Lenovo Group announced the completion of its acquisition of Motorola
Mobility from Google Inc. on Thursday in a move aimed at making the
Chinese computer maker a global smartphone brand.
The $2.9 billion purchase adds to a flurry of acquisitions and initiatives aimed at
transforming Beijing-based Lenovo, the world's biggest maker of personal
computers, into a major player in wireless computing.
Google bought Motorola
Mobility in 2012 for $12.4 billion but appeared to
decide quickly the purchase was a mistake. It sold its set-top
operations to Arris Group Inc. for $2.35 billion and its smartphone
assets, along with some 2,000 patents, to Lenovo.
Lenovo chairman
Yang Yuanqing said when the purchase was announced in January that it
would help transform Lenovo into a global competitor in smartphones.
Motorola's smartphone models include the Moto X (Review | Pictures), Moto G (Review | Pictures), Moto E (Review | Pictures) and the DROID series.
The
unit's headquarters are to remain in Chicago. Lenovo is taking on some
3,500 Motorola engineers, designers and other employees worldwide,
including 2,800 in the United States.