Already known for setting a high benchmark in terms of cell phone style and functionality, Motorola appears to be upping the ante even further this summer. Motorola has unveiled three new devices, each with its own particular focus, for release later this year: the style-minded RAZR2, the message-centric MOTO Q 9, and the Motorola Z8, geared towards mobile entertainment and multimedia. Here’s a closer look at these three new Motorola cell phones.

The RAZR2

Like its predecessor the RAZR, The RAZR2’s main selling point is style, and lots of it. Measuring in at two millimeters thinner than the already iconically thin RAZR, the RAZR2 also promises increased durability and aesthetic appeal with the addition of stainless-steel materials, a soft-touch back, and the glossy finish the RAZR is generally famous for.

To complement its sleek new look, the RAZR2 also aims for an improved user experience. The RAZR2 sports a host of new features, including a revamped user interface for easier contact searching, a huge external display (2″ external, 2.2″ internal), real-time point-to-point video that allows other wireless customers to “See What I See,” and the ability to quickly send pre-programmed messages with the cell phone closed. The RAZR2’s impressive multimedia features include Windows Media Player 11, integrated Bluetooth, and a 2.0 megapixel camera with an auto-snap feature for taking up to eight pictures at one time and choosing the best of the lot.

With all these features in a sleek, glossy RAZR package, the RAZR2 looks to be the new show-off cell phone for the summer. The RAZR2 is expected to roll out in July.

The MOTO Q 9: Unbeatable Smartphone Messaging

Where the RAZR2 focuses mostly on chic, Motorola’s new MOTO Q 9 concentrates on powerful messaging and communications features, with an eye towards mobile enterprise as well as the casual cell phone user. Although it’s expressly built for superior communications, the MOTO Q 9 smartphone is nonetheless still stylish, with a slim profile and instantly recognizable Motorola design.

Like the RAZR2, the MOTO Q 9 seeks to improve on the user interface of previous smartphones, featuring a built-in QWERTY keyboard designed for optimum messaging speed. The MOTO Q 9 can handle up to eight different messaging and email inboxes (including Hotmail, AOL, Gmail, Yahoo or third-party POP email), as well as SMS and MMS messages, Web applications, and a variety of enterprise software applications. Like the other cell phones in Motorola’s summer lineup, the MOTO 9 Q also promises better call clarity with Motorola’s CrystalTalk technology, ensuring that the MOTO 9 Q’s other features don’t eclipse its usefulness as a cell phone.

While its main focus lies in powerful communications features, the MOTO Q 9 still has plenty to offer in terms of multimedia. The MOTO Q 9 features a 2.0 megapixel camera with 15 FPS video capture, built-in Bluetooth, and 256 MB of onboard memory (expandable to 2 GB), making it an incredibly full-featured smartphone. Another attractive new feature is Motorola’s “adaptive display technology,” a series of light sensors on the smartphone which adjust the MOTO Q 9’s screen and keyboard brightness depending on ambient light levels, increasing readability and saving battery life.

The MOTO Q 9 is expected to be out in European markets anytime now, and should be available Stateside in the coming months.

The MOTO Z8: Mobile Gaming on the Go

In sharp contrast to the business-minded MOTO Q 9, Motorola’s flashy MOTO Z8 aims to tap into the ever-expanding mobile entertainment market with an impressive suite of multimedia, gaming, and video features. The MOTO Z8 is simply packed with multimedia, with a bigger entertainment package than any other smartphone currently on the market.

Described as a “media monster,” the MOTO Z8 is expressly built for entertainment, with a unique “kick-slider” design and an impressive color display that presents video in either portrait or landscape mode. The MOTO Z8 also sports ultra-fast 3.6 Mbps music downloads and a whopping 32 GB of optional expanded memory — enough to hold twelve full-length movies or seventy hours of music. To show off the entertainment horsepower of the MOTO Z8, Motorola will ship the smartphone with a full-length feature film (The Bourne Identity) already preloaded, along with a ROKR S9 stereo Bluetooth 11 headset.

In addition to the other standard smartphone features (Bluetooth, media player, digital camera), the MOTO Z8 will also incorporate mobile TV access from CNN, BSkyB, and Podcast.com. The MOTO Z8 will also ship with a mobile demo copy of EA’s SSX3, with the promise for more high-powered gaming to come by the time the Z8 is available in the States.

The MOTO Z8 will be out in Europe and Asia this coming June.