Motorola’s ‘Transform the Smartphone’ Moto Mods challenge finds its 12 finalists

After launching back in November, Motorola’s “Transform the Smartphone” challenge has found its 12 finalists.

The company announced the results of the challenge on Thursday. To compile the list of finalists, Motorola sorted through more than 700 entries from 55 countries. Since the announcement, each of the 12 accessory teams have launched their own Indiegogo campaigns.

For the most part, the 12 Mods are pretty varied, with one, for instance, adding a walkie talkie to the back of the device. However, The best one, in the humble opinion of this writer, is the Edge Moto Mod, which adds a RGB lighting system to the smartphone for customized notifications.

• Edge – Supercharge your notifications
• Linc Smart Walkie Talkie MotoMod Concept
• Smart Z Wallet- Moto Mods concept for Moto Z
• The Ultimate Moto Z Mod with Wireless Charging
• Mico – A Modular Solar Battery Moto Mod
• InstruMod – A Moto Z Mod Measuring Instrument
• The Palm Smart Remote for Moto Mod Devices
• EarMods – The Best Earphones Mod for Moto Z
• Euromod, an Eurorack digital toolbox
• Z Sterilizer, a Moto Mods concept for Moto Z
• Digital Recorder For Moto Z
• Modulator, A Digital Walkie Talkie Moto Mod

Motorola will whittle down the list of 12 to 10 at a later date. Each of the 10 grand finalists will get a paid trip for two to Motorola’s Chicago headquarters where they’ll receive mentoring from the company.

There’s also the opportunity for each of the teams to secure additional funding. Prior to the release of the Moto Z, Lenovo Capital, the venture capital arm of Lenovo, set up a $1 million fund to help third-party developers create, manufacture and market their own Moto Mods. Several of the finalists will be able to draw from that fund.

[source]Indiegogo[/source]