Motorola not dead after all

It looks like rumours of the death of Motorola have been greatly exaggerated. According to those whose jobs it is to pontificate on companies’ state of health or otherwise – the analysts – struggling Motorola has turned a corner and things are looking up.

Citi analyst Jim Suva said in a research note quoted by AP that the latest set of results from the handset maker “not only put to rest the plans for the funeral but more importantly are the early innings a gradual steady improvement”. The evidence? A small profit, increased sales and ex-Qualcomm exec Sanjay Jha taking over as head of handsets.

Fingers crossed Suva’s got it right. Motorola has still got some serious weight in the US and has made some credible attempts to go after the all important emerging markets. Granted, it’s a long way from getting the handset portfolio right, but it’s an area that it’s throwing money at in the hope of turning things around. It looks like Motorola has got its second wind – it’ll be interesting to see where it goes.