Motorola Moving to Android, Windows Mobile for Smartphones

nerdyH writes "Motorola will ditch its MotoMAGX Linux stack and UIQ Symbian stack in favor of Google's Android Linux/Java stack and Windows Mobile 6.5 and 7, it announced today. The news comes after five years selling millions of Linux phones in Asia, and after a year during which many of Motorola's top US phones used the homegrown Linux stack. Motorola's current Linux phones in the US include the RAZR2 v8, E8, EM30, U9, ZN4, and ZN5." This also comes alongside news that Motorola's financial hardships are causing them to cut 3,000 jobs. It also puts into perspective their recent plans to hire hundreds of Android developers.

Comments

Let's hope they come with better software

[plover]

Maybe this means they'll finally deliver a non-buggy app suite. I think Motorola has been suffering because of the quality of their software. I have had very few problems with the hardware I've owned that weren't software based. (I don't blame Motorola for the broken hinge on my son's RAZR.) I like that they have adopted many standards, such as mini-USB connectors on every device that are used for both data and charging, they've been a big supporter of the Bluetooth SIG, and their attempt to go with Linux (even though they kind of went off on their own with MotoMAGX.) I even bought a Z6 from them earlier this year for geeky reasons: the Linux OS and the fact that they sell them unlocked directly to consumers.

I hope that they do survive their current turmoil, and an Android stack is pretty exciting (even though it's a year late) because that promises a large suite of apps.

Re:Let's hope they come with better software

[glebd]

Unfortunately, Motorola phones seem to suck in quite a platform-independent, or shall we say, portable way.

Re:Let's hope they come with better software

[lysergic.acid]

mini-USB connectors are definitely a huge plus. the last time i went to Best Buy was while accompanying a friend to get a data link cable for his phone (i forget which model it was), and after looking at 10-12 different link cables, we still couldn't find one that fit the proprietary data port on his phone. the closest thing we saw was an "All-in-One Cell Phone Data Transfer Suite" which came with 10 different cables for various brands of phones, but it cost something like $90.

there's absolutely no reason to use a proprietary connector for what is basically just a USB port. it would be so much easier, and more convenient, for consumers if all handset makers just used mini-USB connectors like everyone else. you don't see digital cameras or external hard drives coming with their own proprietary USB/FireWire ports. it's such a blatant attempt by handset makers to rip off their customers with overpriced data cables--which they usually have to buy separately in addition to requiring a different one for each handset.

i mean, if you wouldn't put up with this kind of scumbag business move with your external hard drive, digital cameras, or MP3 players, then why would you put up with it with your cell phone? heck, my PSP uses Sony's overpriced Memory Stick Pro Duo format instead of the more universal Micro SD format, but it still uses a standard mini-USB connector like pretty much all other portable devices.

Re:Let's hope they come with better software

[wall0159]

"you wouldn't put up with this kind of scumbag business move with ... MP3 players"

you mean like the ipod?

(I say this as the owner of an ipod nano)

Re:Let's hope they come with better software

[samkass]

Actually, almost all the cars in the world these days have factory options for iPod/iPhone rechargers. Almost none have options for USB chargers.

Considering the ubiquity of iPod connectors in planes, computers, clock radios, cars, etc., I wish the Chinese had chosen it instead of mini USB. If you have a mini USB phone, about the only thing you can use to charge it is a computer, and that's not very convenient.

Re:Let's hope they come with better software

[rbanffy]

That was mean. They deserve it.

Re:Let's hope they come with better software

[fermion]

Recall that the dock connector was not developed as a USB connector. It was developed as a firewire connector, which could also use USB. While this capability is not useful for most people, and therefore not worth the extra hassle, it at least somewhat justifies the existence of the $30 cable.

I recall when I bought my mini, and how nice it was to have firewire and not to have to wait forever for the music to load over the slow USB port. I also recall leaving the cable plugged into the back of my hard disk, and charging the mini even if the computer was off. Of course now USB ports are as fast as the old firewire, and the iPod/iPhone has not used firewire for data for years, which meant I had to waste money on a USB Hub, and I believe the newer iPod cannot even charge over firewire, so the dock connector is definitely an anachronism. But it is not like MS/IBM/Nokia arbitrary decision to bork the standard.

OTOH, the iPod/iPhone line is based on the dock connector, so it is not going to be given up without a fight, not from Apple, but from consumers. The USB micro standard may work, except for the fact that most of us have tons of the depreciated mini USB cables, so it still look like an excuse to make us buy new cables.

Re:Let's hope they come with better software

[Dr_Barnowl]

Great, so you have to buy a new car to get the charger... or an accessory to plug into the 12V cigar lighter socket.

You can also get 12V lighter socket chargers for USB, and wall outlet chargers with USB sockets on too these days.

I wish Apple had chosen a standard instead of their proprietary connector, but it obviously has more functions than just power and data. An mini-usb with a small extension for the extra lones that was physically compatible with a standard connector (for just data and power) might have been nice though.

Linux to Android? Hmm...

[Anonymous Coward]

In other words, they're switching from Linux (custom stack) to Linux (standardized stack). Normally such a move is lauded; Motorola needs to do less to upkeep their stack, offloading the work onto Google and the community. It helps standardize their software more, meaning that software can move from Motorola Phone #1 to Samsung Phone #8, which even with Java it's damned hard to do today.

It's news, but it's not earthshattering news.

Re:Linux to Android? Hmm...

[Chandon Seldon]

In other words, they're switching from Linux (custom stack) to Linux (standardized stack).

Or the opposite, if you remember that Android supports neither native Linux applications nor J2ME applications.

Motorola, the new Palm

[SuperKendall]

Motorola going to Android, ditching old crufty phone OS'es - a fantastic idea.

But they follow the ill-fated palm of Palm in dividing resources, by going both with Android and Windows Mobile! When Palm pulled that move they lost focus, and products suffered as a result. I can't help but forsee the same fate engulfing Motorola as they go further down the path of becoming a has-been...

I don't know what company will take Android to the heights it could achieve, but now I don't think it will be Motorola.

Re:Motorola, the new Palm

[LingNoi]

They're probably balancing on the fence keeping their options open. I doubt they'd keep two code bases maintained.

Re:Motorola, the new Palm

[lysergic.acid]

i wonder if HTC has adopted a similar strategy. they used to use Windows Mobile exclusively for all of their handsets, but now that they're in the Open Handset Alliance and have produced the Dream/G1, does that mean they're going to be an all-android handset manufacturer, or are they still going to keep making Windows Mobile handsets?

i guess since Android is still a nascent and largely an untested platform, most OHA members probably aren't going to put all of their eggs in one basket just yet. but perhaps in a year or two, once Android has proven itself commercially, companies like Motorola will be more willing to commit themselves to the platform and drop Windows Mobile.

Re:Motorola, the new Palm

[TubeSteak]

IMO, none of this matters if the Cell Carrier is allowed to fark up the handset manufacturer's hard work with a custom firmware that strips out features.

WinMo upgrades

[mrsteveman1]

Last WinMo device i had, the manufacturer simply didn't feel like updating the software for my specific device when a new version came out, even though it could in fact support the newer version. A hardware manufacturer shouldn't have that level of control over the software.

That was the last WinMo device i bought and it's going to stay that way. Of course most of these upgrades to WinMo amount to "Now with 15% less suck!" so I'm sure i wasn't missing much, but it annoyed me into never buying one again.

Re:WinMo upgrades

[mlts]

I have had a WinMo device which people cleverly made a custom ROM for WM6 (it was a WM5 device). This allowed encryption of the MiniSD memory card, as well as the ability to have the phone erase itself on command from an Exchange server.

Its worked well for me for daily use, but I don't see many new apps coming out for WM, nor much interest in new stuff, other than minor software updates.

It seems like everyone and their dog has seemed to have dumped Symbian, Blackberry, and WM for iPhone SDKs and placement on Apple's store. Because of this (since I was working on a cellphone RPG), I probably will end up moving to an iPhone sooner or later to not get left behind in the market, should I actually write something that is publishable.

Wanted

[Gastrobot]

Android Developer Must have BS in computer science or related field or equivalent experience. Minimum 5 years developing applications to run on Google's Android. Java certification a plus!

Re:Shameless plug

[Ethanol-fueled]

That looks like a newer version of the L6.

My L6 has been durable, fantastic, and simple with no problems except for one: the buttons are way too damn small.

It's great for the ladies or for very small hands in general but I have to use my finer motor skills else I get the keypad-mashing effect.

Android developers?

[Hurricane78]

First the outsource to india, and now robots??

The take our jooobs!

Dey dak err jaaabs!!

Dek uuur dewwww!!!

All they need to do...

[MikeRT]

Is bring a good competitor to the G1 to Verizon. I don't know what most states are like, but almost everyone I know who doesn't own an iPhone uses Verizon in Virginia. If they could get a quality Android-based product available for $200-$300 on the Verizon network, they'd see a huge surge in sales in this state.

Re:All they need to do...

[Ritz_Just_Ritz]

Verizon doesn't want something open. They want to own your ass from the cradle to the grave. Android does not fit in their business model. If you want more functionality, they want you to PAY for it (and pay...and pay again).

Except CDMA phones = not for Sprint

[gelfling]

Sprint will continue to do what it does slow, weird, late and expensive.

Re:Except CDMA phones = not for Sprint

[mlts]

Sprint needs to turn themselves around. First, they need to get G4 service or WiMax out there nationwide, as perhaps an alternative for home Internet service other than DSL or cable. Second, they need to make people want to buy their stuff. There are a couple cool Sprint phones, but most people tend to either buy a free (with plan) handset, or an iPhone. The low end handset does what most people want... take/receive calls, some text messaging, basic addressbook. The iPhone has pretty much locked up the smartphone department, except for corporations, where Blackberries and Windows Mobile devices are used (because both offer very good security... Blackberries allow remote erasure, duress codes, remote locking, and the ability to use a CAC card reader. Windows Mobile devices allow for remote erasure. Both can encrypt their memory cards.)

What Sprint has is a lot of bandwidth. The iDEN network for example. They need to leverage this and try to get WiMax out. Then, they will have an alternative revenue stream and not have to worry as much about the whims of cellphone fashion.

Re:Except CDMA phones = not for Sprint

[pcolaman]

When you call the iPhone a smartphone, god kills a kitten. Apple determines what software is allowable on the iPhone, and most of the apps on it are for entertainment purposes or is garbage. The main use for the thing, as admitted by Apple, is to basically have an iPod phone that delivers your need for both a cell phone and a music/video device. The iPhone isn't even in the same sentence as phones such as some of those made by RIM, HTC, etc in the smartphone argument. It's a music/video/toy phone. As far as WiMax, I believe in the technology but not that it will save Sprint. They have far too many financial and other issues that will end up crippling the company. Actually, wouldn't be shocked if they spin off the WiMax portion completely and just keep it called Clearwire, and then sell off Nextel. You laugh, but laugh when this becomes a reality in less than 5 years.

Re:Shameless plug

[coastwalker]

As a European who uses text more than calling this is an endemic problem with cell phones - they are universally crap for texting because of small buttons. Maybe now that the super hype of money for nothing style over substance shallow consumerism has landed each and every one of us with a tax bill of a couple of hundred thousand dollars of future taxation to pay off fucking barking mad asset inflation - we can get back to consumer goods that do what we need them to do rather than some marketing droids dream of what might look cool in a Disney movie.

So lets get back to a user interface that works and a phone with a decent battery life instead of useless bits of fantastic technology dedicated to looking great and being totally useless in practice. I am sure that Motorola engineers, like engineers in every company that has been sucked into the vacuous dream world we have been living in will come up with the goods. Android is an excellent platform to move forward with IMHO.

mini usb connectors on phones

[nido]

The chinese government has decided that, in the future, all phones will be required to use the humble USB port for charging.

I have a Motorola phone with the USB port, and was quite distraught to find that it wouldn't charge when I plugged it into my computer. WTF? There's a russian site online that shows how to short a USB cable so it can charge. I eventually found that if I installed Motorola's drivers it'd charge just fine.

Re:mini usb connectors on phones

[Dr_Barnowl]

I believe the USB port in Windows will only supply power when the device is identified, to save power.

Of course, if the phone has no power, this is a monstrous inconvenience. I've taken to carrying a wind-up LED torch with a charger socket ; that way, I can prolong talk time when the battery is low and I have no outlet, and when it's flat, I can give it enough juice for the computer to charge it.

I'm not sure whether Ubuntu will charge it with a flat battery either, I must try that. But it certainly seems to have a driver out of the box that will let it charge.

Re:Obama voted AGAINST mobile phone research!

[Anonymous Coward]

FYI: This same story gets posted all the time, sometimes (I believe) with different people as the target/subject. So, really, just a copy/paste with some editing, not much time involved.

Focus on the hardware

[gtada]

Motorola's software is on par with Sony's (absolutely horrendous). They really need to just focus on making solid hardware with appealing industrial design.

I tried writing software for the A780, a very interesting hardware platform with a built-in GPS. But, they never allowed access to the GPS and the other interesting bits. Really short-sighted... why would anyone want to write software for a platform sandboxed to hell?

Java, Java, Java, Java,

[Alex Belits]

Java, Java, Java, Java,
Java, Java, Java, Java,

mushroom(*), mushroom!

Java, Java, Java, Java,
Java, Java, Java, Java,
Java, Java, Java, Java,

mushroom, mushroom!

Java, Java, Java, Java,
Java, Java, Java, Java,
Java, Java, Java, Java,

Oh, snake(**), oh, snake! Oh, it's a snake!

--
(*) Obviously a hallucinogenic kind that they have at Google if they think, Java is appropriate for mobile devices

(**) Python that ironically is also developed by a person who works for Google -- and would be more appropriate for the purpose.

Re:Bright Move?

[Guy Harris]

I'm actually pretty sure WinMo isn't the most common smartphone platform - that distinction probably goes to RIM, and if not then S60. But Nokia has a much smaller presence in the US than in Europe and Asia. I'm pretty sure RIM has the most smartphones overall.

Gartner's Q2 2008 worldwide statistics by OS put Symbian first, followed by RIM, followed by Windows Mobile, followed by Linux, followed by Mac OS X^W^W^WiPhone OS.

Synergy Research's first-half 2008 US smartphone figures put RIM at the top (46%), Apple second (15%), Motorola third (presumably for all OSes).

Exactly

[Britz]

No focus was one of the reasons they went down in the first place. Can someone tell me how many operating systems they had in use for their phones?

Off the top of my head:

1. Some JavaME thing (don't know the name)
2. MotoMAGX
3. Symbian
4. Don't they already have Windows Mobile?
5. P2K (for the low end)

Are there more?

Anyways, they now want to "focus" on "just" three. P2K, Windows, Android. IMHO they should either go for Android or for Windows. If they really want Android (Windows Mobile is a little 90s) they could just buy Windows phones from China and rebrand them for their business customers that need Windows Mobile.