I'm advising Motorola

I'm advising Motorola

Posted Feb 27th, 2013 at 10:15 AM
I love mobile devices, Android, and Google, and Motorola is at the nexus (no pun intended) of these three passions. So I've accepted a position as an advisor to Motorola. My focus is on product design, user interface, marketing, and social media.

Motorola reminds me of the Apple of 1998: a pioneer in its market segment, engineering-driven, and ripe for innovation. I believe that great products can change everything. For example, the creation of the iMac G3 (the Macs that came in colors such as Bondi, Strawberry, Blueberry, Lime, and Grape) was a pivotal event for Apple.

As part of Google, the sky is the limit for Motorola, and I'm excited to be advising this team. One of my first actions is the create a Google+ community about mobile devices. The community is for mobile devices from any manufacturer running any operating system on any carrier's network. I hope you'll join it:

bitly.com/mobilecommunity

Photo credit: Wikipedia

#HolyKaw

 Guy Kawasaki

146 Comments

  6. Awesome. I love Motorola and always used their devices until this week when I moved to a Galaxy Nexus. Got tired of no android updates and locked bootloader that didn't let me control my device. Their hardware is amazing though.

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  21. Congratulations +Guy Kawasaki . My second mobile phone after my Ericsson was the Motorola with the flip open cover – can't even remember the model. It fell so many times and I endearingly started calling it "the brick"; but it just kept on going and going and going…

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  25. I thought google bought out their mobile space..?  Oh well the big MOT lost so much when they ditched 68000/88000 for the PowerPC.. which turned out in the long run to be a dud.  but that's hind sight for ya!

    Think they'll challenge samsung for dominance in the droid space? I hope so, it never is good for an 'ecosystem' when one guy gets the majority of the pie..

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  28. If I am not mistaken are Motorola not the originators of the "Mobile Phone" as they were fitted into luxury cars in the 70's and you were able to remove the phone and box as a mobile unit. For me Motorola gave me the Communicator from Star Trek with the design of the K Razor Flip Phone I still have and use.

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  35. What a wonderful endeavor!

    Your passion, +Guy Kawasaki , combined with Motorola's technical prowess and Google's reach, suggest endless possibilities… you need to make sure to spend some time with +John Hanke on location based services… he, too, blends passion with imagination.

    I have great expectations for this partnership!

    You have my best wishes!

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  37. Motorola has it's work cut out for them.  Two years ago I opted for a Motorola handset after looking at the competition.  I have been happy with the Droid X and the Droid Razr Maxx.  Right now; I'm in the market for a new phone and Motorola appears to be lagging behind Samsung in terms of pure "Gee Whiz Appeal".  They are lucky to have you.  I'm looking forward to see how things go in this space, regardless.

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  39. Yep Moto has great hardware on my second moto DROID love it needs Verizon to update sooner though. I liken them to Timex 'takes a licking keeps on ticking' good to hear about your new assignment Guy.

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  40. Guy, please convince Motorola they need to continue offering keyboard slider phones. A lot of us rely on Motorola to provide them, and they've been silent about them for a long time now. Motorola has a perfect niche as the provider of business phones that run Android.

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  42. Just please remember to advise them to upgrade the software and they would gain more loyal followers. Devices less than a year old should not have 2-3 year old operating systems.

    My first three Android phones were Motorola.

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  45. They have some catching up to do with Samsung. But that could give them the drive to come up with a moon shot product. I just hope they aren't tied up in corporate paperwork that doesn't allow them to innovate as fast as they can.

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  53. Good to hear, now tear down some of the bureaucracy in the Motorola management. Moving to a new office and then taking 3 months to issue the pass cards that are required to get into the office to your personnel is ridiculous.

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  54. Those were exciting times, indeed…  I worked on the mechanical design of this very product – you can see a couple of my parts in your photo.  I have to admit that, at the time I thought this was Apple's last gasp.  I never dreamed that the iMac would be the inflection point in Apple's phoenix-like ascent to their current exalted status.  In retrospect, I can clearly see that it was primarily due to the vision – both engineering-driven and design-driven – that resulted in this…  Good Luck with Motorola, +Guy Kawasaki!

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  55. Great Guy I have always loved Motorola. In the past they have always had the best phones. I reluctantly had to switch to Samsung lately due to Motorola lacking in hardware specs. I would like to see them come out with a beast of their own. The X Phone would have to have the best hardware feature,s a big removable battery, an external SD card, and run a pure unlocked Android environment or run Cyanogen Mod; That would be cool. I would love to come back to Moto after they have an awesome phone.

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  57. +Guy Kawasaki Nice.  First thing to suggest to them:

    Android is an open source operating system, and the Android enthusiast community is very aware of this.  They are also acutely aware of Motorola's bootloader locking policies, aka "Tivoization".

    While those who aggressively customize their device may seem like a small market, the fact is – power users are the ones their friends and family turn to when seeking purchasing advice.  In this era of social media and online ordering, whether the community in general likes you or not is more important than your marketing budget or retail salespeople.

    Motorola's name is mud in these markets due to a reputation for poor quality software, unreliable update policies, and locked bootloaders.  The latter of these makes the former two issues FAR more of a problem because users know they don't have that "fallback safety net" of taking matters into their own hands.

    Until Motorola becomes as friendly to community developers as Sony is, or Google is with Nexus devices (In this regard, it is VERY clear that Motorola is still managed independently), I will not consider purchasing their devices, nor will I be recommending them to friends and family.

    Motorola has a long road ahead of them – Sony Mobile has been fighting valiantly to improve their image for on the order of a year now, and while many people have now forgiven them for past sins (including myself), many people still have not…  But at least they're trying and trying hard.  Motorola isn't even making an effort.

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  60. Right on Guy, try to keep "kool" at the top of your list always – please.    
    The future strength of many U.S. companies, and U.S. economy as a whole, can rely on the koolness of American culture.  There are certain countries that compete very well with us in many aspects of economic activity.  However, America has a large lead in the kool factor and we should utilize that to our advantage, especially in regards to designing/making products for export (and domestic market).  People around the world have varied opinions about us but they really like how kool we are and that translates to sales of American products.  

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  63. Congratulations! That's a favorable collaboration.

    I really like my Motorola phone.

    But, I would also really like updates for Android and/or a way to unlock the bootloader. Being stuck in previous Android builds is not that fun.

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  91. Awesome. I still have those old startac and rarz phones. I love the hinge action and the sound when the clam shell closes. Similar to how the MacBook Pro closes. Moto does not have to copy Apple to be successful, it just needs to be Motorola. Motorola should also develop some taste. Chris bangle is taken by Samsung. You might want to raid Audi's design house for some good talent. GM, ford and Hyundai are not bad either.

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  92. lots of spyware to dispose of in a non-toxic way? revisit their 6800 chip as it became the 6502 and the commodore AMIGA over outrageous price pointing AMIGAbasic is mentally ill but it is the best motorola can do. get off grid! hug a tree.

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  94. Here's my advice focus on hardware NOT software let Google handle that we don't need crap like "blink feed" HTC I'm looking at you or other filler/bloatware apps. If you make great hardware there's no need to distract users with that stuff. Don't ship with an OLD version of android ship the latest or don't even bother. Don't partner with content providers again this is googles job with play. By shipping with vanilla android you can and should make a promise to users to have updates available immediately after Google releases. When I say great hardware I mean industry leading battery,wireless charging available, miracast (yes this is a must if you want to compete with airplay) Bluetooth 4.0 and maybe NFC. A screen larger than 4 inches and with a higher PPI than anything in development. A camera that's better in low light than the lumia 920 and takes better pictures than the new HTC. Google luck :p Oh and unlocked bootloader ;)

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  96. if i may add,
    dual sim, both works at same time (like you have two phones) with multiple profile (atleast two).

    I want another phone, this is different one (small,sleek,fast,high ppi,very good camera) . Example : Sony Xperia Ray. I beleive there is market out there.

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  102. +Carlos Torres perhaps the analogy with The Macintosh Way suggest a title of The RAZR Way?  Or is there a more suiltable Motorola product for this role?  Motorola has been in business a long time, since valve-powered car radios if I recall correctly.  So on second thought you could be right:  I think some radio model was in fact known as simply Motorola.

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  104. You know I used to think Motorola was just another mobile manufacturer. But in the last year or so I realized that they have amazingly great hardware, at least from a design perspective. Every button, every i/o port feels very well thought out. I mean HTC has been one of my favorites for a while, but their power switches and volume buttons have always felt too flush with the rest of the device.

    I recently purchased the Razr HD and it just feels great! The power button and volume rocker are tactile and look great. The Kevlar on the back feels great, and my phone is sexy enough to draw envious looks from iPhone users. And its nothing huge, it's the little things that make a great product.

    I do have some gripes too, but I won't go into those at the moment.

    Anyway, +Guy Kawasaki I hope your job is great and that you really bring awesome designs to Motorola. I really want them to succeed!

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  105. Congrats +Google & +Guy Kawasaki & +Motorola Mobility !
    I knew this should & would happen. Says A LOT to me about Google. Much respect! Like seeing Guy on the team…even more reason I've been waiting for Motorola next big thing or googleXphone. This gives me chills… So cool!

    Ps.
    Made in USA!
    I'd love see that & bring More jobs Home!
    We should be making the most Bad Ass Mobile devices! (Sadly, one of Apple's penny wise mistakes…won't say more, seen iMac pic & I still have an old G3…says Assembled in USA, at least)

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  113. I love Motorola phones! I hated parting with my Q when it crashed. When I tried to get a replacement, I learned that they stopped making that model. Bummer! ! No worries, I'm happy with my Razr now. Lol. :D

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  115. Motorola needs urgently to improve product quality. I literally had to throw away three different Motorola phones in the past.
    Things seem to be the same, after the recent study from IFixit showed that iPhones are 25 times more reliable than Motorola’s.
    Good luck, anyway, Guy.

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  116. Congratulations. I was wondering suddenly where Motorola vanished. Quite a while never heard of Motorola products. Hope you bring positive change! Best wishes!

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  117. Guy to be fair you will advocate for anybody who pays you money so your opinion doesn't really count.

    Anyway, how on earth can Motorola be compared to Apple from 1998. Motorola is and always will be a grey, corporate fun vacuum.

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  127. Well, this is exciting news, but I can't read the whole post!  Everytime I "Expand this post..", it instantly closes back?  Would like to read the entire post, I'm sad – Edit:  Bug in +Chrome beta 26.0.1410.19  Edit: Well maybe not, Very Cool summary now that I read it.

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  131. Pingback: Prominent Apple Fellow Goes to Work for Motorola

  138. Pingback: Prominent Apple fellow goes to work for Motorola - Macworld Australia - Macworld Australia

  143. Pingback: Guy Kawasaki ficha por Motorola y compara su potencial con Apple | E7radio.com

  144. Guy, awesome wave to catch!  experience of lifetime – congrads & hang on :) !  OK, getting from ‘now’ to ‘wow’, yup – another perfect creative challenge for GOOGLE to thrive on…. ANDROID on Adrenalin.  Anyway, puuuur ANDROID devices — CHROME, NEXUS and the mysterious “X” phone —–need a home base

    Off the tops, my 2 cents >  

    FRESH image  - lose Motorola, it’s your father’s phone, grandfathers, maybe even great grandfathers    Google + Motorola Mobility = GoogABILITY

    SMART Antenna Technology – speed, speed, speed ( multi antenna phone stacks, MIMO advancements, advanced coding and modulations) LTE “Advanced” speeds technologies will overrun the planet shortly w/all major carriers & chip makers already on board, GoogABILITY devices need to be there. Increased speed unfolds many additional functional possibilities.  A NEXUS device as a single home computing device, scrap the desktop & laptop. With near Gigabit speeds, need for cable and perhaps even fiber into households fades away. 

    HOME Integration – SAMSUNG obviously in front on this one – but dig the concept – get home place NEXUS in Desktop mode and pull out the keyboard, and begin working on your HD TV — plus enough speed to service other wireless home users.

    SMALL & FAST – opportunity to push nano circuit architecture to the limits,  > saving battery power while increasing phone power & functionality

    Most importantly >> COOLNESS quotient :) LOL – along with tech advancements & a major image facelift will be “Cooolness” – the best, fastest  & puuuuuuur GOOGLE ANDROID.  

    Have fun dude,

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  145. Guy, awesome wave to catch!  experience of lifetime – congrads & hang on :) !  OK, getting from ‘now’ to ‘wow’, yup – another perfect creative challenge for GOOGLE to thrive on…. ANDROID on Adrenalin.  Anyway, puuuur ANDROID devices — CHROME, NEXUS and the mysterious “X” phone —–need a home base

    Off the tops, my 2 cents >  

    FRESH image  - lose Motorola, it’s your father’s phone, grandfathers, maybe even great grandfathers    Google + Motorola Mobility = GoogABILITY

    SMART Antenna Technology – speed, speed, speed ( multi antenna phone stacks, MIMO advancements, advanced coding and modulations) LTE “Advanced” speeds technologies will overrun the planet shortly w/all major carriers & chip makers already on board, GoogABILITY devices need to be there. Increased speed unfolds many additional functional possibilities.  A NEXUS device as a single home computing device, scrap the desktop & laptop. With near Gigabit speeds, need for cable and perhaps even fiber into households fades away. 

    HOME Integration – SAMSUNG obviously in front on this one – but dig the concept – get home place NEXUS in Desktop mode and pull out the keyboard, and begin working on your HD TV — plus enough speed to service other wireless home users.

    SMALL & FAST – opportunity to push nano circuit architecture to the limits,  > saving battery power while increasing phone power & functionality

    Most importantly >> COOLNESS quotient :) LOL – along with tech advancements & a major image facelift will be “Cooolness” – the best, fastest  & puuuuuuur GOOGLE ANDROID.  

    Have fun dude,

    Reply ↓

  146. Guy, awesome wave to catch!  experience of lifetime – congrads & hang on :) !  OK, getting from ‘now’ to ‘wow’, yup – another perfect creative challenge for GOOGLE to thrive on…. ANDROID on Adrenalin.  Anyway, puuuur ANDROID devices — CHROME, NEXUS and the mysterious “X” phone —–need a home base

    Off the tops, my 2 cents >  

    FRESH image  - lose Motorola, it’s your father’s phone, grandfathers, maybe even great grandfathers    Google + Motorola Mobility = GoogABILITY

    SMART Antenna Technology – speed, speed, speed ( multi antenna phone stacks, MIMO advancements, advanced coding and modulations) LTE “Advanced” speeds technologies will overrun the planet shortly w/all major carriers & chip makers already on board, GoogABILITY devices need to be there. Increased speed unfolds many additional functional possibilities.  A NEXUS device as a single home computing device, scrap the desktop & laptop. With near Gigabit speeds, need for cable and perhaps even fiber into households fades away. 

    HOME Integration – SAMSUNG obviously in front on this one – but dig the concept – get home place NEXUS in Desktop mode and pull out the keyboard, and begin working on your HD TV — plus enough speed to service other wireless home users.

    SMALL & FAST – opportunity to push nano circuit architecture to the limits,  > saving battery power while increasing phone power & functionality

    Most importantly >> COOLNESS quotient :) LOL – along with tech advancements & a major image facelift will be “Cooolness” – the best, fastest  & puuuuuuur GOOGLE ANDROID.  

    Have fun dude,

    Reply ↓

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