Motorola adds tennis star Taylor Fritz to its patch partnership roster
March 21, 2024
Motorola reinforces its dedication to tennis by announcing a new, grand-slam partnership with the No. 1 ranked American male tennis player Taylor Fritz. This strategic collaboration marks an exciting chapter in both Motorola’s commitment to sports sponsorship and Fritz’s remarkable career.
Beginning with his highly-anticipated performance at the Miami Open, March 17-31, Fritz will sport the iconic Motorola “batwing” logo on the right sleeve of his match uniform and warm-up kit.
Over the course of the multi-year partnership, the 26-year-old tennis star will also utilize the iconic motorola razr and will support Motorola through ongoing, strategic brand activities and campaigns that engage with tennis fans and brand fanatics across North America.
“Taylor Fritz perfectly embodies the spirit and ethos of what our brand represents,” said Rudi Kalil, President and General Manager of North America at Motorola. “Not only does Fritz play with passion, strength, and determination, but he shares Motorola’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and redefining the status quo. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Motorola family.”
“I am incredibly excited to be partnering with and representing such an iconic brand like Motorola,” said Taylor Fritz. “We share a commitment to excellence and passion for success, and I’m thrilled to be joining forces with a brand that continually supports the tennis community.”
Launching himself into stardom and solidifying his place as the No. 1 US player, Fritz continues to capture the hearts and attention of sports fans around the world. With a career-high ranking of World #5 and currently #13, Fritz has consistently shown himself to be among the best players in the world and is a freight train heading for the world’s Top 3.
Follow Motorola and Taylor Fritz both on and off the court via social media for the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content throughout this exciting partnership.
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Motorola introduces new MotoTalk features with AI to increase productivity of retail teams
January 8, 2024
‘AI Image Recognition’ allows retailers and trade professionals to identify and quantify goods on shelves through the power of Artificial Intelligence. ‘AI Route Planning’’ complements AI driven inventory management and merchandising compliance with route optimization for time and fuel efficiency.
At CES 2024, Motorola introduces new AI features for MotoTalk, a software platform with a focus on increasing business productivity and team performance. Now, using AI technology, field teams can use Image Recognition and Route Planning to optimize their daily activities. As part of Motorola for Business portfolio, the new Moto Talk features empower an even more robust business productivity ecosystem, seamlessly providing features to enhance workplace efficiency.
AI Image Recognition – Instantly scan and recognize images
With the ‘Image Recognition’ feature, field teams can identify and count the quantity of any product on the shelves, recognize and gather information on their prices and access share reports in each store, ensuring merchandising compliance and better sales management at different points of sale. With this feature, users can instantly access automatically generated metrics instead of waiting for manual survey data from employees at point of sale¹, increasing the productivity of promoters and employees at POS and in retail.
AI Route Planning – Maximize efficiency and save time
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence, route planning strategically optimizes commercial routes, maximizing efficiency in terms of distance, time, and sales opportunities. This feature enables the generation of itineraries for different field teams in a fraction of the time that a manual planning takes, and the tool also summarizes the employee’s visits and performances in stores, saving workload for MotoTalk users.
Moto Talk increases business performance
With MotoTalk, businesses will have one console to manage all of their teams’ devices, schedules and communications, including rich messaging features like PTT (push-to-talk). MotoTalk removes communication silos and empowers employees to connect, collaborate and execute with reliable, rapid exchange of messaging. Additionally, Moto Talk offers comprehensive support services, to ensure Motorola for Business customers can focus on what matters most, their business. Lastly, MotoTalk provides end to end secure communications, ensuring that business communications are protected and kept private.
The MotoTalk service is multi-platform compatible with Android, iOS and Windows. The solution created by Motorola also offers other features, such as team management, electronic time sheets, real-time tracking and task management. The solutions offered are customizable for any segment or size company and can be suitable for the most diverse operations.
Motorola demonstrates Tech World AI concepts at CES 2024
At Lenovo Tech World ’23, Motorola took AI endeavors to another level introducing some exciting AI concepts. These new features, alongside Moto Talk AI solutions, were showcased at CES 2024, demonstrating how Motorola is set to redefine consumers’ daily experiences. From generative AI wallpapers that breathe life into your device’s screen, to advanced AI privacy features like blurring out sensitive information, and even the magic touch of transforming crinkled receipts into pristine documents, it’s clear convenience is at the forefront of innovation. Moreover, with the ability to effortlessly summarize notes, emails, and chats, Motorola continues to forge ahead in its mission to deliver innovative, on-the-go solutions that enhance mobility, pocketability, and overall ease for consumers.
Read more about Lenovo’s new AI product announcements at CES, including new ThinkPad, ThinkBook, ThinkCentre, Yoga, and gaming devices, on StoryHub.
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Motorola celebrates the 10th anniversary of moto g family with 200 millions of units sold
November 9, 2023
Today marks the remarkable milestone of Motorola’s 10-year journey in the mid-tier smartphone segment, and the numbers alone speak volumes. Over 200 million moto g devices have been sold worldwide. From the first moto g, we transformed the industry and along the way brought to life core brand values such as empowering users and making technology inclusive by consistently bringing premium experiences and innovations to more consumer segments.
In the past 10 years, the moto g family has fostered Motorola’s most loyal audience, our consumer centric approach has helped introduce the brand to millions of new consumers that see their needs and expectations solved by this family.
moto g, the first generation redefined the smartphone industry When Motorola launched the first generation of moto g, users only had two options: settle for an underpowered mobile experience or an older premium smartphone with outdated specs. The first moto g was created to make premium technology more accessible to all, bringing a quad core processor, 1GB RAM and a fun design with replaceable covers. It also featured Motorola’s beloved moto gestures, which until then were only available in Motorola premium devices.
moto g becomes a family with the introduction of the 4th generation
The introduction of the moto g4 was a significant milestone for the moto g series. Our research showed us that if we had different categories, consumers would prioritize certain features according to the device price points. Additionally, as the consumer need for the latest mobile technology grew across the globe, the franchise expanded to meet this need, delivering powerful devices in a larger range of price points. Moreover, consumers were empowered with Moto Maker. With Moto Maker, you could choose the back plate color, the accent color and a front plate color. You were also able to choose an engraving and customize the software greeting that you saw when the phone booted up. These features enabled you to customize your devices even further to fit your aesthetic. Notably, the moto g4 also set a new standard within the family by being the first moto g device to incorporate a fingerprint sensor and a PDAF camera system with laser autofocus which was otherwise only available to motorola consumers on our premium devices.
moto g celebrates its 10th generation with moto g100
The moto g100 marked the 10th generation in the celebrated moto g family. It was the first mid-tier device within the moto g family to bring a Snapdragon 8 series mobile platform, unleashing the power of 5G connectivity and boasting a colossal battery. But that wasn’t all – it introduced the cutting-edge Ready For platform, which redefined the smartphone experience by amplifying what the phone was capable of onto an external display without additional accessories.
moto g family radiates in Pantone Color of the Year with moto g84 5G
The moto g84 5G was the inaugural moto g to incorporate the Pantone Color of the Year, PANTONE Viva Magenta, and embrace ultra-premium vegan imitation leather. Its camera system showcases OIS and Ultra Pixel technology, delivering impeccable image clarity and vibrancy in any light. This device is further complemented by a 6.5″ ultrawide pOLED display with infinite contrast, illuminating each pixel independently to generate richer blacks and more vibrant colors, enhancing the overall entertainment experience. Plus, moto g84 5G is powered by embedded AI features in many areas like camera, battery, display and device performance, all tailored to improve users’ experience.
The future of moto g family
When we embarked on this journey a decade ago, we knew the best way to predict the future was to go and invent it. We’re happy to share how this decade-long journey has redefined the very concept of mid-tier smartphones. Mobile devices will continue to become more and more essential to consumers as personal computing platforms and objects of self expression, therefore we will continue to be relentless in creating the most advanced, competitive and desirable products and experiences for our moto g consumers.
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Motorola named A1 Padel’s Official Telecommunications Hardware Provider for Grand Master Tournament Circuit
October 5, 2023
We’re saying hellomoto to an exciting new international sport and the latest addition to our NA sports partnership portfolio: A1 Padel! Motorola and A1 Padel announced a partnership to make Motorola the Official Telecommunications Hardware Provider for the Grand Master Tournament Circuit, which makes its U.S. debut this October.
As an official sponsor, Motorola will help welcome the dynamic racquet game of padel – the fastest-growing participation sport in the world – to U.S. sports fans. A cross between tennis and squash, padel is a competitive and inclusive participation sport that has captivated many young sports fans throughout Europe and Latin America. A1 Padel’s Grand Master Tournament Circuit represents the sport’s first tournament in the U.S., bringing its unique sporting culture to new audiences.
bringing the new “it” sports craze to the U.S.
The weeklong Grand Master Tournament begins in New York City on October 9, and will culminate on October 15 for the finals match. Following this competition, the A1 Padel tour will head to Miami on November 7-12 before reaching Las Vegas for the Master Final on December 13-17.
As the Official Telecommunications Partner of A1 Padel, Motorola will have a presence at each of the match venues, providing a space for fans to charge their phones, test out their own racquet skills in a ping pong match, and demo Motorola’s latest razr family devices.
a message from motorola & a1 padel executives
“As an inclusive sport that is captivating fans all over the world, especially young people, A1 Padel shares our commitment and passion for creating unique and meaningful consumer experiences,” said Maria Jose Martin, Marketing Director for Motorola North America. “We’re proud to welcome A1 Padel to our portfolio of marquee sports partnerships that bring our iconic “batwing” logo to sports enthusiasts, and thrilled to help A1 Padel usher in a new ‘it’ sports craze for new and existing fans as they make their U.S. debut.”
“From inception, we knew partnering with Motorola as the official Telecommunications Hardware Provider would be a strategic match for both brands to foster unparalleled growth,” said Ike S. Franco, Owner of A1 Padel + CEO of Infinity Global.
keep up with the action
With Motorola as the tournament’s Official Telecommunications Hardware Provider, fans can follow the action of Motorola’s presence at this historic U.S. tournament on A1 Padel’s Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok channels.
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Motorola celebrates 95th anniversary, honoring the past while planning for the future
September 25, 2023
This month, Motorola celebrates 95 years. From moon-to-earth communications to the revival of a fashion icon with the new razr family, Motorola is reflecting on key moments of telecommunications that defined human history and sharing what we believe will be next.
Creating societal impact
Since 1928, Motorola has been at the forefront of technology. Perhaps the most notable moment from previous decades was the Apollo 11 moon landing, which utilized Motorola radio equipment technology to provide the first Earth-to-Moon communications. Our technology allowed Neil Armstrong to share his famous words with the world: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Just a few years later, Martin Cooper, former Motorola VP and Director of R&D, made the first mobile phone call on 6th Avenue in New York City, paving the way for anyone, anywhere to talk with friends, family and work colleagues at any time. These inventions shaped the world we know today.
Influencing culture
In the early 2000s, razr V3 was born, redefining the design of a cell phone. With its bright colors, clamshell design and thin appearance, the razr v3 quickly became a fashion icon.
In 2019, we saw consumers’ desire for more consistent connections and faster download speeds. These insights resulted in the moto z3 combined with the 5G moto mod™, which became the world’s first commercially-available smartphone to connect to 5G. Since then, we’ve prioritized the democratization of 5G connectivity by introducing 5G capabilities to our moto g families and carried this spirit of exploration and innovation into our current portfolio.
Transforming technology
This year, we honor 10 years of the moto g, a franchise built on the democratization of premium technologies, including the fastest processors, advanced displays, outstanding design, turbo power charging, 5G technology and much more. Our latest moto gs offer impressive chipsets, robust camera capabilities and enhanced entertainment experiences across display and audio, so consumers have access to technologies that matter most to them.
From left to right: moto g72, motorola edge 30 ultra, motorola razr 40/motorola razr, motorola razr 40 ultra/motorola razr+
We continued this momentum into our edge family. In the past year, we’ve announced some of the thinnest smartphones yet, an industry-first 200MP main camera sensor, a globally exclusive partnership with PANTONE™, and introduced new, unique device finishes like vegan leather into the range.
Our edge family continues to push boundaries by reimagining how a smartphone looks, what it feels like and what it’s capable of.
We’ve also launched the next generation of razr. The motorola razr 40 ultra/motorola razr+ reimagines the foldable form factor and includes the biggest external display available on a foldable smartphone, allowing users to see what’s important and do more without having to flip open the phone. The device’s dynamic hinge can be positioned at multiple angles for expert content creation, and its compact design fits both pockets and purses.
And to make the foldable category more widely available, we’ve lowered the price point. The motorola razr 40/motorola razr offers a balanced foldable experience with high-end smartphone features. These new razr devices give consumers the opportunity to become a fashion icon once again. In fact, almost 40% of consumers would consider a foldable for their next device1, and 20% of new razr buyers are making the switch from other leading premium smartphone brands.1
The next 95 years of innovation
While we are proud of our history, we continue to focus on the now while keeping an eye towards the future. This perspective has paid off as we see growth in all markets across the globe, particularly within our premium families and B2B, including services, solutions and unique business edition devices like the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola. These advancements build on Lenovo’s iconic PC sub-brands such as ThinkPad known for its purposeful design and trusted quality, modern ThinkBook laptops built for SMBs, premium Yoga PCs for consumers and creators, and Lenovo Legion that pushes gaming to the limit.
“At Motorola, we are disrupting the market with our premium devices and first of its kind features,” Sergio Buniac, President of Motorola, said. “As part of Lenovo’s commitment to smarter technology for all, we are providing consumers with more innovative options than ever before, and it is paying off as we look to double our business in the next three years.”
With this goal in mind, Motorola is committed to entering new markets, strengthening B2B synergies with Lenovo and discovering new ways to enhance the Motorola brand and our relationship with consumers. On top of that, we will continue bringing innovation to the market by exploring ways to interact and engage with Motorola devices through the use of AI technology, new form factors that fold and adapt to different situations, smart and seamless connection across devices tailored to users needs and unique software experiences. Leading with this strategy, we feel ready to take on the next 95 years.
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4 Things to know about Motorola’s 312 Labs
May 5, 2023
Back in 2021, Motorola announced the creation of our Motorola 312 Labs innovation group, a team dedicated to exploring the unknown to usher in radically different mobile solutions and technologies in both the near and distant future. While this team works closely with our product development team, their role and focus is different. So to help explain what they do, here are 4 fast facts about Motorola 312 Labs:
Motorola 312 Labs isn’t an actual lab
Motorola 312 Labs is not a single physical lab, but rather one of our global internal teams whose focus is on innovating for the future. Comprising global research, design and engineering experts focused on first-of-its-kind product development, Motorola 312 Labs’ mission is to solve consumer pain points by exploring the unknown and turning conceptual ideas into a reality.
The team is comprised of experts from across the globe, not just Chicago
Motorola’s innovation has deep roots in Chicago, IL, being headquartered in the city since its founding. And while the name “312” was chosen as it’s one of Chicago’s most well-known telephone area codes, the Motorola 312 Labs team is actually comprised of employees based across the globe including the United States, Brazil, China, and India. In alignment with the values instilled by Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office, when building the group, leaders recognized the importance of bringing in team members from all backgrounds, disciplines and geographies to ensure diversity in the ideas and outputs from the organization.
Despite only just announcing the group in 2021, Motorola has brought incredible innovation to the market for years such as shatterproof screens, moto mods and the foldable razr. And many of the experts responsible for these innovations play a critical role in the work Motorola 312 Labs does today. In fact, some even played a part in defining the original RAZR.
Form factors, advanced displays, AR & VR, and more. Motorola 312 Labs explores it all
The best thing about Motorola 312 Labs is that since it lives outside of Motorola’s existing product development pipeline, the team is free to explore and imagine any new kind of mobile technology – even technologies that don’t exist yet. Today, the team is focused on a few key research areas including the connected ecosystem of the future, metaverse evolution, exploring new and unique mobile form factors and wearables, advancing displays, and AR & VR technologies. They also work closely with teams all across Lenovo to ensure we’re leveraging as much expertise and collaboration as possible when researching, developing, and executing these unique innovations.
Since its official creation, the group has introduced two unique form factors to the world: the 5G XR neckband and rollable smartphone concept
Of the many emerging technology spaces Motorola 312 Labs explores, one, in particular, is reimagining device form factors to solve customer pain points and enable new experiences.
In 2022, we introduced in partnership with Lenovo and Verizon, a hands-free, 5G XR neckband built for delivering high bandwidth, ultra-low latency connectivity and power to AR glasses and VR goggles. The device redefines the role of the smartphone by allowing users to display content to more immersive screens around them, in turn offering better portability, longer-lasting and a higher quality user experience in more places.
But the team didn’t stop there. Last year, also marked a pivotal milestone for Motorola and the group as we introduced a new Rollable smartphone proof of concept. This concept builds upon the display and mechanical innovations we delivered in our foldable devices, and projects where the exciting space of dynamic form factors can go. When retracted, the Rollable concept’s super pocketable form is smaller than most other premium devices on the market. The expanded state provides a 6.5” screen for immersive gaming, content streaming, and productivity, while the retracted size is perfect for enjoying the full Android experience on-the-go. The concept device provides endless opportunities for content creation and entertainment while offering the newfound flexibility of a small device with a wraparound screen.
As a Lenovo company, the Motorola 312 Labs team works closely with our peers across the company to integrate the work we do into other facets of the Lenovo business, like PCs. Employing similar rollable technology to elevate multi-tasking and browsing capabilities while retaining a compact size, Lenovo also debuted the Rollable laptop PC concept late last year.
The Motorola 312 Labs team is always working on more projects and concepts that push the boundaries of what’s possible, stay tuned for more innovations of the future.
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Earth Day 2023: Investing in our planet
April 22, 2023
Each year, April 22nd marks an important day for our planet – Earth Day – a day dedicated to honoring the achievements of the environmental movement and raising awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations. As a global technology powerhouse operating in markets across the globe, we fully understand the role we have in raising awareness and taking action to help protect our planet. In 2021, we announced a set of long-term KPIs that will help to do so, including achieving a 30% improvement in the energy efficiency of our mobile phones by FY 29/30.
As a Lenovo company, we are actively committed to investing in our planet through a number of key initiatives that will help to improve energy efficiency, increase sustainable packaging and product design, and reduce emissions. In January 2023, Lenovo announced its commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with science-based targets validated through the Science Based Targets initiative’s Net-Zero Standard.
To learn more about all of the actions Lenovo as a whole is taking to build a brighter, more sustainable future for our customers, colleagues, communities, and planet, visit https://news.lenovo.com/campaign/earth-day-2023.
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A call that changed the world: Motorola celebrates the 50-Year Anniversary of the First Commercial Mobile Phone Call
April 3, 2023
Motorola’s pioneering spirit has proven to be a critical part of progressing the mobile industry to what it is today. From delivering the world’s first commercially available 5G-upgradable smartphone to the first clamshell smartphone, we have a rich heritage in rewriting how people access and experience innovation. But perhaps the most defining moment in mobile tech history came exactly 50 years ago on April 3, 1973, when Martin Cooper, former Motorola VP and Director of R&D, used the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X to make the world’s first commercial mobile phone call from Sixth Avenue in New York City. It marked a pivotal point in time for society as we no longer had to sit by a landline or wait for a page to ensure we didn’t miss a call. It meant we could communicate with anyone, any time, from anywhere.
“When I made the first public portable cell phone call on April 3, 1973, I knew it was only the beginning; that Motorola and the cellphone industry were starting a revolution in personal communications,” said Martin Cooper. “Since then, there have been a huge number of pivotal innovations, many of them created by Motorola. The first fifty years were only the warm-up. There will be many more exciting advancements that will transform humanity”.
50 years later, we’re proud to say Motorola has continued to be at the forefront of a number of other industry-defining technologies, patents, and game-changing innovations that have shaped the world as we know it. We’ve come a long way since the release of the DynaTAC 8000X, which measured more than a foot long and weighed almost 2 pounds at the time. Some examples include the original RAZR V3, a device that came to market in the early 2000s, a time when mobile design had become predictable. Popular for its unique clamshell design and thin appearance, RAZR V3 continues to be a globally iconic piece of technology today.
More recently, on April 3, 2019, the moto z3 combined with the 5G moto modTM became the world’s first commercially-available smartphone to connect to 5G. Since then, we’ve been determined to democratize 5G technology bringing blazing-fast 5G speeds to the mid-tier through our moto g family.
We’ve also been key in pushing the boundaries of alternative form factors. In 2019, we launched the world’s first clamshell smartphone – the motorola razr – which brought consumers portability without sacrificing the functionalities of a full-sized smartphone display. We’ve also introduced innovations like the neckband, a wearable 5G device that redefines the role of the smartphone by allowing you to display content to more immersive screens around you. And most recently, we unveiled a rollable smartphone concept device. Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue to test the boundaries of mobile technology and look forward to sharing more in this space.
To help celebrate the 50-year anniversary, we’ve commissioned the help of Argentinian illustrator, Costhanzo, to recreate 50 of our most iconic devices to date:
“Having been at Motorola for over 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to bear witness to many of these iconic innovations”, said Sergio Buniac, President of Motorola. “Innovation is in our DNA. We’ve revolutionized the industry countless times and we’re eager to continue to play this pivotal role in shaping the industry’s future.”
Be sure to follow along on Instagram (@motorolaus), as we recreate the first call at iconic locations around Chicago, and be the first to find us for a chance to win Motorola devices, F1 & Bulls swag, and more.
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Motorola employees share what #EmbracingEquity means to them for International Women´s Day
March 8, 2023
Every year, we at Motorola, look forward to celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD), by recognizing and honoring the women who break barriers, make a difference in and out of the office, and are paving the way for other women at Motorola.
This year’s IWD theme is all about Embracing Equity and recognizing the difference between providing equal versus equitable opportunities. At Motorola, we are committed to supporting a gender-equal work environment as well as an equitable one, where all of our employees are given fair treatment, opportunities for growth, and access to resources.
To help honor this day, we asked women at Motorola what embracing equity means to them:
“Embracing equity is the way for us to create a more equal and fair world; a world where diversity is celebrated in all its power. We have the right and the responsibility to make it happen!” – Renata Altenfelder, Executive Director of Brand Management, MBG
“Providing equal opportunities based on gender is not enough. Embracing equity is about realizing people’s needs aren’t always the same and that it’s okay to need different things to succeed. Future generations should celebrate these differences, value diversity, and importantly, support inclusivity.” – Manika Parashar, Digital Copywriter, MBG
“Embracing Equity is a way for us to make every human feel equal in all terms. Providing equal opportunities and favorable resources to all living souls at workplaces would not just lead to the success of organizations but the success of humanity. We must take responsibility to foster the next generation to value and embrace equity in all aspects of life.” – Anjali Rawat, Global Social Coordinator, MBG
“It’s to be able to understand, not only from the differences but from the similarities who I am in this place, and what benefits I deserve for being a woman, millennial, Latina and leader. For me, as a Human Resources leader, it is a key element to generate an inclusive culture and thus enhance the empowerment and development of teams in the organization. We should continue with this journey of promoting equity because it is fundamental to confront the market and cultural challenges. First of all, we must start by promoting conscious and inclusive leadership.” – Laura Aguilar, Human Resources Business Partner, PCSD
“There is no “i” in the team. We should provide tools and support to narrow the social gaps our history has created. That means we should identify what and how we as Lenovo can promote a more equal workplace. Embracing equity is understanding our social responsibility for a fairer and better world for our children. It is leaving an improved world to future generations. Different minds foster different solutions, but just being diverse is not enough. We should equally foster professional development if we want to achieve greatness. Equity is also a great teacher of social awareness, empathy, and self-improvement. We should change our mindsets and realize we are active members of a changing planet. We are all responsible for the transformations we can promote and we should at least start in the workplace.” – Andrea Barral, Director of Human Resources for Latin America, MBG
Supporting our communities during Women’s History Month At Motorola and Lenovo at large, we recognize the role we can play in supporting women in and out of the office, and in creating a gender-inclusive, diverse, and equitable workforce. To learn more about all of Lenovo’s 2023 IWD initiatives, please visit the Lenovo Story Hub.
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Motorola expands its indigenous languages digital inclusion initiative with two new endangered languages spoken in India
February 20, 2023
Today, in partnership with the Lenovo Foundation, Motorola is excited to announce the next phase of our indigenous languages digital inclusion initiative with the addition of two new languages – Kuvi and Kangri – spoken in regions of India. Over the last two years, we’ve added the support of three endangered indigenous languages to our devices – Cherokee (spoken in the United States), Kaingang (spoken in Brazil) and Nheengatu (spoken in the Amazon). We’re incredibly thrilled to continue our commitment to embracing inclusivity and delivering smarter technology for all, by delivering the first-ever Kuvi language writing system and keyboard, and a fully localized Kangri smartphone User Interface to our devices.*
Of the 2,464 endangered languages around the world listed in the UNESCO Atlas of World’s Languages in Danger, India tops the list with 197 endangered languages, followed by the U.S. (191) and Brazil (190). When selecting the languages for this most recent phase of our project, we analyzed many factors including the percentage of speakers in the communities to indicate loss of language, community access to technologies, engagement with the broader community, and availability of linguistics resources. We found that while the Kuvi language community accounts for about 155,000 people, who live primarily in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, India, only about 9% of the people in the region still speak the language. Similarly, we discovered that while Kangri is spoken by around 1 million people in India, only a very small fraction are fluent speakers.
The first-ever Kuvi language writing system
With this project, Motorola and the Lenovo Foundation worked closely with the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) under the guidance of Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS and leadership of Dr. Sushree Sangita Mohanty and support from the Kuvi speakers & language experts to determine the needs of the Kuvi communities in all regions where Kuvi is spoken. Together we determined that the most important step in Kuvi Language Preservation would be to develop the first-ever Kuvi language writing system. Additionally, to facilitate the usage of this new written system, we created a Kuvi keyboard supporting 4 scripts – Kuvi Odia, Kuvi Telugu, Kuvi Devanagari and Kuvi Latin. The new keyboard is available for download via the Google Play Store to help with the utilization of the written form in smartphones and allow for other forms of digitization.
“We at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) are delighted to partner with Motorola and Lenovo Foundation in this one-of-its-kind project to revitalize the endangered status of Kuvi language,” said Samanta. “KISS with support from the Lenovo Foundation has been integral in bringing together the member of tribal communities (Kondh, Kond and Jatapu), linguistic & technical experts, and various other fraternities to collaborate with the Motorola Software Globalization team and develop a keyboard for the Kuvi Language. This initiative sets the path for the revival of many more such languages, helping to preserve the rich legacy, knowledge and heritage that rests in the depths of our country.”
The first fully localized Kangri Smartphone User Interface
We also worked alongside linguists, scholars, and experts from the Kangra, Hamirpur and Una districts of Himachal Pradesh, to deliver the first fully localized Kangri. Smartphone User Interface, in both AOSP content and Motorola Experience apps. To make for a seamless Kangri experience on our devices, we also added Unicode Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR) support with a richer Kangri language data and user interface, all locale-specific patterns for formatting and parsing such as dates, times, currency, measure units, country & language information. Localizing over 200,000 English words into Kangri on our devices means that from the moment a Kangri user sets up their device, they can select the language and navigate a richer UI for both Android AOSP and Motorola experiences.
“With just about 1.7 million speakers of Kangri from a total 1.4 billion people who make India, Motorola and Lenovo Foundation’s language revitalization effort is truly a testimony of their commitment to preserving endangered languages,” said Professor Sunhu Sharma, consultant to Motorola’s Endangered Indigenous Language Initiative for Kangri. “The project was humongous and extremely gratifying, as researchers, tribals, linguists, and tech professionals, worked together to localize over 200,000 English words into Kangri on Motorola’s devices, which will enable Kangri speakers to set up their device in their language and navigate their phone in their mother tongue.”
To further our efforts in bringing more awareness and action to revitalize endangered indigenous languages, this past December, Sergio Buniac, President of Motorola, announced at UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages event, that we are also partnering with UNESCO to conduct further research on the impact and potential of digitizing endangered indigenous languages. “Lenovo and Motorola, in collaboration with UNESCO New Delhi Office, are in the planning phase to develop a toolkit sharing experiences and technology in digitizing endangered indigenous languages,” said Hesekiel Dlamini, Officer in Charge, UNESCO, New Delhi. “This is in line with our shared vision for digital inclusion of indigenous communities.”
In addition to these languages, we also recently introduced a new logo dedicated to our indigenous languages digitization initiative. The new logo is meant to make support of these languages more recognizable on our devices and raise awareness towards the cause.
“With each phase of our endangered indigenous languages project, our goal is to help bridge the gap in digitally inclusive technology and inspire more actions towards the revitalization of these languages”, said Janine Oliveira, Executive Director of Globalization Software at Motorola Mobility. “The addition of Kangri and Kuvi to our growing list of supported languages is a milestone we’re excited to celebrate, but our work doesn’t stop here.”
Moving forward, we will continue to conduct research alongside indigenous communities and engage with regional teams to enrich Motorola experiences and the lives of our incredible consumers.
*The new languages are available on the new moto e13. Going forward, every Motorola smartphone upgraded to Android 13 will have Kangri language and Kuvi keyboard support as well.
“Having been at Motorola for over 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to bear witness to many of these iconic innovations”, said Sergio Buniac, President of Motorola. “Innovation is in our DNA. We’ve revolutionized the industry countless times and we’re eager to continue to play this pivotal role in shaping the industry’s future.”
