Google Membeli Motorola Mobility, Live Long Open Source

http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/15/breaking-google-buys-motorola-for-12-5-billion/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/15/us-motorolamobility-google-idUSTRE77E1XF20110815

Google Buys Motorola For $12.5 Billion, Says “Android Will Stay Open”

Google just announced that it is acquiringMotorola Mobility. The search and online advertising company is buying the company for approximately $12.5 billion (or $40 per share), in cash. The price represents a premium of 63 percent to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares last Friday. Google had about $39 billion in cash at last count.

Here’s the other important part of the PR (the why, and what happens to Android now):

The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.

In a blog post, Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page writes that Google has acquired Motorola not only because of its strength in Android smartphones and devices, but also for being a “market leader in the home devices and video solutions business.”

It’s also a move to build up the company’s patent portfolio, he adds, as it will “enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies”.

Motorola Mobility is what used to be the Mobile Devices division of Motorola until January 2011. A few years ago, Motorola bet its future in the mobile devices market by going full Android, launching the “Droid” – initially on the Verizon network – on November 6, 2009. The “Droid X” and “Droid 2″ followed in 2010.

Big question now is: how will HTC, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Acer, Huawei, Lenovo and all other Android device makers respond to this news?

We’re jumping on the conference call soon, and doing thorough analysis later. For now, whoa.

Full press release:

Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility