Lenovo moving away from Motorola, becoming Moto

Ryan Whitwam for Android Police:

According to Motorola CEO Rick Osterloh, Lenovo will keep the Motorola name around at an organizational level, but at the consumer level you’ll see phones emblazoned with the Moto “batwing” logo and “Moto by Lenovo.” Phasing out the Motorola brand will mark the end of an era in technology. The Motorola name was on the very first cell phones, including the iconic DynaTAC (the first consumer cell phone) and StarTAC (the first flip phone). Hell, Motorola made the radios that humanity took to the moon on the Apollo missions. “Moto” doesn’t exactly have the same gravitas.

Going with the younger, trendier name makes a ton of sense. The Motorola name has a history, yes but it’s not one that resonates with the current audience of people buying their phones. Going with a simple, clean identity just looks and feels more contemporary than the original.

You could see signs of this in the designs of the store Motorola set up this holiday season. I’m excited to see where they go with it.