X Phone project gets serious as Motorola hunts for product director

Rumours about Motorola and Google’s secretive X-Phone project suddenly seem like they're a lot more than idle fanboy speculation, as Motorola Mobility has posted a job listing on LinkedIn for a Senior Director of Product Management for the X Phone. This is possibly the first time Motorola has referred to the X Phone by name

Discovered by Phandroid, the listing stated that it was looking out for experienced individuals to work on a ‘next generation SmartPhone Platform’ to help with development and execution. The listing went down not too long after it was first put up, but you can find the job listed on Motorola’s website, albeit without any mention of the X Phone.

The X Phone is coming

The rest of the listing is pretty generic about the job role and company description. Save for the mention of the X Phone and hints about a next-gen smartphone platform, there isn’t much you can learn from it. Many will note that the listing looks like the phone is still in the early stages of production, therefore ruling out any possibility of launch at the Google I/O developer conference in May 2013. The hiring has just begun, so you might have to curb your enthusiasm if you’re already excited about the phone.

Google acquired Motorola early last year and rumours about the development of a sophisticated new smartphone began to circulate in December. Rumours on DroidForums last week touted the phone to be Motorola’s flagship handset. It was rumoured that the phone would run the new Android version, Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.

The X Phone is rumoured to have a 5-inch, edge-to-edge display in a package that is supposed to be similar to the Samsung Galaxy S III in size and dimensions. Besides its bezel-free design, the display is expected to be full-HD in keeping with the 2013 phone launches. That and the fact that Google normally reserves new versions of Android for the Nexus lineup, lend credence to the Nexus 5 talk floating around.

But the X Phone, it is rumoured, will not be a Nexus device. Instead, it is said to be running a brand new Motorola-developed skin on top, which will be very close to the pure Android experience, and the name—X Phone—is a reference to the phone being a cross-carrier device.

The LinkedIn listing that has set rumour mills abuzz (Image Credits: Phandroid)

Post its acquisition, Motorola Mobility has been relatively silent about new devices. The company last launched the Intel-powered Razr I. According to Google’s CEO, the Razr I was in the pipeline long before Google’s buyout. The X Phone thus looks like the first phone that will be born of the Google-Motorola alliance.

This is also possibly Motorola Mobility’s last shot at staying relevant within the market, which has multiple operating systems vying for attention in addition to many, many Android phones.