We recently launched Futura’s series of 30 Moto X Pure Edition smartphones at one-time-only drop event in New York City, where we teamed up with Stefan’s Head — a text message-based e-commerce brand that deals in limited edition tech, apparel and culture — to help get the word out about where and when people could get their own unique piece of mobile-meets-street art. 

A small quantity of these Moto X Pure Edition phones painted by Futura may still be available — text Stefan @ 646-759-0904.

Check out how the drop went down.

The Motorola Mobility Foundation -- Motorola’s charitable and philanthropic arm -- partnered with three local organizations to engage our volunteers in a day of service. Some of the projects included:

• Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT): Sorting donations and assembling hands-on Activity Kits that local educators use to transform the learning experience for children.
• Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley: Building, decorating, and assembling two children’s playhouses from scratch, which Habitat then donates to a local family or charity. The program supports the construction of affordable housing in the community.
• Baylands Park, City of Sunnyvale: Beautifying a local park through general cleanup, painting facilities, planting new trees and shrubs, and laying mulch.

Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley brought the playhouse build to Motorola’s Sunnyvale office

Volunteers at Baylands Park work together to clean up fallen bark and branches

Lenovo and Motorola volunteers pack STEM Activity Kits at Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT)

Tuesday’s activities were part of a year-round series of volunteer programs offered by the Motorola Mobility Foundation to Motorola’s employees. The Foundation’s mission is to catalyze the innovative use of technology to improve lives and communities. It does this by leveraging employee expertise and talent, providing funding, and partnering with nonprofits, learning institutions, startups, government, corporate and civic organizations.

Click here to learn more about the Motorola Mobility Foundation. To those that have volunteered, thank you for your time and supporting Motoserve!

Motorola was built on innovation; first to radio, first to mobile phones, first base station. Taking risks is still in the DNA of this brand and I'm proud and excited to be a part of that culture and hope to push a few more firsts.

How do you do that? You listen to the consumer needs, you empathize with the common pain points, and you innovate accordingly. In 2016, I'm going to spend a lot of time in Moto labs serving the customers of this company and I also want to spend time with you, learning what you need from your phone.

More to come…

- Ashton

Check out our newest videos:

First, and most importantly, Motorola Mobility isn’t going away. In fact, just last August Motorola Mobility assumed a much more central role in Lenovo’s smartphone business. As a wholly owned subsidiary, we remain the engineering, design and manufacturing engine for all of the Mobile Business Group’s smartphones and wearables. Motorola’s engineering heritage is hugely important to this effort, and that isn’t going to change.

But brands do have to evolve, and ours has been evolving for some time. Over the years, we have made font and color changes, and more recently we made the strategic decision to focus on “Moto” as our primary product brand. “Moto” is synonymous with Motorola, and it conveys the Motorola brand to consumers in a contemporary and engaging way. That wasn't the only thing that evolved -- the iconic batwing was static blue or red for many years, and we made it fun and colorful. That symbol, which has come to represent the “Moto” brand, continues to play a prominent role, and will remain on our products and in our marketing.

Now, as we have to think more holistically about our entire smartphone portfolio, we’ve made the decision to focus our marketing efforts on “Moto” and “Vibe” as our hero smartphone product brands globally. At the same time we are not abandoning the iconic Motorola brand. Although it will not be the focus of our marketing, it will continue to be used on packaging and elsewhere, so as to ensure that the rich history and association is never lost. The legacy and the goodwill associated with the Motorola brand will also live on through our licensees.

We also will now use the Lenovo brand to the fullest as we participate in one of the most competitive businesses in the world. Lenovo was recognized last October as one of Interbrand’s top 100 global brands. We are one of the few technology companies that can offer people a complete PC + tablet + smartphone experience and we see that as a major competitive advantage.

This latest move is all about where we focus our brand marketing efforts in the future. That will be on our two hero smartphone brands: Moto and Vibe, with the Lenovo corporate brand tying all of our consumer and commercial products together more holistically.

The Motorola legacy is near and dear to us as product designers, engineers and Motorola employees, and clearly it’s important to many of you who have had long relationships with us. We plan to continue it under our parent company, Lenovo.

We challenged Schude to capture 21 moments in a single shot using the 21 MP camera on his Moto X while choreographing more than 60 people doing what they love. The result is what we’re calling “21 in 1.” Behind each of the 21 moments is a story, some of which have connective threads with others, told in video shorts. Taken with the Moto X Pure Edition, the image highlights the power of the top-rated camera and creatively demonstrates the phone’s ability to enable you to do more of what you love. Take a behind-the-scenes journey of the planning, preparation and final product of Schude’s “21 in 1”:

With built-in GPS, heart rate monitoring and a music player, Moto 360 Sport has all the tools you need to hit the road and push for your personal best or just free your hands up to do more important things.

• Designed for sport. Built to last: Push yourself to the limit without worrying about your watch. Strong silicone construction doesn’t absorb sweat and resists fading or staining, while side ventilation channels help you stay cool.
• Built-in GPS keeps you going: Moto 360 Sport has built-in GPS that works seamlessly with Moto Body to measure your performance. Track your distance traveled, pace, lap times and more. There’s no need to carry your phone to know exactly how you’re doing.
• Popular fitness apps¹: Moto 360 Sport works seamlessly with Android™ fitness apps including MapMyRun®, Under Armour Record™, Strava, Google Fit and Fitbit™. Moto Body records your workout data and syncs with these apps, so your exercise history is always up to date.
• Heart rate at a glance: Continuously track your heart rate during a run to monitor your performance. And with Moto Body, measure the time you spend in different heart rate zones to make sure you’re achieving your fitness goals².
• Brilliant, indoors and out: Motorola AnyLight is the world’s first hybrid display that lets you see things clearly both indoors and out. Indoors, it works like any beautiful LCD screen. Step outside and it reflects natural sunlight, making the screen easy to read.
• Better view. All the way around: On a watch face, every millimeter counts. The classic round design of Moto 360 Sport features edge-to-edge glass and an exceptionally thin bezel, giving you the most viewing area in the least amount of space.
• Wear it for life: Moto 360 Sport gives you the power of Android Wear™, so you can keep up with your entire life, not just your workouts. Read Gmail messages and calendar invites, reply to friends on WhatsApp, get up-to-the-minute traffic and weather reports, and so much more of what matters to you all while staying in the zone.
• Music on the move: Sync your favorite playlists and podcasts from Google Play™ Music with your Moto 360 Sport, then listen to music on your run or at the gym without taking your phone along for the ride.
• Just a little coaching: Receive spontaneous notifications throughout the day that keep you informed, up to date and inspired. Plus get a weekly email summarizing your progress, or even more detailed information using the Moto Body phone app.
• All day battery. Even with Always On: The new Moto 360 Sport gives you better battery life than ever before. Now with Always On, the time is constantly visible and the battery still lasts an entire day³.

Moto 360 Sport will be available in the UK and France starting December 18. In the U.S., you can start your New Year’s resolutions off right and get your Moto 360 Sport for $299 beginning January 7 on Motorola.com and at select other online retailers. On January 10, look for Moto 360 Sport in Best Buy stores nationwide and our Moto Shop in downtown Chicago. Moto 360 Sport will also be available in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico and Spain in the new year.

For more information visit www.moto360sport.com.

¹Not compatible with iPhone.
²All activity measurements and calculations are estimates. Accuracy is affected by various factors including physiology, location of device, and different movements.
³ All battery life claims are approximate, and will vary based on usage and settings.