AfterDawn: Tech news

Motorola wanted to build an Android superphone for Google but was denied

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 Mar 2014 10:05 User comments (1)

Motorola wanted to build an Android superphone for Google but was denied According to a new report, Motorola had envisioned an Android superphone for Google, but Google CEO Larry Page refused to have it made.
The company wanted to create a Google-powered, fully integrated superphone, but Google would not sign off. What ended up happening was the Moto X, which is still an incredible device, but was more a Motorola device than a Google one.

One of the examples of the software/hardware Motorola was looking to build with Google is highlighted in the report: "Motorola wanted to work more closely with the Google team that develops natural language processing technologies, which help computers understand naturally-spoken phrases rather than a limited set of commands. Deeply integrating such technology with Motorola hardware could enable people to use a much wider array of voice commands and speed up the time it took for the smartphone to respond to commands."



Larry Page prohibited Motorola's engineers from working with Google's Android team after the acquisition. Page did not want to upset Android's powerful partners, including Samsung, LG and Sony, which makes perfect sense and was a viable fear. Additionally, Page refused to back the Moto X with a major marketing campaign, like Apple and Samsung do with their flagships.

Previous Next  

1 user comment

116.3.2014 21:18

Should have reached out to Google before they got acquired by them.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Latest news

VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31)
VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times.
1 user comment
Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09)
Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier.
8 user comments
Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19)
Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38)
Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028.
5 user comments
How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25)
The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. ....
18 user comments

News archive