Motorola

Motorola building up its team to launch into Android

Paul Mah — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:12:25 -0400

Motorola could be readying for a major move into Google's Android platform according to reports from an Android developer approached by a headhunter to join the team. While Motorola already has 50 people on its Android team, it is working to grow that number to 350. This is a huge commitment by any measure, and shows the seriousness with which Motorola is putting on this new mobile platform. As pointed out by The Channel Wire, Motorola never managed to recapture the excitement that devices like RAZR V3 phones caused in 2004. Android, with its open sourced nature and superior web capabilities--other than the iPhone that is--might just be the ticket to really getting things moving for its mobile division again.

To read more about Motorola and Android:
- check out this TechCrunch article

ALSO NOTED: Dell continues to hint at Eee PC clone; 3G iPhone rumors abound in Italy;

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Palm's Centro looks like it's headed to Verizon as well. Article
> The OLPC project may abandon Linux. Article
> Alltel My Circle customers get an extra number for free. Article
> HP iPAQ 900 shows up at the FCC. Article
> Dell continues to hint at Eee PC clone. Article
> Further details emerge on Motorola corporate restructuring. Article
> Mamma Mia! 3G iPhone rumors abound in Italy. Article

And Finally... Brazilian criminals use Eee PC in ATM heist. Article

Sprint to launch new push-to-talk devices

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

It's been pretty quiet on the Sprint push-to-talk front for a while now, at least as far as new devices are concerned. But if Sprint CEO Dan Hesse's comments during his CTIA keynote are to be believed, the company will be reviving its push-to-talk line shortly with a slew of new devices. Unlike the previous Nextel network, the new push-to-talk service will run over Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A network and will only require one number, which can be used for both mobile calls and PTT. New devices from Motorola, Samsung, Sanyo and LG will support this new service and will launch later this year. While that's all well and good, enterprise folks will be most excited to hear that the company also plans to launch a new WiFi-equipped BlackBerry device that will support PTT, though this device will run on Nextel's iDEN network, not Sprint's EV-DO network.

For more on the announcement:
- see this CTIA Live story

Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6.1

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:59:58 -0400

While Windows Mobile 6.1's existence hasn't exactly been kept secret, it's still nice to see it out in the open: During his CTIA keynote yesterday, Microsoft President of Entertainment and Devices Robert Bach (pictured above, more photos here), officially announced the coming update to the company's mobile operating system. Among the improvements that you can expect are a more streamlined home screen, threaded SMS and easier device setup. And no, you won't have to buy a new device or resort to hackery to get Windows Mobile 6.1 in your pocket: Carriers like Alltel, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile and device manufacturers including HTC, Samsung, Motorola and Pantech have announced that there will be an officially-supported upgrade path for many of their most popular devices. This is good news for owners of handsets such as the AT&T Tilt, the Sprint Mogul and the Pantech Duo, all of which will see upgrades starting this quarter.

For more on the upgrade:
- see this Engadget article

ALSO NOTED: Verizon, T-Mobile grab more BlackBerrys; Palm 800w coming to Sprint?;

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> Verizon's lackluster CTIA phone lineup. Article
> Motorola Q9 gets lime green on Alltel, U.S. Cellular. Article
> BlackBerry 8330 coming to Verizon in May. Press Release
> A first look at the iPhone firmware 2.0 beta. Article
> Palm 800w coming to Sprint? Article
> BlackBerry Pearl 8120 coming to T-Mobile this month. Press Release

And Finally... Yet another BlackBerry 9000 sighting. Article

Motorola to spin-off handset unit

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

We've all heard the rumors, so this should come as no surprise: Motorola has decided to spin-off its struggling handset business at the behest of investors. The plan calls for the creation of two independent and publicly traded companies: Mobile Devices and Broadband & Mobility Solutions, the latter of which will house the enterprise and the home networking businesses. Motorola plans to make the move some time in 2009, and the spin-out will take the form of a tax-free distribution to shareholders.

Nearly every other detail about the strategy remains unannounced and possibly undecided. Will both companies' retain the Motorola brand? Motorola CEO Greg Brown assured callers on the investors' conference call today that he "clearly recognize[s] the importance of Motorola's brand for both companies" and that issues about branding are among those unresolved. While it's difficult to imagine the handset business losing the Motorola brand, Brown noted that the brand is also trusted on the networking and enterprise side, too. Other unresolved issues include intellectual property rights as well as shared services and systems.

For more on the plan:
- see this press release

QUICKLINKS: Verizon to open its network; LG mobile battery not a killer;

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:55 -0500

> iPhone to use Google MyLocation? Article

> Verizon to open its network. Article

> Zander out as Motorola CEO. Article

> LG phone battery not a killer. Article

Motorola moves past the Razr

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:57 -0400

It's one thing to decide that it's best to be a rather boring but successful company. It's quite another to realize that a rival, say, Apple, has taken your place as the "cool phone" maker for most of the market. Now, Motorola is getting ready to follow the winning designs of the StarTAC, Razr, and Razr2 with new phones using WiMAX, GSM LTE (Long Term Evolution), and Zigbee along with standard 3G cell technologies. Only the market will decide whether the new phones will be seen as the coolest yet, but Motorola is getting the phones ready.

For more on the next generation of Motorola phones:
- read the technology preview at WirelessWeek

iPhone transforms AT&T network

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:56 -0400

The iPhone has certainly had an impact on customer's wallets, on Apple's Mac OS release schedule and on competitors like Nokia and Motorola. Now, it seems that the device has also had an impact on AT&T's cellular network. AT&T says that network upgrades go on all the time, but 20,000 new radios seems like a significant change for a single new device. The upgrades are having an impact beyond the iPhone, though--customer churn is low, and customer satisfaction is high. With results like these, the iPhone could prove important to AT&T for a long time to come.

For more on AT&T's network upgrades:
- read the business analysis at WirelessWeek

Simplify, simplify, simplify

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

It can't be easy for wireless device vendors who are trying to decide how to build a lineup of products. This week, we see two vendors taking similar tracks as they look for wireless success. At Palm, a highly-touted product was dropped before it shipped when the Foleo didn't make it to market. The "digital companion" had been a question mark for many analysts and potential customers since its announcement, and it's a shame that the market won't get to see how many problems it might have solved, but it's difficult to argue with Palm's point of concentrating on a single operating system and platform as they go forward.

Meanwhile, Motorola is simplifying things in a different way, moving away from a strategy of occasional "home runs" to (what they hope will be) a long run of singles and doubles. More products might not sound very simple, but a lineup built on filling multiple niches well can be far simpler that one that looks to create intermittent monster hits that do everything for everyone.

Both of these announcements speak to vendors acknowledging a market in which most customers know what they want--the simplest, most affordable platform delivering their preferred mix of functions. It's a great place for the market to be and will allow more and more companies to simplify their strategy while serving the needs of the customer. -Curtis