This morning, Google announced that they plan to purchase Motorola Mobility, marking the first time that they will have an actual Android manufacturer under their umbrella. The $12.5 billion deal picks up Motorola's consumer mobile department, the very same that produces the Motorola Droid line of phones and the Xoom tablet. According to Google CEO Larry Page, the intention of the acquisition is to "create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem."

Google plans to utilize Motorola Mobility as a separate business unit to manufacture hardware so, as of now, it looks as if companies like HTC, Samsung, and LG will still have access to create handsets and tablets using the Android operating system.


Since the acquisition is in its very early stages, the fate of the Google Nexus phones remain unannounced. In the past, these Google-branded devices were manufactured by HTC and Samsung, but it is likely that new handsets produced under Motorola will be angled as "pure" Android devices.


Why now? It has been stated that Motorola's impressive library of intellectual property and patents played a role in the decision. Considering the smorgasbord of lawsuits circulating around the mobile world, this will surely strengthen Google's stance in the battlefield.


As with any major acquisition – and this is about as major as it can get – there is a long road ahead for both companies involved before the deal is official. If everything goes as planned, Motorola Mobile will be Google property by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

Source: http://uk.gear.ign.com/articles/118/1187852p1.html

Posted: Aug 15, 2011 2:25 pm