Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Moto G Comes to the US in Time for the Holidays on Motorola.com

We’re giving people plenty of mobile goodness to gobble up this holiday season. Starting today, people in the US can purchase Moto G (GSM version) on Motorola.com with no contract, no SIM lock and an unlockable bootloader for USD$179 with 8GB of storage or USD$199 for 16GB.


That’s one third of the price of current high-end phones, for a smartphone stuffed with plenty of great features:

  • A brilliant 4.5-inch HD display - the sharpest in its class - that goes edge to edge so you can enjoy movies, photos, video chats and more.
  • The newest Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 processor featuring a quad-core CPU for seamless multitasking and enjoying the web, videos and games, with all-day battery life.
  • Android 4.3 Jellybean, the most up to date Android of any phone in its class, with a guaranteed upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat in the beginning of 2014. No skins to clutter or slow the experience and great performance with Google’s unbeatable mobile services such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Chrome and Hangouts.
  • Stylish design with a comfortable curved back and 19 customization options, including interchangeable backs (coming soon) - Motorola Shells and Flip Shells in seven colors as well as Grip Shells in five colors.

Moto G (GSM) is available starting today in the US. Moto G (CDMA) will be available in the US in January through carriers as previously announced. See our website for more details and contact your carrier for compatibility.

Moto G is also currently on sale in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru, UK, Germany, France, and Canada and is coming soon to other countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia. Moto G will be in more than 30 countries with 60 partners by early 2014.

IMAGES & B-ROLL: Click this link for images and b-roll (you agree to our license terms when downloading images or video)



Thursday, November 21, 2013

You Asked, We Listened: Announcing Changes to Our Developer Edition Program

At Motorola, we’re focused on delivering the best Android experiences and the best of Google services. Over this past year, we’ve worked very hard to create ways for users to express themselves using their mobile devices. Customers who purchase Developer Edition devices want the flexibility to take this even further and tinker with the operating system. This may include creating and flashing a custom build of Android or porting one from an enthusiast community. Up until now, when a customer requested a bootloader unlock code we would void the warranty for that Developer Edition device.

We are excited to support the developer and enthusiast communities by making two key changes to the Developer Edition program:

  • Requesting an unlock code will no longer void the device’s warranty
  • We will start posting return-to-factory software images

For customers who have previously purchased a 2012 or 2013 Developer Edition device directly from Motorola and who have requested a bootloader unlock code, we will reinstate the warranty effective from the date of original purchase. (You’ll recognize these models because they come with a printed “Developer Edition” across the back and include the Moto X DE (for GSM networks), Moto X DE (for Verizon), and Droid Maxx DE (Verizon).)

In addition, recovery images (as shipped from the factory) will be posted here. A developer or enthusiast can use this image to restore their device to run with its original factory software.

We hope that you like these changes. Keep telling us what you think (you can use the comments section below or participate in one of the many G+ forums such as Moto X).

We strongly believe in the developer and enthusiast communities and intend to keep making changes to better support them.

Posted by Punit Soni, Software Product Management

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Update 3: Some Sweet News: KitKat Comes to Moto X First on Verizon Wireless; Now on T-Mobile, AT&T



We see our job as taking the world’s best mobile operating system from Google and building world-class products and experiences for our users. Continually making them better is just as important. So what could be sweeter than Android 4.4, KitKat, rolling out in phases to Moto X on Verizon Wireless starting today!

Our software team has been hard at work bringing the latest version of Android to our Moto X users more quickly than ever. When it came to KitKat, we couldn’t wait to deliver. Our software strategy is to build on a pure Android foundation and complement existing Google services, not compete with them. We think this latest release is just that—all the features you love about your Moto X with the latest Android OS.

The KitKat update brings a bunch of improvements, including some of our favorites:

  • An improved phone dialer. Now you can search for contacts directly from the dial-pad and easily see and tap on those you contact frequently.
  • More gallery goodies. KitKat packs in some cool, new gallery effects—such as Posterize, Highlights, and Edges. You can even use the Draw feature to annotate your photos freehand with your finger.
  • New Hangouts app. All of your conversations now in one place—texts, video calls, and other chats all together in one app. Plus, you can now send animated gifs and share your location.
  • Color Emoji. For when words aren’t enough, the Google Keyboard now includes colorful characters to send in text messages and other communications.
  • Drag to focus and expose. An updated camera app lets you control both the focus and exposure of your photos. Simply drag your finger to set just the right exposure and focus point.
  • And more… Restyled status and navigation bars, new full-screen mode, and enhancements to Motorola features like Touchless Control.

And this is just the beginning -- we will have more KitKat for Moto X news to share on other carriers and countries very soon.

For more details and information, please see our release notes or check our software upgrade page.

Updated November 21, 2013
KitKat is now rolling out to Moto X users on T-Mobile.

Updated November 22, 2013
KitKat is now rolling out to Moto X users on AT&T.

Updated December 12, 2013
KitKat is now rolling out to Moto X users on Sprint and US Cellular.

Posted by Steve Horowitz, SVP Software Engineering

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Introducing Moto G: An Exceptional Phone At An Exceptional Price

People all around the world want to be a part of the mobile Internet so they can access the world’s information, share, and connect with the things that matter to them. But the smartphone industry has relegated hundreds of millions of smartphone buyers to second-class status, preventing them from experiencing the mobile Internet at its best.

That’s because price-conscious consumers who don’t want to pay $600 or more for high-end smartphones have been left with two bad options. The first is to buy cheap, new smartphones made with second-rate technology that don’t do justice to modern apps and experiences like navigation, video chat and games. The second is to buy “low cost” versions of premium products that were released two or three years ago and are already obsolete.

We think there should be a better option. Everybody deserves to be on the mobile Internet, and price shouldn’t stand in the way of anyone having a truly good smartphone to get them there.



Today we’re introducing Moto G, a smartphone that delivers a premium experience for a third of the price of current high-end phones. Moto G includes:

  • A brilliant 4.5-inch HD display - the sharpest in its class - that goes edge-to-edge so you can enjoy movies, photos, video chats and more.
  • The newest Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400 processor featuring a quad-core CPU for seamless multitasking and enjoying the web, videos and games, with all-day battery life.
  • Android 4.3 Jellybean, the most up to date Android of any phone in its class, with a guaranteed upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat at the beginning of 2014. No skins to clutter or slow the experience, and great performance with Google’s unbeatable mobile services such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Chrome and Hangouts.
  • Stylish design with a comfortable curved back and 19 customization options, including interchangeable Motorola Shells and Flip Shells in seven colors as well as Grip Shells in five colors.

Moto G goes on sale this week in Brazil and parts of Europe and will be available within the next few weeks throughout Latin America, Europe, Canada and parts of Asia. It will be available in the US, India, the Middle East and more of Asia in early January. Moto G will be in more than 30 countries with 60 partners by 2014.

In the US, Moto G will be sold on Motorola.com, with no contract, no SIM lock and an unlockable bootloader for USD$179 with 8GB of storage and USD$199 for 16GB. Moto G will also be available through various carriers and retailers.

IMAGES & B-ROLL: Click this link (also in the footer) for images and b-roll (you agree to our license terms when downloading images or video)


About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, creates smartphones, tablets and wireless accessories that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. For more information visit motorola.com/mobility.

Certain features, services and applications are network dependent and may not be available in all areas; additional terms, conditions and/or charges may apply. All features, functionality and other product specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation. Contact your service provider for details.

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. Google is a trademark of Google, Inc. All other trademarks the property of their respective owners. © 2013 Motorola Mobility LLC. All rights reserved.

Media Contacts
Danielle McNally
danielle@motorola.com

Kristine Mulford
kristine@motorola.com

Monday, November 11, 2013

Moto X Brings the Gift of Choice to All Major U.S. Carriers For the Holidays

From your clothes to your car, you express your personal style. Why should your smartphone be any different?

Moto X, the first smartphone designed by you and assembled in the USA, is now available for customization on all major U.S. carriers including Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T.




Just in time for the holidays, you can now choose to add a custom phrase to the back of your Moto X. With fiber laser technology, you can sign your design like never before. Show your team spirit, sport your nickname or give a gift with the ultimate personal touch by adding this free feature when you customize your Moto X on Moto Maker.


Using our online studio, Moto Maker, you can customize your device inside and out. Select your front, back and accent colors, choose memory, add accessories and more. Using 3D beta, a new feature that uses WebGL* technology, spin, zoom, and explore every angle of your uniquely designed phone before it’s ever assembled. Go on...give it a try.

And the best part? For a limited time, Moto X will be available for the promotional price of $99.99 with a new two-year contract from participating carriers. See here for details.

Coming soon, your Moto X will get even sweeter with Android 4.4 KitKat. Stay up to date on the latest upgrade information on our support site.

Now, show us your style!



*3D Beta is best viewed with Google Chrome. Don’t worry, if you haven’t yet upgraded our responsive design for mobile, tablet, and other browser platforms will continue to work in standard mode.

WebGL is not supported by all browsers and requires a capable graphics card with updated drivers. Mac and PC platforms are only supported at this time. For a full list of WebGL capable browsers, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebGL#Desktop_browsers. To test your browser now, visit http://get.webgl.org/