Google-Motorola Deal: Pundits Weigh In

Google's tender to acquire Motorola Mobility is a brilliant move that will stave off Humanoid's patent attackers. Or it's act of desperation that will pull back Android phone makers to adopt rival platforms. Or it was simply something that Google had to do, for better or worse.

On what would commonly be a slow August week in technology, Google sent technical school pundits into a tizzy by announcing that it will acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in cash. Everyone's got an opinion on the deal, even if they don't quite know what to make of it. Here's what the experts and pundits are expression:

The patent question

Google CEO Larry Page said Motorola's patent of invention portfolio was a big reason out for the acquirement. Google's operating system faces patent assaults from Apple and Microsoft, and Motorola's portfolio of at least 17,000 patents gives Google some ammunition to fight back connected behalf of all Android phone makers.

But Florian Meuller at FOSS Patents wonders whether Humanoid volition really be protected by Motorola's patents. He points verboten that Orchard apple tree and Microsoft both take up ongoing patent lawsuits against Motorola, and so Google's patent issues South Korean won't simply go away. This could create a messy billet if Microsoft and Apple's lawsuits against Motorola play out earlier Google's accomplishment goes through. Google, he said, could end up acquiring a troupe that is already enjoined from importing phones into the United States.

Still, Motorola's massive portfolio may answer as a bargaining chip for program-wide licensing agreements. As Nilay Patel notes, Google will deliver to negotiate on a fewer fronts: Motorola vs. Apple, Microsoft vs. Motorola and Prophet vs. Google. "The end goal for Google in each case will be to acquire a broad patent license that covers the entire Android ecosystem and then recompense all of its partners against foster patent lawsuits, which could be quite challenging – and potentially quite expensive," Patel writes.

The stakes-hedgers

TechCrunch's MG Siegler explains that otherwise phone makers support the Google-Motorola cope publically statements, many of them using the phrase "defending Android." But those phone makers must also know that Motorola could see preferential treatment from Google for future day handsets. (Mechanical man will remain undecided, Google says, and phone makers will be able to bid on developing future Nexus phones.) The acquisition could inspire other earpiece makers to make better hardware, or it could motivate them to adopt other platforms like Windows Phone. As my colleague Daniel Ionescu put over IT, this could be the start of Mechanical man's rebirth, or its demise.

There's a revenant theme of the unknown in much of the Google-Motorola analysis, summed up neatly by Siegler: "Google's acquisition of Motorola today either just saved Android or subverted it," helium wrote. "It was either brilliant, or really, really stupid. Unfortunately, the truth is that we simply won't know the answer for a while."

The fringe theories

Most pundits agree that the acquisition is big news for Windows Mobile, which is the only otherwise major perambulating OS that's available for phone makers to license. But what astir the other mobile platforms happening the market?

Commercial enterprise Insider's Matt Rosoff thinks IT's time for HP to start licensing WebOS: "The entirely way WebOS wish survive is if Horsepower licenses IT to the big handset makers who are short cragfast between Microsoft-Nokia and Google-Motorola," he writes. (HP has aforesaid that it's open to the idea.)

Meanwhile, Research in Motion is in trouble, independent wireless analyst Chetan Sharma told Bloomberg. The company is too small to contend with Google, Microsoft and their various new hardware partners, and is running unstylish of acquisition options. "They are in no man's land at this full point," Sharma aforesaid.

And while so much of the punditry has convergent connected phones and tablets, GigaOM's Ryan Lawler and Ryan Kim think Motorola learning is man-sized news program for Google TV. Afterward all, Motorola Mobility makes TV set-tipto boxes — equivalent the kind loaned by cable companies and telcos — thusly we could see companies like Comcast integrating Google TV with their dictated-top units. "Aside leverage Motorola's place with carriers, Google can improve solidify its bid to expand Google TV and Android into the life elbow room," they write.

Good gaga bickering

What spirited debate is complete without one savant trashing other? For this, see Dan First Council of Lyons' article, entitled "Suck on it, AppleSoft – Google pulls a rope-a-dope." Then read John Gruber's takedown, simply entitled "Balls."

A quick except from Gruber's piece: "Lyon has always been an ass, but when did he get so bitter?"

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