NEWS / SMARTPHONES

Google reportedly working on X phone to take on Apple and Samsung

| by Aaron Almeida | Smartphones

With the Google acquisition of Motorola, it appears that the brand is aiming to build a sophisticated new smartphone that is scheduled to be launched next year; it is currently dubbed the X phone. A report by The Wall Street Journal states citing sources that after acquiring Motorola seven months ago for 12.5 billion, Google is in the process of designing a high-end handset with state of the art features that will stand apart from existing smartphones.

The report notes, “Engineers at Motorola are hard at work on a sophisticated handset—known internally as the "X phone"—but the Google Inc. unit is running into some obstacles in its effort to provide more potent competition for Apple Inc., said people familiar with the matter.”

Google and Motorola join forces

Google and Motorola join forces to make a high-end smartphone

 


The report notes that this handset will be designed to take on the offerings from Apple and Samsung. Apart from this, the report also notes that Google and Motorola will also be building an X tablet after the handset.

Google decided to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion after Motorola reported quarter 2 losses of $56 million for 2011. At the time, Google CEO, Larry Page had said, “Motorola Mobility's total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

This transaction had been unanimously approved by both companies. Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, said at the time, "This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility's stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses."

With the acquisition of Motorola, Google can now combine hardware as well as software much akin to the likes of Apple’s iOS. According to Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, "We expect that this combination (with Motorola) will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem. However, our vision for Android is unchanged and Google remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and a vibrant open source community. We will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices."

This will be the first device that Google will build with Motorola since it took over the company.

Tags: Google X phone , Google X tablet , Google Motorola X phone , Goolgle Motorola X tablet , Google Motorola , Google Motorola smartphone , Google Motorola tablet , Google Motorola acquisition

 


6 Things to look for when buying a 'future-proof' smartphone

6 Things to look for when buying a 'future-proof' smartphone

If you’re out looking for a new smartphone, then there are a couple of...

By Roydon Cerejo

Smartphone launches this week: May 13-17

Smartphone launches this week: May 13-17

In the hustle-bustle of everyday life, you might have missed the launch of

By Nikhil Subramaniam

Panasonic P51: A Specifications Review

Panasonic P51: A Specifications Review

Priced at Rs 26,990, the P51 will face some really tough competition from...

By Nikhil Subramaniam

MORE FEATURES

Samsung Galaxy S4 Review

Samsung Galaxy S4 Review

08 May, 2013, 06:03 PM IST

 8.5

If you’ve used any of Samsung’s flagships in the past, you’ll be right at home with the new S4. We quite liked the handset during our brief encounter with it a few weeks back and after using it for about a week, we have come to like it even more.

LAVA iris 455 Review

Lenovo S890 Review

Nokia Lumia 520 Review

Sony Xperia E Dual Review

Nokia Lumia 620 Review

MORE REVIEWS

Smartphone launches this week: May 13-17

Tushar Mutneja

Mon May 20, 03:25:55

Acer Iconia W510 Review

Vumsuan Valte

Sun May 19, 23:54:10

MORE DISCUSSIONS