Nowadays most people know Motorola through various hip products made by the US company, such as the ultra-slim RAZR mobile phone models.

Such funky models have helped Motorola refashion itself as a design-driven handset maker at a time when fashion-conscious people are calling for consumer electronic devices that make a personal statement, such as Apple Inc''s iPod music players. Such hip models have been rocking the global market, which helps the US firm regain much share it lost in the past years.

In China, one of the most competitive handset markets in the world, Motorola has also staged a remarkable comeback with a slew of hip gadgets, including a model specifically designed for Chinese professional.

A pen-based and Linux-powered smartphone model, with its svelte design and a clear flip-over, has become a run-away success story in China. On November 29, Motorola said it had sold 2 million such phones branded as Ming in China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao, since its launch in March.

This has set a new record in China''s fast-growing market for smartphones, which combine the functions of handsets and PDAs (personal digital assistants), according to Michael Tatelman, Motorola''s corporate vice-president and general manager of its Mobile Devices Business in North Asia.

Ming phones now control half of the market for pen-based smartphones in China. That represents a hard-won battle for Motorola. In China''s GSM mobile phone market, more than 1,800 models were competing for consumers'' attention by August, according to retail tracking firm GFK China.

The wining DNA of the Ming-branded model is Motorola''s flexible adaptability to Chinese tastes. The Ming model was "entirely conceived, designed, developed and manufactured in China, in order to meet the specific and particular needs of China''s sophisticated modern mobile consumers," said Tatelman.

The bright display, clear flip-over, high-resolution camera, superb handwriting recognition, Pocket Office suite and business card reader makes the Ming model a "must have" for executives who also follow fashion. Ming, in Chinese, means bright.

Unlike other markets, pen-based handsets are popular in China as complicated Chinese characters can be tedious to type, while Chinese mobile phone users have a big fascination with short text messages.

Market leader Nokia in 2003 launched a pen-based phone, which later became one of the best-selling models in China. But Motorola''s strong technological strength helped its own pen-based phones take the market by storm. The firm holds about 100 patents related to intelligent handwriting technologies, which ensures rapid recognition and accuracy.

"Our success in China comes down to making handsets that Chinese consumers want to own, that they must have," said Tatelman.

"We spend tremendous resources on not only bringing RAZR and KRZR to China and tweaking them for local tastes, but also in creating devices in China that are designed for Chinese users - like Ming."

The success of Ming phones underlines how Motorola is rapidly expanding its portfolio to address different user groups with cutting-edge designs.

The firm will launch an entertainment PDA, MOTOROKR E6, the first of its kind, at ITU World Telecom 2006 in Hong Kong.

Tatelman hopes the new model will help business executives enjoy the entertainment offerings on the go.

"You can watch videos, make your own videos, take photos, share photos, play games, and enjoy all of your music - it is a top of the line entertainment handset, and we''ve gone one step further: we''ve built into it a fully capable PDA, including features like our business card reader," he said.

"And the reason we''ve done this is that we''ve discovered something interesting - many young professionals want fully featured entertainment devices, but they also need to have a PDA to help them manage their lives and work. MOTOROKR E6 elegantly combines both of these devices into a single, stylish handset."

Motorola chose Hong Kong to launch the new model in Asia, highlighting the growing importance of the Chinese market, which is rapidly embracing the products as fashion statements.

Motorola was the largest handset maker in China for years, until 2004 when the crown was snatched by Nokia. But Motorola has become one of the fastest-growing brands in recent months in China''s handset market, thanks to its fashionable models, which has helped close the gap with its arch rival Nokia.

According to Beijing-based Sino Market Research, Motorola had a 13 per cent share of China''s handset market last October. In July, the figure climbed to 22 per cent.

In July, six models by Motorola were among the top 10 best-selling mobile phone models in China, according to Sino Market Research.

The MotoRAZR V3 and Ming accounted for a 2.6 per cent and 1.21 per cent share respectively.

Tatelman said more cool models are in the pipeline. "You are going to be blown away (by the new models)," he said.

The improving distribution and retail networks could also give a boost to Motorola''s handset sales in China. A slow response to adapt its sales and distribution strategy to a fast-growing and geographically complicated market has been a major reason behind Motorola''s losing to Nokia.

Motorola in the past months has been aggressively opening flagship stores in China and plans to open 500 branded stores in third- or fourth-tier cities in China in the future.

The firm even opened a retail store up in the heights of Lhasa in Tibet in late November, which Tatelman billed as "another example of our unique approach to retail."

"We want to make discovering and purchasing a Motorola phone a more enjoyable and memorable experience," he said.

"These are cool devices - buying them should be fun, and we''re going to bring that experience to consumers all over China, not just the big cities on the coast."

Last month, Motorola and China''s top electronics retailer Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings Ltd signed a retail co-branding partnership which will see Gome open Motorola shops-within-shops inside 30 of its largest stores across China.

It has also signed a deal with Shenzhen Telling Telecom Development Co to supply 12 million mobile phones worth US$1.6 billion to the Chinese distributor next year. -China Daily