[WindowsCentral.com]

In a surprise move today, Google announced the sale of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91 billion dollars. On the face of it, that looks like financial loss from the original $12.5 billion purchase price by Google in 2012. However, keep in mind that price for just the hardware division, as Google will retain "the vast majority" of the Motorola patent portfolio (licensing them to Lenovo).
In many ways, it’s a brilliant move. Google is better served by the patent protection, but they probably couldn’t just buy them from Motorola in 2012. Instead, they had to purchase the whole package (hardware plus patents) and get into the awkward device manufacturing game. With today’s deal, they successfully spun off the hardware but retain those patents, which is really what they wanted in the first place.
There’s another reason why this may have happened: Samsung. Grab your conspiracy hats and read on why the sale of Motorola Mobility may be a big threat to Microsoft and Apple going forward.

Full story from the WPCentral blog...

[WanderingTraveler]

I don't think so.

Google may just be telling Samsung that going Android instead of Tizen is the best way forward - which would then dash Intel's hopes on mobile, and push them elsewhere...

There's going to be a sizeable impact on Wimdows, that's for sure.

[fatclue_98]

If Motorola couldn't affect WP when heavyweight Google was behind them, I don't see how this changes anything. Lenovo's home market is already flooded with cheap Androids so I don't see a major shift there. Samsung could be the biggest loser if Lenovo concentrates on the Asian & Indian markets as well as put a damper on Apple's China plans. Early reports are that the Chinese aren't snapping up iPhones the way Americans do so it may be a moot point. Based on early reviews from the Android-loving press, it looks like Samsung's biggest threat is coming from within its own borders: LG.