The Moto man: Ashton Kutcher expands Lenovo gig to include smartphones

Can some Hollywood star power give Lenovo and Motorola smartphone sales a boost?

Two-and-a-Half-Men star Ashton Kutcher has worked for Lenovo since October of 2013 as a designated engineer and a touter of tablets such as the Yoga. Now he’s embracing Moto, as in Motorola smartphones.

In a blog post, Kutcher explained why he’s agreed to help the Lenovo-owned company.

“The mobile phone is stuck,” he wrote on Tuesday.

“It’s locked into a form factor and function that is not fully respectful of the relationship with the consumers. There have been outstanding improvements in smartphone capability over the last several years, but the innovation is starting to feel similar to TV (just another screen) where the only major improvement is price. We have a different, deeper, more complex relationship with our phones than we have with some people in our lives, and Motorola understands that.

“Motorola was built on innovation; first to radio, first to mobile phones, first base station. Taking risks is still in the DNA of this brand and I’m proud and excited to be a part of that culture and hope to push a few more firsts.

“How do you do that? You listen to the consumer needs, you empathize with the common pain points, and you innovate accordingly.

“In 2016, I’m going to spend a lot of time in Moto labs serving the customers of this company and I also want to spend time with you, learning what you need from your phone.”

Kutcher appears in a series of videos where Moto phones are tested for their “ShatterShield” technology.

Lenovo’s smartphone sales have dropped off considerably, and the company has reorganized its mobile business.

Is Kutcher part of the remedy to turn the business around?

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