Motorola's next smartphone may feature edge-to-edge screen

With Motorola Mobility announcing last month that it would be axing 20 percent of its global workforce and shuting down almost a third of its offices across the world, it was apparent that the smartphone manufacturer would need to include something special in its next major mobile phone launch to make some sort of a splash. But it appears the company has taken the same view – Bloomberg reports that the next Motorola phone, due to be unveiled at an event with Verizon Wireless next week, will feature an edge-to-edge screen and work with LTE networks. According to the report, the new phone would do away with the screen bezels found on smartphones today completely, making for a device whose entire front surface would be used to maximise the screen-viewing space. May launch a bezel-free smartphone “The phone would be the most high-profile product debut for Motorola Mobility since the company was purchased by Google for about $12.5 billion. The model also would be one of the first full-screen phones in the U.S., meaning it uses the entire front of the device as a display,” the report reads. According to Bloomberg, Motorola will hold a press conference in New York on September 5 with Verizon. The report goes on to cite an anonymous source stating that the phone would go on sale later this year. September 5 is also when Nokia is planning to unveil its first Windows 8 smartphone. The new iPhone is also expected to be introduced on September 12. Motorola is certainly hard-pressed for success. Most of its market share in the smartphones business has been taken over by more successful players like Samsung and Apple. Moreover, none of its major launches this year have managed to make much of a splash. “Google, based in Mountain View, California, acquired Motorola Mobility to shore up its intellectual property and support its Android operating system, which the phone manufacturer was already using. The new phone will run Android and take advantage of the network speeds offered by Verizon’s LTE technology,” the report cited the source as saying.