Motorola

What began as five employees making car radios has grown into a $36 billion business with over 69,000 employees. Founded in 1928 by Paul Galvin and his brother Joseph, it started as the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation — based in Chicago, USA.

The name "Motorola" was devised to create the image of sound in motion (a combination of the words "motor" and "victrola" or "ola"). Eventually the brand name eclipsed the popularity of the original company name, so the corporation changed it to Motorola Inc. in the 1940's. Soon after, the company went public.

Motorola's still has its roots in radio technology, starting with the car radio, the battery eliminator and to the world's first walkie-talkie used in WWII. It has now blossomed into cellular infrastructure equipment and mobile phones. When man first walked on the moon, the words were spoken through a Motorola radio transponder.

Using 66 satellites, Motorola created the first real global communication network. In 1983, Motorola released the world's first handheld cell phone, weighing a hefty 28-ounces. Compare this to the new RAZR V3 cell phone that is 13.9mm thin and vaulted Motorola to number 2 in the market.

The 21st century has brought further success to Motorola, such as its Instant GPS Chip, which is the first single-chip Global Positioning System (GPS) solution. This technology allows designers to add accurate location-sensing features to portable consumer electronics products.

Now, Motorola creates products across many sectors, used by safety officials, government, professionals and the average consumer. The product list includes laptops, computer chips, radio devices, cell phones, mobile games and other hand-held devices.