Google Interested in Motorola Brand, Not Just Patents: Schmidt

Google’s acquisition of Motorola, in early August, generated reports stating Google’s interest in gaining access to the hardware company’s gamut of 17,000 patents.

Google had framed the $12.5 billion deal as a “genius patent arming” strategy to defend itself from its rivals like Apple and Microsoft, but how is it giving an edge to Motorola.

We did it for more than just patents, Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, said at Salesforce.com's Dreamforce conference in San Francisco on Thursday. We actually believe that the Motorola team has some amazing products coming...We're excited to have the product line, to use the Motorola brand, the product architecture, the engineers. These guys invented the RAZR. We know them well because they're Google Apps users….[We like] having at least one area where we can do integrated hardware and software, Schmidt said.

However, Schmidt also mentioned that Motorola’s expensive patents would help Google and its Android partners to protect defend the rivals.

Gartner research vice president Carolina Milanesi tweeted, Samsung HTC LG SEMC might be unhappy about Google/Moto but not much they can do when their smartphones sales are so dependent.”

When Android operating system is used by 40 percent of the U.S. smartphone users, many analysts suggest that Motorola rival HTC will not ditch Android after the company acquired Motorola.

Martin Cooper, who worked with Motorola for 30 years and developed the first hand-held cellphone said, “The combination might make Motorola successful — again.”

According to NDP, which tracks end-point purchases, Motorola’s influence on the Android segment has waned, with its share of the Android market declining from 44 percent in the second quarter of 2010 to 22 percent in the corresponding quarter of 2011.