Yahoo Finance Moto X: Google's Custom Phone Has 250 Styles
Motorola says its latest smartphone - the first to be assembled in America - will be custom built in more than 250 different styles.
The Moto X, which is expected to go on sale in the US next month, is the first flagship device unveiled by the company since it was bought by Google (NasdaqGS: GOOG - news) last year for $12.5bn (£8.3bn).
In a market dominated by Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) and Samsung, Motorola hopes changeable covers, available in a choice of materials and colours, will help the handset stand out.
Initially, only AT&T (NYSE: T - news) will offer the customisation option, giving customers a choice of 18 colours for the back of the phone, two for the front and seven metallic accents for details like the volume button.
The back cover will also be available in four different types of wood in the future, with personalised phones shipped to consumers within five days of an order being placed.
A standard version of the handset will be offered by Verizon (NYSE: VZ - news) , Sprint and T-Mobile.
The Moto X, which runs on the Android operating system, is expected to retail at around $200 (£130).
Google says the phone can be set to continually listen for its owner's voice and respond to certain commands, without voice activation having to be switched on using a button.
Although many of its components are manufactured overseas, the handset will be labelled as being made in the US.
Production has been moved to Fort Worth, Texas, amid rising labour costs in China.
The factory making the Moto X is run by Flextronics International (NasdaqGS: FLEX - news) , a Singapore-based contract electronics manufacturer, and is expected to employ 2,000 people.
Google is backing the launching with a big marketing campaign as it seeks to claw back some of the money it spent acquiring Motorola and the $1.7bn the division has accumulated in operating losses since then.
The workforce at Motorola, which has just a 1% share of the global smartphone market, has been slashed to 4,600 people, down from 20,300 in 2012.
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