Motorola

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Motorola Mobility, Solutions to start trading Friday

Motorola Inc. isn’t officially breaking into two companies until Jan. 4, but shares of the two successor companies will start trading Friday on the New York Stock Exchange on a “when issued” basis.

The company is splitting into Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., which will take the cell-phone and set-top-box manufacturing businesses, and Motorola Solutions Inc., which contains the more government- and corporate-facing parts of the company. It  makes things such as police radios and bar-code scanners. Get the full story »

Post-split Motorola to return to investment grade

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it would lift its ratings on Motorola Inc.  back to investment-grade territory early next year when the telecom-equipment maker splits into two.

Last month, Motorola set Jan. 4 as the date it will separate into two companies. The current company will change its name to Motorola Solutions and hold onto the business mobile and networks divisions, which sells such products as police radios and barcode scanners. It will spin off a new company consisting of its consumer-focused handset business. Get the full story »

Motorola shares fall on Q1 mobile loss forecast

Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha. (PRNewsFoto/Motorola, Andy Kuno)

Shares of Motorola fell 1.5 percent after it warned its cell-phone unit would post a loss in the first quarter, when key client Verizon Wireless is seen starting sales of Apple’s iPhone.

Analysts on Thursday cut their share price targets and earnings estimates for the company, which had only recently posted its first quarterly profit in years.

Motorola’s mobile chief and Co-Chief Executive Sanjay Jha flagged the loss during an investor conference late on Wednesday saying first quarter sales would involve a higher proportion of cheaper phones as the company looks to boost sales at U.S. operators such as AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA. Get the full story »

Motorola introduces new board of directors

Motorola unveiled Wednesday its board of directors for Motorola Solutions, one of the two new companies that will result from a planned split in January.

The separation is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2011. On that date, Motorola will spin off Motorola Mobility, a company led by current co-Chief Executive Sanjay Jha that will focus on mobile devices and television set-top boxes. The remaining company, headed by co-CEO Greg Brown, will become Motorola Solutions and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “MSI.” Motorola Solutions will make communications equipment and software for public safety, government and industrial sectors. Get the full story »

It’s official: Motorola to split into 2 companies

Motorola Inc. said Tuesday it will officially split into two companies on Jan. 4, 2011.

The separation is a long time coming, as the Schaumburg-based technology company first announced the decision in March 2008. The complexity of the break-up and the global recession had slowed the process, which involved dividing up not just employees, but assets such as intellectual property and ownership of the Motorola brand. Get the full story »

Motorola to split in January

Motorola will separate into two publicly traded companies in January 2011, co-Chief Executive Greg Brown said Monday.

The Schaumburg-based company had said it was targeting the first quarter of next year for the split. Monday’s announcement, made at a financial analysts’ meeting in New York, marked the first time the company specified a timeframe in the first quarter. Get the full story »

Motorola countersues Microsoft on patents

Motorola Mobility, the division of Motorola Inc. that makes mobile devices and television set-top boxes, has countersued Microsoft Corp. over patent infringement. Get the full story »

Microsoft sues Motorola over Xbox patent issue

Microsoft Corp stepped up its legal battle with Motorola Inc on Tuesday, as the software company accused the phone maker of charging excessive royalties on network technology used in Microsoft’s Xbox game system. Get the full story »

Motorola aims new Droid Pro at business execs

(Motorola)

Motorola is launching a new Android-based smart phone for globe-trotting executives later this month at Verizon Wireless.

The Droid Pro, unveiled Monday, is the latest device in Verizon’s Droid line-up, its portfolio of premier Android-based smart phones. Motorola has been an important maker of Android devices for the carrier and its other phones for the Droid line include the Droid, the Droid 2 and the Droid X.

The Droid Pro is designed for business users and comes with QuickOffice, a mobile software suite for editing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. The phone also has a physical keyboard and is global-ready, meaning it is compatible with wireless service in different countries. Motorola said the device can tap into voice service in more than 220 countries and will have data coverage in more than 200 countries. Get the full story »

Icahn raises stake in Motorola to 11.3%

Activist investor Carl Icahn has increased his stake in Schaumburg-based Motorola Inc. to about 11.3 percent, up from a 10.7-percent holding he disclosed at the end of August.

In filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Icahn said he spent about $120.9 million to buy 15.2 million additional shares of Motorola on Tuesday. Get the full story »

Apple sues Motorola over smartphone software

Apple Inc. sued Motorola Inc., alleging that the company’s smartphone lineup and the operating software it uses infringe on the iPhone-maker’s intellectual property.

The two lawsuits came after Motorola sued Apple in October for patent infringement and were the latest skirmish in a long-running series of disputes in the fiercely competitive smartphone industry. Get the full story »

Motorola revenue up on strong smartphone sales‎

An app on the Motorola Droid X. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune)

Motorola Inc., reached a milestone Thursday as its mobile division reported an operating profit a quarter ahead of schedule, and the company said its smart-phone sales will near 14 million units for the year.

The company’s Mobile Devices unit reported operating earnings of $3 million on Thursday, versus a year-ago operating loss of $183 million. During the quarter, the company’s shipments of smart phones rose to 3.8 million and included 22 new products introduced this year.

Smart-phone shipments totaled 2.3 million units in the first quarter and 2.7 million in the second quarter. Analysts had expected ships to total about 3.7 million in the third quarter. The company said smart-phone sales will near the upper end of its previously announced guidance of between 12 million and 14 million units for the year. Get the full story »

Motorola shares slip after Citi downgrade

Motorola Inc. shares slipped Friday after a downgrade from Citi Investment Research on fears of increasing competition in the smart phone market.

Motorola sues Apple for patent infringement

Motorola’s mobile devices and TV set-top box subsidiary is suing Apple for patent infringement, alleging that its California-based rival is illegally using Motorola technology in many of its core products and services, including the iPhone and the App Store.

Motorola Mobility, the subsidiary, filed complaints in the Northern District of Illinois and the Southern District of Florida, as well as with the U.S. International Trade Commission. The company said the complaints involve 18 patents relating to “early-stage innovations developed by Motorola” that can be found in the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and some Mac computers. The patents cover such technologies as antenna design, wireless e-mail and location-based services, Motorola said. Get the full story »

Microsoft sues Motorola over smart phone patents

Microsoft Corp. said Friday it has sued Motorola Inc., claiming that the Schaumburg-based company has violated nine of its patents with smartphones running Google’s Android operating system.

Microsoft, which is headquartered in Redmond, Wash., filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on Friday. The company said it also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission. Get the full story »