Moto-iTunes To Launch This Thursday

If you're in any other country except U.S., and watch MTV, you'll realize how closely the company is associated with music (the pic on the right is Moto's sponsorship of MTV India). And its new Razr V3 handset has completely changed the game for it...

This Thursday, Motorola is expected to announce the first handsets that will carry Apple's iTunes. And even though the handset business has been revived, carving out a lead in the emerging music-phone business may be a little trickier. The problem for Motorola and Apple is that wireless operators like Sprint are interested in setting up those stores themselves; a rival alliance by Nokia and Microsoft, announced last month, will cater to that wish. Moto CEO Ed Zander argues that consumers will demand brands like iTunes but concedes that the carriers will ultimately get the first shot at selling songs on phones. Analysts agree that the carriers have more leverage.