Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has recently hired Rick Osterloh, the former president of Motorola, to run a new division that is aimed at churning out hardware products for the search engine giant.
Osterloh left the Lenovo-led smartphone maker last month and now he is hired by Google to run his own hardware division in the company. One representative from Google confirmed to Recode that Osterloh is now the newest Senior Vice President in the company who will run the hardware product line.
Google is good at managing their software line of business especially with YouTube and the Android operating system. However, it has been a long time since they have actually made a successful hardware product.
The news follows weeks after Regina Dugan left Google for Facebook (NASDAQ: FB). Dugan ran Google's Advanced Technology and Project Group and was also the 19th Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Osterloh worked as Motorola's president even when Google sold the company over to Lenovo. In March, Osterloh decided to leave Motorola in the middle of a corporate restructuring, according to Fortune.
With his experience in handling Motorola, Osterloh is expected to bring innovation to Google's hardware business unit. The new division would include several projects that Osterloh would oversee.
One of which is the Nexus line of products. Google has seen much success in their flagship Nexus Android smartphones. Osterloh will be taking over the development and will be working with Hiroshi Lockheimer, the senior vice president of Android.
Osterloh will also handle the Chromecast products. Lockheimer previously handled the TV streaming stick, which is considered to be their best-selling product.
Another large project that Osterloh will be handling is the Glass, which is Google's augmented reality wearable device. The first version of the Google Glass was not as successful as they thought it would be.
Now, Osterloh will be heading Project Aura, the team responsible for the Glass project. Nest CEO Tony Fadell will stay on as an adviser for the team, Recode reported.
Osterloh will also be heading the OnHub wireless home router project and also the Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP). The ATAP group has been responsible for most of Google's experimental projects.
Interestingly, the Nest line of products is not going to be under Osterloh's new hardware division. The Google Cardboard business was also left out.
The Cardboard virtual reality headsets from Google are cheap, but it can provide a good VR experience for those with Android smartphones. It is now known how Google will proceed with their Cardboard hardware business.
Google's move to hire the former Motorola chief operating officer Osterloh could bring change in the company. There could be improvements and new hardware products from the search engine giant in the near future.