This morning T-Mobile released the new Motorola CLIQ XT Android smartphone.  The third handset in the CLIQ line is a touchscreen-only device (no hardware keyboard) with Motorola’s MOTOBLUR widget-powered social networking software included.  The CLIQ XT can be purchased today for $129 with a two-year service agreement from T-Mobile retail stores or from the company’s web site.

Today’s announcement also included interesting (and expected) Windows Phone news; the company confirmed that March 24 is the date for the release of the HTC HD2 Windows Phone.  The cost with a service agreement will be $199.  This information was provided to us by an inside source earlier in the month.

AT&T Mobility has held out on offering Android-powered phones, presumably because of its exclusivity agreement with Apple vis-à-vis the iPhone.  But today the carrier begins offering its first Android smartphone, the Motorola Backflip. 

The Backflip is a Motorola CLIQ variant.  The two handsets share most of the same specs and features, but the Backflip has a somewhat novel design.  Rather than the traditional slide-to-hide QWERTY keyboard form factor, the Backflip’s keyboard is the phone’s back piece.  To use the keyboard, the screen folds out and back.

The Motorola Backflip is $99 with a two-year service agreement and a $100 mail-in rebate.

Visit the Motorola Backflip Information Center…

UPDATE: LetsTalk.com has the Motorola Backflip on sale free at checkout with a $50 mail-in rebate on top of that.

According to Neowin, March 23 is the day a Verizon Wireless version of the Google Nexus One will begin shipping. It is unclear from the story whether Verizon will be selling its Nexus One directly or if the CDMA version will only be sold through Google’s current retail portal.

This information is not official and was given to Neowin by “a Google worker who wishes to remain anonymous.”  But we do know that the Nexus One has always been destined for Verizon Wireless.

Adobe AIR is a runtime environment that’s brought us a few pretty interesting (and visually impressive) applications over the past couple of years.  Perhaps the most attractive aspect of AIR is that it’s cross-platform, so developers can write apps for AIR that users running Windows, the Mac OS, or Linux can download and enjoy.

Now Adobe is working on getting AIR on mobile devices. And this could be important since such an environment running on multiple device types (Android, Windows Phone, etc.) could make cross-platform software design and distribution a simpler process.

It’s easy to imagine AIR coming to Windows Mobile (or Windows Phone 7) smartphones, and to Android devices (as shown below), but Apple allowing Adobe AIR – an application that could conceivably allow users to bypass the App Store – on the iPhone or iPad just doesn’t seem like a safe bet at this point.

Take a look at the video below to see AIR apps running on the Android-powered Motorola Droid, or for more information on Adobe AIR, visit the Adobe AIR web page.

via Download Squad

This year is gearing up to be a good one if you’re an AT&T customer looking for Android-powered phones.  The thus-far-Android-shy carrier will be supporting and/or selling at least two top-tier Android handsets within the next few months.

First, Google will launch an AT&T 3G-friendly version of the Nexus One later this year.  And as if that weren’t enough for Android fans, new information suggests the wireless carrier will also launch its own version of the HTC Desire in or around June.

The Desire is a recently-announced Nexus One sibling powered by the same 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. Other features include a 3.7” AMOLED touchscreen, 576MB of RAM, GPS, a 5MP autofocus camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Android 2.1.

Because of its close relationship with Apple, AT&T remains the only one of the major four U.S. wireless carriers to not offer Android phones to its customers.  That will change on March 7, when AT&T launches the CLIQ variant, the Motorola Backflip.