Google Inc is working with recently acquired Motorola on a handset
codenamed "X-phone", aimed at grabbing market share from Apple Inc and
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people
familiar with the matter.
Google acquired Motorola in May for $12.5
billion to bolster its patent portfolio as its Android mobile operating
system competes with rivals such as Apple and Samsung.
The Journal
quoted the people saying that Motorola is working on two fronts:
devices that will be sold by carrier partner Verizon Wireless, and on
the X phone.
Motorola plans to enhance the X Phone with its recent
acquisition of Viewdle, an imaging and gesture-recognition software
developer. The new handset is due out sometime next year, the business
daily said, citing a person familiar with the plans.
Motorola is
also expected to work on an "X" tablet after the phone. Google Chief
Executive Larry Page is said to have promised a significant marketing
budget for the unit, the newspaper said quoting the persons.
Google was not immediately reachable for comments outside regular U.S. business hours.
© Thomson Reuters 2012