Motorola brand to be phased out, replaced with Moto

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Motorola brand is officially being phased out and will be replaced by Moto as the year progresses, Digital Spy reports.

Motorola Mobility, which is owned by Lenovo, will still live on in a corporate capacity, but new high-end phones and products will bear the Moto branding. Lenovo's Vibe brand will be used for budget devices.

Motorola pretty much invented the mobile phone, so it's a significant move for the company.

Motorola chief operating officer Rick Osterloh told CNET: "We'll slowly phase out Motorola and focus on Moto."

A Lenovo spokesperson added: "Motorola Mobility continues to exist as a Lenovo company and is the engineering and design engine for all of our mobile products."

In a follow-up blog post, a spokesperson said that the Motorola legacy is near and dear to all employees, but the Lenovo corporate brand will tie "all of our consumer and commercial products together more holistically".

Lenovo began to merge its phone division with Motorola last year.

The firm is to release fewer handsets going forward, with a streamlined portfolio aimed at specific market points and territories.