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Motorola’s Texas Factory Shutting Down

Motorola’s Texas factory, a key ingredient in the company’s customizable Moto Maker program for its flagship smartphone, is shutting down at the end of the year.

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According to the Wall Street Journal, the company isn’t selling enough smartphones to keep the factory going.

Motorola was sold by Google to Lenovo for $2.9 billion, a far cry from the $12.5 billion it paid for the company in 2011. Google did keep many of the interesting components, however, including more than 17,000 patents, as well as Motorola’s R&D team, now part of Google’s Advanced Technology & Projects (ATAP) division.

Under Google’s ownership, Motorola underwent a sort of reinvention of itself, complete with a trio of new phones at different price points, a colorful and customizable flagship device, and equally colorful accessories.

The Moto X became the popular definition of a “smart” phone, thanks to its always-on, motion sensitive software, and unique features (like its Active Display technology). The Moto G was its lower-end variant, but redefined what a cheap smartphone could be, thanks to its price and performance.

 

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