Google Buying Motorola ?!?

[Mohawk70]

Google to buy Motorola

[USCode]

Yeah, isn't that interesting.
It wasn't really that long ago (2 yrs?) that Eric Schmidt (former Google CEO) was on Apple's board ...

[GWarner]

Looks to me like, with the success of Android, Google wants a more direct way to compete against Apple's iPhone.

It'll be interesting to see what happens....

(Personally I hope Google thoroughly kicks Apple's butt.)

[utopiomania]

This is good news, it will strenghten them. Motorola was always my favorite GSm phone
because of its fantastic sound, reception and quality.

They just came back to Norway, so my next phone will be a moto. Today I have a perfect
Chinese copy of a Motorola DroidX running the green robot 2.2.1

[GWarner]

This is good news, it will strenghten them. Motorola was always my favorite GSm phone because of its fantastic sound, reception and quality.

Same here, my smartphone is a Motorola Droid 2 phone with a Star Wars theme that was a Verizon exclusive. I am totally happy with the phone and think that it is of high quality and solidly built to handle the abuse most mobile devices get. I don't use the slide out keyboard and would be just as happy without it, I find using Swipe on the on screen keyboard a lot easier than using the slide out keyboard.

http://wireless.amazon.com/dp/B004H4XGH ... 82jnhozd_b

[the.weavster]

I don't think Google are really interested in Moto's hardware at all, that will just carry on as is, they want Moto's patents to defend Android with.

iOS and WP7 are being left in Android's wake and so Apple and M$ are resorting to patent trolling to try and stifle it's success, Google want ammunition to stop that.

RIM and/or Sony Ericsson may well be next on their shopping list.

It would be funny if Google stole NOKIA from under M$ nose after Elop has so successfully ground them into the dirt.

[Foz]

Elop's an old Microsoft employee, so if Google did appear to be sniffing around the "purchase this company now", he would be high tailing it back to Microsoft so they could buy it before Google did.

[Zach]

It has been speculated Google did this to get into the Hardware and Software business, like Apple has done.


They now have access to a huge platform to create cheap (cheaper than iPhone) powerful phones, that can run THEIR software. They can better leverage business against competitors just due to this fact alone.

Interesting point, since Google bought Android, it has become less and less "open" source. They reportedly still have not released the source code for Android 3.0. They could be gearing up for a move to clamp down on the platform and say who gets what, and what access rights they have.


Biggest point here. Google can use the phones as a gateway to Google products. Just like Apple have done, just like Microsoft have done in the past (every windows comes with Internet Explorer, etc).

[USCode]

... Interesting point, since Google bought Android, it has become less and less "open" source. They reportedly still have not released the source code for Android 3.0. They could be gearing up for a move to clamp down on the platform and say who gets what, and what access rights they have.

Another perspective on this is, depending on how Google handles it, this could potentially drive other hardware manufacturers away from Android and TO Microsoft.
If Microsoft can resist the urge to also buy a hardware company (e.g. Nokia) then they could become the manufacturer-agnostic OS of choice for phones like they are with PCs ...

[X]

The only motorola phones available here is the Motorola Milestone X, which was discontinued (unsupported, end of life) back in March 2011. No other options are available outside of Verizon (which doesn't cover around here).

So ... this might be a good thing if there was any decent phones that have coverage all of the states in the US.

[the.weavster]

Elop's an old Microsoft employee, so if Google did appear to be sniffing around the "purchase this company now", he would be high tailing it back to Microsoft so they could buy it before Google did.

I think he's still working for M$, his willful destruction of NOKIA is deliberate and he's done it so M$ can get it's hands on NOKIA's IPR. M$ do not care about NOKIA's hardware, that's not what they're after. Elop has raped NOKIA and is in the process of murdering it and what he wants is to get their IPR for M$. However NOKIA's shareholders could still spoil the party for him and I hope they do.

As NOKIA's recent victory over Apple showed they have a very strong patent portfolio and whoever gets control of it will be on very secure ground.

Another perspective on this is, depending on how Google handles it, this could potentially drive other hardware manufacturers away from Android and TO Microsoft.

Exactly, I don't think Moto will get any special favours from Google, they wont want to p155 off Samsung and HTC. Offering Android manufacturers some protection by using Moto's patents though may help keep them onside and prevent them from defecting to M$.

M$ currently make more money from Android than they do from WP7 because they've managed to kowtow HTC into paying them a fee per handset sold for protection against legal action for breaching patents unspecified and they're targeting other Android manufacturers for a similar deal. If they get their hands on NOKIA's IPR they'll also be receiving license payments from Apple for every iPhone sold too.

That way whether a handset runs Android, iOS or WP7 M$ will get paid.

[Zach]

Pathetics. That should be illegal. Especially if the law is truly more about "intent" than actions like it likes to claim.

[utopiomania]

No one knows for how long Samsung and HTC will stay with Android.

Maybe they will leave for Windows soon, so maybe the Moto deal isn't so bad after all.

Moto makes better hardware than the rest of them combined, and Moto can handle
Android, so..

[the.weavster]

No one knows for how long Samsung and HTC will stay with Android.
Maybe they will leave for Windows soon

Over the last two years Apple have only been growing fractionally faster than the overall market, Samsung's Android phones have been so successful recently that Samsung are now growing 20% faster than the overall market. Following their current trajectory Samsung will overtake Apple in smart phone sales in either Q4 2011 or Q1 2012. Android is hot.

Samsung already make a WP7 handset, nobody wants it.
HTC already makes WP7 handsets, nobody wants them.
LG makes a WP7 handset, nobody wants it.
If NOKIA continue with their plan to swap to WP7 my guess is nobody will want those either (if NOKIA survive that long).

The patent war is being waged because Android > iOS AND Android > WP7 and both Apple and M$ know it.

Despite all the reports about Apple's victory in the Dutch court the other day in reality it wasn't bad for Samsung, at least on the phone front. The judge ruled Apple's claim on the design of the iPhone is likely invalid citing the LG Prada as prior art. The judge ruled Apple's claim on the iPhone UI is likely invalid citing the NOKIA 7710 as prior art. The judge ruled Apple's claim on 'slide to unlock' is likely invalid citing the Neonode N1m as prior art. The only bit that went in Apple's favour was the way pictures are previewed on the handset screen which is something that has been changed for the next version of Android anyway.

As for M$ v Android you might find this interesting: http://www.dailytech.com/Android+Throwd ... e21491.htm
I believe Barnes and Noble are correct, M$ own patent claim against Android is not strong so they want to use NOKIA's IPR to try to force manufacturers from Android (that consumers want) to WP7 (that consumers clearly don't want). The calculated destruction of NOKIA by Stephen Elop is so M$ can get control of NOKIA's IPR.

[GWarner]

It has been speculated Google did this to get into the Hardware and Software business, like Apple has done.

That makes total sense, with the sucess of Android, the logical next step is to manufature hardware specifically designed designed for Andiroid and visa-versa.