Google is to acquire Motorola Mobility, the handset makers smartphone business.
The deal, reported by The Guardian to be worth $12.5bn (£7.6bn), was announced by Google CEO Larry Page in a blog post, who says it will help to “supercharge Android”.
Page also took the opportunity to re-state his position on Apple and Microsoft, which he says “are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android”.
“Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Googles patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies,” he says. 
Page says that Motorolas commitment to Android – the company went with an Android-only policy in its smartphone development in 2008 – makes the two companies a good fit for each other. “Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers everywhere,” he says.
However, Page says that Googles acquisition of Motorola will not stop Android being an open platform. “This acquisition will not change our commitment to run Android as an open platform. Motorola will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. We will run Motorola as a separate business. Many hardware partners have contributed to Androids success and we look forward to continuing to work with all of them to deliver outstanding user experiences.”
