(Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL, www.motorola.com) A leading manufacturer of semiconductor devices, electronics, telecommunications and satellite systems. Founded in Chicago in 1928 by Paul V. Galvin as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, its first product allowed radios to operate from household current instead of batteries. In the 1930s, the company commercialized car radios under the Motorola brand suggesting "sound in motion." In 1937, it introduced a line of home radios and its first two-way radio products. By 1947, its Motorola brand became so popular that the company changed its name to match.
Motorola's first semiconductor plant was operating in 1953, and by the 1960s, the company was a leader in semiconductors, communications and consumer electronics. It produced its first integrated circuits in 1960 and its first microprocessor in 1974, the same year that it sold its color TV business.
In the computer industry, Motorola is widely known for its 68000 and PowerPC microprocessor families. It is also one of the world's largest suppliers of microcontrollers (computers on a single chip). The company has more than 40,000 items in its product line used in a myriad of radio, communications, automotive, industrial and consumer applications.
The Galvin Brothers
This picture was taken of Paul Galvin (left) and his brother Joseph, circa 1930. (Image courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
America Was Driving to Music
In 1930, Motorola produced the first commercially successful car radio, which had to be installed by the dealer. By the early 1940s, Motorola was becoming a household word. (Images courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
Motorola's All-Transistor Radio
The first all-transistor radio from Motorola was introduced in 1959. The pocket radio was soon to become very popular. (Image courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
From Tubes to Transistors to Chips
Considering Motorola's electronics history, it was only natural that it became a major force in the semiconductor field. (Image courtesy of Motorola, Inc.)
Motorola's first semiconductor plant was operating in 1953, and by the 1960s, the company was a leader in semiconductors, communications and consumer electronics. It produced its first integrated circuits in 1960 and its first microprocessor in 1974, the same year that it sold its color TV business.
In the computer industry, Motorola is widely known for its 68000 and PowerPC microprocessor families. It is also one of the world's largest suppliers of microcontrollers (computers on a single chip). The company has more than 40,000 items in its product line used in a myriad of radio, communications, automotive, industrial and consumer applications.
The Galvin Brothers
This picture was taken of Paul Galvin (left) and his brother Joseph, circa 1930. (Image courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
America Was Driving to Music
In 1930, Motorola produced the first commercially successful car radio, which had to be installed by the dealer. By the early 1940s, Motorola was becoming a household word. (Images courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
Motorola's All-Transistor Radio
The first all-transistor radio from Motorola was introduced in 1959. The pocket radio was soon to become very popular. (Image courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
From Tubes to Transistors to Chips
Considering Motorola's electronics history, it was only natural that it became a major force in the semiconductor field. (Image courtesy of Motorola, Inc.)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Nokia's open source Symbian is no match or threat to Linux mobile, Linux Foundation claims
- Nokia's plan to open source the Symbian mobile OS platform is no threat to mobile Linux, maintains the executive director of the Linux Foundation. Jim Zemlin maintains that mobile Linux will continue to evolve and flourish in spite of Nokia's plans and the formation of the Symbian...
- Blog posts 2008-07-02
- Image Gallery: First Impressions of the HP iPAQ 910 Business Messenger
- HP used to have the greatest Pocket PC devices, but it has been a while since they had some high quality devices. The new HP iPAQ 910 Business Messenger is the new high end device that packs all the wireless features you want in a form factor similar to a...
- Image galleries 2008-07-01
- Phone Plugins (dmg)
- Dial a number or send a text message with one click and without the need to open an additional application. Select the number and choose to either have the cell phone dial it or to send a text message to it. Works right from the Address Book of Mac OS...
- Software downloads 2008-07-01
- Smartphone battle royale: The land grab is good for buyers
- Research in Motion misses its first quarter earnings target and cuts its outlook slightly. Palm has a hit with the Centro, but continues to disappoint. And Sony Ericsson sees a rough second quarter on "moderating demand of mid-to-high end mobile phones, in combination with a delay of new products shipped...
- Blog posts 2008-06-30
- Motorola Rokr E8 - black
- We're always pleased when a cell phone for which we've waited a long time to see finally goes on sale. When Motorola introduced its Rokr E8 at CES 2008, we only had a few minutes to play with it, but we were so impressed that we gave it CNET's Best...
- Product reviews 2008-06-26
- Samsung Soul SGH-U900 (unlocked)
- Photo gallery:Samsung SoulThe Samsung Soul (aka the SGH-U900) was one of the stars of this year's GSMA World Congress in Barcelona. Samsung showed it off at a big press conference and huge banners with images of the phone covered the city, from the airport baggage claim to the convention center....
- Product reviews 2008-06-24
- Nokia Symbian deal winners and losers
- After an expansion phase that saw the introduction of the iPhone, Android, LiMo, and JavaFX Mobile, the mobile phone platform landscape is shrinking again. Nokia today announced it plans to spend $410 million to acquire the pieces of Symbian Ltd. that it doesn't already own, and...
- Blog posts 2008-06-24
- Mobile RIAs - getting more exciting thanks to Nokia and Symbian
- Big news today for those following mobile RIAs closely. Nokia is buying the remaining 52% of Symbian that it doesn't own and making the mobile platform open source. As Steve O'Hear said, the move is "bold to say the least". At a time when everyone is trying to make a...
- Blog posts 2008-06-24
- First Symbian Foundation handsets due in 2010
- Nokia predicts the first phones using the new Symbian Foundation platform will arrive in two years' time, although its device chief says this is subject to "shades of grey." The first devices using Symbian Foundation open source code for mobile devices will become available in 2010, Nokia has said....
- News items 2008-06-24
- Nokia buys Symbian to form open-source Android killer
- Nokia is to buy out Symbian and set up a new open-source platform with Motorola, Sony Ericsson and NTT DoCoMo, forming a major rival to Google's Android The mobile open-source world suddenly has a very major new player, after it emerged on Tuesday that the Symbian, Series...
- News items 2008-06-24
- News to know: Vista reliability; Nokia-Symbian; Open source drivers; diversITy
- Notable headlines: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Improving Windows Vista's reliability Mary Jo Foley: Gates hints about Microsoft's cloud futures on his way out How many people does it take to fill Bill Gates' shoes? Dennis Howlett: Time to...
- Blog posts 2008-06-24
- Can a cell phone replace your digital camera?
- Can a cell phone replace your digital camera?Not in near futureconsidering features, we may find almost all the we need in a cell phone camera.Its tough to imagine a phone used as camera. If you have a family you cannot give ur cameraphone to ur wife/kids. One things there, frnds...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-23
- Can a cell phone replace your digital camera?
- If you ask the likes of Motorola and Sony Ericsson the answer is yes, of course. Both phone makers have recently announced camera phones with relatively high-resolution cameras that may be capable of replacing your point-and-shoot digital camera. by Janice Chen
- Blog posts 2008-06-23
- Motorola unveils MOTOZINE ZN5 camera phone
- Fresh from the wire this morning is news that Motorola has introduced the MOTOZINE ZN5, a camera phone intended to lean more toward camera than phone. The first model, the ZN5, stakes its claim to fame by way of a 5-megapixel sensor (courtesy of a partnership with...
- Blog posts 2008-06-23
- Samsung Z400 - black (Sprint Nextel)
- Photo gallery:Samsung Z400Though Sprint Nextel has been a combined company for three years, the carrier has pursued a rather circuitous post-merger strategy. At first, the carrier said it would move all voice calls to Sprint's CDMA technology, while keeping Nextel's iDEN network for push-to-talk communication. But when customers failed...
- Product reviews 2008-06-19
- RingtoneExpress (exe)
- Instantly convert YouTube videos, MP3 and WMA music into ringtones for your mobile phone. Stop getting ripped off and make ringtones from your own music today and never pay for a ringtone again. Compatible with most mobiles including BlackBerry, Windows Mobile's, Nokia's, etc (Audiovox SMT 5600,Motorola MPx220,Dopod 515,Orange SPV C500,Sierra...
- Software downloads 2008-06-19
- Verizon FiOS goes 50 Mbps across U.S.: Should I upgrade?
- Verizon FiOS goes 50 Mbps across U.S.: Should I upgrade?Can you evaluate it?If it does seem like you are achieving $100/mn more productivity with the additional speed, I'd say go for it. It comes down to a value issue for me.RE: Verizon FiOS goes 50 Mbps across U.S.: Should I...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-18
- Tekkeon TekCharge MP1800
- Tekkeon's products run the full gamut of cell phone accessories, from Bluetooth headsets to iPhone cases to emergency chargers. Its latest product in the latter category is the Tekkeon TekCharger MP1800. Like the Tekkeon myPower Go MP1500, it efficiently provides emergency power when your phone is about to die, and...
- Product reviews 2008-06-13
- iPhone aims for pole position
- iPhone aims for pole positionActually......that is not usually the Microsoft way. People key on the "Plays for Sure" situation like its evidence of a trend. It isn't.Historically, Microsoft has made platforms that were available to everybody. I'm not entirely sure why they went the path they did...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-10
- Why Internet companies are attractive takeover targets: They can't manage
- Are Internet companies so inefficient and clueless about management that have to be acquired? Lost in the commentary about Bernstein's "U.S. Internet -- The End of the Beginning" report, which concluded that Amazon and Google would be the dominant Internet duopoly, are the reasons why today's leading...
- Blog posts 2008-06-10
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- FREE Economist Report available at the Collaboration Resource Center.
-
"Collaboration: Transforming the Way Business Works", a new study from the Economist Intelligence Unit. Find this informative report along with free videos podcasts and more, availibe courtesy of Cisco.
- Sign in now to download!
