Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Blogs Google Watch
    • Blogs
    • Google Watch
    • Search Engines

    Google’s Objectivity With Motorola Comes Under Fire

    Written by

    Clint Boulton
    Published September 8, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      For several months, pundits and folks with grudges versus Google’s Android operating system have speculated that the provider of the world’s leading smartphone platform has a heavier hand in the release of its platform to open source than it led us to believe.

      Google didn’t do itself a favor when it withheld its Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” platform from open-source development. That called into question just how “open” Android really is.

      Check out that bombshell above, courtesy of an internal Google document Foss Patents blogger Florian Mueller fished out of the myriad files in the patent infringement case against Google by Oracle.

      The document appears to reason how Google can profit from ceding Android to developers under an open-source license. This is the key part:

      “Lead device concept: Give early access to the software to partners who build and distribute devices to our specification (ie, Motorola and Verizon). They get a non-contractual time to market advantage and in return they align to our standard.“

      Meanwhile, Oracle noted in a filing that Google actively participates in the design and build of some device makers’ handsets, and signs off on the final Android build.

      As Mueller noted, this is confirmation that the Android source code tree has “private branches” and some OEMs were always more equal than others.

      Mueller wondered how Samsung, HTC, LG or Sony could still trust Google if it gets Motorola. He suggests these companies will be nervous that Google will seed Motorola with privileges.

      However, TechCrunch’s Jason Kincaid offered a valuable counter argument, noting that it’s well-known Google works with these partners separately and helps usher some of the builds to market.

      For example, Google worked closely with Motorola and Verizon Wireless on the first Motorola Droid. The HTC Nexus One launched with T-Mobile, while the Nexus S launched on T-Mobile and the Nexus S 4G launched Sprint.

      Verizon is allegedly getting the “Ice Cream Sandwich”-based Samsung Droid Prime, so Google seems to be spreading around the “pure Google experience” equally enough.

      Kincaid’s strongest counterpoint is that Google wouldn’t favor Motorola because “this is a land rush, and Google has every reason to keep as many OEMs pumping out as many Android devices as possible; it isn’t about to infuriate them all by turning Motorola into its blessed favorite.”

      To wit, keep everyone happy: That makes good business for Google, which as Mueller noted later in his post is geared to drive search and ads on Android handsets.

      What’s wrong with this? Google is a bee, pollinating different OEMs and carriers with its Google essence before moving on to the next device and OS build. If only Google had opened Honeycomb to complete the metaphor!

      I appreciate both Mueller’s and Kincaid’s arguments, but what I suspect is that Mueller’s illumination of this practice will simply serve as ammunition for federal regulators mulling whether or not to block the deal.

      I’m not confident the Justice Department or Federal Trade Commission effectively grok how Google’s Android ecosystem works.

      They may smell favoritism, however liberally laced throughout Google’s partners, and just squash the Motorola deal outright because they feel the company will use Motorola as an ax to chop at other OEMs’ legs. This has to be a concern for Google, which is already under the antitrust microscope by the FTC for search, and possibly Android.

      The upshot of this is that if regulators press Google on its practices, it may become public information (just as these documents came to light only thanks to the Oracle suit), which means we’ll learn a lot about how Google runs its mobile business.

      Of course, Google could sell the Motorola hardware business and simply keep the 17,000 patents to foil future attacks on Android. In which case the favoritism question becomes moot.

      Clint Boulton
      Clint Boulton

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.