Motorola Reports Deeper Losses, Bets Phone Business on Android

By Geoff Duncan April 30, 2009

Motorola Reports Deeper Losses, Bets Phone Business on Android

Motorola used to be the darling of the cell phone industry, with its RAZR line of phones at one point redefining the mobile landscape. But the company was never able to follow up on that success, and Motorola’s handset business has been in a steady downward spiral ever since. The company’s latest quarterly financial results just solidify the trend, with handset sales in the first quarter of 2009 down 23 percent from the previous quarter to 14.7 million units. Overall, Motorola is posting a $231 million loss for the quarter, an increase from the $194 million it lost during the previous quarter. Overall sales revenue was down to $5.4 billion from $7.5 billion.

Motorola recently scrapped plans to spin off its money-losing handset business—in all likelihood because the company couldn’t find a suitable buyer. Now, Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha is betting the company’s smartphone future on Google’s Android platform—and says Motorola will be offering them to consumers in time for the end-of-year holiday buying season. “differentiated Android-based devices in stores in time for the fourth-quarter holiday season. “Customer feedback on our smartphone roadmap remains very positive,” Jha said in a statement. “We plan to have differentiated Android-based devices in stores in time for the fourth-quarter holiday season.”

Motorola will be a little late to the Android market, with T-Mobile already having pushed over a million G1 handsets into consumer’s hands over the last several months. Motorola is also working with Microsoft on future mobile devices running Windows Mobile.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Mobile

How to use iMessage on an Android phone or tablet

iMessage on an iPhone 14 Pro Max, plus iMessage on an Android phone using the Beeper app.

One of the big draws of iPhone and Mac is the iMessage software. This texting app makes it easy to stay connected to friends and family, and many users point to it as a key reason they stay within the Apple ecosystem – venture off to Android, and you'll be stuck with third-party apps or standard text chats.

However, that's not actually the case anymore. While Apple's iMessage software is exclusive to iOS and you won't find it in the Google Play Store, a new app called Beeper lets you access the iMessage platform. The universal chat app works with a variety of texting software beyond iMessage, making it a one-stop-shop for all your communication needs.

Mobile

Motorola is having a big sale on its foldable phones — from $500

Apps on the Motorola Razr Plus.

Foldable phones are making a comeback, and if you're interested in buying one as your next device, you should check out Motorola's ongoing sale. You can get the Motorola Razr 2023 for only $500, following a $200 discount on its original price of $700, or the Motorola Razr Plus 2023 for just $700, for savings of $300 on its sticker price of $1,000. We're not sure how much time is remaining before these foldable phone deals expire though, so it's highly recommended that you proceed with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on either of these bargains.
Motorola Razr 2023 -- $500, was $700

Motorola Razr Plus 2023 -- $700, was $1,000

Mobile

Android phones finally have their own version of AirTags

Renders of Chipolo's new Point trackers that work with Google's Find My Device network.

Google's new Find My Device tracking service will soon launch with an important third-party provider. Chipolo has announced two new trackers for the service: the Chipolo One Point item tracker and the Chipolo Card Point wallet finder.

By offering these trackers, Chipolo will be among the first companies in the market to provide trackers that work with Google's new tracking network. Google announced its new Find My Device network last year. In short, it's Google's answer to Apple's Find My network. Find My Device can use other nearby Android devices to track your lost phone, item tracker, etc. — just like how Find My uses iPhones and other Apple devices to locate lost iPhones and AirTags.