Google to Acquire Motorola

[Renegade]

Should have seen this one coming:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html

That is why I am so excited today to announce that we have agreed to acquire Motorola.

And:

We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.

Awww... Poor Google... They're not having any fun in the patent insanity wars anymore... 

It's only funny until someone loses a court case...

So what's next? MS acquires HTC? I'd love to see a broad .NET abstraction layer placed over Android and Windows Phone (and iOS for that matter). One point of development to compile everywhere.

[mahesh2k]

Basically they want to kill samsung, LG and any other brands which are using android. That way they'll become market leader for android mobiles and they can go headon with microsoft, apple and nokia. I think less-popular mobile companies like samsung, LG, Sony should move to their own platform or meego to save their company from upcoming google threat.

[Renegade]

I think the article is right about them wanting the patent protection. I doubt that they want to kill off Samsung, LG, HTC and others from using Android. That would really be spitting in their faces, and I don't think it would be good for Google/Motorola/Googorola.

[Ath]

So what's next? MS acquires HTC?

Well, MS bought Nokia already, so why buy another phone maker? Yeah, to kill more competitors

[mahesh2k]

Protecting patents by grabbing more under your own organizations label ? that's double standard from google.

As for google acquiring motorola, they did that to dominate android market. You can't compete with 6% microsoft phone crowd and 40% apple crowd only by creating open source mobile platform. You have to come up with hardware as well before dumping them down the trash. They did this type of thing already when they first penalized "beat that quote" site and then they purchased it and ranked it higher again than any other quote websites in the search results. Very few people in SEO world noticed this type trick from google.

[Renegade]

Protecting patents by grabbing more under your own organizations label ? that's double standard from google.

As for google acquiring motorola, they did that to dominate android market. You can't compete with 6% microsoft phone crowd and 40% apple crowd only by creating open source mobile platform. You have to come up with hardware as well before dumping them down the trash. They did this type of thing already when they first penalized "beat that quote" site and then they purchased it and ranked it higher again than any other quote websites in the search results. Very few people in SEO world noticed this type trick from google.

Some good articles there. I LOVED the "pussy" one. That was sexcellent~! =P

[zridling]

Patent insanity: a redundant phrase by now. But buying Motorola and gaining its 17,000 patents is simply self-defense as the tech industry stands today.

But where Google will take this acquisition is something not too crazy: free phones. Free phones loaded with Google's Android and much like Google Apps -- from Gmail to web to search to G+ to... advertising! And it will be loaded with tech DC'ers don't want -- GPS down to the business; that is, you'll use that Google phone as a wallet, thus no need to carry money. Going into the grocery store, your phone will know that you're in a Walmart, and you pick up what you need (scan the SKUs yourself), tear off a receipt on your way out to show the door greeter, and leave, bypassing cashiers. By the time you hit the door, your account has been charged.

[attach]

[JavaJones]

Free? Not going to get me with just that. Walk out the door without going through the cashier? YES. Make my experience better and you have me. I'll gladly trade some "privacy" about my shopping habits for improved services, at least in some/many cases. But that's me. Everyone is of course free to make their own choice.

- Oshyan

[lanux128]

seems like the phone industry is consolidating.. with almost everyone on the planet having at least two mobiles each, the diversity of models and brands is becoming unnecessary. on one corner, there is the Microsoft-Nokia partnership and now Google is seeking to enhance its position by buying rather than partnership. otherwise there is no way for either of them to catch up with Apple.

[JavaJones]

Except that Android already surpassed iPhone in mobile phone sales this year...

No, I think they're mostly doing this for patent defense. The number of mobile-related lawsuits in the past year and a half alone is staggering. There are some amusing (or scary, depending on your perspective) infographics out there that paint the picture pretty clear:
http://flowingdata.com/2010/10/11/mobile-patent-lawsuits/

If Google didn't do something that could, potentially, benefit all Android phone manufacturers, then each of the separate manufacturers would have to do so, and likely end up using their patent acquisitions (or back-room deals with those bringing the suits) against their competitors. It remains to be seen whether Google will do the right thing and actually help their multiple hardware manufacturing partners rather than just turning Motorola into a "1st party" juggernaut, but I'm cautiously optimistic. After all, Google makes the vast majority of their income off ads and product placement, hardware is low margin by comparison. What they really want is just to get their ad platform in front of as many eyeballs as possible, and Android is a great way to do that.

Making Motorola into essentially a monopoly in the cell phone (or at least Android) market would also likely turn up the heat on antitrust investigations that are constantly being talked about against Google, and I'm sure they don't want that either. Bottom line, I think it would be foolish for them to use Motorola as anything other than a defensive weapon. And as a defensive weapon I reckon it's pretty solid.

- Oshyan

[zridling]

seems like the phone industry is consolidating.

Seems that way, but again, because of the way the patent system is structured, the little guys can't even think of competing in the mobile space.

It remains to be seen whether Google will do the right thing and actually help their multiple hardware manufacturing partners rather than just turning Motorola into a "1st party" juggernaut, but I'm cautiously optimistic.... Making Motorola into essentially a monopoly in the cell phone (or at least Android) market would also likely turn up the heat on antitrust investigations that are constantly being talked about against Google, and I'm sure they don't want that either. Bottom line, I think it would be foolish for them to use Motorola as anything other than a defensive weapon. And as a defensive weapon I reckon it's pretty solid. - Oshyan

I'm hoping so, too. No need to kill fellow Android competition. Motorola is a distant 4th place in mobile units, way behind Samsung (on the Android side). So unless they're going to really turn the sector upside down by offering free phones in exchange for ads, seems like that would be a self-defeating move to invite an anti-trust investigation.

[zridling]

It's Clear Why Software Patents Need to Disappear
by Katherine Noyes, PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/238173/its_clear_why_software_patents_need_to_disappear.html

[mwb1100]

I doubt that they want to kill off Samsung, LG, HTC and others from using Android.

I imagine you're right about that.  However, if I were someone important at Samsung, LG or HTC I'd certainly be thinking about the possible drawbacks of depending on software from a company that competes in the same hardware arena.

Remember how Google limited release of Honeycomb because it wasn't ready for non-tablets (or something like that)?  Imagine if they did something similar, but limited the release to the Motorola division of Google "becuase we can manage quality control better that way".

[Renegade]

I doubt that they want to kill off Samsung, LG, HTC and others from using Android.

I imagine you're right about that.  However, if I were someone important at Samsung, LG or HTC I'd certainly be thinking about the possible drawbacks of depending on software from a company that competes in the same hardware arena.

Samsung thought of that LOOOOONNNNNGGG ago...

http://www.bada.com/

They're positioned to drop Android at any moment.