Not exactly the high end CPU that we were hoping for; since the 1GHz Snapdragon is now a common feature for the average Android smart phone but that does not make the Shadow any less impressive. The device still comes packed with a 4.1 inch capacitive touch screen, 8GB of internal memory and an 8 mega pixel camera. All in all, it is still a pretty decent smart phone. The only thing that does not add up is why the specs are generally low for what was supposed to be a high-profile Android device.

It was originally rumored that the Motorola Shadow is the project that the phone manufacturer has undertaken as part of their efforts to make the next Google branded Android smart phone. Since the Nexus One already had impressive hardware specs to boot, it was an easy assumption to make that the next phone in the series would have better hardware –or at the very least, specs to match.

For many Milestone fans, this latest bit of news is certainly a disappointment –especially since the Shadow looks so much like the original DROID in terms of form factor. In fact, one can even say that the Shadow is the more stylish device of the two.

So far, Motorola has not yet announced what the final specs on this handset really are nor have they stated which version of the Android operating system it will originally have. Many are expecting the handset to come out with the newer 2.2 Froyo OS since it is expected that the phone is not going to be launched until a much later time.

Anyway, reports have indicated that the Motorola Shadow was left behind in a corporate gym in Washington that is owned by US phone network Verizon. The device was, of course, picked up and taken images of –but Motorola also has a failsafe for their prototypes; the phone can be locked remotely. Also, Motorola gets a one up over Apple since they were actually able to recover the handset on the very same time, in the very same gym, without having to get REACT operatives busting down doors. Also, no one had to get paid for the story.

Moving on to the Shadow itself, the new Motorola handset is practically all that it has been hyped up to be, and this time, the phone in the images show a more classic looking black chassis –as compared to the less interesting all white frame shown in the initial images last January. Also, it appears that the Motorola staff who claimed the device back was also a little generous with the spec details, it has been confirmed that the handset comes with a 4.3 inch capacitive touch screen, an 8 mega pixel snapper, a Snapdragon CPU, an HDMI port, 16GB of internal storage and of course, will be running the Android 2.2 Froyo when it comes out in June.

While the exact details on the Snapdragon CPU was not given, we are certainly hoping that that this might be the newer 1.3 GHz version (QSD-A, which will also be used in the HTC Mondrian WP7 handset) as opposed to the regular 1GHz version. An expected, no release date of the Shadow has been given; and there is also the possibility that like the DROID, it might come out first as a Verizon exclusive before a renamed UK version comes out.