Google and Moto: The Best and Worst-Case Scenarios
By Jack M. Germain in Technewsworld
Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) recent plan to buy Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) has the potential for reshaping the entire Android landscape. If it wins regulatory approval for the purchase, Google may only have a short time span to connect its marketing strategy.
When and if this happens, it could further fracture the open source Android operating system. Depending on how Google follows its purchase of a hardware division, a future release of Android might usher in a more tightly controlled platform.
Consumers might see choices between hybrid Google Android devices with newer features than are available in the older open source versions of Android. That type of division could separate hardware manufacturers, propelling some to rally around Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows Phone platform.
"If Google does plan on making an integrated move with hardware makers, we will know that within one year's time, maybe even within one month. It would be evident very quickly if Google starts trying to build a closed ecosystem," Anandan Jayaraman, chief product and marketing officer at Connectiva Systems, told LinuxInsider.