Orange has announced that it will begin offering Motorola’s first Android smartphone next month. The new handset, which will be called the DEXT in Europe, is based upon the Motorola CLIQ that was announced for T-Mobile USA last week. It will be available in early October free for customers with a two year contract and a 34.26 GBP per month plan.

The Android powered QWERTY smartphone features a large touchscreen display and offers Motorola’s MOTOBLUR user interface for simple social networking and messaging. Other notable features include a 5 megapixel shooter for pics and video, GPS navigation, and 3G connectivity.

Specifications for the Motorola DEXT

Operating System Android 1.5

Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, UMTS 900/1700/2100

Data GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA/WiFi

Size 114mm x 58mm x 15.6mm (2.2in x 4.5in x 0.6in)

Weight 163g (5.7oz)

Battery 1420mAh

Battery Life Not specified

Main Display HVGA (320 x 480 pixels) touchscreen

Camera 5.0 megapixel autofocus

Video Record/Playback 24fps

Messaging SMS/MMS/IM

Email IMAP4/POP3/Exchange

Bluetooth Yes

Memory microSD card slot (2GB max included)

Availability October, 2009 (manufacturer’s estimate)

Other GPS, e-compass, social networking integration, MOTOBLUR