A few weeks ago, a rumour surfaced that Motorola was looking to grow its Android team from about 50 to 350. Now comes word from The Wall Street Journal that Sanjay Jha, Motorola’s co-chief executive officer and CEO of Mobile Devices, is planning to use Google Android for its mid-tier devices. Business-focused devices will continue to use Windows Mobile and low-end devices will use its own P2K platform. While three operating systems may sound like a lot, it is better than the half dozen or so that Motorola currently offers.
It is also likely that development of Windows Mobile devices will be outsourced. There is no word on who this company could be though.
In their Q3 2008 financial results announcement today where the Mobile Devices division recorded an operating loss of USD$840 million, the company confirmed plans to go ahead with spinning off its Mobile Devices division but has pushed back the timeline primarily due to the macro-economic environment, stresses in the financial markets and the changes underway in Mobile Devices. In the meantime, the company plans to drop a number of phone designs and significant job cuts.
Note: The original Wall Street Journal article requires a subscription.