Quick Thoughts on Google Acquiring Motorola

Here's some quick thoughts on today's Google Motorola announcement:

• It's been done before - Microsoft cut a similar deal earlier this year with hardware manufacturer Nokia.
• Google is looking to further follow Apple's vertical integration strategy - basically creating device hardware and operating systems.
• Motorola has been struggling. The company is a goldmine of patents and technology. Merge Google's software,marketing and innovation with Motorola's hardware engineering and some really good things should start happening. Good for consumers.
• There's been a lot of legal/patent back and forth with Android and this has slowed development. The Motorola deal should smooth some of the legal issues out. Good for consumers.
• Google's Larry Page said today that Google will keep Motorola and Google as separate businesses and will continue to keep the Android operating system as an open platform for other hardware suppliers. This is an interesting strategy - will a hybrid closed/open strategy work? Even with questions - I still believe this is good for consumers.
• Other Android device hardware manufacturers including Samsung, Huawei and HTC are going to have to adjust to this. This may not be good for consumers in the short term.
• I've got a Motorola broadband cable modem in my house. Google has done some experimenting with Google TV. Combine the two and we could see some interesting and innovative content coming into our homes soon. This could be really good for consumers.

The acquisition requires both U.S. and European Union approvals and should be completed around the end of this year.