Motorola's Identity Crisis

An anonymous reader writes "An article at the NY Times discusses the awkwardness of Google's recent purchase of Motorola Mobility, an acquisition widely thought to be motivated by Android patent concerns rather than a more straightforward business plan. From the article: 'While industry analysts and insiders say the rationale makes sense, they also say it leaves Motorola in an unusual position. ... Heightening the uncertainty is that the companies involved, both of which declined to comment, are in some ways as different as two technology companies can be. Google makes Internet services and software, thrives on high profit margins and distributes its product using giant data centers. Motorola makes hardware, has modest margins on a good day and moves its products on trucks and airplanes and through brick-and-mortar stores. ... "It's like, thanks for everything you did in the 20th century, but you're being bought by a search engine," said Roger Entner, a telecommunications industry analyst and founder of Recon Analytics, a market research firm. He added, "Nobody ever buys a company and leaves it alone."'"

Re:Login to read article

[Anonymous Coward]

Mobile version [nytimes.com] works for me.

Hundreds of framed patents hang on two separate walls at the headquarters of Motorola Mobility in Libertyville, Ill. They testify to the pride in innovation at Motorola, a luminary of American business that has survived corporate crises and enormous technological change.But the company has never grappled with something like this: a murky future governed by Google, a powerful master with unclear intentions.In announcing its planned $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility last week, Google emphasized its interest in the company's rich trove of 17,000 patents. That portfolio would allow Google to defend itself against foes like Apple and Microsoft in the legal arena, where billions of dollars in patent licensing fees can be indirectly negotiated through lawsuits and countersuits.But while industry analysts and insiders say the rationale makes sense, they also say it leaves Motorola in an unusual position. Many acquisitions are aimed at creating some well-articulated synergy between the two companies, but Motorola's future role in this union - beyond patent warehouse - is unclear.Heightening the uncertainty is that the companies involved, both of which declined to comment, are in some ways as different as two technology companies can be. Google makes Internet services and software, thrives on high profit margins and distributes its product using giant data centers. Motorola makes hardware, has modest margins on a good day and moves its products on trucks and airplanes and through brick-and-mortar stores.Some hope the cultures will fuse and lead Motorola to a future as storied as its past. Martin Cooper, 82, who worked at Motorola for 30 years and developed the first hand-held cellphones there, said he hoped great things would come from combining Google's momentum and confidence with Motorola's tradition of excellence in radio technology.

Re:My guess

[alen]

and who will want to buy a cell phone maker with the only future of making me too phones like HTC does

Moto's problem is that HTC flooded the market with similar phones that have very minor differences. HTC Inspire, desire hd, droid incredible 2, my touch 4g, evo, thunderbolt. they are all either the 82655 or the 86655 qualcomm CPU's which are almost exactly the same with the same GPU's. everything else is minor differences. Moto had too few phones in the market place or made too many models with too many differences

Re:But It Could Be An Amazing Mairrage!

[Lumpy]

Every single Nokia, audiovox, and motorla cellphone that I have owned that had an "external antenna" was a real antenna. Yes I know it was real as I took the things apart after retiring them for parts... Nokia phones are goldmines for Hacker parts.

Please list what ones had a "fake" antenna.