Motorola Mobility posts strong Q4 but warns about Q1

In its first earnings report since becoming a standalone company, Motorola Mobility said it was profitable in the fourth quarter of 2010 and shipped more than twice as many smartphones during the quarter as it did in all of 2009.

However, the company said it expects a net loss of $26 million to $62 million for the current quarter, indicating that competition in the smartphone market continues to be heated.

That loss may come specifically from new competition from the iPhone. Motorola, which has strong sales through the Droid franchise at Verizon, said it is already suffering from competition from the Verizon iPhone, even though that phone doesn't go on sale until February. Read more...