Motorola to Hire 2,000 in Texas to Make New Smartphone

Motorola plans to release a new smartphone made in the U.S., Chief Executive Dennis Woodside said at the D: All Things Digital technology conference.

Woodside’s comments confirmed speculation that Motorola, a once-dominant cellphone maker that in 2012 was purchased by Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) for $12.5 billion, would make an attempt to regain market share. Motorola’s most recent offerings have done little to compete against Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Samsung and other mobile-device makers.

Its new phone, the Moto X, will be built in a Texas facility, and Motorola will employ 2,000 people there by August.

Woodside said he is “pretty confident in the products we’re going to be shipping in the fall.”

He added that the Motorola’s expertise in managing ultra-low power sensors, such as in accelerometers, and conserving power will go into making the Moto X. Woodside also indicated that engineers at the company have developed processors that will help save power.

The Motorola business posted revenue of $1.02 billion in the first quarter, down from $1.51 billion in the last three months of 2012. Its operating loss was $271 million.

Shares of Google were trading fractionally higher at $869.66 Thursday afternoon.