Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has confirmed that his company has in the works “at least one direct-to-consumer device with Google.” Sure sounds like the rumored Google Nexus Two to us, and again solidifies the relationship between the Android developer and hardware manufacturers. (Remember that Jha was on stage with Android and HTC execs at the launch of the Nexus One.)
As for the earnings call and Motorola’s recent resurgence in the mobile space, Jha seemed upbeat, though cognizant of the road ahead. “We are just at the beginning of our transition to a smartphone company, and we have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said. A couple of other points:
- 2 million Android-based smartphones sold in the fourth quarter. They expect lower sales in the first quarter.
- The Motorola Backflip is coming before the end of the first quarter.
- “Cliq, Backflip and the majority of our new smartphones this year will feature MotoBLUR,” Jha said.
As for the numbers end of things, Motorola sold 2 million Android-based smartphones in the fourth quarter. Sales hit $1.82 billion in Q4, up from $1.69 billion in the third quarter. Operating loss was $114 million, down from $183 million the previous quarter, and down from $476 million in Q4 2008. More on that after the break. [Motorola (pdf link)]
