Moto, HTC prep for CES, Best Buy to sell refurb’d iPhone 3G

Looking to turn around its struggling handset division, Motorola Inc. unveiled three new handsets it plans to show off at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The company, which has had to cut its workforce amid a company restructuring, is touting its new offerings as a way for consumers to stay “socially connected” and “socially responsible.”
The new phones include the MOTO W233 Renew, which is the first mobile phone made with plastics from recycled water bottles; the MOTOSURF A3100, a touchscreen smartphone running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile operating system; and the Tundra, a rugged clamshell handset that can be used with enterprise solutions such as TeleNav Track and Xora Mobile Workforce Management. The handset also features push-to-talk capabilities. The Tundra will be available through AT&T Mobility beginning Jan. 13 for $200 with a two-year contract.
With the Renew Motorola is catering to eco-conscious consumers. The packaging is also made from recycled material and it comes with an envelope, so a customer can return their old phone for recycling.
“From the product’s design, to the packaging to our partnership with Carbonfund.org, we wanted to ensure that this device makes the right impact with consumers and the environment,” Jeremy Dale, corporate VP of global marketing at Motorola’s Mobile Devices division, said in a statement.
The Renew will be available from T-Mobile USA Inc. in the first quarter, though no pricing was given.
The MOTOSURF will be available in various regions, including Asia and Latin America. The smartphone allows users the ability to upload documents for work, listen to music, watch videos or stay connected to social networks. It also has GPS capabilities.
Motorola’s handset division has been struggling and now ranks No. 4 in the worldwide cellphone market. It once was ranked No. 2, but the company has suffered through some tough times of late. Last year, the company announced it would spin-off its handset division and is expected to make this move sometime this year.
The company has also cut thousands of jobs and last month announced it would freeze pension plans, some salaries and suspend company contributions to employees’ 401(k) plans. The company’s top two executives also said they would take a 25% cut in base salary.
Meanwhile, Best Buy Co. Inc. announced it would begin selling refurbished Apple Inc. iPhone 3Gs for $50 less than new ones. The phones, $149 for the 8GB model or $249 for 16GB model, both require a two-year service contract and will be available at 350 stores nationwide. The company said the phones are in like-new operating condition since they were returned during a 30-day trial period.
Last week, AT&T Mobility began selling refurbished iPhones for $99 and $199.
Motorola is not the only company that will unveil new phones at this year’s CES event. HTC Corp. will unveil its S743, which features a 12-key pad design with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The unlocked 3G device runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and will be sold directly through third-party retailers. Pricing for the device was not released.