At a time when telecommunications companies are continually pressured to produce innovative and technologically enhanced products, Motorola has shifted their focus to a new vision - one of design.
"Technology is a given," stated Motorola UK and Singapore design director, Ignacio Germade, at Cape Town's Motorola Design Tour 2005 - held at the Lightbox Daylight Studio on Tuesday, the 19th of July.
Considering almost all the latest handsets are equipped with engineering such as Blue-Tooth® and 3G, it seems that people are searching for a new means of personal expression - for phones that say more about 'who they are'.
"Design is at the heart of Motorola's mission for mobile handsets. We are designing products that humanise technology to make the device, formerly known as the cell phone, intuitive and easier to use," commented Germade.
In keeping with this vision, and the Motorola Consumer Experience Design (CXD) team's "three-meter rule" which states that all products must be recognisable from at least three meters away, the Design Tour 2005 showcased three new products:
V3 RAZR (pronounced 'razor')
V6 PEBL (pronounced 'pebble')
V8 SLVR (pronounced 'sliver')
Earlier this year saw the launch of the RAZR in silver, which has since been updated with a limited-edition black model. Made with internal magnesium housing, aircraft-grade aluminium and glass exterior, as well as a thin, nickel-plated copper alloy keypad, the RAZR is an innovative design first in using such materials. The result: a cutting-edge, minimalist design, encompassing Motorola's ethos of "Purity with purpose, form with function".
Using their location as inspiration, the CXD team in Seoul, Korea, set out to conquer the next challenge - and came up with the soon-to-be released PEBL. They also opted for the "less is more" approach - so much so that they converted their own lifestyles into that of a Zen-like quality. Basing their design on childhood memories of discovering smooth, water-worn stones - powerful and evocative to the touch - their clamshell creation became one of an original oval shape and similar, pebble-like feel. Made from solid aluminium with a "liquid metal" finish and the signature "RAZR"-thin keypad, the PEBL incorporates an unobtrusive hinge that slides down before gliding open.
The last test facing Motorola's design team was to produce a phone with the "purity and innovation" of the RAZR - for mass appeal. It was to be thinner and candy bar-shaped. The final creation turned out to be 11.5mm thick - thinner than that of the RAZR - but also featuring a large 176x220 TFT display and functional keypad, with the emphasis on "functional". And so the aptly named SLVR was borne.
Germade concluded, "The striking shapes of the RAZR and PEBL bear our strategy and allow us to create a pure and consistent design for our products."
So what does the future hold for Motorola? Well, with collaborations in the pipeline with big industry brands such as Apple iPod, Oakley and Burton Snowboards, the world is set to see a new breed of telecommunications technology.
