The cellphone maker is investing in developers months before its Android phones launch.
It's no secret that Motorola Co-Chief Executive Sanjay Jha is betting on Google's Android mobile platform to bolster his company's faltering cellphone business.
Motorola ( MOT - news - people ) has repeatedly declined to comment on its much-anticipated Android phones. But it has been relatively open about its desire to recruit Android developers. Staffers at its MOTODEV developer network have spent the past several weeks reaching out to Android developers through weekly podcasts, meet-and-greets, and tutorials commissioned from experts.
The activities, which mostly began in mid-May and take place online, offer a glimpse of Motorola's goals for its Android devices. In a video uploaded to the developer blog in late May, Motorola's senior director of developer platforms and services, Dino Brusco, talked up Android's potential, praising the operating system's "deep integration with mobile Web services" and its "power to enable truly innovative applications." He concluded the video by saying, "We want all of you to join us in our partnership with Google and journey with Android," and noted that Motorola will help developers create, deploy and market their applications.
With the smart-phone battles increasingly hinging on the number of intriguing and useful applications available for a particular device or operating system, developer support is more crucial than ever to phone makers' success. Motorola executives confirmed in an interview that they are on the hunt for developer talent. After partnering with MOTODEV--which coordinates developer efforts across all of Motorola's businesses--to flesh out their ideas, developers will be able to distribute their apps through a variety of channels, including Google's ( GOOG - news - people ) Android Market, carrier stores, third party distributors and direct sales, says Christy Wyatt, the company's vice president of software platforms. Motorola may also install some standout applications on its phones.
Motorola believes it will offer developers two important advantages: a broad portfolio of Android devices and global distribution. The company's Android phones will span the consumer and enterprise markets and range from mid- to high-tier in pricing, says Wyatt. Some handsets will specialize in messaging and multimedia. Despite its recent woes, Motorola still has strong ties to operators around the world.
Participants generally applauded Motorola's efforts. "I've talked to a lot of folks at Motorola, and it's really an integrated effort," says Sean Galligan, vice president of business development at mobile analytics firm Flurry, which has been featured on Motorola's developer blog.
Indeed, Wyatt, who is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., near Google's headquarters, jokes that her team drops by the Internet giant's offices so often that they "probably drive [Google]crazy."
T-Mobile offers a good online forum for Android developers, says Scott Webster, head of the popular Android-centric blog, AndroidGuys. But Webster says the carrier doesn't seem "as dedicated" to Android as Motorola. "[Motorola is] answering questions, promoting Android sites and working with developers. It puts a real face to the company," he adds.
One way Motorola is getting real face time with developers is through "meet-ups" in cities ranging from Chicago to Sunnyvale to London. The company hosted about 100 Android developers in Silicon Valley in mid-June. Austin Teames, a product manager at San Mateo, Calif.-based Trilibis Mobile who organized the event, said Motorola provided meeting space, pizza and other refreshments for the developers, but didn't actively participate in the day's presentations and panels. At one point, a developer asked the employees about Motorola's Android plans. Teames reports that they politely avoided disclosing any details.
To get quality applications tailored to their upcoming phones, Motorola will need to divulge a bit more. "They can't be that active in creating developer resources until they have a device they can speak specifically about," notes Mark Chang, an engineering professor at Olin College who teaches Android development.
Wyatt says that Motorola is already working to bring Android applications to market, even if consumers won't see them until later this year. "We've been relatively quiet because we've been revamping a lot of our platforms, [but] we are definitely open for business," she says. Developers that partnered with Motorola on previous applications are being "fast tracked" through the Android process, as are some "tier one" developers from well-known firms, says Claudia Backus, Motorola's senior director of ecosystems. The public can expect to get access to Motorola's Android-specific developer tools, including software development kits, later this year.
It's too early to tell how many developers will entrust Motorola with their ideas. But if Motorola only manages to convert a sector of its own developers to Android, it will likely have plenty of manpower. The company says "millions" of developers are already involved in its broader MOTODEV network.
In the meantime, gadget blogs like Boy Genius Report keep people guessing about Motorola's device plans. AndroidGuys' Webster says he thinks two handsets, code-named Calgary and Morrison, will debut this winter on Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile, respectively. Both sport large touch-screens with sliding Qwerty keyboards, but appear to target different consumers (high-end versus entry level). AT&T ( T - news - people ) is also rumored to be getting a Motorola Android phone, and there has been chatter about Motorola crafting an Android device that can run on Sprint Nextel's ( S - news - people ) iDEN network.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/06/motorola-android-mobile-technology-wireless-motorola.html
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