Motorola debuts Moto G smartphone

Motorola has unveiled its Moto G smartphone, aimed at developing markets and buyers seeking high-end performance at a lower price point. Motorola -- owned by Google -- announced the Moto G from Brazil where, as in many countries, consumers generally buy smartphones and other devices at the full retail price, as opposed to the United States where buyers usually sign contracts to get phones at subsidized prices. The Moto G is available in Brazil now and will come to other Latin American markets in the coming weeks, InformationWeek reported Wednesday. The Moto G features a 4.5-inch 720p HD screen and a quad-core 1.5-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1 GB of RAM. The Moto G, unlocked and unsubsidized, will sell for $179 for an 8 GB model and $199 for a 16 GB model, Motorola said -- a third of the full retail price of flagship devices from companies such as Apple, Samsung and HTC. The Moto G will be available in the United States beginning in January, InformationWeek said.