Motorola is working on what could be Google’s Nexus Two smartphone.
In an earnings call last week Motorola co-CEO and handset chief Sanjay Jha said the 20-strong line-up of a Motorola’s range of new smartphones this year would include "one direct-to-consumer device with Google".
The move will boost the troubled manufacturer’s fortunes. Motorola is looking to recover from poor performance in the final quarter of 2009 in the face of concerted competition from Nokia and Apple.
Motorola did, however, perform slightly better than analysts had predicted, with share prices looking stronger in late-2009 than they had during the same period in the previous year.
Motorola believes that in the first half of 2010 it will make a loss, although analysts are more upbeat and expect to see a return to profitability.
Jha commented: "We are just at the beginning stage of our transition to a smartphone company."
Dubbed Nexus Two the smartphone is expected to be distributed in a similar manner to Nexus One, made by HTC, which is sold via the Google online phone store, either unlocked or with a network contract and subsidy.