Slightly OT: Google buying Motorola Mobility

[escomm]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Google Inc. unveiled plans on Monday morning to acquire Motorola Mobility for about $12.5 billion in cash in a bid to step up its ability to compete in the fast-growing mobile computing market – as well as protect its Android platform from an increasing number of legal challenges.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/google ... teid=yhoof

[JAYMZ]

Interesting to see... but not necessarily surprising either. Now, correct me if I am wrong but Motorola Mobility is just the cellular telephone manufacturing arm of Motorola, correct? Shouldn't affect the Land Mobile side of the house much I would think.

But... the next question is... when does the rest of Motorola fold up under someone else when they have sold off one of the more profitable sides of their business? I know Motorola is (and has not) been the forefront of cellular telephone manufacturing in a while but from what I understand it was a large part of their revenues for some time. It really makes me wonder when (not if) the rest of the company gets swallowed up by someone else.

Can't wait for the advertising lines...

"All new socially aware Motorola 2 way available from Facebook" </douche chills>

[Batwings21]

I was under the impressions that the mobility side was the least profitable. Before the Droid, they hadn't had a successful phone since the Razr

[escomm]

I don't think Mobility has turned a profit since the early Zander days

The cell biz getting scooped is not a big surprise. What Google does with the cable boxes and other ancillary business will be interesting to see

Today's big winner is Carl Icahn

[JAYMZ]

Motorla Mobility made thw cable boxes? That i didnt know. But, i guess the same with the cell biz i do know tjat the cable modems and oxes were not a big piece of the pie because Scientific Atlantic is a pretty large market shareholder in that industry.

[MTS2000des]

The problem is Motorola Solutions is still doing business the way they were in the 1990's when there was virtually no competition, and that has changed. Today, Kenwood is a serious player in the P25 subscriber market, and with their taking the lead developing NXDN systems and making the price point competitive, they have moved up from once what used to be laughed at to Motorola's serious competition. Icom is also a key player with their commitment to infrastructure for both P25 and IDAS (which is NXDN core). Both these companies are established, quality manufacturers with just as wide a dealer support as Motorola, and are priced considerably less. Now Harris is positioning themselves as a solutions provider, and they have the experience and financial backing to do it. Key contracts are being won (and I'm not just referring to that abomination of OpenSky), and products like Unity are proving they are committed to public safety.

Solutions needs to wake up. The Chinese are now the new Kenwood of the next decade. The Hytera, Quanshengs and Beofungs will be the next Kenwood, Icom and VXSTD. When they start building P25, NXDN and LTE subs and FNE, Motorola Solutions will either be history or someone's next acquisition. The writing is already on the wall.