Google buys Motorola

[Mike Putnam]

From TimBer in IRC:

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

[Bob Waldron]

that looks like a spoof, although I don't think it is...

[Mark Nickel]

Is it really all of motorola or just a division?

[Ross Larson]

http://investor.google.com/releases/2011/0815.html

[Mike Putnam]

Motorola Mobility is the mobile device arm, Motorola Solutions is
everything else. Google only bought the mobile corp.

[Bob Waldron]

The smartphone and set-top box company split with its sister Motorola Solutions Inc. (MSI), which is focused on business and networking operations, at the beginning of the year

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110815-706430.html

[Mark Nickel]

Wow..  for the bargain price of only $12 billion. 

This is a really big frickin deal!

I'd love to see what tablet(s) emerge from this one

[Bob Waldron]

I'm bummed that Google was forced into this by Apple, Oracle and Microsoft.

Google is not a hardware company. In my mind, this was a defensive move on their part, and that's seldom the right way to improve a company and its products. Motorola has been struggling over the years, and it will be a huge challenge for Google to effectively manage and improve the corporate culture at Motorola to make it a successful hardware venture over the long haul. It would not be surprising if Google just kept Motorola's 25+ years of cellphone patents and shuttered the phone making business. Stinkin' patent system forced them into it, and they still have to deal with the Oracle Java mess.

[Michael Moran]

I think this was a patent buying exercise more than anything else.

[Bob Waldron]

I wonder if they told Sanjay Jha that this was coming

http://www.unwiredview.com/2011/08/11/motorolas-sanjay-jha-openly-admits-they-plan-to-collect-ip-royalties-from-other-android-makers/

[Michael Moran]

Maybe is was the opening shot, the assumption was he was talking about android makers, but I don't think they were prepared remakes and may have been speaking off the cuff, thinking about the other products..

-Mike

[Tim Bertram]

Hey maybe Google TV can now replace crappy cable set top boxes.

Maybe on the surface Google is interested in the IP, but this could help Google make a dent into some of the other markets its been dipping its toes into..

[Mark Nickel]

I agree...  probably a defensive thing.   But aren't most acquisitions at this top level defensive?  

I was thinking that exact thing, "oooo I wonder what patents are going to be coming in as a result of the deal"

However, on the plus side, having the hardware component should make it easier to get their concepts done without the overhead of sourcing suppliers.  Now the Nexus One brand's hardware will be produced through these new channels.

Here's how I envision the thing all went down...

Camera fades in...  

Scene:  We see Larry Page leaning back in an Aeron chair, feet up on the desk in his giant Executive corner office at the Googleplex.  He's talking into his bluetooth headset and gesturing animatedly

Larry:  "So explain that to me again?  Who exactly was driving?  The car or the person?  What!  The person?  Excellent!  Score one for Skynet!   Yeah.... right....  ok, well I gotta go... later!"

Larry spots Sergey walking down the hallway past the expansive glass walls of his office.

Larry:  "Hey!  Sergey!  Stop in for a sec!"

Sergey:  "What's up?"

Larry:  "I need to borrow the company Prius and the checkbook.  You had it last right?"

Sergey:  "Yeah...  "

Larry:  "Great...  Just need to make a little withdraw -- about $12Billion.  We good on that?"

Sergey:  "Should be, I just bought Burning Man and that little island I was looking at outside Fuji.  But that was last week...  We should be good now"

Larry:  "Awesome thanks!"

Sergey reaches into his pocket and tosses Larry the Prius keys and checkbook.

Sergey:  "Don't spend it all in one place!  I'm looking at a few basketball teams for next week.  Later"

Sergey continues on down the hallway.

Larry easily catches the keys and checkbook.

Camera fades out as Larry gets up and walks out of his office whistling, "We're in the Money"  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gold_Diggers'_Song_(We're_in_the_Money))

Mark "I am Not a Writer" Nickel

:P

[Bob Waldron]

I think you meant Mark "has too much time" Nickel ...

[Mark Nickel]

LOL!  or just in need of a distraction to keep my sanity!

[Bob Waldron]

just think how much time has been wasted in the US this morning discussing the Motorola deal

[Mike Putnam]

I like your writing, Mark. I'd read the book and watch the sitcom.

Mike

[Bob Waldron]

And I'd torrent the movie!

[Ryan Gahl]

On Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 9:40 AM, Mark Nickel <mark....@gmail.com> wrote:

I'd love to see what tablet(s) emerge from this one

My guess is "Android" ones.