Google to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion

[MexicanDragon]

Google's spending some cash these days. I think it's going to be a pretty big deal in terms of IP for Google. They started out the month with around 1000 patents, and once this acquisition goes through, they should have close to 15,000 with another 7500 pending. I think it'll be a boon for Android and should even expand to the living room with the set-top box industry. I figure GoogleTV will be on Comcast boxes in the next few years.

**BRENT**

[n_maher]

I just hope they have the good sense to kill blur.

[Hopstretch]

Already observed elsewhere, but licensing a platform and directly competing with your licensees at the same time is going to be a delicate dance.

[n_maher]

Already observed elsewhere, but licensing a platform and directly competing with your licensees at the same time is going to be a delicate dance.

Or they could close future versions and go 100% like Apple...

[ujamerstand]

Antitrust lawsuit coming in three, two...

[manaox2]

It'll take a while to kill blur. They are going to let Moto mobile run as a separate company with Sanjay still as the CEO. A lot of these companies value their different skins as their marketing, Sanjay is a big fan of the blur. Hopefully they at least strongly improve it.

Though, on that same front, this is probably a key turning point in getting the bootloaders unlocked. The bootloader to the Motorola photon which has very similar internal specs to the Moto Bionic had a leak that allowed it to be unlocked not long ago. So the bionic may have a hope yet through this discovery. The Moto Astrix has already been given a tool to unlock the bootloader as well I believe. The Droid X.... well, that may never happen. Its going to take a while for the carriers (especially Verizon) to allow these phones on their networks again. Weirdly enough, they may just end up requiring you to buy a developer phone and then deny you a warranty. With the bootloader unlocked, Blur and whatever bloatware will be one step away from whatever android flavor/rom you would like.

Brent made a good post on facebook about it. This is a defense move by Google that is making all the hardware makers happy as they get hit by lawsuits from other major companies.

Edited August 15, 2011 by manaox2

[blessingx]

May be necessary in the current patent climate, but another possible sign (I'm naive, I know) of Google growing up and becoming like everyone else. Kinda sad IMO (in state of affairs of Goog or tech generally). Suspect HP is happy. Lots of people wondering what this will mean for GoogleTV.

Edited August 15, 2011 by blessingx

[luvdunhill]

Suspect HP is happy.

Ooooh?

[MexicanDragon]

Blur:

May or may not be killed. I know Jha likes it, and Larry may go over to Sanjay and say "look, bro... CEO to CEO, just stop it," but it is a differentiator in the market, as must as we power users don't like it. I know there is talk of unlocking bootloaders, and HTC just started today with a way to unlock the Sensation, but really, it's just for the geeks, nerds, and tinkerers like many of us... not the majority of people buying these phones.

As far as Samsung, HTC, LG, and Sony Ericsson are concerned, things could get interesting. The first three already have Windows Phone 7 devices out, but as good as WP7 is, it just doesn't have much of an install base right now. With the Nokia partnership, this could change in a year's time internationally, but I expect it to be at least two years before WP7 is a dominating number 3 OS wise. Android is still staying "open source", and the Moto buy won't change that. Motorola was one of the first companies to join the OHA (Open Handset Alliance), and has always had a close relationship to Google and Android, so I don't see as much of a change as some others may.

Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola will still vie for the coveted Nexus spots, but I wouldn't think they'd just hand it to Motorola from now on. In fact, I imagine one of the first three mentioned (probably HTC) will get it next go-round, if to nothing more than just having Samsung and HTC stay the course.

As far as the number of products put out, I think those three will start to gravitate towards a 50/50 split between Android and WP7 over the next 18 months-2 years. They'll have to keep a close eye on things, but especially for HTC and Samsung, they're making a ton of $$$ off Android handsets, even with the patent issues they have. If Google uses it's new found patent portfolio to shore up cases and there is a way to help out it's hardware partners, I think the uneasiness will subside and they'll lean a little closer towards Android again, but this will take some time.

Personally, I'm pretty happy for Motorola Mobility. It was a fledgling company just a couple short years ago, on the verge of bankruptcy. I have a feeling their shareholders are rather happy today.

@ujamerstand Why do you think there will be an antitrust lawsuit in this?

**BRENT**

[Hopstretch]

An interesting perspective.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/googles_strategic_mistakes_dro.html

[blessingx]

Ooooh?

Just meant with possible difficulty in differentiation in non-Moto Android makers, HPs Palm gamble (provided they don't botch it) could seem a smart move. We'll see what the market supports, but as Dragon mentioned WP7 would seem a possible winner here too.

And on the tablet front...

Edited August 16, 2011 by blessingx

[ujamerstand]

@ujamerstand Why do you think there will be an antitrust lawsuit in this?

**BRENT**

It was the first thing that came into my mind when I read this story. They are already being investigated for their search practices, and somehow I don't think this move will bode well with the regulators.

[grawk]

I don't think this will run afoul of any anti-trust laws. There is no shortage of competition in the phone market, or even in the phone OS market.

[Iron_Dreamer]

I've been very happy with my rooted HTC Thunderbolt running CM7. I hope this isn't the beginning of the end of Android as a truly open platform used by many different handset makes.

[blessingx]

Err ignore my above comment.

HP gives up. http://t.co/wOn1A97

"“WebOS would require significant investments over the next five years, generating risk without clear rewards,” HP’s chief financial officer Cathy Lesjak said during the company’s earnings call."

"“There is a clear movement in the consumer PC space,” Apotheker said. “The tablet effect is real."

Ahhh okay.

Edited August 19, 2011 by blessingx

[blessingx]

BTW, looks like the HP/Palm tablets are already dropping to $99 (16GB) / $149 (32GB), if you want a cheap tablet browser (assuming webOS licensing, thus app development, never progresses).

[MexicanDragon]

I only know a couple people who got one. I was passed out on hydromorphone from midnight to 12:19am the day they went on sale, and they all sold out.

I want one just to have one, but It's a damn shame what they did to that. It really is. I don't think WebOS ever really had a shot, but it didn't deserve to be KIN'd.

**BRENT**

[Iron_Dreamer]

I thought about it, but I just couldn't justify it. I've got a Lenovo X220 tablet now as my main computer. I think something like a rooted Nook Color will be better for the times when I'd use something less than the X220, but more than a phone.

[blessingx]

[manaox2]

I hope the android community will give that poor tablet a new lease on life.