Will Motorola make T-Mobile's next Google Android phone?

Those of us in the gadget biz feel a little bad for Motorola.

After a huge hit with the Razr, the company just hasn't seemed to grasp the attention of the fickle U.S. consumer. No matter how many zany handsets the company produces, it remains (along with Nokia) as the has-beens of the U.S. mobile world. The growing popularity of the smartphone only served to underline this.

But a possible rebirth may be coming. BuyGeniusReport is saying that the successor to the HTC-manufactured T-Mobile G1 smartphone -- still the only mobile handset in the wild running Google Android, though not for long -- may actually be made by Motorola.

Gasp! Shock! Can Moto get its mojo back?

Here's a look at the device in question:

At this point I'm not willing to guess as to which design cues on this image indicate Motorola influence (rather than HTC, Apple, RIM or Palm), but I am willing to say this: if Motorola hops on the rapidly accelerating Google Android train with gusto, the battle for smartphone glory will become a full-scale war.

I'm not the only one who thinks so, either. In "Fixing Motorola's mess: kick that smartphone strategy into high gear," ZDNet senior editor Sam Diaz shows why the company balance book needs another hit, fast. And in "How vulnerable are the iPhone and BlackBerry juggernauts? Very," ZDNet editor in chief Larry Dignan notes that the proliferation of competition means it will be much harder for Apple and RIM to sit on top -- and much easier for the consumer to get a better deal.