes with a Grip Shell out of the box.

Another alleged new Motorola smartphone that should be introduced in Latin America soon is the Moto E (which seemingly has three versions: XT1021, XT1022 and XT1025).

At the moment, we don’t know if the Moto G LTE, Moto G Ferrari and Moto E will be available around the world. But we will let you know when we find out.

Source: Xataka (translated)