About Motorola

• About Motorola

  About Motorola

  Motorola's success in the mobile phones market has been built on its user-friendly operating systems, array of functions and rich attention to design details.

  First launched in 2004, the Motorola RAZR line of phones have become iconic handsets. RAZR phones are notable for their slim looks – it was the thinnest on the market when first launched – as well as the amazing array of functions.

  The popularity of the RAZR series was minted when PC World included the mobile phones at number twelve in their list of the 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years. Furthermore, prior to the launch of Apple’s iPhone the RAZR3 was the best selling handset in the US.

  Motorola has also garnered praise for its W Series mobile phones, which combine the sleek looks of the RAZR series with the simplicity of use that has been a hallmark of Motorola’s manufacture.

  The company's most recent hit phones have been on Google's Android platform and are regarded by fans as among the best to use the operating system.

• Company History

  History

  Motorola was founded in Chicago in 1928 by Paul and Joseph Galvin as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. Originally a manufacturer of battery eliminators, the firm soon changed tack to specialise in car radios in 1930. This saw the change of name to Motorola, a hybrid of motor and Victrola, and set the company on the path to its status as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of mobile communication devices.

  Along the way the company has been at the forefront of advancements in mobile communications technology. From 1958, the company was responsible for manufacturing radio equipment for NASA expeditions and did so during the 1969 moon landing. It is also credited with being the first company to introduce 'push to talk' to mobile phones.

  Further innovations have included the development of the world's first handset to combine a Linux operating system, Java technology and "full PDA functionality" in 2003, and in 1991 demonstrated the world's first working-prototype digital cellular system and phones using GSM standard in Hanover, Germany. Motorola currently accounts for around ten per cent of the global market for mobile phone handsets.

  Motorola phones are sold as part of pay as you go and pay monthly contracts with all major mobile phone networks and show no sign of losing popularity.