Touch Cruise latest HTC device to fall to Android

With all these HTC models getting their brains rearranged to run Android, we're starting to wonder: just how necessary is the Dream? Don't get us wrong, we're pretty amped to see what kind of amazing hardware HTC's crafting to officially debut the consumer-ready cut of Android to the world, but there are plenty of very capable handsets already in the field -- and the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro should both be more than willing to donate their bodies in the name of science when the time comes, too. The latest model to get an Android port is the Polaris, also known as the Touch Cruise in production trim. At this point, the ports are still pretty raw and the level of functionality or spit and polish probably isn't what you're used to with the native WinMo installation, but they're getting there -- and considering that Android itself still has plenty of work remaining, it's an impressive feat and a promising sign of things to come for owners of older devices. Let us know how it goes if you're brave enough to give it a shot, y'hear?

Verizon XV6900 hands-on

Anyone remotely familiar with the HTC or Sprint Touch will feel right at home with Verizon's version, the XV6900. The XV6900 isn't content to just fall in line and play "me too," though -- Big Red decided to go with a blindingly glossy white finish, bucking the soft-touch black used as a staple of the Touch line, and that could be a boon or a bust depending on who you are and how you intend to use the device.

The tenets of HTC's TouchFLO interface are totally preserved from the other Touches we know and love, and thankfully, Verizon went easy with the application of bright red to the UI elements. Physically, the XV6900 is just ever-so-slightly larger than its GSM cousin -- not enough for the average person to ever notice in the course of regular use -- and the addition of 3G data is more than enough to make up for that slight difference as far as we're concerned. One thing that struck us was how much better the XV6900's display was over the original's; the overwhelming improvement in contrast is pretty striking, although to be fair, we would've never noticed had we not had them side by side. Check out the full gallery below.

Gallery: Verizon XV6900 hands-on

Motorola announces ZN200 slider in Brazil

The second model in Motorola's new ZINE line -- the ZN200 slider -- has officially broken cover, though it's with a whole hell of a lot less fanfare than the first. There are plenty of reasons for that noticeably lower-key intro, of course; a less-than-spellbinding design and unremarkable 2 megapixel camera (with no Kodak branding to be found, mind you) are the two standouts that come immediately to our attention, and the 30MB of on-board storage isn't helping the case, either. It should be launching in Brazil alongside the Z10 for 499 reais (about $311) in your choice of black or pink, and Moto'll throw in a 1GB memory card for that price, too, just 'cause they like ya.

The Motorola RAZR 2 V9x for AT&T brings GPS, non-hideous color

Shoot, all Motorola had to do was change from pink mahogany to this nice, normal, compliant shade of black, and that would've been enough of an update to justify a model name change. There's more, though: the V9x will officially offer AT&T Navigator, the Telenav-powered navigation system already found on the Z9, and we can see from these press shots that it'll even work on the secondary display, which is pretty trick. This appears to be the same update that we'd originally heard would drop way back in January, which means we can likely expect Video Share support as well. Check 'er out!

Gallery: The Motorola V9x for AT&T brings GPS, non-hideous color

Motorola A810 in pictures

Quick: name a Linux-based Motorola touchscreen phone that isn't widely distributed in North America. Oh, wait, that's all of them! In this case, "all of them" includes the little A810, a phone that's been kicking around the rumor mill since way, way back in February of this year. EDGE data and a 2 megapixel camera should help keep this one priced somewhere in the midrange, and while not necessarily attractive, it's definitely interesting to look at. Come on, you've got to give it that. Click through to the gallery if you don't believe us

Gallery: Motorola A810 in pictures