Motorola is open to building Windows Phones, CEO says

By on Aug 9, 2011 at 6:25 PM
mobile August 9, 2011

Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha on Tuesday said that his company is open to building smartphones powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system. The Motorola boss said that while the company is focused on Google’s Android platform right now, it would absolutely consider the new Microsoft mobile OS under the right conditions. “I think we’re completely open to the notion of Windows as a platform,” Jha said during the Oppenheimer Technology & Communications Conference. “Clearly, all of our focus today is on Android.” Jha said that in order for Windows Phone to work for Motorola, the company would likely need to secure a deal similar to the one between Microsoft and Nokia, which allows the Finnish phone maker to customize and alter the OS in ways other OEMs cannot. The CEO noted that while his company would be willing to evaluate the platform, he’s not certain that Windows Phone will succeed in a world dominated by Android and Apple’s iOS. Jha does not believe Windows Phone, webOS and RIM’s BlackBerry OS will all survive in the long run, though it is not yet known which of the three platforms will thrive and which will fail.Read

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  • http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

    “I think we’re completely open to the notion of Windows as a platform”

    ie. We realize that Windows Phone is about to blow up and we want in on it. Also although we think Windows Phone 7 is crap, we can add “unique value” by adding motoblur to the platform. Just hook us up with Nokia status.

    Get lost Motorola. No one wants to hear it

    • Anonymous

      Especially because Nokia brought a lot of stuff to the table for MS:
      Great hardware / build quality, lots of European localization / maps & POI’s, relations with carriers/providers in the EU, and so forth. Motorola doesn’t have all of that, or to a WAY lower extent – they’re just another OEM.

    • Anonymous

      motorola is run by a bunch of idiots…i am sorry but your products represent your leadership…and right now I see shit….good luck motorola

    • Anonymous

      The scenario that seems more plausible is that Motorola sees HTC paying $5/unit sold to Microsoft; Samsung is about get hit with a $15/unit charge & doesn’t want to be in the same situation since they aren’t making any profits. He just doesn’t want any litigation. He knows Windows Phone 7 sucks, that’s why he says he wants a customizable version like Nokia got. Nokia just announced the N9 is not coming to North America, so I’m not sure if Nokia has plans for any releases this year. Their mirroring RIM’s situation completely.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Zach-Epiner/100002682922630 Zach Epiner

      I just paiid $21.87 for an iPad2-32GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $657 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, http://to.ly/aUlw

  • Anonymous

    You can’t even release your Android phones on time. Are you sure you want to fragment (heh) your attention like that?

    • Chevalia

      Safe to say, you’re waiting on the Bionic  :-)

      • Anonymous

        At this point, I’m past waiting. I’m looking at the SGS II, the HTC Vigor, or the Nexus Prime. I’m very displeased with Motorola in general (three replacement Droid 2s in a year), and voting with my wallet is the best way to show it.

      • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

        Oh yeah? How does the Nexus Prime look?  I don’t get you D-bags who relish on non-existent vapor phones.

      • Anonymous

        @Norm_4G_LTE:disqus Why so bitter, fake Norm? Relax…

  • Anonymous

    “We would love to make lots of money for Microsoft’s software platform while scraping for pennies ourselves in the cutthroat world of commodity hardware manufacturing, just like Dell and HP in the PC business.” – Motorola

    • Anonymous

      let me reframe it “”We couldn’t make any more money of Google’s software platform
      while scraping for pennies ourselves in the cutthroat world of commodity
      hardware manufacturing and now lets pull a trick on WP7 “

  • Anonymous

    I’d love to see a really well constructed Motorola WP7 handset.

  • http://www.twitter.com/dannydefinit DannyDefinit

    Seriously Motorola, just stick to hardware! I wouldn’t want Motoblur smearing Windows Phone’s fairly clean UI. 

  • Bullyboyb

    Motorola should die already…

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WA7HSJU5YUNITHXBUDP6JDTHMM Roberto Rosario

      I just paid $24,97 for an iPad2 and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $37,74 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $675 which only cost me $71,32 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, MetaCent.com

      • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

        eat p3nis dude, seriously

  • http://www.facebook.com/hoonigan hoonigan

    Are you kidding me? Motorola has screwed up android. I sold off my motorolas, they are junk. Between tmobile and Verizon I have gone through so many motorola phones that had problems. They pretty much just went downhill after the original droid. I mean the cliq came out and it has been a joke since then. I will not buy another phone that is not a pure google phone. Until that happens I am happy with trading my droid x2 and droid charge for iPhones. I shall wait to compare the nexus prime, iPhone 5, or maybe even a n9 with windows phone or a galaxy s2 with webOS if it happens. But I shall not spend anymore money on a phone that is fragmented or skinned.

    • sirpaul

      I don’t think the N9 is coming to the States.

      • http://www.facebook.com/hoonigan hoonigan

        It’s not but so called “sea ray” is, supposedly windows phone in a n9 shell.

  • http://lovegenius.tumblr.com Johnson Tran

    He couldn’t keep Motorola making money with Android and they are all in with that. I don’t see a reason for Microsoft to give them the deal considering how the flagship devices Atrix and Photon were hampered by Blur.

    • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

      well DROID doesn’t make money.  It’s a dying platform

  • gamergirl

    whatelse can motto do with Oracle preparinng to crush Android, no way Google is winning the case. Oracle & MS fees are going to make Android super expensive not to mention the bad PR that will trinkle down from Google to its partners.

    • Anonymous

      isn’t android free?  I don’t think 20 bucks or so per device for licensing is really going to make that much of a difference

      • AnonGuy

        It makes a huge difference. It cuts intimately their profit margins. There are other licensees they have to pay as well. People with whom they have licensing agreements. $15 a phone is favorable ti their bottom line…

  • Philbert

    My Droid2 has been great since I installed Cyanogenmod on it.

    • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

      I love DROID OS as well because you have to mod it to get it to do anything…otherwise it sucks for sure

  • http://www.jeffkibuule.com Jeff Kibuule

    We want to bring *crappy* Motoblur to Windows Phone!

    Geez, do we really need a repeat of Windows Mobile again where each OEM skins the OS until it no longer looks like Windows Phone anymore?

    • http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

      Sanjay Jha thinks so

    • Anonymous

      We already have that.. it’s called Android and for supporting my userbase it’s starting to get annoying as hell like it did on WinMo.  I hate Apple, but it’s much easier for my help desk to support..  Same applies to WP7, and to some extent, Blackberry but with OS7 and QNX it will be more “fragmented” then before.

  • Anonymous

    That’s a betrayal. Only Google would share profits with Motorola!

    • Anonymous

      Nothing personal, it’s just business.

  • Cer

    WP7 + Motoblur? Heaven is truly a place on earth.

  • Anonymous

    This small turn of events will probably keep Motorola’s head above the water for a few more years. Lately that’s all they’ve been doing: floating around like they’re playing dead.

  • Anonymous

    Q: What would happen if they bought RIM?
    Answer: Blackblur

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Shaun-Wignal/617841109 Shaun Wignal

      lol blackblur is funny,good one

  • Dude

    “the company would likely need to secure a deal similar to the one between Microsoft and Nokia, which allows the Finnish phone maker to customize and alter the OS in ways other OEMs cannot” - Translation: We want to skin the hell out of it.

  • Anonymous

    It’s Motorola who will not survive in the long run if it does not improve its Android offerings. Locked bootloaders, laggy motoblur, non functioning features in Xoom, etc. 

    They will go back where they were 3 years ago… 

  • Anonymous

    Yup. That’s exactly what we need.. more Windows phones

    • Anonymous

      Agreed.  After my 5th different Android phone it’s time for something new, and no way i’m going Apple.

  • Anonymous

    They can make a keyboard Wp7 device and call it the Moto Q7.  Old school baby.

  • http://twitter.com/palfrei Peter Palfrei

    Why did Mr. Jha allow this picture to come out?! Doesn’t he have image consultors/counselors to advise him on what would be better for the company’s interest and, ultimately, his?

    Unacceptable.

    To Microsoft: don’t let this picture get associated to your product line, it won’t work at all for you.

  • http://twitter.com/palfrei Peter Palfrei

    Why did Mr. Jha allow this picture to come out?! Doesn’t he have image consultors/counselors to advise him on what would be better for the company’s interest and, ultimately, his?

    Unacceptable.

    To Microsoft: don’t let this picture get associated to your product line, it won’t work at all for you.

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