Motorola buys location-based software developer Aloqa

US telecom giant Motorola said Thursday it has acquired Aloqa GmbH, a developer of location-based programs for smartphone users.

Financial terms of Motorola's purchase of Aloqa, a privately held company which has offices in Munich, Germany, and Palo Alto, California, were not disclosed.

Aloqa develops mobile applications for smartphone platforms, including Google's Android, and more than one million users have downloaded its software, according to Motorola.

Aloqa software and services take a user's location, identity and social relationships to inform them of places, events, bargains and other opportunities which may interest them, Motorola said.

Motorola said Aloqa will become part of Motorola Mobility, the handset business which is to be spun off from the rest of the Illinois-based company early next year.

"We are proud that a global mobile giant like Motorola chose the Aloqa platform as a core part of its future in location technologies," said Aloqa chief executive Sanjeev Agrawal, a former Google executive.

"Like every startup, we have always dreamed of our technology and product being used by tens of millions of satisfied users everywhere," he said. "Being a part of the Motorola Mobility team will help us achieve this goal."

(c) 2010 AFP