Motorola Mobility is very much back in the mobile devices fray with its latest launches, and the focus is consumer choice.

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

September 5, 2014

2 Min Read
Motorola Mobility Revives Its Gadget Mojo

CHICAGO -- Motorola is letting consumers know it isn't backing off the mobile scene before it's taken over by Chinese leadership with the launch of four new devices on Friday: the next-generation Motorola X smartphone; the Moto G, an update to its best-selling smartphone ever; the tiny Motorola Hint Bluetooth; and the Moto 360 smart watch.

To kick off the launch of its new gadget portfolio, Motorola Mobility LLC took reporters to its Chicago headquarters for a detailed look at how the devices are designed, made and tested. See what the Motorola team had to show us by checking out our slide show, Pics: Motorola's New Gadgets.

Motorola has had a tumultuous past few years, being acquired in 2012 by Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) only to be sold to Lenovo Group Ltd. (Hong Kong: 992) just two years later, a deal that's slated to close later this year. (See Lenovo to acquire Motorola Mobility, Lenovo to Buy Motorola From Google?, Asia Strengthens Its Grip on Smartphone Market and Google Closes $12.5B Motorola Deal.)

The company went from struggling to maintain relevancy to achieving a 60% growth rate year-on-year in the first quarter of 2014, to 130% growth in the second quarter, according to new President Rick Osterloh. It's still not enough to grab a sizeable chunk of market share, but it's hoping to reverse its fortunes with its new line of devices.

Although it's one of many Android competitors in the market, Osterloh said its strategy is now centered completely on personalization and choice. That's obvious in its new devices, for which consumers can choose the color, the material, the accessories and how they interact with them. And, it's offering all this at a price that undercuts much of the competition. The Moto X will retail for $99 on contract or $499 unlocked when it debuts in the US later this month.

"Our focus is all about giving consumers the power of choice," Osterloh said. "We think with this generation of products, we're going to really emphasize that more and more."

For more on new gadgets, check out our dedicated devices/smartphones content channel here on Light Reading.

Of course, its biggest challenge will be that customers have a lot of choices in the market, both in the Android camp and otherwise. Samsung Corp. , its biggest Android rival, held its own launch event in New York this week to launch three new devices, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge and the Gear VR. Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) is expected to announce its latest iPhone 6 at an event on Tuesday. And, next week is the CTIA 's annual show, Super Mobility Week, which could see a launch or two of its own.

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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