Dont expect a real Google phone from Motorola for awhile

[SAWYER]

http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/28/4...torola-pipeline-arent-wow-by-google-standards

Google's CFO says Motorola's products aren't 'wow' by Google standards (update)

 

[dguy6789]

If the Nexus 4 and Chromebook Pixel are what Google considers wow and not stuff like the Razr Maxx HD then I'm not sure I like Google's definition of wow.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Good. Moto is trash anyway.

 

[shortylickens]

Good. Moto is trash anyway.

The new RAZR's are great.

 

[WelshBloke]

The new RAZR's are great.

They are pretty fugly though, both the hardware and software.

I see the statement by Pichette as a positive thing. It sounds like they have lots of improvements and additions to add and they are not satisfied with what they have at the moment.

 

[KeithTalent]

They are pretty fugly though, both the hardware and software.

I see the statement by Pichette as a positive thing. It sounds like they have lots of improvements and additions to add and they are not satisfied with what they have at the moment.

That is my problem with them. Extremely ugly phones; never played with one enough to get a feel for the software, but the hardware is aesthetically very terrible.

KT

 

[openwheel]

Current Motorola's are crap like most android phones. Well the RAZR m is cute but that's it. Nexus is the only way to go.

 

[dguy6789]

Current Motorola's are crap like most android phones. Well the RAZR m is cute but that's it. Nexus is the only way to go.

lol moto makes the best Android phone on the market right now

 

[OBLAMA2009]

motorola makes the most solid android phones. their current phones are just about as good as current technology allows. if google plans to change how motorola does things, it cant be for the better

 

[shortylickens]

lol moto makes the best Android phone on the market right now

They make the Note 2?
I was not aware.

 

[Oyeve]

lol moto makes the best Android phone on the market right now

Haha, hell no. Motorola makes junk. IMO there last good phone was the original razr flip phone. I just don't see why they are even relevant anymore.

 

[Eug]

They make the Note 2?
I was not aware.

As far as I'm concerned, the Note 2 isn't even a phone. It's a tablet, masquerading as a phone. And regardless, even ignoring the size I'm still not a big fan of it, because it uses Samsung's bloated skin.

That is my problem with them. Extremely ugly phones; never played with one enough to get a feel for the software, but the hardware is aesthetically very terrible.

Well, I like my RAZR HD much better than the Samsung Galaxy S III in terms of looks. I do think the Nexus 4 looks sexier than both the RAZR HD and Samsung Galaxy S III, but the Nexus 4 is crippled in several ways so overall I prefer the RAZR HD. In fact, I cancelled my Nexus 4 order for the RAZR HD.... which is why I too am amused by that Google exec's statement. If the Nexus 4 is "wow" vs. Moto, then I think they should probably reasess their priorities. They main advantage of the Nexus 4, and why I ordered it, was the price.

The main disadvantage of the RAZR HD is the camera... but I hear the Nexus 4's camera is significantly worse.

never played with one enough to get a feel for the software

That seems obvious from your statement, considering that current Motos are near-stock Android. There's not much to get the feel for if you have experience with stock Android. So, IMO in terms of the software, Moto has a big advantage over the several bloated manufacturer-modified Android versions out there.

---

I've said it before and I'll say again. There's a lot more to building a device than just cramming high-spec parts in it. It totally shocks me that Google still hasn't figured that out even with its flagship Nexus line. Sure, my Nexus 7 has a quad-core CPU, but the fact that its speaker system is total crap really takes away from the device. Sure, the Nexus 4 has a quad-core CPU, but it really needs better battery life. The RAZR HD uses a slower CPU, but has a 20% bigger battery, because they realize for most people for real world usage, longer battery life is much more important than having the extra CPU cores. And then there's the RAZR MAXX HD which is in a class of its own for battery life. Now, if Google wants higher spec parts to push the market, then that's fine, but they should be doing it in a way with products that don't screw up basic functionality like audio quality or battery life.

All of that considered, if I were to choose any Android phone right now, the choice would be very simple. It would be the Motorola RAZR MAXX HD. (The reason I didn't get it is because it's not available in Canada.)

In any case, it sounds like Google may be telling us that a Motorola Nexus might be coming in 2014. If so, I hope Google gets it right this time. If not, I may get a BlackBerry or something.

 

[WelshBloke]

...

Which is fine but moto is totally irrelevant outside of the United States and heavily reliant on carrier support within the US.

They need to change something. The fact that you prefer it to the SGS3 is probably not that much of a comfort to them.

 

[shortylickens]

Haha, hell no. Motorola makes junk. IMO there last good phone was the original razr flip phone. I just don't see why they are even relevant anymore.

Umm, they're the main reason America got into Android at all.

 

[WelshBloke]

Umm, they're the main reason America got into Android at all.

That doesn't say anything about the quality of their phones at all though.

 

[swanysto]

I don't have a problem with Motorola. I thought the Droid X was a fantastic phone. I thought it was better than the EVO which got most of the marketing support. I don't think there is anything wrong with the Razr series. They are very good phones. I am not sure how their quality can be called into question, they had a clunker or two, but so has Samsung and HTC.

 

[Eug]

Which is fine but moto is totally irrelevant outside of the United States and heavily reliant on carrier support within the US.

They need to change something. The fact that you prefer it to the SGS3 is probably not that much of a comfort to them.

I agree that Moto has failed on two fronts:

1) Previous years' Motoblur. Apparently it was absolutely terrible. (I don't really know because I was completely uninterested in Android before 4.0 rolled out.) Luckily they've smartened up about that now, probably at Google's urging. Motoblur is essentially dead now. Their current OS I suppose could be called Motoblur, but really it's just stock Android with a few minor modifications, and a couple of apps added in (Smart Actions and Vehicle Mode, etc.).

2) Their marketing sucks.

 

[shortylickens]

That doesn't say anything about the quality of their phones at all though.

It does. The Droid was fantastic and main reason Android succeeded. The G1 sure didnt make a major dent in the market.

 

[WelshBloke]

It does. The Droid was fantastic and main reason Android succeeded. The G1 sure didnt make a major dent in the market.

The g1 was released about a year before the moto droid IIRC, it also shipped with android version 1.

Moto was certainly not the main reason Android succeeded.

 

[shortylickens]

The g1 was released about a year before the moto droid IIRC, it also shipped with android version 1.

Moto was certainly not the main reason Android succeeded.

You are trying not to pay attention, arent you?

The G1 didnt swing the public on android. The Droid did, because it was better and shipped with a much newer OS.

People were NOT purchasing any android device in massive numbers until The Droid.

 

[WelshBloke]

You are trying not to pay attention, arent you?

The G1 didnt swing the public on android. The Droid did, because it was better and shipped with a much newer OS.

People were NOT purchasing any android device in massive numbers until The Droid.

So you're saying one phone, on one carrier, in one country is responsible for Androids global success?

Yes the Droid was better than the G1, thats because it was a year newer and shipped with a more modern OS not because it was made by Motorola.

 

[poofyhairguy]

My big problem with Moto is that its pushed away the development community some. At this point I will probably only buy the most popular android devices because I have seen first hand the vast difference in third party support and quite frankly I don't want a device I can't ROM.

 

[Eug]

My big problem with Moto is that its pushed away the development community some. At this point I will probably only buy the most popular android devices because I have seen first hand the vast difference in third party support and quite frankly I don't want a device I can't ROM.

Well, that's a valid point which applies to those of you who actually care about these things, but the vast majority of Android users will never install custom ROMs. And by vast majority, I'd guess that's greater than 99%. So, custom ROMs are not what make the Galaxy S III popular. It's effective feature inclusion (eg. decent camera) and excellent marketing, as well as good retail logistics, etc.

Samsung also has no qualms about blatantly copying Apple, which from a marketing and sales perspective, has its benefits. Also, as much as I don't like bloated Android skins, Samsung has no qualms on modifying stuff in Android which needs to be modified, such as Android's poorly implemented software buttons.

 

[lothar]

The only thing Motorola does on their phones that makes me go wow is the battery life. Other than that, that's about it.

Their hardware is also behind. When they released the RAZR HD last September, everyone else already had that Krait SoC 4-5 months prior to that in Samsung and HTC phones, and S4 Pro in the Nexus 4 and LG Optimus G clobbered it 2 months later in November. Now everyone is announcing new phones with new SoC at CES and MWC, and again new Motorola hardware is noticeably absent. If Google plans to change that by bringing updated hardware, that's fine.

Motorola phones are also ugly and not aesthetically pleasing. If Google, plans to change that, that's fine.

Whatever Google chooses to do with Motorola, they just should NOT touch the battery life on their MAXX series.

 

[Eug]

The only thing Motorola does on their phones that makes me go wow is the battery life. Other than that, that's about it.

Their hardware is also behind. When they released the RAZR HD last September, everyone else already had that Krait SoC 4-5 months prior to that in Samsung and HTC phones, and S4 Pro in the Nexus 4 and LG Optimus G clobbered it 2 months later in November. Now everyone is announcing new phones with new SoC at CES and MWC, and again new Motorola hardware is noticeably absent. If Google plans to change that by bringing updated hardware, that's fine.

Motorola phones are also ugly and not aesthetically pleasing. If Google, plans to change that, that's fine.

Whatever Google chooses to do with Motorola, they just should NOT touch the battery life on their MAXX series.

Well, that's precisely what I was talking about. Yeah, the Nexus 4 has a 4-core SoC, but its battery life sucks, and it doesn't even have LTE. In that context, I'd MUCH prefer to have the RAZR HD. (I'd prefer to have the RAZR MAXX HD over both of them, but that model is unavailable in Canada.)

I do agree the Nexus 4 looks better than the RAZR HD though. I've love to see the Motorola logo removed from their front face. The stylized "M" on the back is sufficient.