[kwlug-disc] Google purchases Motorola (Mobile)?

[Khalid Baheyeldin]

On Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 10:42 PM, unsolicited <unsolicited at swiz.ca> wrote:

> Don't know whether that's good or bad / what it means for open source.
>

One reason for Google buying Motorola is the patent portfolio when it comes
to mobile. Instead of Google fighting court cases all the time, they go and
spend money once and get a large defensive portfolio.

They had a chance to get the Nortel patents (one more ding in our
government's perfromance), but they bid lower than a consortium. I think
Motorola is part of that consortium.

>From an open source point of view, one could expect the newer Motorola
handsets to not have that bootloader lock that prevents them from being able
to run custom modifications of Android (e.g. CyanogenMOD).

(Let alone RIM - surely never an MS deal.)
>

Speculation is that Nokia would be bought by Microsoft. The current CEO of
Nokia was an executive at Microsoft, and is doing his best to make Nokia a
Windows Mobile only company. Even Symbian, which is very widespread outside
of Europe and North America, has been sidelined by him.


> (For that matter, is there even any hope for Palm/HP?)
>

They are way down on the charts now, below the Blackberry even.


> I would have been inclined towards a Samsung Android (cause it's not Google
> / as in independent software/hardware), but isn't Apple suing them for
> patent infringement in Europe? And the infringement was blatant enough that
> the courts disallowed sale of the units, rather than having Samsung
> recompense Apple after the fact if Apple won?
>
> Whither HTC?
>

Good question. They make good handsets. Two members in my household have
them.

For me, I am happy with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. A good handset at a
good price (search Kijiji). The Xperia Arc is even better.

Not sure how all of this bodes for FOSS.
>

Should be same as, or better, than with Motorola. I can't see it as being
worse.
-- 
Khalid M. Baheyeldin
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